Abstracts » Education

What an education did for Rita

Article Abstract:

Sandra Smith, a single parent and one-time part-time data-input clerk from a lower middle-class background, describes her decision in 1998 to go to university to get a degree, the impact the degree has had on her life, and attempts to evaluate the exact purpose of universities. She argues that rather than just being a way of getting a qualification that will, theoretically, enable you to gain access to a wider range of jobs, what going to university is really about is providing you with time to grow as a person, gaining a wider network of friends than would otherwise be possible, providing an healthier outlook on life, inculcating more ordered thought processes and providing a wider context in which to place your life and your achievements.

Personal narratives

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Our work is to free talent in the project of humanity

Article Abstract:

Issues relating to the purpose of universities in contemporary society in the United Kingdom are examined in the light of statements made by education secretary Charles Clarke. It is argued that the whole purpose of higher education is one of self-discovery and that universities should not be there simply to turn out students for the various spheres of the arts, business and science, but to unleash the bright and sublime possibilities of the human being.

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How do a rhino and a professor reverse a life of underachievement?

Article Abstract:

Issues relating to what universities can do to improve the social mix of their students and widen participation from students from working-class backgrounds are examined from the point of view that what the universities can do is limited by the life chances available to potential students in their early lives.

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