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Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
Durham
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Maths students advice needed

I'm trying to get a feel for how good various unis are for maths. I was wondering if some of the maths students could tell me what they think of the maths course at Durham? Are the lecturers good? Do you get plenty of support etc?

Thanks a lot.
Reply 1
Avatar for Makubex
Makubex
Welcome to Durham !
Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
Durham
Visit website
Essentially the department do not care about students, except in their own ideosyncratic ways. Apply elsewhere!
Reply 3
Avatar for willow162
willow162
1
ruined my degree.
Loved my time at Durham but Maths are utter crap.
Reply 4
Avatar for Sooz
Sooz
1
No complaints at all here. Obviously it's hard to compare without having attended other universities but Durham Maths seemed perfectly fine to me. Lecturers are always going to be hit and miss everywhere (remember that lecturing skill is not why they're employed) and there is plenty of support if you ask for it. I most enjoyed the range of modules I was able to take, as well as the option to take some modules outside the department (two in first year, one in final year) and I least enjoyed some of the exam timetabling (too many exams in short a space of time) but that wasn't the department's fault.
Original post by Sooz
No complaints at all here. Obviously it's hard to compare without having attended other universities but Durham Maths seemed perfectly fine to me. Lecturers are always going to be hit and miss everywhere (remember that lecturing skill is not why they're employed) and there is plenty of support if you ask for it. I most enjoyed the range of modules I was able to take, as well as the option to take some modules outside the department (two in first year, one in final year) and I least enjoyed some of the exam timetabling (too many exams in short a space of time) but that wasn't the department's fault.


Yes - but to be fair they changed the standards and completely messed up the exams as a result. It is not the teaching so much that is a problem, just the incompetence of certain members of staff.

Back when you were doing it, things were a lot easier. Some nice practises have disappeared unfortunately, like giving the answers to the examinations in the lectures.
Reply 6
Avatar for angelmxxx
angelmxxx
14
Original post by Hopping Mad Kangaroo
Yes - but to be fair they changed the standards and completely messed up the exams as a result. It is not the teaching so much that is a problem, just the incompetence of certain members of staff.

Back when you were doing it, things were a lot easier. Some nice practises have disappeared unfortunately, like giving the answers to the examinations in the lectures.


How is giving everyone the answers a nice practice?! Nice in that everyone will get 100% but hardly great really.
Original post by angelmxxx
How is giving everyone the answers a nice practice?! Nice in that everyone will get 100% but hardly great really.


Well a few people don't realise so it is more like 66% got firsts - the point is that their exams are a farce, just one which does not give good degrees to the right people now...
Reply 8
Avatar for angelmxxx
angelmxxx
14
Original post by Hopping Mad Kangaroo
Well a few people don't realise so it is more like 66% got firsts - the point is that their exams are a farce, just one which does not give good degrees to the right people now...


This definitely didn't happen last year (at least not to my friends' maths modules anyway)...they went to all the lectures and the exams were definitely different, and hard so not a farce. Unless you call difficult exams a farce?!
Original post by angelmxxx
This definitely didn't happen last year (at least not to my friends' maths modules anyway)...they went to all the lectures and the exams were definitely different, and hard so not a farce. Unless you call difficult exams a farce?!

The problem is how they made them hard - completely arbitrarily. If they set out a clear and meritocratic process from the outset, then actually stuck to it, there would be no issues. Instead, the process is woefully inconsistent and the inevitable complaints result...
Reply 10
Avatar for dring
dring
12
Original post by angelmxxx
This definitely didn't happen last year (at least not to my friends' maths modules anyway)...they went to all the lectures and the exams were definitely different, and hard so not a farce. Unless you call difficult exams a farce?!


I think you've fundamentally understood how HMK works.

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