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Developing Qualifications after degree.

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Comments

  • studentphil
    studentphil Posts: 37,640 Forumite
    There seems little point in working really hard at A level and suffering 3 years at degree just to then go to a new university for a masters. I might as well have not pushed myself over the past five years, got EE at A level and have gone to a new university from the start.
    :beer:
  • There seems little point in working really hard at A level and suffering 3 years at degree just to then go to a new university for a masters. I might as well have not pushed myself over the past five years, got EE at A level and have gone to a new university from the start.

    Whine moan complain b*tch gripe ... deal with the choices you made. :rolleyes: Who cares which university you get a masters from? I doubt very much that a masters is going to make you more employable. An employer won't care, although they might be a bit more impressed if it's OU because that shows a real commitment to personal study.
    Touch my food ... Feel my fork!
  • studentphil
    studentphil Posts: 37,640 Forumite
    Whine moan complain b*tch gripe ... deal with the choices you made. :rolleyes: Who cares which university you get a masters from? I doubt very much that a masters is going to make you more employable. An employer won't care, although they might be a bit more impressed if it's OU because that shows a real commitment to personal study.

    I think some new universities are seen as degree factories by some employers and that is why it matters.

    I agree a job and OU is probably the best way to go.
    :beer:
  • Karnam
    Karnam Posts: 1,177 Forumite
    thats all v well if OU do your masters course, but its not as simple as 'go through ou and everything is fine and dandy'
    :A Boots Tart :A
  • Heth_2
    Heth_2 Posts: 472 Forumite
    There seems little point in working really hard at A level and suffering 3 years at degree just to then go to a new university for a masters. I might as well have not pushed myself over the past five years, got EE at A level and have gone to a new university from the start.

    Alot of people change uni for post graduate study becuase they chose to go somewhere that specialises in the field they enjoy and want to research. Obviously there isn't much point funding yourself to do a masters unless you know why you want to do it, and what you'll get out of it (e.g. enhanced career prospects, stepping stone to a phd etc...). There is also alot of difference in getting funding, for which you will need a good degree and lots of potential, and getting a place on a course that you will have to fund yourself. When I thought about doing a masters before my phd I would have easily been offered a place, the interviews I was invited to were for the funding.
  • Heth_2
    Heth_2 Posts: 472 Forumite
    I

    I do not think it is whining as it is well documented the draw backs of including the second year for grading purposes.


    So how do you think they should do things? It would be even more ridiculous fsurely or both the 1st and 2nd years of your degree course not to count at all, and everything depend on your final year modules?

    My first year didn't count, and I didn't have exams in my 2nd year. Had a done the 3 year physics degree 100% of the degree mark depended on the 3rd year exams (covering all the year 2/3 work though). That meant 90% of your degree depended on 5 exams in one week (and about 10% of another exam/project report the next term). That was how it worked, but then I was aware of that when I applied so can't complain. For alot of people a more modular system is better!
  • melancholly
    melancholly Posts: 7,457 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Heth wrote:
    So how do you think they should do things? It would be even more ridiculous fsurely or both the 1st and 2nd years of your degree course not to count at all, and everything depend on your final year modules?

    My first year didn't count, and I didn't have exams in my 2nd year. Had a done the 3 year physics degree 100% of the degree mark depended on the 3rd year exams (covering all the year 2/3 work though). That meant 90% of your degree depended on 5 exams in one week (and about 10% of another exam/project report the next term). That was how it worked, but then I was aware of that when I applied so can't complain. For alot of people a more modular system is better!
    i had a similar '4 exams in 4 days' hell to decide all of my degree, apart from one project as coursework (but restriction of range and all that meant that the exams were the main thing to matter)..... worked fine for me, i seem to do better in exams, but it destroyed some other people. the stress was too much for them and they were ill so did badly like a really bad self-fulfulling prophecy.... i wouldn't recommend that kind of a degree to many people.
    :happyhear
  • studentphil
    studentphil Posts: 37,640 Forumite
    Heth wrote:
    So how do you think they should do things? It would be even more ridiculous fsurely or both the 1st and 2nd years of your degree course not to count at all, and everything depend on your final year modules?

    My first year didn't count, and I didn't have exams in my 2nd year. Had a done the 3 year physics degree 100% of the degree mark depended on the 3rd year exams (covering all the year 2/3 work though). That meant 90% of your degree depended on 5 exams in one week (and about 10% of another exam/project report the next term). That was how it worked, but then I was aware of that when I applied so can't complain. For alot of people a more modular system is better!

    I am not sure what the answer is, maybe to have a more complex system than a simple letter or number to capture your achievement. A system that makes you look completely stupid and like a drunk just because you mess up two exams seems daft as it does not capture your total ability at the end of the course.
    :beer:
  • studentphil
    studentphil Posts: 37,640 Forumite
    Heth wrote:
    Alot of people change uni for post graduate study becuase they chose to go somewhere that specialises in the field they enjoy and want to research. Obviously there isn't much point funding yourself to do a masters unless you know why you want to do it, and what you'll get out of it (e.g. enhanced career prospects, stepping stone to a phd etc...). There is also alot of difference in getting funding, for which you will need a good degree and lots of potential, and getting a place on a course that you will have to fund yourself. When I thought about doing a masters before my phd I would have easily been offered a place, the interviews I was invited to were for the funding.

    I am slightly concerned that by going to an ex-poly new university as some employers see them as rubbish degree factories with little quality. I worked hard to go to university with a good reputation for being world class and I just think a Masters from an ex- poly might just undermine that.

    I know for me personally being disabled that an Ex-poly university would probably be more suitable for me to access and are generally warmer to disabled people than traditional universities like mine
    :beer:
  • Heth_2
    Heth_2 Posts: 472 Forumite
    I am not sure what the answer is, maybe to have a more complex system than a simple letter or number to capture your achievement. A system that makes you look completely stupid and like a drunk just because you mess up two exams seems daft as it does not capture your total ability at the end of the course.

    But surely your system takes an average of your marks in all your modules, or maybe some sort of weighted average? You can't expect to have modules in your course for which the mark doesn't count at all! I don't know how many modules and exams you have in total, but no system will ever be perfect, and obviously in any cohort of students taking a degree there will be ones who do better, and less able ones. The system needs to differentiate between them in some way.
    A 2.2, if that is what degree you get, does not make you look stupid or a drunk! Plenty of people go on to be very successfull and happy with a 2.2 degree.
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