A matter of degrees

That BA need not stand for "bugger-all", according to an A-grade student who has turned her hand to writing a book brimful of advice for university undergraduates. Shane Gilchrist reports.

Rebecca Jury
Rebecca Jury
Rebecca Jury is adamant.

Let loose the inner nerd and that bachelor's degree will seem so much more attainable.

Jury should know: in 2008 she graduated with a bachelor of arts (BA), majoring in English, from the University of Canterbury, walking away with an A+ average. Invited to complete an honours year, she declined. She had other things to do, such as travel, then work.

Oh, and write a book about how to best navigate those important few years at university.

The result, BA: An Insider's Guide, is a holistic how-to manual that attempts to demystify the academic world while urging would-be graduates to, in short, get a grip on themselves. In doing so, they might just get a grip on a meaningful degree.

Though the various strategies and tips in Jury's publication could be applied to a range of degrees, as its title implies she focuses on courses in the "liberal arts", including social sciences, languages, history and geography.

"A BA is such a general term but the degrees can be completely different," Jury says during a lunch break at Rongotai School, Wellington, where she teaches English and social studies.

"A BA teaches you how to think in a different way. That is shown in the variety of courses you can take. It doesn't really matter what courses you take; it's about how you think about them and how you apply the effects of what you've learned in the real world."

Jury struck on the idea of such a book during her own studies.

Having completed her second year and realised that she both understood and was enjoying her studies, she noticed many of her classmates were struggling, not knowing how to manage their time, study properly for exams or write essays.

"That was the point I realised I could jot down some of the stuff I'd learned to try and help other people. There is plenty of material out there for students but not that much written by students for students," says Jury who, with the support of students and lecturers alike, published a series of study skills leaflets for her peers.

Four years on, having graduated, tutored at Canterbury University, travelled extensively, worked as a youth counsellor, secured a teaching job and, notably, found a publisher (Auckland University Press), Jury can offer students another book to peruse.

"It was important for me to call it 'an insider's guide' because a BA is all I've done," she asserts. "I don't profess to be an expert on other degrees.

However, depending on how this book is received there is an option to go on and cover different degrees or more general ones.

"Everybody is different and I accept that everybody has their own way of studying so this isn't intended as the Bible of study skills. It is more about me saying, 'this was my experience; these are my conclusions; and these are some questions I think all students should ask themselves before, during and after doing a BA'."

Early on in BA: An Insider's Guide, Jury defends the arts degree. While conceding a "BA is a very interesting way to spend your time if you don't know how else to spend it", she says there is plenty of merit in doing one.

Last year, 3126 students (not including those doing honours) enrolled in either BA-only studies or combined their BA with another degree, compared to 3279 in 2010, the small drop attributed to the enrolment limitations introduced for general degrees in 2011.

According to recent University of Otago surveys, in which comparisons were made with the general student population, BA students develop their writing and analytical skills to a high degree. "Willingness to learn", "skills to plan own work", "independent judgement" and "awareness of ethical issues" are also especially well-developed.

"As a hard-working student who came out with a meaningful qualification (English major, with minor in mass communication) that has allowed me to do exactly what I wanted to do, it is frustrating to hear people describe BAs as 'bugger-all'. My BA wasn't. It was really important, challenging and rewarding.

"It is what you make of it: if you put in bugger-all effort, it won't be worth that much because so many people are doing BAs. Obviously, we can't deny that's what a lot of people think when they hear the words bachelor of arts," Jury says.

"I think that perception holds people back from being proud of it and thinking of it as something that warrants their effort for three years."

Students are bombarded with many questions. Yet, perhaps the most important of all is one that should be asked before enrolment: what do I actually want out of a degree?

Jury says an underlying aim of her book is to get people thinking about the degree itself rather than just identifying as a university student.

"Everyone has got his or her reasons for being at university.

I'm not saying you have to only have good grades in mind - the social aspects are important, too - but you need to actively acknowledge the reasons why you're there.

"I was fortunate in that I decided to take a year out between high school and university and was able to think about it differently. It was an active choice rather than just a flow-on from high school."

The point is, both time - and money - are at stake.

Certainly, it is worth knowing what a degree might be worth in the workplace before embarking on one, particularly given a student will, after three years, have accrued an average debt of around $20,000, according to figures from Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Education.

Three-quarters of students will take 15 years to repay their loans; only a quarter will have paid off their debt in full in less than four years; and some - those whose earnings fall below the repayment threshold (this year it is $19,084) - will never pay them off, their outstanding debt written off when they die.

A 2008 study into the impact of education on income reveals students with a tertiary qualification are likely to earn 30% more than those without any school qualification. Also, a person with a bachelor's degree is likely to earn at least twice the amount of someone with no school-level qualifications and 25% more than someone who drops out of university.

In a 2009 Statistics New Zealand report, "What Do Students Earn After Their Tertiary Education?", author David Scott puts the difference even higher - he highlights a 51% income premium for degree graduates over non-graduates and over those with lower-level qualifications.

What was studied made a significant difference to what was earned, too. Compared with bachelor's degree students studying humanities, those specialising in medical studies earned 2.59 times more three years post-study.

According to the 2006 census (note: the 2011 census was deferred until 2013 because of the Christchurch earthquake), the highest income earners are 1), medical practitioners, with an average annual salary of $98,300); 2), ICT managers ($87,700); 3), chief executives, general managers and legislators ($69,600); 4), advertising and sales managers ($69,300); 5), financial brokers/dealers and investment advisers ($69,200); 6), air and marine transport professionals ($67,300); and 7), education, health and welfare service managers ($64,700).

It is important to note these are average incomes in their fields; individuals could well earn more, or less, depending on experience. As a comparison, the average annual salary in New Zealand is currently just shy of $48,000.

Over the past five years, almost 90% of University of Otago BA graduates report being in full-time employment, full-time study, or a combination of part-time work and part-time study 18 months after graduation. A further 6% are either working or studying part-time.

Of the balance (those 6% neither working nor studying), the majority fall into "explainable" categories such as being on extended holiday or parenting full-time. (It is worth noting that same rate - give or take a couple of percentage points - applies to graduates of other degree courses at Otago.)When it comes to employment, a graduate's personal attributes and their standard of achievement in what they study is often more important than their specific subject area. In short, Jury says, it is important to have good grades.

"It's about setting high standards for yourself. Once you start setting those standards, they apply across everything you do. Aim for an A grade every time. All those little things add up."


Read it
BA: An Insider's Guide is published by Auckland University Press.
Rebecca Jury has started an internet blog based on her book and is happy to answer questions from students, their parents and teachers. Visit: http://aninsidersguide.com/


The basics
Some tips from an A-grade student ...
• Go to every lecture, Rebecca Jury urges. As the lecturer talks, the ideas form; sometimes, tangents come to mind.
• Read, read and read again.
• Importantly, take note of the order of the reading list supplied by your lecturer - it's often carefully constructed with the aim of gradually building knowledge of a subject.
• The lexicon of academic language can be intimidating. Don't be spellbound by all those massive words; pick out what really matters. You can be confused and intelligent at the same time.
• Arm yourself with skills: take those "free" courses (essay writing, research techniques, etc). Besides, they aren't actually free (your fees go towards them), so you might as well make best use of your money.

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