Students

[StuRomseySaint]

Well I'm at uni now. I'm interested to know what you would class as a worthwhile degree. You mention above that you think one should only do a degree course if they need the qualification/training to enter their chosen career path, doctors dentists and nurses are the examples you give, but what about those who don't know exactly what they want to do, but want to further their education in order to have a wider and ultimately better paid choice when they leave?

 

I'm studying English Literature at University. I don't really want to be an author, poet, teacher or journalist. I don't know what I want to do yet, but I feel that in getting a degree in a core subject I will greatly improve my prospects. What d'you reckon?

 

I reckon that you are deluded and have wasted lots of time and money of not just yours, but the taxpayers too.

 

There is always the chance to put things right though, the only way I can see this is if you use your degree to do teaching. Because sorry to break it to you, but most employers won't give a toss about your English Literature degree unless it has anything to do with their Industry and the job you are applying for.

[View From The Top]

Still, we could all aspire to live in rented accommodation, be divorced, not see our kids, move from one low paid sales job to another whilst habouring all the inferiority traits associated with low self esteem due to a poor education.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

I reckon that you are deluded and have wasted lots of time and money of not just yours, but the taxpayers too.

 

There is always the chance to put things right though, the only way I can see this is if you use your degree to do teaching. Because sorry to break it to you, but most employers won't give a toss about your English Literature degree unless it has anything to do with their Industry and the job you are applying for.

 

So why do all major internship and graduate schemes ask for at least a 2.1 in a degree to even be considered?

[StuRomseySaint]

Still, we could all aspire to live in rented accommodation, be divorced, not see our kids, move from one low paid sales job to another whilst habouring all the inferiority traits associated with low self esteem due to a poor education.

 

1 out of 6 is not bad. ( still not technically correct though as I do own a house and pay a mortgage ) :-)

[StuRomseySaint]

So why do all major internship and graduate schemes ask for at least a 2.1 in a degree to even be considered?

 

Graduate schemes. Even you must know that they are an exception. I am talking about any other jobs apart from graduate schemes ( about 95% of vacancies )

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

You were right that there is about 30 million taxpayers, and with the correct maths, it is correct that on average, University education costs each taxpayer £400 a year.

 

actually it is not correct. what about all of the companies that pay tax? what you'd need to do is work out the proportion of total revenue that is contributed by the 30 million individual tax payers and then divide that amount by 30 million to get at the cost per individual person paying tax. maybe if you'd have gone to Uni you might have developed a bit of extra brain power to have worked that out.

[Shandy_Top_89]

Any degree in which you NEED to enter into that career path.

 

Some examples... Teaching, Nursing, Doctors etc

 

Golf Management, Media Studies, Travel and Tourism etc are some examples of toss ones.

 

I know i shouldnt but alright ill take the bait.

 

I think Media Studies takes more of a hit than it deserves. I do History joint with Media as a degree (not a mixture, just half the modules of each to make a full degree). Despite what people believe about the subject, i think its important to know about the media due to the influence it has on our lives. Also History and Media Studies are basically exactly the same in terms of difficulty level, modes of assessment and the skills they focus on; essay writing and research primarily.

 

Also in terms of all the talk of students blowing loans and grants away, i dont know where they get the extra money from, my loan doesnt even cover my rent cost for the year :S. I think it depends entirely on individual circumstances there, not everyone can be tarred with the same brush.

 

I did Travel and Tourism at A-Level and im not going to defend that lol. If anyone thinks they can take it for an easy grade though they will soon find out they are wrong, the moderators for that subject are mark butchers and constantly re-write the grading criteria throughout the year. I ended up with a D in it after they took off over 80 marks from my original grade post-moderation, despite them saying that my essay was fine on pre-mod. Luckily i didnt have the same problems in Geography and History.

 

Rant Over *preparing for flames over mickey mouse subjects.

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

is it true that there is a Uni that offers a course to obtain a degree in David Beckham Studies..?

 

Not quite, it was a module that formed part of a degree.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Graduate schemes. Even you must know that they are an exception. I am talking about any other jobs apart from graduate schemes ( about 95% of vacancies )

 

'Even you'? what is that supposed to mean?!

 

I'm pretty sure that 95% of the jobs that I am interested in require a degree to even be considered and even when applying to those that don't, a good degree is going to make me stand out above others. Obviously your argument against that will be that everyone else will have a degree, but my uni is in the top 10 for English so that should be an advantage.

 

For what it's worth, I couldn't care less if my uni affects my job prospects, or if people like you want to refer to me as 'scum'. I'm having a f*cking great time, I'm learning, making friends and getting a chance to grow up in my own time, as opposed to my mates who haven't gone to uni who are still living with their parents, having been forced to take on the part time jobs they had whilst at school and college permanently because they didn't get the grades to carry on in education.

 

Why did you not go to uni? And do you not feel that it could have helped your career in anyway?

[Shandy_Top_89]

Also i wasnt sure what job i wanted to do when i finished college, so i thought it would be a better use of my time doing a degree than sitting around worrying about what i could do with my life.

 

In the end I may get a job totally unrelated to my degree, although I am looking at moving on to a secondary history PGCE in which case my degree will be helpful. Also the thought that part of my future earnings will be going towards students in the future, isnt something that bothers me really, since its a system thats worked for me. Better than funding the dole queue.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Also i wasnt sure what job i wanted to do when i finished college, so i thought it would be a better use of my time doing a degree than sitting around worrying about what i could do with my life.

In the end I may get a job totally unrelated to my degree, although I am looking at moving on to a secondary history PGCE in which case my degree will be helpful. Also the thought that part of my future earnings will be going towards students in the future, isnt something that bothers me really, since its a system thats worked for me. Better than funding the dole queue.

 

Amen to that, brother.

[StuRomseySaint]

actually it is not correct. what about all of the companies that pay tax? what you'd need to do is work out the proportion of total revenue that is contributed by the 30 million individual tax payers and then divide that amount by 30 million to get at the cost per individual person paying tax. maybe if you'd have gone to Uni you might have developed a bit of extra brain power to have worked that out.

 

If you didn't go to Uni you might have had the brains to look at the link I posted where it refers to Universities costing the income tax payer £400 a year.

[Jillyanne]

Lol that Stu gets slated for the threads he creates with zzzzzzzzz's etc but you all rise to his bait and yet another one of his threads has reached 2 pages and probably will continue.

[Thedelldays]

yes...get to work and pay my wages you lazy student ****s

[.comsaint]

Can't believe I'm paying that much for them all to walk around in Megadeth/Iron Maiden T-shirts, jeans with the arse around the back of their knees, lanky greasy hair, just going "huh" or "eh?" all the time...

 

[The Kraken]

Lol that Stu gets slated for the threads he creates with zzzzzzzzz's etc but you all rise to his bait and yet another one of his threads has reached 2 pages and probably will continue.

 

Sometimes it's fun to mock the afflicted. Even if they are just doing it for the wind up.

[Weston Super Saint]

'Even you'? what is that supposed to mean?!

 

I'm pretty sure that 95% of the jobs that I am interested in require a degree to even be considered and even when applying to those that don't, a good degree is going to make me stand out above others. Obviously your argument against that will be that everyone else will have a degree, but my uni is in the top 10 for English so that should be an advantage.

 

For what it's worth, I couldn't care less if my uni affects my job prospects, or if people like you want to refer to me as 'scum'. I'm having a f*cking great time, I'm learning, making friends and getting a chance to grow up in my own time, as opposed to my mates who haven't gone to uni who are still living with their parents, having been forced to take on the part time jobs they had whilst at school and college permanently because they didn't get the grades to carry on in education.

 

Why did you not go to uni? And do you not feel that it could have helped your career in anyway?

 

Top 10 for English you say?

 

Top ten of what exactly - surely not universities if they allow you to start a sentence with 'and' :smt102

[RedAndWhite91]

Also i wasnt sure what job i wanted to do when i finished college, so i thought it would be a better use of my time doing a degree than sitting around worrying about what i could do with my life.

 

In the end I may get a job totally unrelated to my degree, although I am looking at moving on to a secondary history PGCE in which case my degree will be helpful. Also the thought that part of my future earnings will be going towards students in the future, isnt something that bothers me really, since its a system thats worked for me. Better than funding the dole queue.

 

That's my situation at the moment. I didn't go to Uni, and now I'm worrying about what I could do with my life.

 

However, I'd rather do this, than go to Uni and do a poxy degree which won't actually help me with anything except for debt.

 

If I wanted to be a doctor, or a lawyer, I'd go to Uni. Cos I'm not sure, I haven't wasted my time doing something pointless with no aim in what I want to do when I come out of Uni.

[Saint_Jonny]

Top 10 for English you say?

 

Top ten of what exactly - surely not universities if they allow you to start a sentence with 'and' :smt102

 

Oh god its the ****ing grammar Nazi out to prove how big his ******** are. Whoop de ****ing doo.

 

Fact is Stu, most of my bosses in the future and I expect the people above you in your job (whatever that is, im ganna go for full time forum troll) will have a degree of some sort or another. If you end up in the job queue with a load of graduates (which you wont as you wont be going for the jobs they will be going for, because you are a mong) you wouldn't be considered (because you are a mong). So just drop this boring anti student ****, its getting boring now.

 

Did I mention you are a mong, stu? Mong.

[Thedelldays]

Have said this before

 

A school mate of mine went to uni to do a degree in the history of art he got a 2:1 (what ever that is)...he is now a manager of some nothing degree at Argos in town..and earns a pittance

[Saint_Jonny]

Have said this before

 

A school mate of mine went to uni to do a degree in the history of art he got a 2:1 (what ever that is)...he is now a manager of some nothing degree at Argos in town..and earns a pittance

 

What did he expect to end up doing with a qualification like that? Idiot.

[the colonel]

University drop-outs cost the taxpayer around £200m a year.

 

Taxpayers pay £12billion a year on University education ( for all those mongs who think that students pay their own way )

 

If students didn't have government funded loans, that would save the taxpayer £1.2 billion a year.

 

Mickey Mouse degrees like 'golf management' cost the tax payer over £40m a year.

 

Thieving scum.

 

 

 

 

When I was a student on a full grant I used to go on the raz every Friday, Saturday and 2 or 3 other nights of the week. I only had 10 hours of lectures a week. Used to get up about 11am most mornings, and missed most of my morning lectures, usually because of a hangover.

 

If I wasn't on the raz then would be at mates houses with supermarket cheap beer getting ****ed.

 

Constant parties too and what was the best thing about it? People like you were paying for it....absolutely fantastic.

 

And now I earn silly money paying stupid amounts of tax for others to do it. Good on them.

 

And guess what..... mongs like you are still paying for them as well. just gets funnier.

[StuRomseySaint]

Oh god its the ****ing grammar Nazi out to prove how big his ******** are. Whoop de ****ing doo.

 

Fact is Stu, most of my bosses in the future and I expect the people above you in your job (whatever that is, im ganna go for full time forum troll) will have a degree of some sort or another. If you end up in the job queue with a load of graduates (which you wont as you wont be going for the jobs they will be going for, because you are a mong) you wouldn't be considered (because you are a mong). So just drop this boring anti student ****, its getting boring now.

 

Did I mention you are a mong, stu? Mong.

 

You are deluded. Employers do not give a sh!t about mickey mouse degrees with no relevance to the job.

 

Infact my 6 years in the forces would generally stand me in a more favourable light to employers than some mongtard who tossed away them 6 years in college and doing some retard subject at Uni like travel and tourism. FACT

[Thedelldays]

What did he expect to end up doing with a qualification like that? Idiot.

kind of stu's point I think..

 

I am not joking..he spent 3 years on the ****, living in a turd heap with his uni mates and still moans that he cant get a good job with a 2:1 in a degree....he is 29

 

I just laugh at him...sometimes when we are out, I lend him money and say I dont need it back..

[Thedelldays]

oh..what the hell is a 2:1 anyway...?

[Saint_Jonny]

oh..what the hell is a 2:1 anyway...?

 

Kinda like getting a B. 1st is an A, 2.2 is a pass.

[Saint_Jonny]

You are deluded. Employers do not give a sh!t about mickey mouse degrees with no relevance to the job.

 

Infact my 6 years in the forces would generally stand me in a more favourable light to employers than some mongtard who tossed away them 6 years in college and doing some retard subject at Uni like travel and tourism. FACT

 

Im going to have to agree with you about the micky mouse degrees. I apologise on that front.

 

But the people doing technical / English / maths / scientific degrees will be the bedrock of the British economy in years to come given that the UK now produces **** all in the way of export. Lucky the degree im studying for is one of the above. Otherwise you would JUDGE ME!!!

 

Oh no wait, I couldnt care less.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

This should be moved to the Muppet Show.

[Joensuu]

You were right that there is about 30 million taxpayers, and with the correct maths, it is correct that on average, University education costs each taxpayer £400 a year.

 

Well, no, you're not quite right.

 

I assume that the figure of £12 billion you say is spent on ‘Universities’ has been reached by adding the budgets allocated to the ‘Higher Education funding council for England’ (£7b), ‘Student Loans’ (£4.7b) and ‘Student Grant’ (£1b)Source. I also assume you are not including any of the rest of the budget allocated to the ‘Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills’. So for sake of argument let’s call government funding of ‘universities’ £12.7 billion (2.16% of government spending; or 0.77% GDP).

 

There are actually 31.7 million taxpayers. So were they to evenly provide the government with its entire income, your calculation would be almost spot on (£400.63 per taxpayer). Unfortunately, your calculation falls down when it assumes that all tax is paid by taxpayers. Business rates and Corporation tax account for c. 13% of government income.

 

Income tax and national insurance combined only account for c. 48% of government income. So your average taxpayer only contributes £192.30 directly to universities.

 

Who pays the remaining 39% of government income is determined by your lifestyle: landfill tax, petroleum tax, air passenger duty, tobacco, alcohol, insurance premium tax, capital gains, stamp duty, and of course VAT. If we distribute these costs across the entire population (except the under 16s) we would find that each adult would pay approximately £100.84 pa towards universities.

 

So a fairer estimate would be that you are likely to personally contribute £293.14 each year towards universities (if you have an average income and average lifestyle of course).

 

Of course that leads to the real nub of your argument, are universities worth funding. The answer is an emphatic, definitely. We have little primary or secondary industry to fall back on, and are heavily reliant on banking, oil, pharmaceuticals, arms, and IT. If the country is to have a successful economic future, it is going to rely upon having an edge in invention and innovation. Without our universities, our future would look very bleak.

 

If you want to learn more Stu, try: The impact of universites on the UK economy

[View From The Top]

You are deluded. Employers do not give a sh!t about mickey mouse degrees with no relevance to the job.

 

Infact my 6 years in the forces would generally stand me in a more favourable light to employers than some mongtard who tossed away them 6 years in college and doing some retard subject at Uni like travel and tourism. FACT

 

Oh yeah, infantry grunts are really held in high esteem.

 

Pray tell Stu, after 6 years your leadership skills led you to what NCO rank?

[StuRomseySaint]

Oh yeah, infantry grunts are really held in high esteem.

 

Pray tell Stu, after 6 years your leadership skills led you to what NCO rank?

 

They certainly are. Infact it has helped me in many an interview. Employers like the fact that someone who has been in the forces is generally going to be hard working, a good team player, well presented and punctual.

 

L/Cpl if you must know, could have been a fullscrew but turned down junior Brecon as to be honest, didn't see the point when I knee I was going to leave after 6 years.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

oh..what the hell is a 2:1 anyway...?

 

Honours degrees are:

 

* First-Class Honours (First or 1st)

* Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1)

* Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2)

* Third-Class Honours (Third or 3rd)

* Ordinary degree (Pass)

* Fail (no degree is awarded)

 

1st = A (70%+)

2:1 = B (60-70)

2:2 = C (50-60)

3rd = D (45-50)

Pass = E (40-45)

 

Fail

 

Most people consider 2:1 to be their target, and I think the majority of students end up wtih this. Universities award very few first class degrees.

[CB Saint]

They certainly are. Infact it has helped me in many an interview. Employers like the fact that someone who has been in the forces is generally going to be hard working, a good team player, well presented and punctual.

 

L/Cpl if you must know, could have been a fullscrew but turned down junior Brecon as to be honest, didn't see the point when I knee I was going to leave after 6 years.

 

So are you telling me that as a taxpayer I spent all that money training you to be a hardened killer for six years only for you to jack it in.` What a waste.

[View From The Top]

They certainly are. Infact it has helped me in many an interview. Employers like the fact that someone who has been in the forces is generally going to be hard working, a good team player, well presented and punctual.

 

L/Cpl if you must know, could have been a fullscrew but turned down junior Brecon as to be honest, didn't see the point when I knee I was going to leave after 6 years.

 

Lance Jacks out of the Dianas are really sought after, no, they are, honest.

 

In addition, once you've been out a while no one gives a f*ck what you did way back when.

 

I did 10 years in, got way further than you, also got a couple of degrees so I know what you post is sh*t.

[mcjwills]

So why do all major internship and graduate schemes ask for at least a 2.1 in a degree to even be considered?

 

Simple Employers want the best, why employ someone who couldn't be arsed to work hard at University, as opposed to somebody who works their nuts off to get a decent degree.

 

Know if I had a job going and lots of candidates, the hard workers would be top of the list to be interviewed.

[liebherr driver]

Forget university, the real problem is the dumbing down of GCSE's and A levels. Kids with very little talent leave school with a wad of qualifications that are worthless, but still meet the entry requirements of modern universities. You cant blame the students, but the net result is that the cream is being dilluted very thinly.

[Thedelldays]

Simple Employers want the best, why employ someone who couldn't be arsed to work hard at University, as opposed to somebody who works their nuts off to get a decent degree.

 

Know if I had a job going and lots of candidates, the hard workers would be top of the list to be interviewed.

are all degrees that hard..?

 

do you really work hard by going to a few lectures a week, typing up your essays with spell checker on your apple mac..?

 

I would say 3 years in the forces against 3 years in uni would only churn out one winner in the hard working stakes..

[mcjwills]

Forget university, the real problem is the dumbing down of GCSE's and A levels. Kids with very little talent leave school with a wad of qualifications that are worthless, but still meet the entry requirements of modern universities. You cant blame the students, but the net result is that the cream is being dilluted very thinly.

 

When I was at school I got a CSE grade 4 English and my command of the English language and spelling is better than those who get one of these dumbed down GCSE. Kid today can not spell, construct a sentence, or be grammatically correct.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

are all degrees that hard..?

 

do you really work hard by going to a few lectures a week, typing up your essays with spell checker on your apple mac..?

 

I would say 3 years in the forces against 3 years in uni would only churn out one winner in the hard working stakes..

 

Some people work hard in jobs as well as studying.

[View From The Top]

Simple Employers want the best, why employ someone who couldn't be arsed to work hard at University, as opposed to somebody who works their nuts off to get a decent degree.

 

Know if I had a job going and lots of candidates, the hard workers would be top of the list to be interviewed.

 

If I'm taking on a NQT or even a PGCE student they fail the 1st sift if less than a 2:1.

 

It shows lack of application and effort.

 

I'll then look at what uni they went to and then previous life experience.

[Thedelldays]

Some people work hard in jobs as well as studying.

im sure they do work hard 3 nights a week in varsity...or the local co-op...

 

I agree SOME may work hard..but many dont

[View From The Top]

are all degrees that hard..?

 

do you really work hard by going to a few lectures a week, typing up your essays with spell checker on your apple mac..?

 

I would say 3 years in the forces against 3 years in uni would only churn out one winner in the hard working stakes..

 

Having done both I would agree with you, although uni does teach another sort of discipline that does have its place.

[SuperMikey]

[aintforever]

Employers like the fact that someone who has been in the forces is generally going to be hard working, a good team player, well presented and punctual.

 

Sounds ideal for McDonalds.

 

Plenty of employers see the value of a degree, even if it's not totally relevant, it shows intelligence and aptitude. Anyway, I don't expect you to understand but university is not just about getting people jobs, it's about higher education and research.

[mcjwills]

are all degrees that hard..?

 

do you really work hard by going to a few lectures a week, typing up your essays with spell checker on your apple mac..?

 

I would say 3 years in the forces against 3 years in uni would only churn out one winner in the hard working stakes..

 

Sorry but when I returned to Education at 33 years old, to do my degree and I got a Upper Second (2:1). I was going to Lectures for 10 hours a week, but out of Lectures I was working on average 70 hours a week doing research. A so called five hour assignment would take best part 100 hours to conduct proper research, 10 hours to write, a further 5 hours to hone to a finish product before you got somebody to proof read it. I missed a First because I spent the last 8 weeks in hospital having heart surgery. So you are talking B*llocks.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

im sure they do work hard 3 nights a week in varsity...or the local co-op...

 

I agree SOME may work hard..but many dont

 

Well i do and i know alot of others who do the same and don't work nights in the local co-op.

[Thedelldays]

Sorry but when I returned to Education at 33 years old, to do my degree and I got a Upper Second (2:1). I was going to Lectures for 10 hours a week, but out of Lectures I was working on average 70 hours a week doing research. A so called five hour assignment would take best part 100 hours to conduct proper research, 10 hours to write, a further 5 hours to hone to a finish product before you got somebody to proof read it. I missed a First because I spent the last 8 weeks in hospital having heart surgery. So you are talking B*llocks.

 

 

oh dear.....I wont bother you with some of the hard work I have done that puts a few lectures and a 70 hour week to bed...

[Thedelldays]

Well i do and i know alot of others who do the same and don't work nights in the local co-op.

look you are right of course...for every dosser that does a pointless degree and drinks his course down the drain..there is one who works their socks off for the end result..

 

but my point here was to the poster who is trying to say that a degree automatically tells him someone has worked hard..when we know, that is nto always the case..

[mcjwills]

oh dear.....I wont bother you with some of the hard work I have done that puts a few lectures and a 70 hour week to bed...

 

What an hours worth of square bashing, followed by painting the coal white

[Thedelldays]

What an hours worth of square bashing, followed by painting the coal white

you what..?