AUSSIE university students spend more time choosing a car than selecting their degree.

A study of 1000 students by Open Universities Australia found a third of students admitted spending more time on selecting a set of wheels than study — despite study usually being a much larger expense.

One in five student also spent more time researching their next overseas holiday and one in 10 prioritised their next laptop or phone purchase.

The survey also found one in three students will not finish their course, with those dropping out half way costing themselves almost $13,000 and two years of their life.

Social analyst David Chalke said university degrees had become so common that students lost their motivation to get it right.

“The education system now says you have to go to university after school so it’s just another step on the ladder they have been on since they were five,” he said.

“About 50 per cent of under-25s still live at home with their parents so it’s even more like a continuation of school.”

Mr Chalke was not surprised students took more care choosing a car as immediate costs seemed more real.

“It’s about future long-term benefits and costs versus immediate gratification and (costs),” he said.

“Would you prefer a doughnut or life insurance? Well, a doughnut.”

Most students who dropped out of a degree did so because they changed their mind about what they wanted to study (40 per cent).

Other common reasons included the content not being what they expected (32 per cent) and an inability to manage the workload (23 per cent).

OUA chief executive Paul Wappett said students often had an unrealistic picture of the course they were pursuing or were pressured by others to make a certain choice.

“The more information you build into your decision making the more likely you are to make a better decision,” he said.

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“It’s the type of research we do when looking for a home or car or credit card but don’t seem to spend as much time doing in relation to education.

“For students who may never own a home, their degree is likely to be the single biggest investment they will make in their life so it’s worth putting in the time and effort to make sure it’s a god one.”

Forresters Beach resident Alana Hardy, 27, spent just three weeks weighing up her study options before deciding on a Bachelor of Education (Primary Education) through Curtin University and OUA.

She said choosing her car took much longer.

“With a car, you are forking out thousands of dollars then and there whereas with study people think ‘That’s OK, my (HELP) debt will cover it’,” she said.

“I remember looking through cars deciding which one to buy and it took ages but with uni you just pick a course and if you don’t like it you change it.”

Angle Park resident Sophie Corcoran started degrees in medical science and architecture before settling on and completing a Bachelor of Arts through Griffith University and OUA.

“By the third time round I had learnt my lesson. Instead of enrolling into a specific course with a specific career outcome, I surrendered to the fact I didn’t yet know what I wanted to be,” she said.

“Whist time and effort were undoubtedly wasted, my biggest regret is all the emotional turmoil of the experience. Withdrawing or differing from a course can often feel like a massive failure.”

Ms Corcoran, 25, admitted she spent longer deciding which car to buy than which degrees to enrol in.

“When you look for a car you know what to look for and you make the decision objectively but when you are asked to decide what to do with your life, that’s a much more subjective decision and there is no right or wrong answer,” she said.

“There is no set criteria for how to make this decision, no framework to guide your decision.”

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