University.

[ac1d1ty]

Is it the great thing it once was?


Personally having only just started, I can't speak really, except to voice my opinion.


In my opinion: Its not.

I've found my time here very underwelming.


1: Half the Goddamn tutors etc are foreign. I'm sorry but in a busy lecture hall, the last thing you want is someone who barely speaks English to try and hold the attention of the hall.

2: The work. It's really not the challenging (yes I know it gets harder), and I really can't see the relevance.

3: The people. Whilst i've got no real problem myself, having gotten in with a good bunch of people, there are so many foreign people here. Sorry if this sounds racist , but its disconcerting to see so many Chinese, African people etc, whose grasp on the language and involvement in the university is minimal.


Pointless rant I know, but I just can't see what is so great about university education. It has the feel of a system that used to be special, but is now about batch orders.


For the record i'm going to a decent university, not some awful place


What do you guys think?

 

[tres]

Isn't the first year just to check you're not retarded, and a gentle introduction to surviving away from mummy and daddy, you massive racist.

 

[Hunders]

Can't say that I've experienced anything you have here at Plymouth. I have had one lecturer that's from Pakistan who has a fairly strong accent but he certainly knows his shizz and I don't have a problem following him.

 

[Lightnix]

It'd help if you gave us a bit more information - not every 'decent university' will be the same after all. I don't know, it just sounds like you're after some kind of elitist satisfaction when really what you should be after is a good education (I guess at this point it'd help to know what subject it is?). That's my take on it anyway.

 

[Gall1987]

What University you at? I'm at the stage now of accepting an offer! Putting it off for as long as I can!

 

[meghatronic]

For the record i'm going to a decent university, not some awful place

Which uni?

 

[Dr.EM]

I had both lecturers who barely spoke english and/or weren't useful and lecturers who were very good indeed at the same uni. Guess which modules I did better in. Unfortunate if you don't have any good ones, I can see how it'd feel like a bit of a waste in that situation

 

[Randomface74]

I worked very hard at university, it wasn't until a couple of years after graduation that I realised the benefit of it.

 

[Daegan]

but its disconcerting to see so many Chinese, African people etc, whose grasp on the language and involvement in the university is minimal.

I guess you're fine with all the Brits whose grasp of the language and involvement in the university is minimal then, you silly racist.

 

[Microwave]

I thought the same in my first year. I'm doing computer science and a lot of my lecturers are foreign. I do honestly find it hard to understand them, which is a shame, because they're really friendly and enthusiastic!

The work again in my first year was similarly easy, but it's more like an introduction, to get everyone to the same level, and it doesn't count towards your degree usually.

In the 2nd year (me currently) the work picks up.

 

[kylew]

I guess you're fine with all the Brits whose grasp of the language and involvement in the university is minimal then, you silly racist.

This!

I've come across countless "Natives" who have so much difficulty speaking what many would consider "English" that they may as well be speaking another language.

 

[ac1d1ty]

I guess you're fine with all the Brits whose grasp of the language and involvement in the university is minimal then, you silly racist.

....

I was generalising.


No I don't give a toss what nationality someone is, but when it impinges on my experience at university then yes, I feel I have a legitimate right to moan.

And yes, people barely speaking the language/ not getting involved in anything to do with the uni, does bug me, as do lecturers who cannot communicate effectively, no matter how many phd's they have.

 

[Voltar]

OP must be at UCL...

 

[rodo]

You're not at surrey uni are you?

 

[kylew]

Is it the great thing it once was?


Personally having only just started, I can't speak really, except to voice my opinion.


In my opinion: It's not.

I've found my time here very underwhelming.


1: Half the God-damn tutors etc(etc? ) are foreign. I'm sorry but in a busy lecture hall, the last thing you want is someone who barely speaks English to try and grab the attention of the hall.

2: The work. It's really not the challenging (yes I know it gets harder), and I really can't see the relevance.

3: The people. Whilst I've got no real problem myself, having gotten in with a good bunch of people, there are so many foreign people here. Sorry if this sounds racist , but it's disconcerting to see so many Chinese, African people etc, whose grasp on the language and involvement in the university is minimal.


Pointless rant I know, but I just can't see what is so great about university education. It has the feel of a system that used to be special, but is now about batch orders.


For the record I'm going to a decent university, not some awful place


What do you guys think?

If you're going to whine about the standard of English of others, at least make sure these dirty foreigners don't have better spelling than you do.

Get over the fact that "foreigners" go to your university and stop being such a xenophobe.

 

[kylew]

....

I was generalising.


No I don't give a toss what nationality someone is, but when it impinges on my experience at university then yes, I feel I have a legitimate right to moan.

And yes, people barely speaking the language/ not getting involved in anything to do with the uni, does bug me, as do lecturers who cannot communicate effectively, no matter how many PHDs they have.

If the tutors "barely speak English" then that's understandable (however I don't believe that is actually the case) what language the students speak, what does that matter to you? What about the "natives" that don't get involved? What problem do you have with them? Or do you just give them the excuse of being shy and or quiet?

Sounds like you're using the old "I'm not racist, I have *race* friends, I listen to *race* music." crap to try and pretend you aren't what you are.

 

[Squark]

No I don't give a toss what nationality someone is, but when it impinges on my experience at university then yes, I feel I have a legitimate right to moan.

Aww poor you.
Why don't you try an befriend some of the foreign students?

Do you realise that foreign students pay a hell of a lot more in tuition fees than we do?

 

[Sudden]

I
3: The people. Whilst i've got no real problem myself, having gotten in with a good bunch of people, there are so many foreign people here. Sorry if this sounds racist , but its disconcerting to see so many Chinese, African people etc, whose grasp on the language and involvement in the university is minimal.

I highly doubt that. At least if you are at a decent uni. Being one myself, I can tell you at least that you are not even eligible for a student visa unless you can prove that you have a good grasp over the English Language. If their grasp is as bad as you say it is, then I doubt they would've gotten through the interview process when applying for the visa.

Just because they choose to speak in their own language to people who can understand them, does not mean their grasp is minimal.

Not to mention, if their grasp is so poor, how are they getting through the lectures and the books which are in english?

 

[dante6491]

Aww poor you.

Do you realise that foreign students pay a hell of a lot more in tuition fees than we do?

What has that got to do with the price of eggs?

I have a similar situation at Brunel, the classes are remarkably easy and 2 of my 6 lecturers don't speak English as a first language, therefore it is somewhat difficult to understand, as their grasp isn't great still. Thankfully they all use powerpoint and the slides get put on the Intranet.

 

[Nix]

Unless you're out every night getting blind drunk, the first-year is pretty pointless. If you're not into getting drunk all the time, or can't afford it, you've just got to wait it out I'm afraid.

I felt exactly the same in my first year:

Course was boring, felt like half the people there were not too bright. Most first-years looked like they needed babysitting, I had no job and was chronically skint to the point I was often very hungry. I didn't really have a defined group of friends but had hundreds of acquaintances. I was very unhappy, but I couldn't stand the idea of going home.

Still, I got through the year, eventually managed to find myself a job and fell in with a new group of people. Second year rolls around, the course starts getting interesting, most of the '*****' had dropped out and 95% of students had by that point got over the 'first-year syndrome' of simply wanting to permenently damage their liver and socialising became a lot more comfortable. By my second-year I also could see who were my friends and who weren't and I started having a lot more fun.

Third year rolls around and once again it gets mixed up. Even more people have dropped out and the course starts getting quite intense and I'm literally run off my feet. I try and socialise when I can, but often I'm busy being a student, or I'm resting. Meanwhile due to serveral circumstances, my finances go ****-up and I end up really, really struggling to get by, to the point I'm looking on the floor for pennies to print off assignments whilst housemates come back having bought an Nintendo Wii! In hindsight, the year was one of the best and equally one of the worst years of my life. Such is university though. You've got to take the rough with the smooth.

In those three years, I only ever once had a lecturer whom I simply could not understand due to their accent. I think he was from Bangladesh. It was an important statistics lecture about the Chi-Square, and I don't think anyone could comprehend what the chap was saying. Droves of students got up and left. I stayed to the end, but I may aswell of just stayed in bed that day, so I can emphasise.

Do yourself a favour and try to stop stressing. As a general rule, university will pick up next year. Don't expect too much from your first year, as it's not really reflective. Remember: you get out of university what you put in. If you're not happy, try and do something about it.