BSc Physics – Imperial College
PhD Physics – Imperial College
Postdoc in Physics – Sussex University
Postdoc in Biology – Oxford University

I now work in a subject doing Maths and Medicine. Would recommend a Physics degree to anyone mathematically inclined – opens up a LOT of doors, and not all of them say accountant!

I’ve been at the university of exeter for about a month now, loving it. The clubs are great, the cycling is great, the other sports facilities are great, the people are great (as long as you avoid all the private schooled snobs..), and the work is for the most part pretty easy (maths).

From google:

“i regret going to university”
About 1,390 results

“i regret not going to university”
About 6,030 results

Didn’t get there until i was in my thirties, Plymouth university but based in Exeter (still there) and did my nurse training.
Best parties ever. Met my girlfriend (now) wife. And got back into cycling after a few years lay off. Quality.

South Bank University [now London South Bank University] – Engineering Product Design. Graduated in 2001.
At the time it was a great course and turned me into a Design Engineer, managed to get half decent jobs too. The uni was ok, but if I could choose now, i’d go to a uni with either; more of a campus set up, or in a smaller city.
However, 9 years later I am a little tired of Design Engineering, I seek a more creative design role, so while still working full time I am studying an MA in ‘Design: Sustainable Futures’ at Plymouth University. So far my experience is very positive. Great new building and a lot of money recently invested in workshop facilities and a very good design teaching team. I must admit, the whole uni seems a very good place to be.

Oh yea, Plymouth = Easy access to great biking and surfing !

It seems STW (and thus MTBing?) is far more popular with engineering than arts (or media) graduates! Do you think the latter don’t like getting dirty? 😉

Attended UWIC in Cardiff sporadically between 00-03

Came away with a 2:1 in Sport & Leisure Mgt, the degree is not worth the paper its written on however it has ticked the ‘degree level eductation’ box on a few job specs to get a foot in the door. I dont use it at all now and looking back it was a pretty poor course, trampolining apart :D. To echo a few others, choose which course you want to do wisely especially with the hike in fees.

Reading that back it all sounds a bit negative, but if you asked me would i go again, it would be a resounding YES! Beer, girls, girlfriend and some good mates. Great times.

No. Posting on here cos hels said I wouldn’t and somehow seems to equate intelligence with academic achievement.
When I were a lad, it was pretty difficult to get into a University, it really was for the minority. My parents had me lined up for it, but I discovered more interesting things, like sex, music and being in a band, which meant I didn’t get the required ‘A’ levels for Uni.

You just need to be able to use a computer to get in these days, don’t you?

Yes Kingston, Beng Hons in Motorcycle engineering technology.
Agree with Dezb too some of the most talented engineers I know don’t have degrees.

Graduated from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen this year after completing my Bsc (ENG) Electronic and Electrical degree part time evening classes. 2 years of working and studying was tough but glad i have the bit of paper now. Concidering going back to do am MEng in a couple of years but it is my girlfriends turn to study now as she wants her cips qualifications to become a buyer and i’m in debt about 100 cooked dinners 🙂

thisisnotaspoon,

Did you go to the Chemeng Department ball in your freshers year then?

Not in the strictest sense. Left school in ’89 after a year resitting my GCSEs, then did 6 years of vocational study in Textile Colouration at Bradford College. Got made redundant in my last year and didn’t complete the course sadly, so missed out on a degree level qualification. I don’t regret not going to University full time, I (mis)spent a lot of time socialising with student friends whilst living in Leeds, so I got the best bits of it I reckon! 🙂

Lancaster to study Sociology, was a top place, with top people. I’m dead clever me.

Also, Sunderland, not such a top place, but was fun all the same.

Another Mech Eng here, Nottingham ’94-’98. No biking back then but loads of windsurfing / beer and the odd trip to the Irish (less said about that the better…)

You just need to be able to use a computer to get in these days, don’t you?

Not even that, these days you just have to be able to write your own name, its really easy. It must’ve been so much better back in your day 😉

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.

the only arts student I’ve seen here

*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 ciclista. 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

Another arts student here (English at Oxford Uni, early 90s)… Not too keen on muddy trails either.

I knew most of the people on the forum were 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. 🙂