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We need to talk about money: Are universities actually worth it?
This week, two significant and interesting reports hit the world of higher education.
The first is Are universities worth it? A review of the evidence and policy options by David Willetts. The second is the 2025 Student Money and Wellbeing Report by Blackbullion.
One is an intelligent, articulate and well-researched piece, which provides a compelling analysis of the current state of higher education. It concludes that all is fine; media and political hype around the problems with degrees and university funding have got it all wrong, and university and the way it is currently funded is undeniably a good thing.
The other is a report that is barely more sophisticated than a master's dissertation, but manages to press exactly the right buttons, needling its way into finding precisely the financial problems that students face in their daily lives, and how it impacts their studies.
How (and why) to build slack into your life.
I read a LinkedIn post the other day about building ‘slack’ into our lives, by a growth and performance consultant called Dr Mark Thorley.
In his post he talks about how we, as a society, seem to be all consumed with doing more. We constantly strive to be our best selves whether at work or in our personal lives.
Work hard, play hard, do more, go on better holidays, get a bigger car, spend more, get a bigger house, a bigger mortgage, and a bigger debt on our credit cards.
And what this all really comes down to is that we constantly get stressed simply trying to meet the expectations of others.
And yet, those who seem to be the very most successful at surviving in times of uncertainty, and can thrive when things go wrong, are those who have managed to build a little ‘slack’ into their lives.