New College of Humanities

Charging twice as much as others might work to their advantage because the price alone could create prestige and charging £18000 implies the education is worth £18000 which they will back up with big names (Richard Dawkins, Niall Ferguson etc.) and marketing the university as oxbridge 2.0. So it might thrive.

Niall Ferguson isn't really a big name in academic circles, he's just a ****. And I sincerely doubt that most of these popular 'academics' will stick around for more than a couple of years. It seems like a stupid little vanity project that the likes of Dawkins will forget about by the time his next book comes out.

I also doubt it will be able to compete with UCL and LSE in terms of winning strong students in Law and Economics (effectively the only subjects being offered), considering the strong reputations both local universities have in the subjects and the strong ties both have with traditional career destinations for the subjects.

If anything were ever destined to fail, it's this ill-conceived venture into the prostitution of British university education.

Reply 41

Knugs

12

Normally private universities are for people who have the cash but not the brain for the course..

..but this new approach doesnt make much sense.
-high admissions criteria
-talented students?
-you cant charge 18k for a humanity subject. OK , make the investors happy..but what are the costs for teaching history?

In my eyes it is pretty clear that those prominent professors want the job for the money and nothing else. And so I dont want to go there because they are working for the money. i want to be taught by someone who wants to teach me.

I will be suprised if they find any people for the course from the UK.

Why would you want to study there if you have the ability to study at top universities in the whole uk?

Reply 42

rev_pain

Original post by Harry S Truman

Niall Ferguson isn't really a big name in academic circles, he's just a ****. And I sincerely doubt that most of these popular 'academics' will stick around for more than a couple of years. It seems like a stupid little vanity project that the likes of Dawkins will forget about by the time his next book comes out.

I also doubt it will be able to compete with UCL and LSE in terms of winning strong students in Law and Economics (effectively the only subjects being offered), considering the strong reputations both local universities have in the subjects and the strong ties both have with traditional career destinations for the subjects.

If anything were ever destined to fail, it's this ill-conceived venture into the prostitution of British university education.

Niall Ferguson probably is what ever 4 letter word that was and he may not be a big name in academic circles (I don't know personally) but it's not academics who are applying to university, it's kids who only know whichever academics write popular books and appear on question time.

Even if they can't compete with the big 4 - 10, they can compete with decent unis which lack prestige so wealthy students who are rejected from their top 3 choices and are left with offers from Leeds and Newcastle (not that there's anything wrong with them, just lack the kind of prestige some people value above actual quality) may opt to apply to New College as a backup, as some people do when they apply to US unis.

(I don't like the idea of New College. Just saying it won't definitely fail)

Reply 43

beesbees

14

I don't understand why you'd pay £18,000 for this, when you could get just as good, if not better, teaching at well established universities. Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE for £9,000 or NCH for £18,000?

It's trying to fill a gap in the market.. where no gap exists.

Reply 44

tillytots

19

I really like the concept, I think it might have worked better to open it at a different time, especially with the number of unis introducing liberal arts degrees for 2012..

Reply 45

jockox3

Why do you think no gap exists? Most of the top 10 most expensive US universities are ones few have ever heard of. But they may very well take in a not terribly bright future US president (or even just bank president) and get them to a standard to enter a really good well known grad school. The very fact that Grayling has been able to raise significant amounts of private investment suggests he is a better snake oil salesman than philosopher or is selling them an attractive and workable business plan. I suspect it's the latter.

Reply 46

jumblebumble

10

does it have a website? i cant find one

edit: scrap that, found it

Reply 47

win5ton

6

I don't see why everyone is hating on this new project here. If people actually read the fees info they will find that 20% of the students will have no fees and also there will be many financial awards for the high achievers, such as decreasing the tuition costs to 7,200 a year. Some people are just too quick to start shouting.

Reply 48

Belizibub

I wouldn't judge until the actual legitimacy of there claim is confirmed or not in honesty. It does seem like a finger up to the government as one person said, rather than that to there contemporary' Oxford etc.

Although it does make me giggle when I see comments about it will be for those that aren't "smart" enough to get to Oxford and Cambridge and have big wallets. You don't even need to be overly bright to get to those institutes, anyone can listen, read and write what they learn down. Intelligence is subjective.

Reply 49

Harry S Truman

2

Original post by rev_pain

Even if they can't compete with the big 4 - 10, they can compete with decent unis which lack prestige so wealthy students who are rejected from their top 3 choices and are left with offers from Leeds and Newcastle (not that there's anything wrong with them, just lack the kind of prestige some people value above actual quality) may opt to apply to New College as a backup, as some people do when they apply to US unis.

(I don't like the idea of New College. Just saying it won't definitely fail)

I would consider that a major failure, especially in the context of what the project is setting out to achieve.

Reply 50

RamlakU

Original post by win5ton

I don't see why everyone is hating on this new project here. If people actually read the fees info they will find that 20% of the students will have no fees and also there will be many financial awards for the high achievers, such as decreasing the tuition costs to 7,200 a year. Some people are just too quick to start shouting.

No, you haven't read the fees info. 20 % in total will get reduced fees, ranging from no fees to £7,200. With an even split that means 10 % will pay nothing, 10 % will pay the same as Oxbridge/LSE/UCL and a whooping 80 % will pay double of that.

Plus getting full loans will be hard.

Also, this "university" will be a parasite on UoL resources (libraries etc.) whilst not contributing to those publicly funded and run facilities.

Reply 51

Quark123

Original post by jockox3

The qualification will be a University of London degree.

Yes, but both UCL and Royal Holloway give University of London degrees and there is a vast difference in repuation between those two.

Reply 52

morecambebay

16

You can get a University of London degree from here for a fraction of the price, and do work experience at the same time to gain professional skills.

I really dont know why non-science students bother with brick universities anymore, just do distance learning and gain independance. If you want to see lecturers doing their thing just go on Youtube or iTunesU.

Part of me hopes that this is all just an elaborate ploy to pull the rich thick kids away from oxbridge and hide them away for three years so that they dont contaminate anybody elses learning.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 53

win5ton

6

Original post by RamlakU

No, you haven't read the fees info. 20 % in total will get reduced fees, ranging from no fees to £7,200. With an even split that means 10 % will pay nothing, 10 % will pay the same as Oxbridge/LSE/UCL and a whooping 80 % will pay double of that.

Plus getting full loans will be hard.

Also, this "university" will be a parasite on UoL resources (libraries etc.) whilst not contributing to those publicly funded and run facilities.

You were right about the 20% issue, but securing loans will be easier than you insinuate.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 54

a_man_1066

10

morecambebay

Part of me hopes that this is all just an elaborate ploy to pull the rich thick kids away from oxbridge and hide them away for three years so that they dont contaminate anybody elses learning.

Indeed. If they can remove that element from Oxbridge, then good luck to them.

I think Grayling thinks he is aiming at something like the French 'Grand Ecoles', with his talk of 'a new elite' and what not - what he is actually heading for is an American style private university. As a previous poster mentioned, tuition cost does not always correlate with quality in the States. Bearing in mind they don't seem to actually own anything, and will use University of London facilities, I'm not entirely sure what I'm paying for. On the other hand, how else would you start up a college? Most of those that exist were done by rich philanthropists or the state.

I'll be honest, the concept of their courses does sound really exciting - especially making everyone do 'Science Literacy'. I would probably support the project more if it wasn't fronted by Dawkins and Grayling, but by people who had their feet slightly closer to the ground. They are not just in the ivory tower of academia; they are in an ivory tower of an ivory tower.

It will be interesting to see what applicants they get. I assume the vast majority will be from private schools. When do they want their first intake?

Reply 55

Innately_Hedonistic

10

2012, it has blackburn, singer and grayling ie ****ing good for philosophy

Reply 56

morecambebay

16

They are just reselling the distance learning degrees from the University of Londons international program (which costs around £4000 for an entire degree).

Compare the module titles on these two pages: they are exactly the same.
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/birkbeck/philosophy/structure.shtml
http://www.nchum.org/courses/philosophy

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 57

Harry S Truman

2

Original post by morecambebay

They are just reselling the distance learning degrees from the University of londons international program (which costs around £4000 for an entire degree).

Compare the module titles on these two pages: they are exactly the same.
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/birkbeck/philosophy/structure.shtml
http://www.nchum.org/courses/philosophy

Well duh, you really think these pop-academics are going to waste their time designing a course when they could be laying out in the sunshine waiting to get rich?