Anybody else dramatically failed their 1st year?

Spamalot said:
Do you go to Peterhouse then, what are you reading?
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I read allsorts! I study Maths though. :)
Spamalot said:
Well with freedom of choice surly it should be up to the individual if they want to go to university. If they had to pay more then they would be forced to do a subject that would have higher earning after they finish instead of wasting time and money doing a subject where graduates are not needed. People would also have to be more dedicated if courses cost more.
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I want people to go to University to increase their knowledge in an area for which they have a distinct talent. I certainly don't want people to go "just because they want more money"; because, low and behold, then everyone wants to go. I'm adamently against any form of topup fees, as it could potentially stop a lot of talented individuals from furthering their education.

A University education should require academic talent as a prerequisite, not monetary wealth.
 
w11tho said:
All this dumbing down is exacly what's wrong, IMHO. And it's a direct consequence of sending far too many people to University.
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I tend to agree with w11tho, I did a Information System Degree and had already studied a National Diploma in Computer Science before that, the first year of my degree course was a complete waste of time for me!

There were other people on my course that literally didn't know which side of a computer to sit, we were all brought down to the lowest common denominator, this servers nobody as the attrition rate in the first year was something like 60%

HEADRAT
 
w11tho said:
Or, of course, the material is ammended to suit the people on the course (hence the total non-uniformity of degrees from different institutions).
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They shouldn't have to wait until the second year!?!?! Why should a University spend an entire year teaching basic material?
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I think we're arguing for the same point. I'm not saying the first year should be as easy as A-levels (which it shouldn't) - but it shouldn't throw everybody into the deep end, certainly because so many people are away from home for the first time, having to make new social groups etc. The only thing is, the way you come across is this: "Only the very intellectual elite should go to university" - I apologise if I've paraphrased you incorrectly. If they(you)'re that intellectually elite and talented at their(your) subject, why can't the people teach themselves the subject and we can do away with universities and higher education all together?

Are you telling me that your first to second to third year was a linear progression in terms of difficulty? :confused:

Americans take 4 years to do their degrees, but then they have to do minors and other things...
 
Spamalot said:
I was also doing BIS at UEA last year, hated it, to much PC business tuff for me. At Swansea now, doing Economice and its much better. Where were you staying last year in Norwich, you in the rugby team?
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I was staying in Constable, but found myself in Waveney pretty much every other night. Am i in the Rugby team, nope.
 
w11tho said:
I want people to go to University to increase their knowledge in an area for which they have a distinct talent. I certainly don't want people to go "just because they want more money"; because, low and behold, then everyone wants to go. I'm adamently against any form of topup fees, as it could potentially stop a lot of talented individuals from furthering their education.

A University education should require academic talent as a prerequisite, not monetary wealth.
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Well I would like people to go to university and study subject that people where increased knowledge are needed. People from these subjects are more in demand and will therefore get paid more, that was my point, not that you should go to uni to earn more money.

The problem is that people go to lowly respected university and study courses that there is little demand for, for example, Media Studies. There is very little demand for people that have studied this therefore graduates find it hard to find a job.

So what would be your answer to the problem? A cap on grades that you need to get to go to university, that’s the only viable option if you are against higher fees.

On the subject why are you apposed to these higher fees?
 
I will borderline pass this year because the course simply doesn't interest me. That and the fact that everyone on my course is struggling doesn't help.
 
The Jet said:
I was staying in Constable, but found myself in Waveney pretty much every other night. Am i in the Rugby team, nope.
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What flat number in constable? And why would anyone choise to go to Waveney? Has it been knocked down now?
 
Speaking to my tutor the other day I guess I've passed first year, don't know for sure yet though! Handing in the last project in 8 hours time....just trying to finish weekly reports. Had to do 6, one each week.....I've done 6 in one night :D Well, 5 and a half....and they're 5 bad ones...don't think it's really going to make a difference now. Why is the last page of the year always the hardest and longest to write?! :(
 
w11tho said:
I read allsorts!
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What, like the liquorice sweets? I can't imagine that there's much intellectual content in there, but each to their own. ;)

I want people to go to University to increase their knowledge in an area for which they have a distinct talent. I certainly don't want people to go "just because they want more money"; because, low and behold, then everyone wants to go. I'm adamently against any form of topup fees, as it could potentially stop a lot of talented individuals from furthering their education.

A University education should require academic talent as a prerequisite, not monetary wealth.
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I completely agree. Saying that "if people go to university and get degrees then they will earn more money" is a pretty sketchy argument. Having lots of people with degrees doesn't automatically mean that more money is available - it just means that the low-paying jobs will start to be done by graduates instead of non-graduates!

This is why w11tho says that the government is deceiving people - they tell us that going to university will prepare you for life and help you to get a good job, putting you head and shoulders above the rest. The trouble is that when EVERYONE has a degree it's no longer an advantage to have one - graduates become mediocre instead of special. The number of graduates working low-paying jobs that they don't want to be doing is astonishing, and it's because the degree is so devalued now. Some people should never have gone to university in the first place - all that it achieves for them is £10,000 of debt and a piece of paper that no one cares about anyway.

University should be something that people with academic talent do, who want to go on to professional careers - i.e. things that you need a degree for. It shouldn't be seen as something that everyone does after school. Some people (the majority of people) just aren't cut out for academia.
 
Arcade Fire said:
I completely agree. Saying that "if people go to university and get degrees then they will earn more money" is a pretty sketchy argument. Having lots of people with degrees doesn't automatically mean that more money is available - it just means that the low-paying jobs will start to be done by graduates instead of non-graduates!
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No your looking at this wrongly. In theory people that are educated will be better in any job, so will therfore have a higher production. With workers on average having a higher production rate we will all become richer. But in practice if they could have produced more in the three years they were at university (an cover the total cost of going to university) than the amout extra they will produce now they are "educated" then people as a whole and the "educated" person are at a loss.
 
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If you fail this year do you get put on higher tuition fees the next year?

I know because im enrolled on my course that i dont pay the extra...
 
gord said:
If you fail this year do you get put on higher tuition fees the next year?

I know because im enrolled on my course that i dont pay the extra...
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No. Your tuition fees are based upon the year you start your course.
 
gord said:
If you fail this year do you get put on higher tuition fees the next year?

I know because im enrolled on my course that i dont pay the extra...
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Yep, you will have to pay the new higher rate if you have to start again.
 
Spamalot said:
What flat number in constable? And why would anyone choise to go to Waveney? Has it been knocked down now?
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I think i was in 10, not entirely certain as it's been over 2 years now. Waveney (now knocked down, yeah) was where the parties were at man, at least any good ones. I personally found Constable to be overrun with too many students with rich families. Conceited, stuck up, snobby elitists with one hand firmly stuck up their ahem... but then, each to their own of course. My girlfriend at the time was living in Wolfson, so most of her mates were in Waveney. Norfolk was cool but it was too small to have anything en mass.
 
The Jet said:
I think i was in 10, not entirely certain as it's been over 2 years now. Waveney (now knocked down, yeah) was where the parties were at man, at least any good ones. I personally found Constable to be overrun with too many students with rich families. Conceited, stuck up, snobby elitists with one hand firmly stuck up their ahem... but then, each to their own of course. My girlfriend at the time was living in Wolfson, so most of her mates were in Waveney. Norfolk was cool but it was too small to have anything en mass.
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Yep, constable is a bit dire. I knew a few people from there and all the people used to bundle in one flat to get away from the geeks and get drunk and play proevo. Where you live know just out of interest. You know any of the rugby team, I'm sure they were infomus in Waveney.
 
w11tho said:
I'm adamently against any form of topup fees, as it could potentially stop a lot of talented individuals from furthering their education.
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Hang on, surely you should be for top-up fees then, as they allow the talented individuals (i.e. those undertaking research) to conduct world-class research :D
 
Spamalot said:
No your looking at this wrongly. In theory people that are educated will be better in any job, so will therfore have a higher production. With workers on average having a higher production rate we will all become richer. But in practice if they could have produced more in the three years they were at university (an cover the total cost of going to university) than the amout extra they will produce now they are "educated" then people as a whole and the "educated" person are at a loss.
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I'm not sure that there's any evidence to show that having a degree makes you any better at your job than not having one. As I understand it, the main purpose of a degree for an employer is to differentiate the people who are capable of getting a degree from the people who aren't, with the idea being that people who are capable of getting a good degree will be more capable in their jobs. It's not the degree which MAKES you good at your job though - if it were then employers would be sending their employees to university for three years to increase their productivity!
 
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