Who's Going To Uni?

[GypsyTillIDie]

Got exempt from all my second year exams, the year after I got exempt from my exams last year as well. Really hard year, especially first semester when I had to do 7 classes, but I've came out with another 60+% average. Picked my classes for next year and into 3rd year I go.

[ForzaDundee]

Got exempt from all my second year exams, the year after I got exempt from my exams last year as well. Really hard year, especially first semester when I had to do 7 classes, but I've came out with another 60+% average. Picked my classes for next year and into 3rd year I go.

How is that even possible? By the end of 2nd year I'll have sat 15 uni exams along with almost constant coursework assignments.

[Ya Bezzer!]

How is that even possible? By the end of 2nd year I'll have sat 15 uni exams along with almost constant coursework assignments.

I went to university when I was 32 and it was the hardest I've ever worked. For honours, per term, I had six 5,000 essays to write, 3 exams (usually on successive days), several lectures to research and present, plus weekly tutorials where you actually had to know that you were talking about since your input to the discussion was marked and counted towards your overall mark per term

On top of that I had a dissertation to write and what was effectively another dissertation on archaeological work we had to do during the previous summer.

An office job after that is a piece of piss.

[Supras]

I've found uni pretty easy to be honest. I've never understood why so many people even at honours don't make lectures, it's 8 fucking hours a week

Coursework, dissertation et. al are all fairly easily manageable so long as you actually plan them and do them in plenty of time. Never had to worry about doing an all nighter to hand in essay.

The only time I really worked hard, at all, was my third year exams. But they set me up very nicely in 4th year, so worth it.

[Ad Lib]

At the time it felt like I was doing a lot more work in first and second year (for law). Looking back, though, it was comparatively less than at Honours. The difference is you get used to reading 200 or so pages of stuff a week just out of habit by the time you're in 4th year.

Got one exam left of my degree and it's worth 1/20th of my classification. First two exams were insanely early but think I've done okay in them. Might start revision on this last one some point next week as it's not until 15th.

[paul-r-cfc]

So tempted to take out that £4,500. Put it all away over the year and I can have a fucking amazing summer on that

But then again, at the rate I'm going, I don't think I'll ever pay off my loans

[Supras]

I know a lot of courses are different, but I doubt I've read much more than 200 pages over the course of the entire year. It'd be close, anyway. I certainly didn't buy any of the textbooks this year, took me a while to figure out that scam.

Beyond that it was practical group coursework, or fairly non intensive individual coursework. Even in my two exams we were told in one case the two topics beforehand, and in the other case all the questions beforehand!

It's been quite an easy year all round. The oddest thing is that most fourth years, even in my course, have found it incredibly difficult and stressful. I don't really understand it - delaying coursework till the very end is usually a culprit. Fuckwit move tbh.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Supras

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

I know a lot of courses are different, but I doubt I've read much more than 200 pages over the course of the entire year. It'd be close, anyway. I certainly didn't buy any of the textbooks this year, took me a while to figure out that scam.

Beyond that it was practical group coursework, or fairly non intensive individual coursework. Even in my two exams we were told in one case the two topics beforehand, and in the other case all the questions beforehand!

It's been quite an easy year all round. The oddest thing is that most fourth years, even in my course, have found it incredibly difficult and stressful. I don't really understand it - delaying coursework till the very end is usually a culprit. Fuckwit move tbh.

What subject did you do?

[H_B]

I went to university when I was 32 and it was the hardest I've ever worked. For honours, per term, I had six 5,000 essays to write, 3 exams (usually on successive days), several lectures to research and present, plus weekly tutorials where you actually had to know that you were talking about since your input to the discussion was marked and counted towards your overall mark per term

On top of that I had a dissertation to write and what was effectively another dissertation on archaeological work we had to do during the previous summer.

An office job after that is a piece of piss.

It's completely different.

You have no responsibility as a student. If you don't turn up, so what? You can catch up later. Remember, you are paying them to be there. The last thing they want is for you to drop out. universities bend over backwards to ensure students stay on, and scrape whatever level of pass they can shoehorn you into.

There's no responsibility, and there is very little in terms of skills required. I think a lot of students will get a huge shock when they start working. i know I did.

My first week in work was substantially more difficult than the 5 years I spent at University. It's easy now that I've done it for a while, but the first year was a difficult adjustment.

Students don't realise just how cosseted they are at University. Well, students straight from school anyway. Mature students is different. It's why a lot of them treat it as a job, not as a hobby.

[Gaz]

My honours year was piss-easy, especially the last semester. The only difficult year in Uni was third year.

[H_B]

I would i suppose draw a distinction between what type of job and at what level you end up doing. An "office job" can cover anything from tea boy upwards.

[Hedgecutter]

It's completely different.

You have no responsibility as a student. If you don't turn up, so what? You can catch up later. Remember, you are paying them to be there. The last thing they want is for you to drop out. universities bend over backwards to ensure students stay on, and scrape whatever level of pass they can shoehorn you into.

There's no responsibility, and there is very little in terms of skills required. I think a lot of students will get a huge shock when they start working. i know I did.

My first week in work was substantially more difficult than the 5 years I spent at University. It's easy now that I've done it for a while, but the first year was a difficult adjustment.

Students don't realise just how cosseted they are at University. Well, students straight from school anyway. Mature students is different. It's why a lot of them treat it as a job, not as a hobby.

Indeed. The number of young undergrads who think they're better than older workers just because they're at uni and the other isn't is both cringeworthy and horrendous (few on here too).

I once heard somebody say "Well I'm studying for a degree at the University of Aberdeen, what have you ever done with your life?!" to an air-hostess because she told him to turn his phone off. Sadly he was one of ours as we were heading off on a fieldtrip, thankfully he never made it to third year. Hope he applied for an airline baggage handler job only to get knocked back. Utter tit of a boy.

[H_B]

Indeed. The number of young undergrads who think they're better than older workers just because they're at uni and the other isn't is both cringeworthy and horrendous (few on here too).

I've noticed that too to be honest. I think it's just a "lacking in perspective" thing.

I've said it before, but at University i despised mature students. Always bright eyed and bushy tailed, with their multicoloured marker pens taking notes and generally not stumbling in still drunk to sleep in a corner.

Looking back now, i feel pretty embarrassed about it. I understand now why they did what they did, the financial pressure that is on people who go back to further education, and why they didn't have the luxury of fannying about.

Fiortunately, i've never been someone to criticise the "UoL" brigade. There's nothing inherently impressive about having gained a degree. I've met many much smarter people working, who never went to university, than i did in 5 years of law school.

[Adam]

I've noticed that too to be honest. I think it's just a "lacking in perspective" thing.

I've said it before, but at University i despised mature students. Always bright eyed and bushy tailed, with their multicoloured marker pens taking notes and generally not stumbling in still drunk to sleep in a corner.

Looking back now, i feel pretty embarrassed about it. I understand now why they did what they did, the financial pressure that is on people who go back to further education, and why they didn't have the luxury of fannying about.

Fiortunately, i've never been someone to criticise the "UoL" brigade. There's nothing inherently impressive about having gained a degree. I've met many much smarter people working, who never went to university, than i did in 5 years of law school.

Whilst I started university at 24, I wouldn't consider myself a mature student. We had a couple of really old mature students in a couple of tutorials last year though. They were so far up the tutor's arsehole it was unreal. It was frustrating at times however, as the tutor in question was our research supervisor, and would more often than not spend the majority of the hour with the three mature students. One of my friends only had her proposal looked over the week before it was due, meaning that if there was anything drastically wrong with it, there wasn't really enough time to do anything with it!

I was only in university for 11 hours a week last year, but I found it quite difficult to manage my time effectively, especially at exam times, although it's made slightly harder with children in my case. Most of my classmates were able to go into the library or 24 hour lab every day leading up to deadlines, whereas I wasn't due to the cost of childcare.

[Supras]

What subject did you do?

Same subject as you but without the law.

The apparent arrogance of University students compared to mature workers is a fairly standard discussion on here, yes that one arrogant University student you have met means you can make sweeping generalisations about all University students.

I'm looking forward to working, I certainly have no intention on staying on to do a Phd. It will be a new challenge, and one I can certainly handle.

[H_B]

Same subject as you but without the law.

The apparent arrogance of University students compared to mature workers is a fairly standard discussion on here,

I think it's not "mature workers" that's the issue. It's "workers without a degree".

And I'm fine with students being arrogant. It comes with the territory of being young, and not having much life experience. I just find the pretence that University is particularly difficult quite amusing.

Edited May 6, 2013 by H_B

[Dunning1874]

Fiortunately, i've never been someone to criticise the "UoL" brigade. There's nothing inherently impressive about having gained a degree. I've met many much smarter people working, who never went to university, than i did in 5 years of law school.

I agree that there's nothing inherently impressive about having a degree, but the issue with University of Lifers isn't everyone who hasn't gone to uni and got a degree out of it, it's the ones who actively revel in the fact and think that because they haven't they are somehow superior to everyone who has been to university, as having been in uni once apparently means they have absolutely no comprehension of what the real world is like.

[Supras]

I think it's not "mature workers" that's the issue. It's "workers without a degree".

And I'm fine with students being arrogant. It comes with the territory of being young, and not having much life experience. I just find the pretence that University is particularly difficult quite amusing.

Can't say I'd be even slightly bothered if someone didn't have a degree, but there you go. Who cares? They are easy enough to get, regardless of your educational background.

Some people do find University particularly difficult, just because you didn't doesn't mean everyone finds it easy. Moreso for other subjects, but I know some people who work ridiculously hard at University even at undergraduate level.

But again, the former students bragging at their degree compared to workers without a degree is a significant minority. Far too often all students are tarred with the same negative brush.

[Supras]

I agree that there's nothing inherently impressive about having a degree, but the issue with University of Lifers isn't everyone who hasn't gone to uni and got a degree out of it, it's the ones who actively revel in the fact and think that because they haven't they are somehow superior to everyone who has been to university, as having been in uni once apparently means they have absolutely no comprehension of what the real world is like.

Yes, can't agree with this more. I get more stick for going to University than I have ever given anyone for not going. It's especially prevalent when you come from a background of nobody going to University.

[H_B]

I agree that there's nothing inherently impressive about having a degree, but the issue with University of Lifers isn't everyone who hasn't gone to uni and got a degree out of it, it's the ones who actively revel in the fact and think that because they haven't they are somehow superior to everyone who has been to university, as having been in uni once apparently means they have absolutely no comprehension of what the real world is like.

I think that only tends to be displayed in relation to current university students. I know what you are saying though. There is a certain "Look what i achieved WITHOUT wasting 4 years of my life readin n fings" element to some posters.