In the UK, 82% of university students are enrolled on full-time courses, and over 90% have eschewed sandwich courses in favour of strictly academic study. But is the most trodden path necessarily the best one?
Part-Time Study
Part-time study is pretty much what it says on the tin: studying for your university degree on a part-time rather than full-time basis. Unsurprisingly, it usually takes part-time students longer to obtain their degree than it does their full-time counterparts – often five years or more for an undergraduate degree. Many students choose part-time study as it gives them the flexibility to balance their studies with work and/or family commitments. For some this flexibility is a necessity; for others, a choice.
Being able to work whilst you study has two benefits: financially, it means you can study in financial security and even emerge from university debt-free. Professionally, gaining valuable work experience whilst you study puts you in a better situation, come gradation, than many full-time students. Employers will certainly be impressed by your time-management skills, and self-discipline, when they see you have studied part-time.
However, part-time students do often find themselves very stretched trying to balance work, study and personal lives. It’s hardly surprising that many part-time students struggle to immerse themselves in their course as well as the ‘student experience’ – they simply have less time to enjoy the ample extra-curricular activities, networking opportunities and socialising that university has to offer.
At the end of the day, you need to look at both your practical needs and what you want to get out of your time at university, and choose a route that satisfies both sides.
Sandwich Courses
Sandwich courses are courses – usually more vocational ones – that include a year working in a relevant industry. For this reason they are one year longer than their non-sandwich equivalents.
Sandwich courses give students the opportunity to gain useful experience and insight into their chosen industry whilst still working towards their degree, and can even mean a year of paid employment. In many cases a student’s sandwich year will help them find a job after graduation – sometimes with the company they were working with as a student!
Unfortunately, although many universities will tout their sandwich courses as a major selling point for the course, this does not guarantee a fulfilling placement. Places on the more interesting and paid placements can be very competitive, leaving many students disappointed. These students can find themselves spending a year in a placement that isn’t right for them, or struggling financially in an unpaid position. Don’t forget that universities can still charge tuition fees – albeit reduced – for the sandwich year, and students on placements won’t receive the same maintenance loans as usual.
If you’re looking at courses which offer sandwich years, try to speak to current students about how they found the placement process at their institution, as their experiences can vary wildly and may well prove instrumental in your decision of where to study.