University degree not worth as much as touted

Out,_Vile_Jelly

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Parents also have to realise that teachers aren't miracle workers and they can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

The best advice I ever got in my brief teaching career was that "you can't educate pork".

I met someone recently whose son had been privately educated throughout their life and still didn't get good enough A Levels to get into their first choice university, at a time when everyone seems to get 4 As! What an astounding waste of money those fees were.

carolt

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

Very interesting thread.

I think it's important to be aware that OxBridge isn't the be all and end all. When I was at school (local comp) we got very good UCAS advice from the Deputy Head of 6th Form who made it his business to be very knowledgeable about options. I was recommended to apply for OxBridge by my Biology teacher, but wanted to study English Lit and was advised that a redbrick uni would actually be better for that. We were told that you'd be better off doing Modern Languages elsewhere, and at the time Nottingham was considered the best for Medicine and that's where the brightest girl in the year went. Liverpool was the best rated for Vet School then.

Many people don't just go to uni for academic rigour; I grew up in the sticks and it was a chance to move to a big city with bright lights, paved roads and civilisation. Employers will look at how you used your free time, long holidays and opportunities for placements and internships- it's probably the most flexible time of your life in terms of work experience.

Totally. I'm not at all sure I want my kids to go to Oxbridge; my OH had a far, far better time at Manchester than I had at Oxford (early 90s, fun time to be there...).

Any university education can be good (though not all are...) but for many subjects - probably most - Oxbridge does not offer the best courses.

And I say that as one who went there.

Charterhouse

It's fairly easy, those who actually want to go to Uni and are smart enough to get into a good one to read a proper degree should. Those who fail either of those tests shouldn't. It's a total waste of public money that Blair suddenly decided 50% of the population should go, regardless of whether they were good enough or had any desire to.

carolt

It did pretty things to the unemployment figures, though.

MissMoneypenny

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

The best advice I ever got in my brief teaching career was that "you can't educate pork".

I met someone recently whose son had been privately educated throughout their life and still didn't get good enough A Levels to get into their first choice university, at a time when everyone seems to get 4 As! What an astounding waste of money those fees were.

Do private schools also cater for those that are not so academically minded? Some degrees are barely worth the paper they are written on, so why sent a child down that route?

[FONT=&quot]My childrens comprehensive had technical facilities and good sports facilities such as a swimming pool and sprung courts. The school produced an Olympian and an American basketball player. I liked the idea of my children playing sports. Life is about winning and losing so they might as well learn early.

[/FONT]

SingleSue

Really2 wrote: »

100% with you on that Sue. The more pressure I get the better I work and the more it inspires me.

I am absolutely the same....the more pressure there is, the better I like it and respond.

Less pressure, less stress and I get bored silly.

SingleSue

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

You could have done your degree with The Open University as they make no such stipulation.

What degree are you doing and where?

I am doing it via OU...it was the careers service which advised me to do an access to learning course first. In fact, they thought it was would be too much of a jump up in education level to a degree and thought it may even be better to get some A levels first.

I ignored the advice, looked on the OU site and signed up because they didn't have that stipulation.

Oh and studying Law.

Really2

Interesting that achievement is seeming to be measured on the child not the teacher.
If you don't put water in to a sponge you won't get any water out of it.

I do wonder what would happen to these "sows ears" and "pork" was one of their own.
Or is that hard to comprehend that "sows ears" and "pork" could be just as clever or clever than your child, just that they never had the opportunity in early life?

The self made person has little against education (and will aim for their children to achieve academically and give them access to things they never had).
But is seems like the educated have a lot against the self made person. Why is that?

Really2

SingleSue wrote: »

Less pressure, less stress and I get bored silly.

MSE forum.

MissMoneypenny

SingleSue wrote: »

I am doing it via OU...it was the careers service which advised me to do an access to learning course first. In fact, they thought it was would be too much of a jump up in education level to a degree and thought it may even be better to get some A levels first.

I ignored the advice, looked on the OU site and signed up because they didn't have that stipulation.

Oh and studying Law.

The OU careers service? I didn't know they had one:o You don't need As with the OU. Either students can do the course or you can't. They just want the money.

How many points are you studying a year?