The UK is a combo where-you-went-to-uni and what-you-studied-at-uni country, and both decisions are made at age 17. That's one of the grating things about the infantilization of students, in both upper secondary and university: their lot in life is determined by decisions made by age 21 or even 18.
In addition to all the below..by design a bunch of 18 year olds are suddenly out of the family home in some form of work or tertiary education, and we keep shunting the 'here's a bunch of painful lessons you learn as you get older' further into people's lives, when they are more catastrophic.
Alon (they/them)
Stephen Bush
The Children's Commissioner wants the social media ban extended to 18. Even though people will be able to vote at 16. The Beatles first went to Hamburg when George Harrison was 17. You can also decide to take on £50k of tuition fee debt at 17.
