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Cambridge Corruption

I can't find any evidence for his claim that his application wasn't circulated to the colleges he applied for - this is really rather important to his story. As for being turned down for a PhD from Oxford, the guy has humongous gaps in his CV and has been out of physics for a long time, I'm not suprised he was rejected by Oxford, although, not getting a response to his enquiries about an advertised PhD place seems a little odd.

Reply 21

KwungSun

13

Is the situation at these colleges really that bad? Are they as poorly maintained, staffed and respected as the author would have us believe? I would say that if there is a scandal, then that it is that. Not that the author found himself with few friends after doing his best to piss off Cambridge management.

Reply 22

Jxhn

13

Wow, get this guy out of physics and into creative conspiracy literature! :biggrin:

Reply 23

generalebriety

16

KwungSun

Is the situation at these colleges really that bad? Are they as poorly maintained, staffed and respected as the author would have us believe? I would say that if there is a scandal, then that it is that. Not that the author found himself with few friends after doing his best to piss off Cambridge management.

Oh, come on. Postgrads have little or no connection to their college anyway. But in spite of all that, if you got into Cambridge to do a research degree and found the staff were unfriendly and the college was ****, would you really quit your research programme? Think long and hard about what kind of impression that'd give your supervisor / anyone you're working with... because this guy obviously didn't come to Cambridge to do his research programme, he came to Cambridge for the social life.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Reply 24

KwungSun

13

generalebriety

Oh, come on. Postgrads have little or no connection to their college anyway. But in spite of all that, if you got into Cambridge to do a research degree and found the staff were unfriendly and the college was ****, would you really quit your research programme? Think long and hard about what kind of impression that'd give your supervisor / anyone you're working with... because this guy obviously didn't come to Cambridge to do his research programme, he came to Cambridge for the social life.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

True, but remember that a lot of the graduate colleges also admit mature undergrads for whom going to university might be a novel experience and who might care more about whether they feel comfortable in their college.

Reply 25

Chewwy

17

i like how he makes hughes hall out to be some kind of hell on earth.

i also love this bit, and how it is italicised:

And all because I wanted to change College at the wrong time.

also amusing is how he keeps applying again and again, to this university which he supposedly hates. I guess an equivalent undergrad story would be someone complaining that they'd been pooled to girton.. but i doubt many people then go on to claim that it's all a big conspiracy..

Reply 26

Helenia

20

I've been to Hughes Hall and it seemed like quite a nice place to me. And the grad medics who are there seem to think it's ok.

Reply 27

Chewwy

17

i've been to hughes hall too. my first thoughts were "what, the ****. this is a cricket ground. this college is a cricket ground."

then i realised the college was the bit next door.

Reply 28

generalebriety

16

KwungSun

True, but remember that a lot of the graduate colleges also admit mature undergrads for whom going to university might be a novel experience and who might care more about whether they feel comfortable in their college.

Ok, but this guy wasn't one of them. Whether Hughes Hall was the nicest place on earth or not back then might have affected a few people's lives, but it shouldn't have affected his so badly that he felt he had to drop out.

Chewwy

I guess an equivalent undergrad story would be someone complaining that they'd been pooled to girton.. but i doubt many people then go on to claim that it's all a big conspiracy..

Exactly. I don't even know anyone who'd turn down Cambridge if they got pooled to Girton, unless they'd have serious problems getting around the place. It's not quite "the Cambridge experience", but you know, it's still quite good, being Cambridge and all...

(In fact, I know someone who was pooled to Girton and who likes it there. Corruption!!!)

Reply 29

KwungSun

13

generalebriety

Ok, but this guy wasn't one of them. Whether Hughes Hall was the nicest place on earth or not back then might have affected a few people's lives, but it shouldn't have affected his so badly that he felt he had to drop out.

I definitely agree with you that it's quite pathetic for a PhD student, who should have accepted his place because of a desire to do research in a certain group or with a certain superviser to drop out simply because the dining hall is too small. Most of the PhD physicists I know spend so much time in their labs that it's actually quite irrelevant where or how they live.

That being said, being in an old college at "the other place" and having visited some of the newer graduate colleges, I can say that it does make a HUGE difference to your quality of life which college you end up in (even at grad level). Richer colleges will throw subsidised housing, food and free goodies at you whereas poor colleges will probably overcharge you on rent for accommodation 3 miles away in order to make up for losses elsewhere. However, this is a matter of the more general problem of financial inequality between colleges. If he couldn't face going to a modern, poorer college he should have declined his offer.

Reply 30

Opsimathmo

6

Having perused the entire site he's talking *******s. Everything is explained in the evidence that he himself provides, he's insane...Big clue in that everyone starts to avoid meeting him/talking to him on the phone!

Reply 31

ChemistBoy

16

generalebriety

Oh, come on. Postgrads have little or no connection to their college anyway. But in spite of all that, if you got into Cambridge to do a research degree and found the staff were unfriendly and the college was ****, would you really quit your research programme?

Most wouldn't, but they might just be miserable for 3 years and end up hating the place. College makes a bigger difference than you think to postgrads at cambridge (from what my colleagues who were postgrads at cambridge tell me).

Reply 32

musicbloke

17

Well for some reason I bothered to read the whole lot. As far as I can tell he wished to migrate between colleges (which is allowed in certain circumstances, but generally has to have a good reason) ostensibly because he didn't like PGCE students. Seems a bit silly if you ask me. I like the bit where he writes to the Master of Trinity asking to be admitted to Trinity as a means of resolving the matter.

MB

Reply 33

Bumblebee3

8

Whatever the merits of his particular case, he's right to be concerned about the secretariat...

Reply 34

thefish_uk

14

I've read some of it and he looks like an ass. Of course there are going to be colleges intended for those who want to be more independent but need to be assigned to a college as part of the Cambridge system. I know a guy who did some postgrad at Hughes Hall after undergrad at St Johns, and he's fine. I also know someone at Clare Hall (which I'd guess is a similar kind of college) who admits she has very little to do with the college.

He's just whining!

Edit: Really like the reply from the Senior Proctor which basically says "Yes Hughes Hall is crap, you've already showed us you're an immature little ****, now stop whining".

Reply 35

Opsimathmo

6

Agreed, seems like a really nice chap.

Reply 36

shingalingding

I only read a bit of the website but I do have to say it does feel like reading a tabloid story or conspiracy theory... :p:

(he does sound quite bitter tho)

Reply 37

sadia89

Why does he hate Hughes that much?

And also I like how he writes:
"the site is not intended to read as a rant or of ‘sour-grapes’ in any way. Rather, it aims to present information in a—largely—neutral way "