You bitter young man its actually Framestore CFC, used to be two companys that merged, not that I worked in either
Personally, I'm half fuelled by the capitalist urge for money, and half by passion to do some good in the world... hence my frequent all-night study sessions, and abandoned social life. I wish I could do something more fun, like philosophy. I think if I had a choice after medicine, in the real world, I'd do some form of engineering (aeronautical probably), and in a world where I learned for enjoyment, probably the 'Physics and Philosophy' course that Oxford do.
I'm doing philosophy because I enjoy it, not because I want a good job. I know it's useless, which is precisely why I chose it - all degrees are equally useless; philosophy is one of the few that's actually interesting. If I wanted a job, I could get one now, but it would be the end of me as a person. I need the escape and the life experience. I don't want to be a builder living in my mum's house when I hit 30, I want to have lived. So anyway, I asked about Lancaster and by and large, I got the answer - to a completely different question. (Such I've come to expect from forums, populated as they are by egomanic pricks eager to steamroller their opinions over other people at any opportunity.) I was fishing for people who've been there, or know people who've been, not for people who hate university. One more essay, then: is Lancaster a doghole, or not? Is it Grimsby^2, or is David Bramwell just a snob who chose it as his literary punchline?
First off I'm from America and know little about the education system over there. What I do know from personal experience here is that 1.) Do the very best you can in whatever you choose to study, 2) Consider it as a "willing to learn" degree. Many of us in the US have degrees that have very little to do with what our current careers are. I have an Electronics Engineering hardware degree. I was valedictorian and have NEVER used any of my hardware degree for a paying company. In the last 30 yrs. I have done software development and testing for companies ranging from small 100 employee companies to the US Department of Defense and Fortune 50 companies. My advise is get ANY degree and just find what you want to do and jump in. The degree cannot be taken away from you but it may open doors that won't accept no-degree employees (you really want to work for them anyway?). One other thing - my late Father's advice - "I don't care what you do, be good at it" Served me well! John
********. I study Product design and i can safely say ANY degree is useful, some moreso than others, Disproving your point also about >100 year old universities are worthless, please tell that to my employer Degrees are as worthwhile as you make them, they are proof you are capable of studying a subject at an adult level. You dont have to go into that specific field you have studied in, but it is indeed an option if you wish, mainly because we have a system where you can change according to what you want to do, not what youve studied. now, down to the nitty gritty, I have friends studying at Lancaster at the moment and they love the place. Give student life a go, it is well worth the 325902875234 pounds debt, and if anyone tells you otherwise they are a clown. in fact im going to go see them in a few weeks when i move back to england and get bored
Well it ranks as 18th university in the UK on the Times Good University guide so you've got at least 50 other institutes of higher education that are deemed worse.
That's fine, as long as you go into it being prepared. I was the same though. I went to University to study Creative Writing, knowing full well that that course wouldn't get me a job. The course seemed fun though and I was drawn in by the chance to work with my peers and have interesting, intelligent discussions. In reality though the course was crap on the writing side, the 'comprehensive course' turned out to be optional weekly seminars for one hour only (and that was it) and I got stuck there for three years, paying through the nose for it. The lesson is that it isn't enough to say: I want to study Philosophy because it's interesting. You have to have a goddamn passion for it, or you have to make sure you study at a University where they teach a course properly and enough to stimulate you. The only thing I know about Philopshy at Lancs is that when I was there the tutor filled two sessions every week with watching a movie that student bought in. I know this because I had to lend the class my copy of Fight Club when it first came out. That may sound like fun. It probably is fun (though bear in mind they also watched a load of meaningless pap with no relevance, like Evil Dead). Bear in mind though that you're paying HUGE amounts of money for that cinema ticket. Things to know: Firstly, University is not going to give you a 'life experience'. It never will. I had a pretty hectic and fun-filled time at University, but the reality of it is that the experience is mostly exactly like a middleground between living on your own and still going to sixth form or college. There's nothing wrong with that - I loved it and it wa exactly what I wanted - but in no way is it a life experience. If you want to start living and you really want to get an experience out of it then you should go travelling or something rather than University. University is much more about doing the essays and learning how to pay electric bills, meeting people with similar interests and going down to the same pub and clubs every weekend - it's far more about those things than it is about broadening your horizons, seeing the world and living life to the full. People do have great times at Uni, and I know I did. But...well, put it this way: When I was at University writing stories about lusty loins and essays about diaglossic shifts in ancient arabian dialects (not at interesting as it sounds), my brother was travelling the Pacific with a bunch of nomadic gypsys on an island made of woven reeds. I payed four times as much for my acitivty as he did for his. He came back with stories and opened eyes, new philosophies and life experience that made him stand out in any job application. I learned how to tell how many words are on an average page of A4 at a glance. Secondly, it all depends on what type of University experience you want. I'm from Derbyshire and I went to Lancashire University. I'm a bumpkin in other words and I'm not really totally into the city life and clubbing and all that sort. I wanted a university where I could be with friends, enjoy some scenery, get my head down and not feel too out of depth. I wanted a handful of pubs I liked and a campus, not a huge urban...thing. With Lancaster, I got what I want. There's hardly any clubs, but there are a lot of nice quiet little pubs and the university community is very insular, pleasant and supportive. There's absolutely tons of activities to do if you're into the outdoors - the freeclimbing club for example, which makes it a regular event to climb up the tallest buildings in the town after a drinking session - but not what I'd call a nightlife. Lancaster is good if you like the outdoors and the country, bad if you want somewhere sunny and vibrant. It's the north and it's a city where the population is smaller than most towns. I loved it, but you might not.
Yeah, I'll second what Joe's said really. I think Lancaster is actually a really nice town to live in. There's nothing to write home about but it's just a pleasant place. Compared to the urban sprawl of Manchester where I live now, Lancaster is an idyllic little town in the countryside. It's certainly no Grimsby, anyway. But like I said earlier, I wouldn't go there for university unless I really liked the course. But this is your choice. Have you been there to look around?
Have fun racking up £20000 debt that you'll probably never pay off and the rest of us will pick up for you with our interest rates from the organisational disaster that is the SLC.
Ahhhh Philosophy...a competition to make the most absurd of arguments sound plausible, the most well-accepted of arguments seem nonsensical, whilst simultaneously arguing the purpose of life but neglecting the purpose of a degree, then failing to answer any of the questions you asked in the first place but instead just asking even more. Ironically, I believe philosophy to be, as a literal term, of the utmost importance and widely unappreciated outside of those who study it. Nevertheless, there seems to be some correlation between philosophy and psychology students in that I never really tend to witness them practicing the skills they learn outside of the educational arena- how many psychology students really show their superior understanding of the human condition? The majority of philosophy students I know (and this most certainly isn't an assumption, just an observation) just seem quite cocksure and arrogant in that they automatically assume they have a superior understanding of their subject without needing to display it.
Oh yeah, sorry, I hadn't looked into it and was just going by what the media would have you believe. The actual rates are (looking at the SLC statistics) that only 40% of graduates aren't repaying their loans (that's people who left uni one, two and three years ago) and it's £14000, not £20000.
There are a number of issues which have been briefly raised, but have been perhaps tainted somewhat by prejudice, misinformation and bad experience. While 'ch424' is accurate, you can thank the government for continually pushing the idea of widened participation, while increasing tuition fee's on the other hand. Taking with one and giving with the other. I am one of the those whose benefited, though I don't believe the system works, nor will universities function effectively if 50% of all over 18's are to pass further education. It will of course turn into a class issue once again for university choice, nicely highlighted by 'pistol_pete' with his prejudice for red-brick universities. The university itself is quite redundant, it's the choice of subject you choose which is important. The Push guide says Lanchester University is good, and Philosophy is among the 'Best' subjects. I am sure you're capable of finding similar guides from The Times and Guardian. Personally, I've found that being a university student isn't a prerequisite for intelligence, this issue is across multiple subjects and not only a consequence of widened participation. More and more courses are being tailored for specific things, and for example, if you wanted to be a games programmer; do you go to a worse university (on paper) which has a specific course tailored for your needs and may save you time and give you experience, or do you go to a red brick university and study Computer Science (Newcastle now offer a game tailored course/module I believe)? With increased fee's, research into the university and subject you're planning on is becoming more and more important. University for me, gives a comfortable lifestyle, motivation to continually learn new things and experiment, as well as a structured environment of learning/feedback for the aforementioned.
I wouldn't agree that the choice of university is redundant. In fact, my lasting impression from open days and postgraduates' comments is that choosing the wrong university for your course can result in an absolutely horrendous experience. If you get landed with crap staff or an objectionable room/dorm/city, it could ruin the entire course for you.
Absolutely. You have to find a university that has the right scene for you, that is an environment you feel you can grow in and which represents well on your course. If the choice of university wasn't important then there'd be no difference between studying Law at Sheffield and Oxford. Hell, even if there isn't an actual difference then the perceived difference by employers is massively important.
a friend of mine did Law at lancaster and loved it (however he is a maths teacher now) degrees are a waste of time for a career unless you have a known career path i.e want to become Doctor, surgeon, Dentist, Vet, Lawyer. Engineer and some others uni is good however for social life (unless you are doing one of the above degrees (or can somehow manage both there are a few that can)). i spent three years getting my Beng in Mechanical engineering only to loathe it now, and have become a software developer i dont beleive three years of study and £20,000 have helped me as much as the last year working for an IT company . my advice is seriously think about going to uni think about your motivations if it is to meet girls go out have fun every night then fair enough but you will end up £15,000 or more in debt if you want to get a career that requires a degree like those listed above then work hard keep your head down and get it done. if you want to study something of interest to you philosphy (sp?), geography, media studies then remember you will be £15,000 in debt afterwards could you not do a year, 6 months internship somewhere first to see if it really interests you.
You're misinterpreting my point. Those going to Oxford will undoubtedly receive a good education, but believing blindly that a red brick university is a better place to study than a former polytechnic is just a lazy and outdated generalisation. I actually said researching where and what you study is even more important due to the increased fee's. My suggestion would be to pick a subject you're interested in, find the relevant league tables for that subject, then work your way down or up (depending on your grades) the list to find a university which suits your non-career/academic needs, whatever they may be. Every university has its bad points (and lecturers) and I'd question anyone who was landed an objectionable [insert pet hate here] and lived with it throughout their course. I for example, moved to a city to do a computing degree and found my motivation was quite low towards the end of the year, so I did something about it; I changed course and campus and as a consequence, probably had the most productive year of my life.
You've forgotten two of the hardest groups of degrees, engineering and mathematics, financial degrees are a load of tosh without an MBA and everyone knows that. As for plumbing being where the real money is...you clearly haven't seen real money mate...real money requires a proper degree or something truly special in a person, end of.
