I was 29 when my brother­in­law said to me,“It would be nice if one day you could make use of your education.” I had a degree and an MA (Master of Arts) in creative writing which, as far as I was concerned, I used every day — reading novels, trying to write novels, arguing about politics, interpreting the meanings in French films, and generally leading an examined life.But my brother­in­law, who left school at 18, didn’t understand why, as a journalist, I was bringing home less than half the salary he earned in the hospitality (服务) industry.

I thought of my brother­in­law’s comment this week when the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) released figures showing that, on average, male arts graduates earn less at the age of 29 than their non­graduate peers.Graduates of the same age overall are only earning 6% more than non­graduates.For women, the figure is 26%, but earnings growth for women overall is lower, so the benefits from going to university are greater.

The IFS figures drew a predictable response from Sam Gyimah, who listed some courses of arts degrees in certain universities that are not delivering the financial outcomes for students and threatened to punish institutions that don’t improve students’ earning prospects.This attack on arts degrees raises fundamental questions about what we want from education and, indeed, from life.

No one can deny that arts degrees give students the skills to speak and work out what they want to say and how to say it.Studying Sigmund Freud, or reading James Joyce or Toni Morrison for the first time, introduces students to ideas that challenge their intellectual prejudices, as well as the consensus (共识) of the society around them.The value of an arts degree in life is incalculable.

A good student will always make a proper study plan, with what he can study more effectively. There was once a time when I listened to the teacher carefully in class and always did the homework on the time. Every day it seemed that I am as busy as a bee— I followed a fixing routine and had few after-school activities. Therefore, I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get good results. So I asked one of my teacher for help. He advised me make a proper study plan to have my study time flexible scheduled. After I stuck to the plan for a month, it became easy of me to improve our grades. What made me even happier was that I had much more time to develop my own interests.