Final year BA (Hons) Stage & Production Management student, Ed, has taken control of the Backstage blog today and is here to impart his student wisdom and bust those common myths around studying for your degree! Take it away Ed!

Choosing whether or not to attend university is a massive decision, and there are lots of elements to be considered. This is sometimes not helped by misconceptions surrounding the topic, which can be an incredibly confusing thing to decipher!

Below are some myths and statements made about University, and my opinion in response to them, as I near the end of my degree.

Myth No. 1

There’s no point going into Higher Education, you can get the same as just working

There are some cases where you can get to the same place and earn the same money by not going to university. However, Department for Education (DfE) research has found that graduates have higher employment rates and can earn on average £100,000 more than their non-graduate counterparts.

Myth No. 2

Uni is only for massively academic individuals

This isn’t true, mostly! As is expected with a higher level of study, there is the academic written side with reports and essays. But there also exists to be a whole host of additional assessment methods. Be that practical technical assessment, event planning, presentations, and ‘Viva Voces’ which involve verbally critiquing one’s work.

Myth No. 3

You HAVE to live away from home

Although lots of people chose to, there is no obligation to move away from home for university whatsoever. If you live within a commutable distance to university, then if you want to stay at home then do! It is very much down to the individual. There is still the ability to gain the social element, meeting up with friends outside of lectures.

Myth No. 4

I’m the only one who feels nervous or homesick

I think although not everyone will admit it, we all feel a bit nervous and homesick at times. Missing family, our home, the place we lived before, there are a lot of changes. It is important to know though that you can easily talk to your friends who can be there for you, or the Support Team at university who are there to help!

Myth No. 5

I’ll have to pay back huge amounts of money towards my student debt straight away

False! Students only start repaying their loan once they earn above the repayment threshold which at the time of writing (April 2022) stands at £27,295. All students pay back at a rate of 9% of any of their salary over this amount. For example, if you earned £31,000, monthly repayments would be £27.

Myth No. 6

It’s okay to not bother in the first year, it doesn’t count anyway!

Some argue this to be true in the sense that first year assessments don’t directly count towards your overall degree classification, HOWEVER, it is vital to get used to university assessments as they do different from Further Education, and ready yourself for the second and third years, where the grades directly impact your overall degree classification.

Thinking about studying your degree at Backstage Academy? Learn more about our undergraduate and postgraduate courses at our next Open Day on Saturday 25th June!