Student minions to powerful student market forces

The truth is that universities are profit making organisations. But they aren't like your typical profit hungry beasts such as Coco Cola, or McDonald's, or even like Citi Group; in fact they don't like to associate themselves with "making" money. Somehow, they want to be associated only with educating Britain's talented workforce, playing a pivotal role in maintaining Britain's productivity, research, and global dominance, being a heroic bunch of entities who work on nothing but altruism. The truth is somewhat different, and the sooner graduates accept this fact, the better!


I should explain myself for such a derogatory narrative. Firstly, no university is altruistic. They educate us, because we pay them lots of money to do so, and if we don't directly pay, believe me, our taxes more than make up for it! The sooner graduates understand that they are powerful customers, and not mere humble students looking for a university place, it shifts the power of balance away from the universities and onto us - the end user!


If I see myself as a customer who is looking to spend £25,000 on educating myself, and I want to know where I'll get the best value for money, and I see Universities for what they really are - a bunch of diploma selling market traders who'll do (almost) anything to get my money, then, and only then, will we have the power to hold "shoddy" universities departments accountable. I believe its a paradigm shift that students must have.


Lets be frank, how many of you dear readers went to university, or God forbid at a university department that you know is run badly! I know my Aerospace (Engineering) department was so badly run that the Lecturer "accidentally" gave out real examination papers as practice papers. Was it a wonder that everyone in the department got a high upper second degree, in fact shame on us, we should have all got first classes! Now, if I was a customer with £25,000, then I would have held the dean, or at worst, the head of school (in this case engineering) accountable for such a blunder. He would have had to make immediate changes, or at best give me a refund for delivering such a poor service.


The problem is power. Where is this power found you may be wondering? Well, it's in the system. The fact that we pay our fees (and so does the government on our behalf, at least for us Brits) the university can deliver the bare minimum that the governments university quality standards department (whatever their name maybe) sets, and get paid handsomely for it! The system "saps" power away from us, and allows universities to work on minimum standards, and if they meet it, they get paid. But what if we as students have higher expectations? What if we students want to be in power of our £25,000?


I believe that the first step is raise the expectations and aspirations of students. Students ought to be far more demanding of their universities and lecturers. In short, two things need to happen:


1) Students ought to have a paradigm shift - you are not a mere student, you are a customer who should be looking for value for money, and someone that has the best part of £25,000 to spend over three years at your chosen university. You are (or should) be the pushy one!


2) We need to hold universities accountable (and by "we" I do not mean some bureaucracy) the market ought to give each student the power to release the funds to their university,and until they are not fully satisfied, and universities have lived up to their end of the bargain, students have the right not to release funds!


But this is merely a dream dear readers! Aye, but what a dream!