New era calls for new thinking on ag courses

Choosing where and what to study is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. Do you opt for something practical or academic? A diploma or a degree? A college or a university? A rural campus or a city site? Questions like these abound.

For young people – and their parents – it’s a more important decision than ever in this era of tuition fees and such a competitive job market.

For this reason, we are featuring 10 of the best places to study agriculture and related subjects. We hope this will help your decision-making. There have been some notable closures in recent years – Seale Hayne and Wye, to name just two – but there are still some fantastic options available for those interested in the land-based sector.

Extending your education past school isn’t right for everyone – but for many, college and uni is a uniquely unmissable and memorable experience.

Competition for places on the right courses can be tough – but it’s a two-way process. Educational establishments have to sell themselves to you. What is the reputation of the course? Does it offer the right mix of practical and theoretical bias? What extra-curricular activities are on offer? What’s the college farm like? What’s its record in terms of leavers getting jobs?

Our list isn’t intended to be comprehensive; it’s very much a starting point. Now it’s over to you. Whatever your age, whatever your connection with any of the places, we want you to tell us whether you agree or disagree with what we say. We want you to tell us about other great places to study.

But we hope that our information – together with your input – will turn this into an invaluable resource.

We hope that it’ll become a resource that will enable young people to make the right decision for them. One that will enable them to pick a course and a place of study that gives a great quality of life and marks a crucial step towards their perfect job.

After all, your student days should be some of the best days of your life.

Editorial by FW community and farmlife editor Tim Relf