How not to get the best from a University Education

This was all observed at York Uni last week: a female student came into one of the study areas. She found a desk, sat down, and got a bag of crisps out of her bag. She proceeded to crunch her way through them while unpacking her books. Having finished her (rather loud, for a silent area) meal she then rested her desk, and went to sleep. For a good hour. Then she woke up, packed up her books, and left the room. It was then that I saw that she was clutching one of those "No to 9K" posters.

Now, I can see why she wouldn't want to spend 9k a year on having a room to sleep in on a campus when the need takes her. That's not good value for money. But honest to God, having a kip in a study area not what a university education is actually about. Truth be told, in an institution like York, 9k is actually good value for money, given the good facilities and (generally speaking) the excellent level of teaching on offer. The point is that this girl - and any other student paying for the opportunity to go to a good university - is that you get value for money by making the most of your time at that institution. Or to put it another way, getting a degree is actually about more than eating and sleeping.