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Original post by SunnysideSea
Most Overrated: PPE (you may as well keep doing A Levels you're doing so many subjects), Law

Most Underrated: Philosophy, Literae Humaniores (Classics) - at Oxford, the hardest degree in the country


Lol are you joking? That's not a difficult degree.
Reply 81
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
I'm sorry, but your tone is so condescending without any reason at all. We all give you reasons as to why it's overrated and your simple reply is "irrelevant statements". You're merely a jumped up medical student trying to defend a degree that you really only took in first place for financial gain(there's nothing really wrong with that). Don't pretend that you've experienced a life of difficulty and have vast empathy, you've probably been spoon fed by a private school to get into medicine like a significant portion of other medics. Now, out of insecurity, you're defending it without reason.

I will ask one last time, what else is there to medicine, apart from rote learning and memorisation? Don't play the social skills/empathy/sympathy game, because you know and I know that it's mostly privileged ***** getting in, who haven't experienced **** in their lives.

I had something real bad that encouraged me to do it, not pushy parents or a taste for money. But even I realise that the skills required for it are exaggerated. Sure it's stressful, but isn't any other degree?


I can't answer that until I've memorised my set answer from a medschool lecture. Can you give me some time please? That's a really hard question you asked and I'm not great at applying my knowledge seeing that I haven't done quantum mechanics so unless I memorise a set answer given by someone I can't do it :frown:
Original post by TenthBelt1993
Are you on the wind up?

Because you are processing and learning something extremely complicated, so that when you look at a DCF its an absolute joke and you understand it in 1 second.


I know, it is called hyperbole, look it up

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Original post by TenthBelt1993
So doing something really really easy is more beneficial than doing something really hard..

Have you even been to uni yet?


My point is, it doesn't matter which degree one does in those fields and maths isn't the 'premier' option for most roles in finance, you may be right that it is indeed the premier option for a few roles

But anyway, who cares.

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Original post by TenthBelt1993


Lol are you joking? That's not a difficult degree.

No offense, but you don't really know what you're talking about. Classics, prior to PPE (its reboot) was known as 'The Greats'. Unlike all other Oxford BAs, it lasts four years, not three. Why? Because Oxford designed it as the ultimate degree. It is the academics' academic degree, covering the highest level of Ancient Greek, Latin, Ancient Literature, Ancient History and Philosophy in the country. Naturally, only a select few are accepted, and only a few apply (unlike any other subject, the application pool is whittled down from age 11 to 18 - so only the brightest minds apply for it at university). Just look at the civil service (MOD, FCO etc.), all the most senior positions are dominated by Literae Humaniores graduates.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ChkATM
You got a list of every medschool curriculum? All exam papers? OSCE stations? A complete overview of the content taught?

You might not like it, but unless you can provide hard evidence that is statistically significant to prove your point, your argument is invalid.


As well as destroying the GAMSAT and UKCAT (despite taking them on a couple of bad days plus not having done anything formally academic for a number of years), I started studying toward the USMLE just out of interest, it was boring and not a challenge as I have a photographic memory. I would have destroyed that exam too in due course.
Reply 86
Original post by CharlieGEM
As well as destroying the GAMSAT and UKCAT (despite taking them on a couple of bad days plus not having done anything formally academic for a number of years), I started studying toward the USMLE just out of interest, it was boring and not a challenge as I have a photographic memory. I would have destroyed that exam too in due course.


Well done. Keep up the good work
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by CharlieGEM
Most overrated in terms of employment prospects: maths, engineering and any science degree in general. There seems to be the attitude that doing one of these subjects at a decent university if you can get a decent grade gives a high probability of well paid lifelong employment. That is far from the truth.


This is only because in this country we don't value engineers at all, if you have a good grade and move abroad you can earn so much money.
Original post by CharlieGEM
As well as destroying the GAMSAT and UKCAT (despite taking them on a couple of bad days plus not having done anything formally academic for a number of years), I started studying toward the USMLE just out of interest, it was boring and not a challenge as I have a photographic memory. I would have destroyed that exam too in due course.


Leave her alone. It's like trying to speak to an osmium coated wall.
Original post by ChkATM
Well done. Keep up the good work


I will 😉. All I'll say is it's got to be pretty embarrassing if you're a doctor and the healthcare assistant has got a higher UKCAT/GAMSAT than you.
Original post by howitoughttobe
This is only because in this country we don't value engineers at all, if you have a good grade and move abroad you can earn so much money.


Too true but this is in niche roles like oil and gas most of the time.
Original post by SunnysideSea
Most Overrated: PPE (you may as well keep doing A Levels you're doing so many subjects)



Would you say the same of Cambridge Natural Sciences?
Original post by SunnysideSea
No offense, but you don't really know what you're talking about. Classics, prior to PPE (its reboot) was known as 'The Greats'. Unlike all other Oxford BAs, it lasts four years, not three. Why? Because Oxford designed it as the ultimate degree. It is the academics' academic degree, covering the highest level of Ancient Greek, Latin, Ancient Literature, Ancient History and Philosophy in the country. Naturally, only a select few are accepted, and only a few apply (unlike any other subject, the application pool is whittled down from age 11 to 18 - so only the brightest minds apply for it at university). Just look at the civil service (MOD, FCO etc.), all the most senior positions are dominated by Literae Humaniores graduates.


Classics? The same classics that has 2 applicants per place and a mere AAA offer? How does AAA qualify as being among the the "brightest minds"? It's a degree for people to say that they've gone to Oxford, whilst they're waiting in a queue at Jobcentre of course.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by CharlieGEM
Too true but this is in niche roles like oil and gas most of the time.


Not necessarily, the average salary for electronic engineers in this country is £40k but in Germany it's €80k so I really think it's just this country.
law
x1000. law.
Original post by howitoughttobe
Not necessarily, the average salary for electronic engineers in this country is £40k but in Germany it's €80k so I really think it's just this country.


I looked at moving to Germany and found the reputed higher salaries must be skewed by the number of engineers in management as they certainly weren't doubling the UK rates from my anecdotal experience.
Economics. I've a degree in Economics but god damn the amount of Gordon Gekko wannabes does my head in. **** off to finance please.

Law. No comment.
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
Classics? The same classics that has 2 applicants per place and a mere AAA offer? How does AAA qualify as being among the the "brightest minds"? It's a degree for people to say that they've gone to Oxford, whilst they're waiting in a queue at Jobcentre of course.


If you'd read what I said carefully, you'd have seen that I mention how the pool of graduates is whittled down. Latin is bloody hard, Ancient Greek is... Have you seen ancient greek? For A level not only are there a few thousand words of vocab to learn, reels of grammar tables to memorise and pages of literaure to know off by heart, it doesn't even use our letters for god's sake. As such, the number of people doing classic languages is whittled down and down and down. How many people do you know doing both Latin and Ancient Greek A Level? Exactly. They have 200 applications because there are only 200 people in the country good enough, and they have 100 places to fill, hence the high acceptance ratio. And, no, with a BA Oxon in Classics, doors open for you in MC Law firms, investment banks, the top levels of the Civil Service, programming, accountancy... The works. Perhaps you couldn't be an engineer or a doctor. That's about it. Why am I even arguing for this? It's a degree for members of the ruling class to assert their dominance with. Perhaps they're secretly happy that people like you don't even know what they're up to.

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(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by SunnysideSea
with a [insert any degree known to man] at a good uni, doors open for you in MC Law firms, investment banks, the top levels of the Civil Service, programming, accountancy... The works. Perhaps you couldn't be an engineer or a doctor. That's about it.

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Fixed

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This is very true. The whole 'jobcentre' joke about any degree from a good uni pisses me off

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