It would not be surprising for me to tell you that modern society are obsessed with brand names. Whether it's clothes, perfume, food; people love labels. My brothers would not wear a pair of trainers if they weren't Addidas or Nike. Some of my friends will only wear designer clothes and I've heard of several people who will only shop in Marks and Spencer's or Waitrose (nice if you can afford it eh). People are honestly willing to pay double the price, for something that's probably actually inferior, just for the social prestige. 
In some cases, you want the name for piece of mind, such as in the case of technology; I'd be willing to pay that little bit more for something that's going to last longer, and after initially opting for a HTC over an iPhone, I can safely say I'd never skimp on price in that department again. Equally, perfume is a weakness of mine, I know that if I pay double the price, the designer perfume will last all day, as opposed to a couple of hours with something I paid a fiver for. I can honestly stress however, if I buy a brand name, it's not because of the little logo on it, it's because I like it and know I couldn't get it anywhere else. I know many people who will say that they never buy into this consumerist culture, that they're not that shallow and not that snobby but this is naive. Labels are unavoidable and even us as 'tree hugging', 'save the planet' students, are the worst culprits.
You may be poor and buy Tesco fish fingers as opposed to Birdseye (although now you're probably willing to sacrifice a night out to buy something that doesn't contain horse...). You may think you're retro and so make your own clothes or buy them from a charity shop. You may protest against designer labels for their treatment of animals and child labour. Ultimately though, we have brought into the biggest and worst label of all: university education. It's the worst because it's sly and deceiving. It didn't hit me until about three weeks in, that I wasn't paying to attend university, I wasn't paying the lecturers wages, I was paying for 'a degree'.
When it came to applying, I always knew I wanted to go to Buckingham. I wanted to stay at home and study, and after looking round Buckingham once, I was sold. However, when my teachers heard of my decision, it was met with 'hmm okay' or '...have you thought of this'. Every single one wanted me to aim higher, just so they could say that they had students that went on to Oxford or Cambridge. They wanted the label. Equally, university education is centred on independent learning. Sure you receive guidance from your tutors and lecturers but you're not paying £9000 a year to pay your lecturer for 6 hours of teaching a week. You're paying for the title of a degree. Even though it solely sits on your shoulders whether you achieve the degree or not, the opportunity is what you're paying for. You are paying for that rolled up scroll, proof that you have paid for 'a degree'.
Now there is nothing wrong with this. I have fallen into the trap myself and even after realising, I still wouldn't change it but for those who may be applying to university this year, shop around. You don't have to buy into the Oxford and Cambridge labels even if your teachers convince you that it's the best option, I can guarantee you'll have a much more enjoyable experience if you stick with your gut instinct and ignore the league tables.
I think this shows that labels are an inescapable part of our existence, even if you don't choose to buy into them, we are unconsciously driven by them in one way or another.
