Universities

[MikeSmith]

Hi,

I was just wondering , what unis are like, in the way of how many hours study between lectures and things like that you are expected to do?

So basically how much free time do you have? And basically how would you describe university?

I am doing Sport & Exercise Science if it makes a difference

Thanks

Mike

[Michael Hardman]

Being the lucky git I am my uni life was as follows.

1st year - 12 hours of lectures

2nd year 10 ours of lectures and seminars which I didnt got to

3rd year - 6 hours of lectures and seminars which I didnt go to and only really did 3 hours of lectures as I went home early to work.

I didnt go to the library until the 2nd year and then it was only to find some reading for essays.

I went out more in the 3rd year than any other year.

I spent way too mcuh more of going out but it was worth it.

I came out with a good 2:2 and now Im going back to uni for another year.

Uni is a big dose A levels are the hardest you will ever work.

Edited December 15, 2005 by Michael Hardman

[Brian Bleech]

it totally depends on your course and what grade you wanna get!

but most (if not all) uni's encorage to do things outside actual work, sports, societies, etc so yeah you will have free time! plus you can do stuff during the day (ride you bike) and work at night and stuff - outside lectures you can organise your time to get the most out of it.

uni > real life

mike

[Michael Hardman]

I did my work after the lecture.

There are times, like my dissertation which I did all hours of the day even till 4 in the morning but it was worth it.

The sensible thing is work 9-5 or whever your lectures start and then go out around 7.

I wasnt part of any societies, I played football with my mates every wednesday and went riding most days.

I really wish I was back at uni to dose but now Im going back to actually work hard, or so Im told by people doing teacher training. Its one of those courses that you have to work non stop for but Im going to prove that theory wrong.

[Tomm]

I am doing Sport & Exercise Science if it makes a difference

You will have more free time than you can shake a stick at. Maybe not in the third year when you have to do finals and/or a dissertation, but until then you'll be a bum, basically.

[Michael Hardman]

Manage your money youll thank me some day for that advise. I know people that ran up £20,000 plus debts.

[Smo™]

Manage your money youll thank me some day for that advise. I know people that ran up £20,000 plus debts.

That's my biggest concern about University. I plan on getting myself a Debit Card and holding a steady job with no loans whatsoever. Top priority is resisting student loans.

[Mark W]

That's my biggest concern about University. I plan on getting myself a Debit Card and holding a steady job with no loans whatsoever. Top priority is resisting student loans.

Bit shit about the top-up fees now meaning you're in effect starting off at -£9K. That's what's concerning me at the moment... I can do a degree in Wales and not pay the top-up element so it's just £1.2K per year fees, but then I'd end up in some piece of shit uni in Wales...

Hmm.

Decisions decisions.

[Smo™]

Bit shit about the top-up fees now meaning you're in effect starting off at -£9K. That's what's concerning me at the moment... I can do a degree in Wales and not pay the top-up element so it's just £1.2K per year fees, but then I'd end up in some piece of shit uni in Wales...

Hmm.

Decisions decisions.

Holy Shit.

[Mark W]

That -£9K was worked out at £3K fees a year, which is the standard sorta fee from now on, by the way...

[mat hudson]

shit uni in Wales...

whats the situation in scotland and ireland?

[Mark W]

I think it's to do with where you're born more than anything else. Like if you're a Welsh citizen you don't pay the top-up fee, if you're Scottish you don't pay fees, etc...

[Sameer]

I'm doing Economics and Finance at Southampton and life has never been better or as big a doss as it is at the moment. I probably do about an hour extra work a week, on top of the less than 9 or 10 hours of lectures I have during the week - of which I attend 'most'.

Free time is flying out of arse at the moment* and f**k I'm loving it. In terms of general uni life - like someone above said perfectly Uni > real life. Word.

Go to Uni, but make sure it's a half decent one so you can actually get somewhere at the end.

*Probably because it's the first semester and they like to make it easier to settle in and shit. For all I know I'm doomed for the rest of the 2.5 years here. But for now, I'll be ignorant and say hell mo' fo'ing yes.

[Michael Hardman]

Take out a student lan becasue apparently when you have a job and earning more than 15k you pay back 7% of your monthly wage every month. You will never pay it all back by the time you retire and by then the government scrap what you owed.

Im folowing that plan.

I had a job and managed to survvive on the money, so I saved my stundent loans and was also able to put other money aside. Now Im going back to uni the government give me 6k to do the course and Im living at home. All I have to pay for is travel and I can get 30% off that.

All in all Ill be 20k+ up and thats my deposit on a flat or house sorted.

[Mark W]

Or join the Bankruptcy Krew and have all your debt written off

[Michael Hardman]

Or join the Bankruptcy Krew and have all your debt written off

Then I cant buy a house as Im not allowed a morgage.

[MaXsteri]

It used to be if you havent paid it off in 25 years then it is scrapped, not sure if its changed now though

[Michael Hardman]

It used to be if you havent paid it off in 25 years then it is scrapped, not sure if its changed now though

I only heard about it through a friend, if its true then Im paying the minimun every month.

Brngs up the pension issue as well.

The government expect us to save but how can we if we have an instant 9k debt ove rour heads, a morgage to payits stupid. Lets kill all the old people and create a less dependant society.

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

still f**king rediculous however you look at it

[on that? u must be joking]

I actually think these higher course fees are an astoundingly good idea - it should eventually put people off doing shit degrees like david beckham studies - if you do a worthwhile degree like engineering then you'll easily pay off your loan in a few years from the job you get. If you can't, then you clearly did a pointless degree.

Andy

[munkee]

Civil engineering:

25 first year

22 hours at the mo

expect more hours in final year

free time? whats that.. you actually have to do work in some degrees. When the work is hard.. my week usualy consists of 9 - 6 day then doing 4/5 hours coursework that night. If you choose a half decent subject where you will earn some REAL money.. then your not going to have a lot of "free time". If you choose something pathetic like politics or psychology expect 9 hours in your first year and 8 hours in your 2nd.. oh yea.. but good luck finding a job. Since every dumb shit and his dog does a course like that.

For me.. unversity life hasnt been the "doss" like all your school mates with older brothers and sisters portray. Its been fun, time of my life.. but dont sell yourself short, pic a subject that is going to test you.. not something you think is going to be easy. Beleive it or not.. people who say "as long as you get a degree you can get any job" are usually on the dole and have 4 o-levels in f**k all.

I actually think these higher course fees are an astoundingly good idea - it should eventually put people off doing shit degrees like david beckham studies - if you do a worthwhile degree like engineering then you'll easily pay off your loan in a few years from the job you get. If you can't, then you clearly did a pointless degree.

Andy

A guy with his head screwed on People who bitch about all this top up fees stuff usually are the people i outlined earlier "as long as you get a degree you can get any job". They are still going to end up working at asda 7 days a week because the market is saturated with wanna be psychiatrists etc... who are more than likely better at the job than you are.

Also a quick question to the topic starter: What sort of field are you expecting to go in to with sports science ( is that what the equivalent here is in lboro?), Not having a go just curious because loads of people seem to take it here and i didnt think p.e. teachers needed a degree or owt... so where do you all go?

Edited December 15, 2005 by Spacemunkee

[Michael Hardman]

To be a teacher, which is a professional job may I add you need a degree and preferably in a subject related to school, so geography, history, maths, english etc...

Then you take a PGCE like myself and become qualified.

If you do anything higher that Foundation/Key Stage one then you specialise in a subject like P.E.

Teaching is a great job I get to put something back into the community, knowing Ive contributed to the future of this world.

I choose my degree because I knew it would cover everything form politics to history to culture to economics and I really injoyed it I wanted to go into transport consultancy but then decided it was going to be a boring 9-5 job. Teaching is going to to be fun, challenging and different everyday.

[munkee]

you should be fine then aslong as you dont have to teach spelling good luck mate

[Will Arnold]

makes me wonder if its really worth going to uni! running up a 20k debt is not good! i might just do as much as i can in college(like going onto doing a hnd or something) then maybe go to uni? but im also thinking of starting up a bicyle repair workshop with some money i have saved, but thats gunna gunna take a while to get running properly i guess.

this is hard to decide! and i need to do it quick

[Michael Hardman]

you should be fine then aslong as you dont have to teach spelling good luck mate

Lol thats what my rents said.

My spelling is fine its just when Im at a computer I get very lazy