Record high A-Level exam results, that was a surprise!
It’s easy to forget that sarcasm is very much lost in the transition from vocal misgivings to the whimsical domain of the blogosphere, but anyone that wasn’t already expecting this news should expect to plummet slightly down the intellect scale. Partly because it’s a trend that’s not bucked for the best part of two decades, but mostly because this year sees the introduction of a new grading threshold at top end of the marking boundaries. So as statistics begin to whitewash every media outlet across the UK accompanied by pictures of students elatedly competing for narcissistic priority, for many it will be false hope on the news that the number of people wanting a place in further education far outstrips the availability.
Although my own age probably doesn’t qualify me to look back nostalgically, I’ve pretty much made up my mind that this is a positive thing. Taking aside personal sentiment and the misguided view that a degree secures a better future, it’s easy to strip this down to a very basic supply and demand scenario. The government constantly strives for a highly educated population whilst also taking care to make sure that people are submissive enough not to challenge them too much. In this instance they are doing a pretty good job, but in their effort to bulk up the collective intelligence of the nation the compromise has come in the form of slipping standards. Whether this drive comes from pressure groups with an unhealthy passion for equality or simply wanting to increase our influence at EU summits, it’s not clear, but; as the name implies, further education should remain in the realm of the ‘best and brightest’.
Thus far, I’ve only talked about the admission into university, so how about when people graduate? Well it’s not any coincidence that we have a high level of graduate unemployment at the moment. The market is saturated with ambitious alumni who have realised; with startling abruptness, that their expensive qualification does not entitle them to an ‘automatic’ career in the modern fickle world of employment. Whilst some may beg to differ, I’m not ‘having a go’ at graduates. I’m more concerned with the misguided publicity provided to potential undergrads by the institutions. Of course the university ‘experience’ is worthwhile but it shouldn’t detract from their primary focus. Ultimately, there are many cheaper and distinctly more efficient ways of drinking yourself into submission than uni and if your sole reasoning for going out is to gain a unique appreciation of the world from the curious perspective of the curb-line, then it’s probably doubtful that you are likely to flourish in academia anyway.
When I was in the sixth form, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the more ‘prestigious’ state schools, which may have looked good on the governors report but had the negative consequence in that their policy was interestingly narrow-minded when it came to the future of their students. It was bluntly assumed that everyone should be aiming for further education and when I first said that I wasn’t interested and was more concerned with acquiring practical work experience, I was very quickly and subtly ostracised. Fortunately, I’m the sort of person that will echo such adversity with an equal measure of tenacity and; in all honesty, I’ve never looked back.
I guess this whole post is about polite ignorance. Choosing to better your education at university is a massive decision, particularly if you have little clue as to your direction in life. However, I’d like to leave you with the immortal words of Mark Twain – “I’ve never let my schooling interfere with my education.” So if you didn’t get the grades you hoped for this year, bear in mind that there is no better qualification than graduating from the university of life.
Tags: a level, a levels, a*, clearing, crisis, drinking, exam, exams, grades, graduate, Mark Twain, qualification, record, results, school, university
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