University cruelty

Unfortunately the deadlines will always fall close to one another. They can't set coursework at the beginning of a course because they haven't taught you anything to do coursework on yet. They can't set it at the very end because it will coincide with exams. So they all fall together in the middle.

When I was on the staff-student liason committee (a departmental thing, rather than union) this came up a few times and that was the answer. They'd love not to, but there's nothing they can do about this.

 

Doesn't stop them on my course

 

I did a degree in chemistry at a "proper" university, with 18-20 hours of lectures a week plus 12 hours of practical...
However, I bummed around - shagging women (or at least hoping to), drinking absinthe, making acid etc, and spent the rest of the time DJing and mixing bands.
And it was the "extra-curriculars" (i.e. the dj-ing/mixing) that stood me in good stead at Auntie Beeb, not a B.Sc Hons!
So my advice is have a good time all of the time.

 

Leonard - indeed, the other bits can be very important. For both of my jobs, Electronic Engineering degree was just a tick in the box that any number of people had. I was the one with serious and demonstrable interest and knowledge in hifi.

 

Interesting, what do you do there? I was talking to the R&D guys the other day, unfortunately they aren't planning to move up here for a few years which is a shame.
Is making acid on your CV?

 

My president of Salford Students Union wanted me to stand for elections which if I won I would have got a £12,000 job for a year. However I simply did not have the time or energy to do it. I am not sure if I can say I have had any union experience I did try running my society but it wasn't a sucess, however the union itself hasn't had any sucess in this area either and what I tried to was a very hard task.

I guess my interest in traveling will help my CV, I've walked the La Rambla, seen the Nortre Damn and got legless in the main square in Amsterdam (I shall leave that bit out!!)

Also working part time in the field where I want a job and being involved in creating an award winning website will probably help me.

 

AT - if you genuinely are concerned about one course causing you particular problems, then talk to the relevant lecturer/tutor about it. At the end of the day they want you to understand the material and they might be able to give some useful assistance or guidance. In fact they should be able to, it's at least part of their job.

Stick at it, hard work pays dividends in the end.

Martin

 

I never actually got round to making any acid, poppers was as far as I got!
Anyway, I was trained as a sound recordist at the beeb, then became a post production supervisor, which meant I was in charge of the whole post production process of a programme. Sometimes fun (playing with expensive kit!), and sometimes shite (dealing with luvvies who didn't realise that TV wasn't a matter of life and death!)
Now I do up old houses - which means I don't have to live in That London.. Or work for The Man..

 

I am going to have a casual word with the course leader on monday as I need to see him about somthing else anyway. They won't be able to chance the assignment no matter how many people complain but they do need to make sure appropiate help is given if people are stuck.

 

SO did I - with the Uni doing their utmost to screw it up (the biggest gripe was not having A Level Maths as a prerequisite; if I'd known how much maths was involved (I got GCSE, and I'm not "thick", but I'm words rather than numbers!) I'd have done a different course... The Uni obviously saw this too, and made it a prerequisite the following year. So as usual - let's get some bums on seats hey? I don't feel SO bad though - out of our year, approximately 24% got First, 20% got Second, and 35% got Third. 3 people failed outright and 2 had dropped out before then. So a real "help the ones who can do maths, and screw everyone else" mentality.

You know what AT? Bottleneck's right - plagiarism is wrong, "borrowing" from textbooks on something you simply can't do isn't, IMHO. I *had* to do that on one module simply because if I didn't, I'd have flunked. As it was, I only scraped a Third Hons, though it was a joint degree with about 80% emphasis on A Level+ mathematical level, and I'd been conned out of an entire 30% of my final year marks - yeah, that's right - almost a THIRD, because my tutor didn't tell me about a practical. Now don't tell me it was my job to know about it - I checked the noticeboard every day; some little A5 advert is NOT going to be seen by me due to my sight; odd, then, that the next day AFTER the practical, there was an A3 bold type poster there. Someone shafted me right royally there!!!

So that's why I wasn't so "down" on being a tad naughty in the final year - if they're gonna play nasty with me, I'm not willing to rack up debt (that I'm still paying off now incidentally) for nothing. Fight dirty, but don't steal someone else's work - just use the books to flesh out a plan on how to do the thing. If you can't do it in terms they want, show some method. I had to do some OO programming in C++, and the course tutor was making us use his own textbook. Well, I spent days trying to get this project to work, and I couldn't. I gave him psuedocode, and a little footnote saying that if the examples in his own book wouldn't compile on his approved compiler, how the hell was I going to get MY code to work if it relies on theories derived from his non-functioning code and erroneous textbook. I got a C+ - not bad for something that didn't work

Anyway, I'm not bitter, just disappointed; I'd do art or English instead given my time again - I can do those in my sleep. Laplace and fourier (sp??) transforms though - do me a favour!!!

 

I'm doing a module like that atm. Its a bloody cheek, they don't give you half of the information in the lecture because apparantly you should 'own the book already'. I wouldn't mind if they told us what to look up but they don't, they quote a chapter from the book that the lecturer is clearly making alot of money out of as its a generic business type module taught at all the manchester unis to all the stupid engineering students who don't know how to look after money. I wouldn't mind buying the book if I'd ever use it again but the course title is 'entrepreneurial principles and techniques' which is essentially idolising richard branson and all the wonderful corporations that rule the world these days, and the book only covers that sort of nonsense, not actually any useful real world business management etc. Anyway...

 

Textbooks are a rip - don't whatever you do take Cybernetics (oops, ohh, nearly gave away my Uni that I'm so publically dissing here - how clumsy of me) as those books are even more expensive than engineering/computer ones! ...the only advantage (geek or what!?) of having a textbook written by your lecturer is you can have it autographed - and yeah, I have been there and done that - why not!?

Incidentally, re my moan about that loss of 30% of my final year marks; a guy who was in the day before the practicals (and who should have seen the advert) went on holiday, the day of the practical, and THEY LET HIM RETAKE IT. I couldn't phsycally see the the advert, but was I allowed to retake it? Oh no. Tossers. Between you and me, if I ever have kids (not likely!), I'd strongly advise AGAINST uni. The debt's not worth the outcome unless you get a really good job - apprenticeship is the best way from what I've seen of the "real world".

 

What course are doing? This is one of Jane Silvers modules taught with MSEC I assume? I did this module last year, I got 68% in the exam so I wouldn't worry about it, I didn't buy the book. The module you do in the third year is a lot more relevant to the real world.

I hate the way those MSEC lecturers always come across as an advert for their MSc courses.

I also spoke to my course tutor today and he has calmed me down some what, he said that nobody failed this module last year so not to worry about it.

 

I've been down the apprenticeship and they don't work unless you want to go into the construction industry or somthing similier.

 

lol that would be the one. Its the second module but we don't do an exam (did one in the second year though). The whole thing is a joke. Does she have to be so patronising?!

 

I know we reckon she is getting commision on them books, the one she wants the third years tp buy is £35.

She said "you're all in the third year you should now be reading for your degree" posh f**king twit how does she think we have got this far if we haven't already been reading for the degree?

I will admit this it this her module this year that is making me want to setup my own business.

 

I know, I was there. After tomorrows lecture I'm giving it a miss, right load of bollocks.

 

On the brightside is is nice to have an easy assignment will all the stress at the moment. I have got a senimar tomorrow though which I am not looking forward to.

 

think yourself lucky you're doing a degree in bite-size modules so you can bank it as you go along. in my day (shortly after university was invented...), there were no course-work/assignment credits at all and the whole thing rested on the exams you took in your final few weeks - covering your entire 3 or 4 years of studies. now that was stress...

 

Lol in my day I remember when we actually had to type in commands to get a computer to do anything

Funnilly enough I tend to well in exams, but they are at the end of each semester though which probably makes it easier.