Higher education took a bit of a battering last year. The systems of fees and funding changed dramatically while the economy shuddered and the employment market shook, raising new concerns for both students and their parents. Twelve months on, the dust has settled \u201d\u201d but do parents have any idea what student life looks like today?<\/p>\n
\u201cMany think back to when they were undergraduates. The situation today is unrecognisably different,\u201d\u009d says Danny Byrne, editor of topuniversities.com. \u201cIn those days, 10 to 15 per cent of school-leavers went to university and tended to waltz into jobs at the end of it. Today, there\u2019s a mass influx of graduates into the job market and it\u2019s getting tougher to distinguish yourself, so parents feel they need to provide more hands-on direction.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The university experience has changed too. Byrne says the focus has shifted from fun and study to employability and study, with students grabbing every possible opportunity to gain work experience and build networks.<\/p>\n