6 months ago, my history teacher gave me a dissertation question to get cracking on. 4000 words, give or take 10%, on the reasons why the Nazi's became the largest party in Germany by 1932. he gave me lots of books out. and yet, i didn't look at it till maybe 2 weeks ago? started it yesterday. had it finished by 7pm tongiht. i've not just gotta type the damn thing up, and write a conclusion. he claimed that in uni, we'd have 2 weeks to do this type of thing! so-erm-13 this what uni's like? staying up till late to hand in lotsa peices of paper, and if your ill when it's to be handed in, you just know that your teacher.lecturer's gonna phone your house and ask you why it's not been handed in?...😞
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Originally posted by geniusIts the greatest thing you'll ever do. Simple as that. All nighters are just part of the fun, I did a triple once!!!
6 months ago, my history teacher gave me a dissertation question to get cracking on. 4000 words, give or take 10%, on the reasons why the Nazi's became the largest party in Germany by 1932. he gave me lots of books out. and yet, i didn't look at it till maybe 2 weeks ago? started it yesterday. had it finished by 7pm tongiht. i've not just gotta type the da ...[text shortened]... t your teacher.lecturer's gonna phone your house and ask you why it's not been handed in?...😞
Andrew
Originally posted by geniusThere's one thing that just won't happen: if you don't hand it in, you'll fail. Simple as that. There's very little "hand-holding" at Uni by the staff towards the students. You make it or not entirely on your own two feet.
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you just know that your teacher.lecturer's gonna phone your house and ask you why it's not been handed in?
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Not to worry though. The vast majority of the 'work' is frankly not difficult. In some subjects it would be fair to say all of it is not difficult, though we need not name names here...
Your described method of essay writing is one much loved by the Artist community: have an essay or two given to you a month ago, do nothing about it till a few days before hand in day, then moan to everyone that "Its so difficult, I've got so many essays to hand in, working all hours blah blah blah". As for the three weeks previous? Well, that was spent in coffee houses, on the beach, bit of sport, and maybe a lecture one rainy afternoon if you could be bothered getting up. i.e. essay crisis = shocking time management skills.
I am of course bitter in that I was too stupid to see the lay of the land and went scientist. Sign up to that and its 9-5:30 5 days a week for you!
Originally posted by ToeNot wanting to appear snobbish, but what you have described does happen at universities.
There's one thing that just won't happen: if you don't hand it in, you'll fail. Simple as that. There's very little "hand-holding" at Uni by the staff towards the students. You make it or not entirely on your own two feet.
However, from the people I know who went to ex-polys (i.e. University of Great Britain, formerly Grimsby College of Fish-Filleting), if you fail, you get to resit, if you fail again, maybe another resit, fail again? Don't worry, they'll lower the pass rate for you. For them to fail you would make them look like they were incompetent teachers. Couldn't have that.
A lecturer friend of mine is trying to get out of an ex-poly for this exact reason. Trouble is, real universities don't consider ex-poly lecturing as good enough experience, heh heh.
Originally posted by geniusAh, the imfamous essay crisis. If you don't like essays, do maths. People will try to tell you it's hard work, but you'll be amazed by how much slacking you can get away with. In 5 terms at Cambridge, I've never had to look anything up in the library.
6 months ago, my history teacher gave me a dissertation question to get cracking on. 4000 words, give or take 10%, on the reasons why the Nazi's became the largest party in Germany by 1932. he gave me lots of books out. and yet, i didn't look at it till maybe 2 weeks ago? started it yesterday. had it finished by 7pm tongiht. i've not just gotta type the da ...[text shortened]... t your teacher.lecturer's gonna phone your house and ask you why it's not been handed in?...😞
At uni, basically you have to pass the exams. Not doing much work throughout the year will annoy your supervisors, but it's only at exam time that it really matters. If they push you to work before then, they're the ones doing you a favour.
Your teacher's probably right about the workload you'd get in history - some of my friends get an essay a week, and they're expected to write a couple of thousand words, but the main work is reading all the sources and commentaries, not writing everything down. Still, it has to be done if you want to get to grips with the material.
The thing is, I'm probably doing more work at uni than I did at school, and yet I have much more free time. Why? Because my time isn't all parcelled into lessons telling me things I mostly already know. I think you'll find university a liberating experience compared to school.
Originally posted by VargI'd have thought 'genius' might be setting his sights a bit higher than that! Anyway, even if you have resits, you still have to pass and it's much less hassle to do it right first time. They'll lower the pass mark if lots of people do badly - the trouble is that some universities are populated by people who aren't really good enough for the course, but have got in because the uni is desperate for students. But then what is a degree from such a place worth?
Not wanting to appear snobbish, but what you have described does happen at universities.
However, from the people I know who went to ex-polys (i.e. University of Great Britain, formerly Grimsby College of Fish-Filleting), if you fail, you get ...[text shortened]... 't consider ex-poly lecturing as good enough experience, heh heh.
Universities and courses vary considerably.
Some courses are downright a waste of time and have little relevance to your career other than the fact that your degree seemed to indicate a level of commitment to education above someone without a degree.
I take an example of the system in the UK about 10 years ago where you could enter a financial institute having studied astronomy at university. Courses also vary considerably in work load. At my university, architecture was just insane forinstance, whilst my roomate studied pshycology and passed with very little work. Either way, it all depends on the university itself.
University life is great however! Possibly best time of your life. Just make sure to attend all your courses (as you seldom can just study the textbooks and pass) and try get old exam papers. I've seen people ace 90%'s by doing the minimal amount of work by just working through old papers.
And don't go streaking on a cold nights. 😲
have fun though dude!
Originally posted by AcolyteLess, I would hope, but who knows what the employers think?
But then what is a degree from such a place worth?
As for uni life, yes I remember a flatmate being severely depressed and whinging about his lecture load for the new term - he was studying sociology and had 3 hours a week 😲 I studied physics and was on 21+ hours!
Then again, I had no course work so could slack off until a few weeks before the exams. I remember misjudging my revision timetable so that I ended up with no time to revise for an exam on semiconductor devices. In the 2 hour gap between exams, I went through one old exam paper and, luckily, one of the questions came up - exactly the same. So I must have got close to 50% for that question alone (only 2 questions) and got around 65% overall - a comfortable pass 😏
The above raises the fairly pertinant question of "Why go to University?"
Is it for middle-class educational snobbery status? (Frankly, thats a bit close to the bone on me...). Is it a course required for a desired career? Is it for Eduction for its own sake? Is it for the life-style? Is it to avoid starting a 'career' for another N years? Is it because everyone else seems to and you feel you will be excluded from the labour market, even if most degrees (+ the associated univeristy experience) are useless in the work environment.
The means of getting through without learning anything (facts, ideas or even the process of 'how to think'😉 is fairly easy. Surprisingly so. Most people who fail do so because they basically can't be bothered to pass or due to more significant personal issues. And money of course. It costs a bomb. I don't envy you the ever rising costs. And there's the almost inevitable graduate tax around the corner too.
Given that passing really isn't so hard, don't be overly worried about what you study but rather be concerned about why are you doing it at all. If its for money/career: you'd probably be better off as a plumber...
Originally posted by ToeLast night cramming...mmm, brings back memories...3am, feet freezing in the sub-arctic temperatures of the $35 a week should-be condemned terrace house shared with three other students, brain desperately trying to put together an essay you've had a month to finish and churn out enough pages to satisfy the pseudo-liberal lecturer, play the game and write what you think he wants to hear or occasionally write some brilliant new ideas down, either way it's going to be a crdit, brain trying hard to focus after being repeatedly abused by alcohol and...
The above raises the fairly pertinant question of "Why go to University?"
Is it for middle-class educational snobbery status? (Frankly, thats a bit close to the bone on me...). Is it a course required for a desired career? Is it for Eduction for its own sake? Is it for the life-style? Is it to avoid starting a 'career' for another N years? Is it because ...[text shortened]... you doing it at all. If its for money/career: you'd probably be better off as a plumber...
I think you learn a lot in some courses like medicine and engineering and these courses need to be over four or five years, but a lot of courses, including mine, could be condensed into one year. The reason they're not? Well, the cynical answer is that the universities can get more money. Another reason is that everyone (you, the employer, your parents) feels better about a four year course than a one year one. It seems more "real". I think my three-year journalism course could have been compacted into one year of theory and one year of on-the-job experience with practical feedback but I did gain from having it spread over three years. What was I doing with the month I had to do the essay? I was meeting people, socialising, working a part-time job, just taking it easy and recovering from a repressive primary school and high school education system, and most importantly broadening my mind, but usually not through books. I went into university with a small-town, semi-racist, semi-sexist outlook on life, and came out a fairly balanced and tolerant person. I learnt to take responsibility for my own money, cooking, washing, drinking, and actions generally. And I had a lot of fun
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so university is writing essays at the last minute but it's also thinking a lot more freely than in school and learning to be the one responsible. It's the transition between the shelter of childhood and family and the "real" world. It may also be one of the best times of your life.
Originally posted by shougiTo quote a previous rector of my old Uni (a certain Mr John Clease):
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so university is writing essays at the last minute but it's also thinking a lot more freely than in school and learning to be the one responsible. It's the transition between the shelter of childhood and family and the "real" world. It may also be one of the best times of your life.
"don't let your degree get in the way of your eduction"
Originally posted by Acolytenay-i'll have you know i'm attending scotland's oldest university! i'm gonna do maths and computing-maths i can do (the advanced higher course, which i'm sitting this year at school, is pretty much a combination of parts of the 1st year and 2nd year university course. i'm one of 2 not finding it too hard 😕). and don't fret-i'm not gonna study history (i ain't that stupid)-maths and computing, join honours, for me...does anyone know the workload for coputing, btw?
I'd have thought 'genius' might be setting his sights a bit higher than that! Anyway, even if you have resits, you still have to pass and it's much less hassle to do it right first time. They'll lower the pass mark if lots of people do badly - the trouble is that some universities are populated by people who aren't really good enough for the course, ...[text shortened]... n because the uni is desperate for students. But then what is a degree from such a place worth?
Hehe, did anyone else apart frm me spot the irony in that we'll come away with all these fancy degrees, but we won't learn to cook (our school believes it below them to teach us that) so we'll live on junk food, and come away dying of obesity?Ok, that doesn't really happen, just hehe.
I can't wait till I start university. I have no idea what I'm going to do, but it's either going to be forensic pathology or i need a classics and a teaching degree to teach children latin/ancient greek.
OOh, I ramble, ramble blackberry jam...
ok..i'll go now...
Originally posted by geniusThe computing department at St Andrews isn't the best, or wasn't some 15 years ago anyway. They taught computing using "S-Algol", a truly dead language but I think some of the staff had something to do with creating it. Then again, I only did it in first year, so perhaps I judge poorly. As for the first year work load, well computing was hardly worth turning up to it was so basic (boom boom?). Get the notes or read the texts and sleep in if you can.
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does anyone know the workload for co(m)puting, btw?
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