University degree not worth as much as touted

PasturesNew

A funny thing happened today ... I had made some enquiries about a degree-level short course that sounded interesting and they phoned me about it. Got talking and I was told "You don't need this course, heck, you could TEACH it ..." five minutes later and they're setting up a meeting with me to be a guest speaker on some of their degree courses.

I have 2 O levels :P

treliac

PasturesNew wrote: »

A funny thing happened today ... I had made some enquiries about a degree-level short course that sounded interesting and they phoned me about it. Got talking and I was told "You don't need this course, heck, you could TEACH it ..." five minutes later and they're setting up a meeting with me to be a guest speaker on some of their degree courses.

I have 2 O levels :P

Well done PN... it may lead to something?!!

PasturesNew

treliac wrote: »

Well done PN... it may lead to something?!!

We did hit it off on the phone, instantly. Which doesn't always happen as people "don't get" me always. The plan is to get together to go over (paid) opportunities and see what I could offer ... could be 2-3 weeks before it goes further. I've got "history" with that organisation as a tutor, CRB checked with them in the past ... so it's not entirely weird that something might come to pass.

She is actually the main tutor for the subject and pointed out that not only do I have a better grasp of it all than she does, but I've got phenomenal experience she doesn't have, have a piece of paper she doesn't have ... and am clearly passionate about the subject, knowledgeable and motivating.

.... I was in full geek mode

GDB2222

PN, what happened at school so you only got 2 O levels? Perhaps I shouldn't ask that, as I can imagine the basting you got if you didn't quite fit in.

moggylover

StevieJ wrote: »

Presumably the Oxbridge of sports science would be somewhere like Loughborough ?

My understanding is that University of Wales In Cardiff has the very best course in the UK - and is one of the Russell Group.

PasturesNew

GDB2222 wrote: »

PN, what happened at school so you only got 2 O levels? Perhaps I shouldn't ask that, as I can imagine the basting you got if you didn't quite fit in.

Back then, the maximum you could do was six.... you were told to go into the Hall and given a grid of the subjects and you had to choose one from each of the six columns. And there weren't any good ones.... so I went through choosing the least dull ones. Some subjects didn't even have an O level.

So ... I came out of school with two.

I signed up for Art O level, but there were so many in the room (two teachers) that a teacher stood up and said "everybody to the left of me, go with Mr X, everybody to the right go with Mr Y". Well, Mr X didn't bother turning up to classes, so we sat and cut up magazines ... I was actually good at art and wanted to do O level, but had to do CSE because the teacher couldn't give a t0ss.

Typing and Office Practice weren't O levels either, they were only ever CSE.

We were expected to leave school and be one of secretary, nurse, hairdresser or work in a shop/factory. That's how it was.

Edit: Oh ... and of course I had "issues" ... and was under threat of expulsion for a number of events, including teachers randomly beating me when I'd just followed instructions. Schools weren't good.

PasturesNew

moggylover wrote: »

My understanding is that University of Wales In Cardiff has the very best course in the UK - and is one of the Russell Group.

I don't know what Russell Group means ... can you provide explanations for those of us without a degree.

moggylover

bendix wrote: »

And here's the rub, isnt it?

Sports science is NOT the stuff of degrees. Nor is media studies, peace studies or any of that !!!!!!!!.

As others have said, there are too many idiot students gaining too many dumbed down A Levels, thus earning the right to study in too many bogus and idiotic degrees.

Evidently this is progress. Progress my a**e.

TBH Bendix - the amount of "intelligent" people at University when I was there was probably less than 1% of the 2% who went to Uni!;)

The bright ones were often those who had risen through the Grammar School system and were just too clever to be ignored when they applied for University. Many of the public school and private school entrants were no brighter than they are today, they were just primed and pushed in much the same way as they are today (and some of them got in on poor grades - mostly because a grant was being made by a member of their family) and they often paid us "lesser" mortals to do most of their course work for them so that they stood a chance of getting their degree!

There is little way, that I can see, of making education what it should be! It should be about the best and the brightest being nurtured because they are the people who may do something infinitely worthwhile at some stage in the future: and believe me, I do not mean get rich, I mean do something worthwhile.

However, those not meant for the greater academia should not then end up ignored or belittled! What I see wrong in our Society these days is that there is too much pressure to have a nation of Chiefs and no bl00dy Indians!!! We also need people who can actually DO things, and they are equally important to a balanced society. What is wrong with ours is that it has no balance, no mutual respect, and very little claim to even being a meritocracy as most who do things that are truly worthy of merit are undervalued and get little respect in a Society that is all about money!

However, even in my day, very few of the truly bright from my Uni days expected to get into extremely well paid jobs straight away. Those only went to the kids who had "connections" and the rest worked their way up (often from a long way down the ladder as they had no "experience") or turned to research either in the private sector or within the University and yet others went on to teach the subject they had excelled in.

Pretty much nothing has changed really - except that many of the youngsters now who would have gone on to College (often on courses paid for by employers on day and block release) instead go on to University and start life with a huge debt to worry about.

moggylover

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't know what Russell Group means ... can you provide explanations for those of us without a degree.

The Russell Group universities are the top 20 (although I think that probably only 10 of those are truly "top") in the UK.

Kohoutek

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't know what Russell Group means ... can you provide explanations for those of us without a degree.

One very important way of comparing universities is by the quality of research they conducts. The Russell Group is a collective name for a group of universities that receive two thirds of all research funding in the UK. Basically, if you're got a 2:1 or better from one of these unis, you've got a good chance of securing a top job in your chosen profession.

University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University of Cambridge
Cardiff University
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
Imperial College London
King's College London, (University of London)
University College London, (University of London)
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
London School of Economics, (University of London)
University of Manchester
Newcastle University
University of Nottingham
Queen's University Belfast
University of Oxford
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of Warwick