Is university worth it?

This is a question I've been asking myself for years now and after finishing my first year at uni, I still haven't come any closer to answering it. 

Bad things

1. University is extremely expensive. Do I need to say more? Before I started, I didn't really have a clue about the daily things you have to pay for. Despite having saved up a lot of money before I started, by the end of each term I was having to borrow money from my parents to eat. 
2. It's a lot of work. If you think A levels are hard, you've got a long 3 years ahead if you want to go to uni. I take geography which is arguably a subject with the least amount of work. But, I still had an essay to write every week, weekly tutorial assignments, lots of long pieces of coursework and four 2 hour exams in May. 
3. Debt. Is university really worth the £27000+ debt I'm going to be in after three years? I know it's going to take until I'm in my 40s to pay it back, so is it really worth it? I have one friend who has got a fantastic job after getting two A levels. She's been able to afford a brand new car and has moved out of her family home to a lovely rented house with friends. I know that it's going to take me years to reach what she has got in her life, and it's quite likely that as she doesn't have to pay off the high levels of uni debt, she will be in a much better position in 20 years time compared to myself. 

Good things

1. The social experience of university is incredible. I have met people who I am sure I'll be friends with for the rest of my life in halls as well as on my course. Because everyone is in the same boat, you make friends so quickly and you go through the experience of growing up together which I love. My university especially (Royal Holloway) is relatively small and a campus uni, meaning you always see the same faces around and at the SU (student nightclub on campus). I was also lucky enough to go to Spain with my geography course which helped so much with bonding. You undoubtedly make friends when you're thrown in a river to measure sediment discharge in the sun ( I love geography).
2. I have come out of my shell. Since I was eleven I've suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks and I remember how terrified I was the weeks leading up to leaving home. But honestly, being thrown in the deep end and having to cope with living alone and with strangers helped my confidence so much. I feel like a completely new person. Although I still struggle with speaking to new people, I look at the friends I've managed to make on my own and that fills me with confidence that I can do it. 
3. You get to increase your knowledge in something you're interested in. Before going to uni, I never really thought about this. But you get taught by some of the most expert people in that particular field. You get to learn about the research they have taken part in and the difference this has made in our knowledge in that particular subject. I think that as long as I come out of this degree with a wider knowledge of geography then I'll be happy because of my interest in it. 

So overall, I've weighed up for and against going to uni and I think (for me) it is worth it. But it really depends on the person. I see some friends who haven't gone to university and they don't regret that decision at all. 

I thought I would finish off this post with a bit about my university if you were wondering (because it is the best uni in the world in my opinion).

• I go to Royal Holloway, University of London. It is located in Surrey sort of on the outskirts of London, very near to Heathrow airport (which can get loud).
• It is a campus university, dominated by the magnificent Founder's Building. I was lucky enough to stay in the halls in the "palace" during the first year and I loved it. It is also the cheapest out of all the accommodation because it is an old building. 
• I study BA geography which is a mixture of both Human and Physical geography in the first year but in the second year I'm concentrating more on Human. The course at RoHo is fantastic, the lecturers and staff are so helpful and get involved with the students as much as possible. We get to go on incredible trips for example, in the first year we were lucky enough to go to Andalusia, Spain for free (well, included in our fees)!!! In the second year there are options to go to trips to New York, Malawi, Paris and Ireland as well as many short trips to London and  other places in the UK.
  
  
  
  Basically, if you're thinking of studying geography I would highly recommend Royal Holloway, it is fantastic!
  
  
  I hope my rants/excitement over university helped in some way for people thinking about uni in the future. 
  What are your thoughts?
  Becky