Don't confuse uni with school. Social life is awesome. you may think you are mature now but wait till you stumble out of uni with three years of looking after yourself under your belt (and the associated chaffe that entails). If you learn how to look after yourself, develop your personality, opinions and alcohol tolerance, you will find your basic training easier in places. The brainwashing element will be harder to swallow though.
Living outside the RAF for a bit makes you a more worldly wise geezer, so I would argue it would make you a better officer.
Lastly, don't think that joining up is the end of school. The exams just keep going, and they are not as interesting as you may think. Being taught exactly why and how your aeroplane's wheels go up and down last thing on a friday afternoon is dull. It is a looooooooooooooooooooooooooong road, but at the end of it all I reckon that the job rocks.
Good luck, I know it feels like a tough choice, but don't rush in. There will have to be a life after the RAF too.
