You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates get better jobs. Others believe there are much wider benefits of university education for both individuals and society. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Higher education plays a pivotal role in an individual’s professional life. Many people are of the opinion that the role of university education is to merely facilitate a graduate’s job hunting endeavours. Others, however, believe that the beneficial ramifications a university can provide for its students are many. This essay analyses both points of view. I believe that besides helping graduates find better jobs, a university can do much more.
On the one hand, the primal objective of any university is to award a successful candidate with a professional degree. Although a degree may not guarantee a job, it is nevertheless necessary, as employers will not hire an individual without the right kind of academic qualifications. So a university degree increases the job prospects of individuals, and this is why people are inclined to believe that this is the only objective a university is supposed to fulfil. For instance, more than 80% of parents in South Asian countries believe that their children should have university degrees for the sake of getting a better job.
On the other hand, many believe that a degree is just one of the many benefits a university can offer. A university does improve many soft skills of its learners, such as confidence, empathy, delegation, observation, imagination, responsibility, planning, analysis, problem-solving skills and many more – the importance of which for personal, professional and social success are undeniable. These days, many employers seek not only applicants’ academic qualifications but also important soft skills. These soft skills help people thrive in their personal life, contribute better to society and the nation. Thus university education goes beyond preparing young minds for their careers.
I believe that universities shape young students to become personally, socially and professionally ready to take challenges and contribute more for the betterment of all. Students learn many soft skills that help them not only do better in their jobs but also become better members of society and develop and grow as individuals.
To conclude, it is clear from the above discussion that universities emphasise developing their learners’ overall skills – including academic, professional and personal skills, that are required for success in life while also becoming better citizens.
[ Written by – Hassan Ali ]
Sample Answer 2:
Tertiary education, even though is directed towards lucrative employment opportunities for the learners, have a diverse facet. It aims at more than just preparing participants for jobs. This essay discusses how university education helps build a better career and also offers many extensive applications towards personal growth and social benefits.
To commence with how university education helps learners get better jobs after graduating from university, it is undeniable that most lucrative job applications demand at least a university degree. For example, most prestigious jobs that come with better job security and pay scale have higher job requirements, and without university educations, it is difficult to apply for such jobs, let alone secure one. As universities teach pupils the subject matter knowledge extensively and help them learn some important soft skills, they get ready to take the professional challenges more adeptly than their counterparts. Moreover, both in developed and developing countries, postgraduates are able to command a considerable higher salary at their workplace when compared to employees with just a high school diploma. Finally, some highly respected and demanding professions, like those of doctors, pilots, engineers, architects and scientists can only be pursued, after graduating from the respective university courses. Considering all these aspects, it is undeniable that university education is perceived as a means of better employability.
However, apart from preparing learners to secure lucrative and prestigious jobs after graduating, tertiary education also benefits the nation by creating educated societies, containing an immense pool of forward-thinking and enlightened individuals, who can contribute towards social development by their respective expertise. They become the leaders of tomorrow and their decisions and actions shape the community, society and the whole country. As universities have taught them skills that are useful to lead those positions, tertiary education, directly and indirectly, is immensely benefitting the country. For example, most leaders and entrepreneurs in my country are graduates of different universities and they are contributing to the development of nations from the skills they have learned from their university education. Finally, numerous long-lasting friendships, business partnerships and courtships also bloom from the university campus life that economically supports the nation.
To conclude, apart from generating healthy employment, university education serves individuals, communities and society to a great extent. So it has great social and individual significance as well.
[Written & submitted by – Gomez]
Sample Answer 3:
Many people have argued about the function of university study. A group of people believe that studying in the university help graduate students in obtaining prestigious jobs, while others think that university study offers much wider positive experiences beside getting better jobs. The following paragraphs will explain in details about both opinions, but I do believe that undergraduate or post graduate studies have many advantages.
On the one hand, it is a fact that one of the aims of university study is to assist the graduates in obtaining better jobs. Institutions are hoping that the curriculum, program and tutorial sessions that are prepared and set by them would be useful for their graduate students in the workplace. Besides that, certain kinds of highly paid jobs require the candidate to be highly educated or have a university degree. For example, to become an external auditor in one of the big four international accounting firms such as Price Water House Coopers, the candidate should have a bachelor degree in accounting and obtained certified public accountant certificate. Since it is a mandatory requirement, many of the young people have enrolled in the university in order to get that elite and prestigious job. Therefore a lot of people believe that the main purpose of studying in university level is to get better jobs.
On the other hand, another group of people believe that university study offers other kinds of positive experiences for students themselves and communities as well. Firstly, by studying in the university, students would have more friends, since many universities are accepting students from various local areas and some even from overseas. Therefore, students would have the chance in expanding their networks and learning new languages and cultures as well. Secondly, studying in the university also bring benefits for the community and society. University offers various kinds of positive activities for their students which are also useful for the neighbourhood. For example, many medicine schools offer free medication consultation for the poor people who live in the surrounding area which is conducted by their students.
In conclusion, some people believe that university study brings much wider benefits for the students besides getting better-paid jobs, but others disagree with it. In my point of view, I do agree that the aim of studying in the university should not be only for getting jobs, but also for networking and socialising as well.
[ Written by – Darwin Lesmana ]
Sample Answer 4:
Today, education has become the vital part of our life. People are opting for higher and higher qualifications these days so that they can get better jobs in future. Along with better job prospectives, there are also other benefits of acquiring university education. In this essay, I will discuss some of them.
Knowledge & learning help individual shape his future and makes him the respected person in the society. Gaining university degree not only provides the individual with the opportunity to earn more, but also increases his/her value in the society. The person becomes both socially and economically an ideal citizen which today the society demands. S/he gains self-confidence, a better personality which is acceptable in the society.
Education in formal institutes like colleges and universities offers a student to expand his/her horizon of knowledge and experience. S/he can learn about diverse cultures, manner and other important aspects of life.
Furthermore, enrollment in the university programs increases the person’s understanding and knowledge; thereby, making him/her more efficient in his work and building a good career. For example, a university graduate has better ideas to run a company effectively and this quality can impress his employer and lead to his promotion in future. Higher education also leads to a healthy lifestyle. Educated people are more conscious about their health than the uneducated one. Last but not the least, obtaining a university degree raises the individual’s status a step higher.
To conclude, my opinion undoubtedly is in the favour of acquiring higher studies to build up a good career as well as to shape the individual’s personality which is also beneficial for the betterment of the society.
[ Written by – Fatema Bohari ]
Sample Answer 5:
The role that university education plays in a person’s life and in society is often a debated topic. Some argue that the main purpose of university education is to enable graduates to land better jobs, while others contend that university education has a wider array of benefits for both individuals and society. Both sides of this debate will be analysed in this essay before a reasoned conclusion is drawn.
On the one hand, some believe that tertiary education has paramount importance in helping graduates finding rewarding jobs. For example, to practice audit in the UK, a person has got to have a certification awarded by one of the recognised professional bodies such as the ACCA. Without a degree from such an institute, it would be impossible to be employed in the profession of auditing. Thus, it is obvious why this point of view has garnered support.
On the other hand, many opine that university education has a much wider role to play in both the person’s life and in society. For instance, many British universities have included ethics as a compulsory subject in all of their courses. As a result, university graduates are likely to be savvy of their moral responsibilities and thus can discharge them in a better way. Hence, it is clear why many people support this stance.
Although both sides of this argument have indisputable virtues, however, it is felt that higher education plays a much more significant role than merely assisting the graduates in finding better employment. It is hoped that education will continue to refine the characters of both the individuals and the nations in coming decades.
[ Written by – Sameed Qureshi ]
Sample Answer 6:
A group of people think that the main purpose of university studies is to help their students in getting a better career. Others disagree with the opinion, as they believe that undergraduate studies give more benefits for their graduates besides better jobs. The following essay will discuss the both views in details.
On the one hand, many people believe that the main goal of college studies to get a better job. This thought has been generally accepted by the public, as many companies are only hiring people who have obtained certain degrees. For example, it is common that multinational oil companies such as Shell, Chevron or Caltex will only recruit new staffs who have obtained their bachelor degree, while those who have no degrees will only be hired as general labours in small factories. As a consequence, many university students only focus on their academic studies and do not participate in any extracurricular activities, as they believe that those programs are not important.
On the other hand, another group of people think that university studies give wider benefits to their students besides the career purpose. Firstly, university studies give the students a chance to enhance their talents in other fields, beside their academy studies. For instances, it is common that universities are arranging sports activities such as basketball or football. Many students have experienced the advantage of this program, which has helped them in becoming professional athletes such as Michael Jordan or Grant Hill. Secondly, universities also provide social clubs such as a speech or a leadership club which are useful for the students. Students who join these clubs will experience a lot of benefits as they learn how to interact with other people, deliver attractive presentations and how to lead an organisation. Therefore many campuses are organising and arranging these extracurricular activities and persuading their students to get involve with one of the clubs.
In my opinion, although it is undeniable that the main aim of studying in university is to get a better career, I do believe that other activities that provided by the campus are also beneficial for the students. And I think that students should have a proportionate time between academic study, extracurricular activities and social life.