[Closed] Did you go to University?

I'd say really think why you're going. If it's for a good time, I'd go travelling instead. If it's for a job, see if you can get in another way, eg on-the-job-training or by starting off on the shop floor so to speak. If you do an academic subject make sure it's a really good uni. If you're going because you don't know what else to do - which is pretty much what I did at 18 - I wouldn't. Don't get me wrong I had a fantastic time but when I graduated with a history degree from the West London Institure of Higher Education I found employers were non too impressed. It was free when I went too.

That was the first time. I'm actually back at another uni - London Met - now after deciding on a career change. I've been shocked about how much things have changed. I'm obviously older now but it just doesn't seem so much fun even for the young 'uns. I think it's partly because you have to pay so there's more pressure on you.
Also, there's huge problems at many unis now, mostly to do with money, but that impacts everything - class sizes, access to facilities, morale amongst staff and students, the amount of teaching time you get (many unis now have reading week, independent study week and any number of non-teaching weeks which are basically an excuse not to pay the lecturers) and that's before you take into account the time spent on holiday. Summer holiday came round in May for me last year and I've heard of students breaking up in April and not going back till October.

I don't want to put you off but just be aware that many uni courses are a total rip-off so choose carefully and don't think you have to go at 18. If you do decide to go, choose carefully and not only will it set you up for the future but you'll have a great time too.

BSc (Int) Geography at University of Leeds (2005-2009)
MSc Hydrology at McMaster University (Ontario, Canada) (2009-present)

Leeds - Loved every second of it, nearly dropped out when I fell in with a shit crowd in my second year (lame friends, more than a bad influence) so I ended up on an exchange year (to Canada) out of desperation to 'get away' turned out to be the best thing I ever did, met friends for life doing that, who are all still a very tight group. Leeds was a cheap, fun, sporty city, even if a student did get murdered 4 doors down. Regardless, I wouldn't do it differently. The dales were a 10 minute bus ride away, and my buddy ran the downhill BUSA team.

As for the degree....varying degrees of usefulness, hence persuing a masters at expense of the Canadian government with guaranteed job prospects out here.

Left Leeds with about 23K debt..largely due to being 'poor' before I went to uni, and the LEA throwing loan money at me. Since paid 2/3 of that off. I was the very last year on the 'pre-tuition fee' system. I'd do it again yes, but with the new proposed fee infrastructure :/ not so sure, probably not.

As a sidenote, if anyone wants details on immigrating to Canada/studying in Canada as either an undergrad or post-grad, let me know.

Oxford, First in History - the only arts student I've seen here. It is true that I hate getting dirty!

If you do go, don't assume it's your dream ticket. There is no guarantee of getting a good job at the end of it, even if you get the best degree imaginable - this downturn - together with the property boom which preceded it - is really crushing recent graduates financially. Nobody is paying any attention to this. You have to go, and work your ass off, and not party that hard (or at all), to come out of it alright. The "bloody lazy students" stereotype is only perpetuated by people who went in the '80s and before - it's different now.

100 hours Community Service, Tower Hamlets. Most years since 1990.

[i]the only arts student I've seen here[/i]

*Waves.

The "bloody lazy students" stereotype is only perpetuated by people who went in the '80s and before - it's different now.

I got up at 1:30 today. Came on STW, ate some haribo, disagreed with your statement. Might go get a haircut later on. Might not.

yes, Bradford, 1982-85, doing BSc in Physical Electronics. Year 1 was spent getting everybody up to the same standard, by the end of which I'd discovered the university's Technical Services Association (light, sound & stage crew for touring bands).

Lost interest in the course, muddled through the end of year exams and saw a lot of great bands for free, in exchange for a bit of hard labour and a lot of sitting around.

Year 2 pretty much followed suit, saw even more great bands, discovered girls and flunked my end of year exams. Sat them again the following year and again failed, but by the september of what would have been my fourth (or retaken 3rd) year, I was working, and have been ever since.

It wasn't a great time at first as there was a very high male-female ratio - remember, Peter Sutcliffe had only just been put away, and this was his home town; one of his victims was killed in a back alley just across the road from the university main campus 🙁

but I'm certainly glad I went - wouldn't have met Mrs_drummer if I hadn't - as I had a great time from year two on. Stayed in that part of town until 1990 and made a lot of good friends, most of whom I've sadly lost touch with as I was a lazy sod when we moved

Harry_the_Spider - Member
B.Eng Mechanical Engineering at Huddersfield Poly 1988 - 1992
Didn't work very hard. Played for the Rugby League team. Pissed 3 or 4 times a week. Shared a house with a famous mountainbike designer from Todmorden. Ate a lot of samosas. Learned how to cook fluffy rice.
But I did it when there were no fees and grants. I wouldn't be happy paying £20k+ for my lad to do the same.

What a small world. I did the Same course at the same time. Went on to do an MBA and use neither in my current job. 🙄

mrgibbons,

yes please about studying an msc in canada, email in profile

No, discovered pot and blew my A levels. Had LOADS of fun visiting contemporary friends at Uni though.

Spent three years dossing and skateboarding and learned to become a blacksmith, went self employed and my business was wiped out by the nineties tory crash'n'burn depression.

Left smithying and worked in IT (one end of the industrial revolution to the other) I have nearly enough credits through career development to get a doctorate though. I'm an autodidact.

Now working as a [i]ciclista[/i]. I teach cycling and cycle mechanicking and get paid to ride my bike.

If I could do it again, I'd do it the same.

I knew most of the people on the forum were a bit thick, but I didn't realise that I was the only one to graduate from a decent university.

Stoner MA (Cantab) MSc.

noteeth - Member
the only arts student I've seen here

*Waves.

waves from the royal college of art 😉

You're not the only one Stoner--though possibly the only one to use your vanity MA 😉

BA in history from Cambridge (1997)
PhD in history from Essex (2000)
Post-doc in Oxford (2000-2003)
Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Liverpool (2003-8)
Lecturer in Oxford (2008-)

I guess I never quite got round to leaving.

Music at Salford, 94 to 98, partied and came out with a 2:1 as well, was very close to a first...

If anyone was to ask me I would also say pick something that you are really sure that you're good at, but don't bother with american studies or knitting or any balls like that

emailed you ian 🙂

the only arts student I've seen here

I knew most of the people on the forum [b]were[/b] a bit thick

They've been enlightened and educated since I've been on here. 🙂

I'd like to be a Uniservity Lecherer....

Yes, Bachelor of Applied Science (Winemaking)
Distance Education, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga,
2004 until this friday, hopefully, fingers crossed.
The best part was annoying the nursing students because drinking was actually studying.

Crikey you guys have brains!

😯

Not just beauty.

no.

well, more not yet - I haven't written it off, though mortgage, kids etc make it seem perhaps less likely at the moment than a shorter termed, more vocational course in... something.

I need to work out roughly what I want to do when I grow up - that my help me settle on a course to follow!!

graduated in 1997 with a BSC in Quantity surveying and project management.. and used it exclusively for 13 years. now I own my mtb business in Italy.

I made some great friends and had an excellent time... They were the best years of my life, even when biking all year here in Italy i realy miss those days....then again you do when you get older!!!

I really didn't work hard enough at school (I went through an idiot phase) and came out with an embarrassing lack of decent exam results. Managed to scrape into Sheffiled City Polytechnic (as it was then) ith a bit of pleading and did a diploma in Material Studies, then used that to get onto the Metallurgy degree, and with a bit of effort got a 2:1. That was all between 1985 and 1990. Really enjoyed it, echo much of the above comments about growing up, very much formative years for me. Biggest regret was that I wasn't into biking then - for goodness' sakes, the Peak District was yards away!!!

mrgibbons - grateful if you could send your info about Canada. A regular dream. Struggling with how the word "guaranteed" can sit next to the word "job", though???

Another lecturer in the arts (and humanities) here. I'm at Bangor Uni in the School of Creative and Media Studies. Before arriving in North Wales I was at Bournemouth and University of the Arts (LCC, the new LCP).

Tis true about getting dirty. Give me rocks over mud any time!

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate it. 🙂

They didn't do bricklaying courses at Oxford or Cambridge, so i went somewhere decent instead.

Edit, just remembered my teaching qualifications were done through a Uni, so technically 'sort of'. 😕

BA and MA in Cultural Studies from East London (before half the staff jumped ship to Goldsmiths). Bits and pieces of research at Goldsmiths and Oxford Brookes, have lectured in Sociology at Keele and Oxford Brookes and Media Studies at Leeds Met. I'm now Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Derby and, for my sins, Assistant Head of Applied Social and Community Studies there.

The next few years are going to be interesting. It's going to be very tough for most universities but it will probably be the mid-range ones who over-stretched themselves who suffer most. If anyone's thinking of going then get signed up for September 2011 because most places will guarantee fixed range fees for the next three years for enrolled students but from September 2012 fees will be at the higher level (in some cases over double).

Strathclyde uni, Immunology and Microbiology BSc. (Hons)
Glasgow uni, Biological sciences (BSc)
Glasgow Caledonian uni, PhD in Sensor technology/photonics
Uni of the west of Scotland...job playing with sensors
[b]Im scared to enter the real world![/b]

^^^^

Glaswegians are very parochial.

When I went to uni there I can remember an old Glaswegian saying to me that they are born there, study there, get married there and die there 😉

If I recall correctly the stats showed that something like 60% (maybe a bit more) of the students at Glasgow lived within 20 miles of the university.