I'm taking that
Well the Russell group has a list of recommended subjects, it says to have a "wide range of options" that you should take at least 2 out of a list that is in that linked PDF, I have 2 subjects out of that list..
Choosing A Levels
- Thread starter Chives
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Well the Russell group has a list of recommended subjects, it says to have a "wide range of options" that you should take at least 2 out of a list that is in that linked PDF, I have 2 subjects out of that list..
Business is something that a firm is likely to fund you for to do a part time masters - it has a time and a place.
It depends what the degree is for, law is good for law... that's about it. Otherwise it could help demonstrate that you are good at constructing an argument and analysis, but those are transferable skills that you could get from any degree, including business.
So no, a law degree is not 'better' than a business degree.
I don't think my academics are really relevant for this discussion to be honest, but I'd be interested to hear your predictions
I don't believe hours spent in lectures necessarily correlates to how difficult a degree is. I'm not even saying that all degrees are equal, I'm simply saying you cannot make massive sweepers such as an english degree is better than a law degree (or similar), because that alone cannot possibly determine how apt someone might be for a job unless it is directly related to that degree, which is not very common.
Hence it is probably more important to do something you enjoy moreso than anything else, providing that you are studying at a respectable institution.
International election observer. Hoping to move into slightly more policy/project management stuff in the next few years and go back to the USA to do my MA.
Your degree is what you make of it. My room mate just got interviewed on Press TV (huge TV station) about the women's domestic violence shelter she runs, a couple more work for MPs in Parliament, one is working out in Africa doing sports rehabilitation for kids, another few doing UN internships.
The world can be your oyster with an International Relations degree, you just need to put the work in to achieve that. My course in third year was only 8hrs a week contact time, but I filled the rest of my time with extra-curricular stuff and studying/working on my dissertation to get a first.
Wow I like the sound of that, I'm heavily interested in international relations to. Funnily enough I was looking on the ucas website at international relations degrees earlier.
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While mathematics degrees do train you to think in a way which many other degrees do not to claim there's more workload in them is a gross over generalization. When I was in university the physics and maths courses had equal numbers of hours of lectures each week (in the 1st year, when you had no choice in the courses you took), equal numbers of hours of supervisions but the physics students also had many hours (multiple afternoons) of lab work, which mathematicians obviously have no use for. Chemistry, biology and physics involve lab work by their very nature, while mathematics does not.
I very much disagree. While the sorts of things a mathematician does would be useful for things like physics and (less so) the other sciences being able to get a good mark in mathematics doesn't mean you could do a language or be a good artist or string a sentence together. Hell, if anything mathematicians are known for their lack of social/verbal skills. I can think of more than a few examples from my time at university.
To use a mathematical term, what is your metric for 'better'? You have to have a yardstick by which you mean 'goodness' or 'better'. For instance, if your metric is 'Good at social interactions' one could make the case mathematics is one of the worst. If your metric is artistic ability then likewise. Sure, mathematics arises in plenty of places, not just in mathematics or physics research, but to make the carte blanche statement its better is a touch arrogant and a little naive.
I'll add more if I have anything to say to any later replies you've made....
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Personally I'd find a degree in music or art or French harder but then I'm useless at those. While I don't deny that a maths degree from a top university is going to require ability and effort 'hardness' is person dependent to some extent. If you'd said that a decent maths degree was something only a small percentage of the population would be capable of then I'd agree but that's different from saying its 'hardest' and thus allows you to be able to do other subjects with ease.
Of the mathematicians I knew at university many could have done physics, ie those who did the more applied maths topics, and a few had big interests in other things like Spanish or music. In fact, some of the best mathematicians I don't think could have done anything other than mathematics because they were so locked into that way of thinking and working (perhaps, though I'm not a medical doctor, they might have been bordering on autistic).
In a similar vein to my previous post, I'm sure more than a few people can attest to having poor lecturers who couldn't explain the material very well. This is particularly common in the sciences and mathematics. Post graduate courses (in any subject) often require the students to give presentations or talks, in their department or at conferences. If you're still at university go find a postgrad in your department and ask them how its not uncommon to see a very good mathematician give a shocking talk about their work. Sure, some are brilliant at it but (good mathematician) =/=> (good orator).
I think you need to look at the sorts of things other subjects do. Some of them require radically different ways of thinking and presenting than required on a maths degree. Like my comment on presentations illustrated, some skills mathematicians do not need to be mathematicians but other do. Academic subjects are more than just learning facts, there has to be understanding too and the understanding mathematicians might have is not homomorphic to the understanding needed in say chemistry. To use another mathematical metaphor, the category of mathematics is not trivially morphic to the category of chemistry
A maths degree on the CV is a nice thing but its not a golden ticket, even in the mathematically inclined industries of the physical sciences and certainly not research. Speaking from experience, if a mathematician isn't able to give coherent descriptions of their work, even at a high technical level, then the grade they got in their exams only goes so far. I've seen exceedingly good mathematicians on paper be rejected from jobs because they couldn't explain their work or present it well. After all, what use is a good idea if you can't tell anyone?
'Useful' or 'relevant' doesn't automatically map to 'harder'. Someone who did French and Spanish at university would be more likely to get a job as a translator than someone who did mathematics (and who isn't able to speak those languages) but by your logic their degree is easier. Reductio ad absurdum.
Yes, the A Level does give students the false impression every function is integrable and differentiable.
Some very good maths degrees involve 12 hours of lectures a week and an average of 2 hours of supervisions a week and all in an 8 week term. Quantity is not quality.
And to make it clear, I share much of your views in regards to the dumbing down of various A Levels and the poor quality of some degrees but your comments are too general and I can't help but feel you haven't really looked into what other subjects involve, other than just the number of hours they work each week. Sure, not all degrees are created equal and the same applies to the same degree across different universities but your metrics are quite flawed. In my opinion.
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