Really peeved off about contact hours.
Yes, I know I do a social science (Economics) course and university is about independent study but it seems to be really bothering me that I get only 10 hours a week for a course that I'm indirectly paying 9 grand for.
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
I feel like I really want to leave as it's not worth it or at least try and switch to another university to one that provides more hours e.g. Surrey offers 15 for my course.
Please help put my mind at ease or provide any advice.
Thanks.
P.S I understand that it's about quality and not quantity but what happens if the quality is awful for some of my lectures.
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
I feel like I really want to leave as it's not worth it or at least try and switch to another university to one that provides more hours e.g. Surrey offers 15 for my course.
Please help put my mind at ease or provide any advice.
Thanks.
P.S I understand that it's about quality and not quantity but what happens if the quality is awful for some of my lectures.
(edited 10 years ago)
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i feel the same way ive only got eight hours a week
Original post by mattymattress1
i feel the same way ive only got eight hours a week
It seems so different. Back when we were at school, we had 6 hours of lessons a day. :/
May I ask what and where do you study?
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(edited 10 years ago)
I have six! However when I took economics (dropped out), I had a fair bit more. It was alternate, so one week I'd have about 10, the next week about 18 or something. It may have even been more than that actually.
It doesn't really annoy me. I don't really think about the money thing, I just accept I've got to pay it no matter what subject I'm doing, but sure you could say science students get more for their money. I prefer to study in my own time rather than have compulsory lectures/seminars to do, but I think everyone is different.
I don't really see the point in leaving to start again next year just for the sake of having five more hours contact time. It doesn't mean it will be a better course.
It doesn't really annoy me. I don't really think about the money thing, I just accept I've got to pay it no matter what subject I'm doing, but sure you could say science students get more for their money. I prefer to study in my own time rather than have compulsory lectures/seminars to do, but I think everyone is different.
I don't really see the point in leaving to start again next year just for the sake of having five more hours contact time. It doesn't mean it will be a better course.
Your contact hours are merely a means of nourishing your independent studies. I understand your frustrations however, university is nothing like school.
Original post by Airfairy
I have six! However when I took economics (dropped out), I had a fair bit more. It was alternate, so one week I'd have about 10, the next week about 18 or something. It may have even been more than that actually.
It doesn't really annoy me. I don't really think about the money thing, I just accept I've got to pay it no matter what subject I'm doing, but sure you could say science students get more for their money. I prefer to study in my own time rather than have compulsory lectures/seminars to do, but I think everyone is different.
I don't really see the point in leaving to start again next year just for the sake of having five more hours contact time. It doesn't mean it will be a better course.
It doesn't really annoy me. I don't really think about the money thing, I just accept I've got to pay it no matter what subject I'm doing, but sure you could say science students get more for their money. I prefer to study in my own time rather than have compulsory lectures/seminars to do, but I think everyone is different.
I don't really see the point in leaving to start again next year just for the sake of having five more hours contact time. It doesn't mean it will be a better course.
May I ask what you're doing now?
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Original post by pinda.college
Your contact hours are merely a means of nourishing your independent studies. I understand your frustrations however, university is nothing like school.
I see where you're coming from. It's just me being fussy. I'm such an indecisive person, I'm probably looking at petty excuses to leave uni.
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Original post by senz72
I study politics now, so it's understandable that it has less hours I guess. Pretty much everything I do is just directed reading in my own time. I guess it is annoying when I think about it, but I don't think it's possible to have that many contact hours in something like politics, it just wouldn't work.
I'm just adding it up now and I only had about 13 hours a week for my A2s in college, so my jump to economics was around the same if not more hours so I didn't feel it.
Original post by Airfairy
I study politics now, so it's understandable that it has less hours I guess. Pretty much everything I do is just directed reading in my own time. I guess it is annoying when I think about it, but I don't think it's possible to have that many contact hours in something like politics, it just wouldn't work.
I'm just adding it up now and I only had about 13 hours a week for my A2s in college, so my jump to economics was around the same if not more hours so I didn't feel it.
I'm just adding it up now and I only had about 13 hours a week for my A2s in college, so my jump to economics was around the same if not more hours so I didn't feel it.
Ah okay. One of my neighbours has about 17. :/
Oh well it doesn't matter. I think I'm only picking up on this because social wise, I'm having an awful time.
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(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by senz72
Ah okay. One of my neighbours has about 17. :/
Oh well it doesn't matter. I think I'm only picking up on this because social wise, I'm having an awful time.
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Oh well it doesn't matter. I think I'm only picking up on this because social wise, I'm having an awful time.
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I'm sorry to hear that. I've had an awful social experiences at both the unis I've been to tbh, but mostly because I'm way too shy and introverted. Which uni are you at?
I hope it gets better for you anyway. I've found if you stick it out you get used to the social scene and it doesn't seem as bad anymore haha.
Original post by Airfairy
I'm sorry to hear that. I've had an awful social experiences at both the unis I've been to tbh, but mostly because I'm way too shy and introverted. Which uni are you at?
I hope it gets better for you anyway. I've found if you stick it out you get used to the social scene and it doesn't seem as bad anymore haha.
I hope it gets better for you anyway. I've found if you stick it out you get used to the social scene and it doesn't seem as bad anymore haha.
York.
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Original post by senz72
Yes, I know I do a social science (Economics) course and university is about independent study but it seems to be really bothering me that I get only 10 hours a week for a course that I'm indirectly paying 9 grand for.
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
I feel like I really want to leave as it's not worth it or at least try and switch to another university to one that provides more hours e.g. Surrey offers 15 for my course.
Please help put my mind at ease or provide any advice.
Thanks.
P.S I understand that it's about quality and not quantity but what happens if the quality is awful for some of my lectures.
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
I feel like I really want to leave as it's not worth it or at least try and switch to another university to one that provides more hours e.g. Surrey offers 15 for my course.
Please help put my mind at ease or provide any advice.
Thanks.
P.S I understand that it's about quality and not quantity but what happens if the quality is awful for some of my lectures.
Lectures are 95% bull**** anyway, the last thing you want is more of them, it gets in the way of the activities you can do to beef up your CV (among other things).
Original post by senz72
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
And the worse thing is that apparently some of the lectures aren't even taken by proper lecturers but PhD students.
In my experience this needn't be a bad thing (though I've much more usually seen it done with seminars than lectures). I mean, judge them on what they say, rather than on the fact of their being doctoral candidates. Lecturers and even Professors will as well be variously good, from actually inspiring to utterly dreadful.
Original post by cambio wechsel
In my experience this needn't be a bad thing (though I've much more usually seen it done with seminars than lectures). I mean, judge them on what they say, rather than on the fact of their being doctoral candidates. Lecturers and even Professors will as well be variously good, from actually inspiring to utterly dreadful.
Thanks. It's just I'm worried about the fact that they might be international and I'll struggle to understand them. And it's out of my nature to put my hand up and deal with it.
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Original post by Economi
I didn't realise choosing Economics & Mathematics has doubled my contact hours. I have an average of 19 hours per week. I am also at York.
Nice! Sadly I missed out on A by 4 UMS in maths so I probably won't be able to switch.
14 or 15 hours are probably due to Maths!
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(edited 10 years ago)
I have about 20 hours a week and I'm in my first week of teaching but it feels like i'm hardly there at all, all the lectures that I've been to have been completely pointless. I find it difficult to tell when we're being taught in lectures and when they're just talking for the sake of it. It's not like school where I took notes all the time and knew the stuff I was taking notes on was supposed to be learnt. At university all the notes are given to you, so for me it is very difficult. I'm doing Mech Eng, which I've heard is like doing a 9-5 job, so far it's been like not having a job at all. I know what i'm writing seems silly considering it's the first week, but it's just what i'm feeling. There is NO justification for charging £9000 a year, except greed.
Contact time does vary from course to course quite considerably but it's commonplace for social science and humanities courses to have few contact hours, you'll find it across most unis that it's the case. It's also quite common for PhD students/recent PhD graduates to deliver lectures as well; although they might seem less experienced give them a chance as my experience being taught by people still studying themselves has been really good.
When you're given assignments you'll soon find that you're grateful for the time you're not in lectures to dedicate enough time to do them well alongside times you'll be out socialising and/or doing part-time work. It's not at all like school, so it will take time to adjust but your feelings about contact time and being unimpressed with the change are perfectly normal. Whether your course is worth the £9k a year is entirely personal opinion really, uni is what you make of it and if you feel like you would be better off elsewhere options are open to you but as already said, contact time for these courses is quite low compared to courses with lots of lab work for example.
When you're given assignments you'll soon find that you're grateful for the time you're not in lectures to dedicate enough time to do them well alongside times you'll be out socialising and/or doing part-time work. It's not at all like school, so it will take time to adjust but your feelings about contact time and being unimpressed with the change are perfectly normal. Whether your course is worth the £9k a year is entirely personal opinion really, uni is what you make of it and if you feel like you would be better off elsewhere options are open to you but as already said, contact time for these courses is quite low compared to courses with lots of lab work for example.
While I can see where you're coming from, the lack of contact hours in a social science-type course such as the one you're doing is designed to allow you plenty of time to read around your subject; once your lecture courses get into full swing you'll have lots to read, and probably also problem sheets etc., so you'll be grateful for the gaps in your timetable! When I was in my final year, I only had 5 hours a week but even that at times felt like too much, when I had tons of reading to do for each course, and was trying to do my dissertation as well. So don't see the unscheduled hours as time off or as a waste, you are supposed to be working during them!!
As regards doctoral students lecturing, please give us poor PhDs a chance
At my university recently, PhDs were put in charge of revamping some undergrad reading lists, as it was assumed (correctly, it turned out) that we'd be a bit more 'tuned in' to very recent/ongoing research and publications than our busier senior colleagues; the PhD who is lecturing you could be on their way to being the next superstar in their field, so they're worth taking seriously. I also find, both from my own experience and that of other friends who teach, is that we tend to put a lot more effort into preparing our classes than some lecturers - probably because we're inexperienced, we tend to do a lot of planning & preparation to foresee every eventuality, so don't dismiss us out of hand, you could have a very good experience! 
As regards doctoral students lecturing, please give us poor PhDs a chance
At my university recently, PhDs were put in charge of revamping some undergrad reading lists, as it was assumed (correctly, it turned out) that we'd be a bit more 'tuned in' to very recent/ongoing research and publications than our busier senior colleagues; the PhD who is lecturing you could be on their way to being the next superstar in their field, so they're worth taking seriously. I also find, both from my own experience and that of other friends who teach, is that we tend to put a lot more effort into preparing our classes than some lecturers - probably because we're inexperienced, we tend to do a lot of planning & preparation to foresee every eventuality, so don't dismiss us out of hand, you could have a very good experience! You arent just paying for 'contact hours' remember.
You are also paying for every facility the University offers you, like a well-stocked Library, Sports Centre, computers/printers/IT Centre, relevant admin and welfare staff, clean toilets etc etc.
If you want to see the true cost of your education provision, check the International fee rate for your course - thats what it would be costing you if the British government wasnt subsiding your place.
You are also paying for every facility the University offers you, like a well-stocked Library, Sports Centre, computers/printers/IT Centre, relevant admin and welfare staff, clean toilets etc etc.
If you want to see the true cost of your education provision, check the International fee rate for your course - thats what it would be costing you if the British government wasnt subsiding your place.
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