Around the world, more young people than ever before are attending
university. Student numbers in South Africa have doubled since democracy
and for many families, higher education is a route to a better future
for their children. But alongside the overwhelming demand for higher
education, questions about its purposes have intensified. Deliberations
about the curriculum, culture and costing of public higher education
abound from student activists, academics, parents, civil society and
policy-makers. We know, from macro research, that South African
graduates generally have good employment prospects. But little is known
at a detailed level about how young people actually make use of their
university experiences to craft their life courses. And even less is
known about what happens to those who drop out. This accessible book
brings together the rich life stories of 73 young people, six years
after they began their university studies. It traces how going to
university influences not only their employment options, but also
nurtures the agency needed to chart their own way and to engage
critically with the world around them. The book offers deep insights
into the ways in which public higher education is both a private and
public good, and it provides significant conclusions pertinent to anyone
who works in - and cares about - universities.
