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Original post by iEthan
…and if that is so, why are you wasting hours replying to them……..? :redface:


nevermind. at least you haven't turned this against me i guess?
Original post by john2054
who knows? What i do know is that you don't have a degree , thanks


I do but if we are going to get into a Oh yes I do, oh no you don't argument then I really can't be bothered to continue this.

In fact I really should get back to studying maths. My father has already been moaning about me studying on the family holiday. "i didn't pay blah blah for you come out and study" etc. Yes I am 31 and My dad paid for the holiday, my family do that almost every year family holidays etc.

I think we are going round in circles now. I am more academically able then you are, and you are probably more socially able then I am.

Deal with it.
I've noticed a few people bashing Lancaster on TSR I don't get what's so bad about it, it's a pretty good university a lot better than many Russell groups
Original post by swagmister
I've noticed a few people bashing Lancaster on TSR I don't get what's so bad about it, it's a pretty good university a lot better than many Russell groups


I have not bashed Lancaster.

Lancaster ask for grades AAA for maths. my original degree they asked for BBB including general studies. They beat Liverpool and Kings college for maths.
Reply 264
Original post by coldplasma
I went to Southampton and I'm literally eating out of dumpsters


lol elaborate
To answer the OP - No.

What they care about is a) you have a 2i or First in a relevant subject(s) to your postgrad, b) that you have already shown you are very interested in this area, c) you have a 2i or First (with anything less you wont get funding), d) that you have two supportive references, and e) (for PhD) that your can write a solid research proposal explaining why all of this means you are the only person they could possible appoint.

Clearly if you are trying to go from London Met to Oxford then you've got a hard task (probably an impossible one), but non-RG to RG etc is totally feasible. Academics are not obsessed with league tables and rankings - just with 'is this the right person with the right background/enthusiasm'.

For employers, aside from a few up-themselves Merchant Banks and London Law Firms, most mainstream employers won't care either - if you have a 2i or a First, did more at Uni than just study (ie. an interesting, relevant CV) and can write a sensible job application, that is what they are looking for.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Luke7456
I have not bashed Lancaster.

Lancaster ask for grades AAA for maths. my original degree they asked for BBB including general studies. They beat Liverpool and Kings college for maths.


Sorry that wasn't directed at you I've only read the first two pages of the thread
Original post by returnmigrant
To answer the OP - No.

What they care about is a) you have a 2i or First in a relevant subject(s) to your postgrad, b) that you have already shown you are very interested in this area, c) you have a 2i or First (with anything less you wont get funding), d) that you have two supportive references, and e) (for PhD) that your can write a solid research proposal explaining why all of this means you are the only person they could possible appoint.

Clearly if you are trying to go from London Met to Oxford then you've got a hard task (probably an impossible one), but non-RG to RG etc is totally feasible. Academics are not obsessed with league tables and rankings - just with 'is this the right person with the right background/enthusiasm'.

For employers, aside from a few up-themselves Merchant Banks and London Law Firms, most mainstream employers won't care either - if you have a 2i or a First, did more at Uni than just study (ie. an interesting, relevant CV) and can write a sensible job application, that is what they are looking for.


Agree in terms of employers! I have been given some good advice which is to view your qualifications as a means to securing interviews. After that it is down to the individual and loads of things will come into play. Will you fit into the culture. Your motivation etc etc . I can see that if you have studied certain specific areas, particularly being sought by an employer, within a vocational degree such a STEM then that will be advantageous. And the £7,000 thing re Oxbridge. Just a question but I wonder how much of this is influenced by the fact that many will continue to live and work in Oxford/South East where salaries tend to be higher anyway compared to other regions within the UK! Just a thought.

Bottom line I always think is to choose the course that most interests you and where you would enjoy living. It makes me sad to think of people applying at this time of year based upon "daft" misconceptions. Trust me I am a first year loving my degree and uni but I can tell you it is long hours and lots of hard work (40 -50 Hrs per week). I am lucky in that my parents help me financially.

One final thought! What about the very many students out there going to a "lesser" (not my view) uni from less advantageous backgrounds. I know loads and whilst they might not have as many contact hrs as I, they all work on their days off to finance their way through? Does this make them less viable candidates? I think not, huge respect.
Just my thoughts. The uni you go to is only a part of you and employers aren't daft, they know this.
Original post by 210555
Agree in terms of employers! I have been given some good advice which is to view your qualifications as a means to securing interviews. After that it is down to the individual and loads of things will come into play. Will you fit into the culture. Your motivation etc etc . I can see that if you have studied certain specific areas, particularly being sought by an employer, within a vocational degree such a STEM then that will be advantageous. And the £7,000 thing re Oxbridge. Just a question but I wonder how much of this is influenced by the fact that many will continue to live and work in Oxford/South East where salaries tend to be higher anyway compared to other regions within the UK! Just a thought.

Bottom line I always think is to choose the course that most interests you and where you would enjoy living. It makes me sad to think of people applying at this time of year based upon "daft" misconceptions. Trust me I am a first year loving my degree and uni but I can tell you it is long hours and lots of hard work (40 -50 Hrs per week). I am lucky in that my parents help me financially.

One final thought! What about the very many students out there going to a "lesser" (not my view) uni from less advantageous backgrounds. I know loads and whilst they might not have as many contact hrs as I, they all work on their days off to finance their way through? Does this make them less viable candidates? I think not, huge respect.
Just my thoughts. The uni you go to is only a part of you and employers aren't daft, they know this.

thanks for contributing
Original post by #ChaosKass
Lancaster is a joke of an institution in my opinion.


Rubbish.

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Original post by #ChaosKass
For a Masters/PhD, of course - if you have to decide between someone from Cambridge and someone from (say) Lancaster, you're not going to give it to the person from Lancaster, are you?

For a job, however, it's work experience/extra curriculars that are the most important.


I imagine there's a lot of reason why you would give the other person a job rather than the uni they came from. Maybe the interviewer liked one of them slightly better or one of them seemed they had better characteristics or seemed more social. Maybe one of them had better work experience. There's so much things. At the end of the day assuming they both have a first class they have same degree regardless of where it came from.


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Well, to conclude everything discussed since the first page:

- Your university is part of your CV, therefore it will be part of the consideration. However, I would not make assumptions on any rankings, especially internationally. (E.g. MIT is considered a joke here in Germany, while it is the holy grail elsewhere, no one can say who is right, it is a personal opinion.)

- We got it, some people love Lancaster, some "consider it a joke", we could debate about this for hours, again, this is a personal thing, no one here will be able to make a general statement which will be accepted by everyone. I've known people who studied at great universities which were the most incompetent people I've ever met while some never went to university and became top notch in their chosen career, so in the end, it is all about yourself anyway.

That is all I have to say about this, let's continue with our friendly exchange of opinions! :biggrin:

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Original post by swagmister
I've noticed a few people bashing Lancaster on TSR I don't get what's so bad about it, it's a pretty good university a lot better than many Russell groups
its is quite a good uni and better than some Russell groups but in terms of reputation most of the Russell groups would beat it
Original post by Luke7456
Okay well depends on the ex Poly I think Bath is an ex Poly and it actually has harder degree programs then most of the Russel group. Their are a few other ex ploy universities like this.

However as a generic rule Poly's are weaker courses then their Russel group counter parts.

Maybe you went to one of the stronger Poly's then?


Bath is not an ex-poly it is a plate glass university. It used to be a college of advanced technology (CAT) like City, Surrey etc. and it gained university status in the 60's.
Original post by john2054
please stop calling the ex polys sub par, i went to one and it is a great uni. i find this use of language very offensive!


john2054 I am sure you worked hard for your degree at Derby and I can understand that you do not like it when some people call your university sub-par. If that was the best you could then so be it, I am happy for you and life with all its wonderful twists and turns will take you down the right path.

But, this belief that degrees from ex-polys are treated more or less equally (I am not saying you said that I am talking about others who kind of implied this) with degrees from Oxbridge or RG members is to me utter rubbish!

If that was the case then why are the entry requirements, research funding etc. so different between universities?

Also yes different degrees even within the same university have different levels of difficulty. Generally speaking STEM, Law and Psychology degrees are considered harder than a degree in media studies.

And yes they do have a different value to society and humanity. There is a Nobel prize for Physics, I never heard of a Nobel prize for the worlds best researcher in media studies or the worlds best architect. Sure they are useful "sciences" (I would not call them really sciences but anyway) but they do not change fundamentally the way we see the world.
Original post by ML8020
...we should be reminded that the courses in Cambridge are more difficult, have a higher workload and have a better quality of teaching so they can prepare you for your future career better.


if we had an economy based on the rapid turnaround of 1500 words on Locke's coneception of property rights then this would be bang on the money.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ppapanastasiou
john2054 I am sure you worked hard for your degree at Derby and I can understand that you do not like it when some people call your university sub-par. If that was the best you could then so be it, I am happy for you and life with all its wonderful twists and turns will take you down the right path.

But, this belief that degrees from ex-polys are treated more or less equally (I am not saying you said that I am talking about others who kind of implied this) with degrees from Oxbridge or RG members is to me utter rubbish!

If that was the case then why are the entry requirements, research funding etc. so different between universities?

Also yes different degrees even within the same university have different levels of difficulty. Generally speaking STEM, Law and Psychology degrees are considered harder than a degree in media studies.

And yes they do have a different value to society and humanity. There is a Nobel prize for Physics, I never heard of a Nobel prize for the worlds best researcher in media studies or the worlds best architect. Sure they are useful "sciences" (I would not call them really sciences but anyway) but they do not change fundamentally the way we see the world.


Or the very STEM centred Nobel Peace prize or Nobel Prize for Literature. Oh wait.

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Original post by ppapanastasiou
And yes they do have a different value to society and humanity. There is a Nobel prize for Physics, I never heard of a Nobel prize for the worlds best researcher in media studies or the worlds best architect. Sure they are useful "sciences" (I would not call them really sciences but anyway) but they do not change fundamentally the way we see the world.

"The media doesn't change fundamentally the way we see the world".:indiff:

Really? Do you pay any attention to what is happening in the world at the moment? :facepalm:

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/facts/ just because some guy in Sweden decided to set up some awards for certain subjects in 1895 doesn't mean those subjects are still the most influential.

I'm guessing that the names David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz trip off your tongue as more influential than Bob Dylan....you're in the minority though.
Reply 278
I am not sure how far the discussion has progressed, and it may have been brought up before, but there is a study done by S. Dale and A.B. Krueger (will link below) that shows the choice of university does not have any discernible impact on future incomes, given the same level of SAT scores.

So basically what this means is that if there was someone who was smart enough to go to a good university but decided to go to a worse-ranked one for some reason, it wouldn't affect his/her future financial prospects.

The individual matters more than the degree. Obviously smart and motivated people tend to be selected at top HE institutions and therefore average incomes are higher for these unis, which is a selection bias.

http://www.nber.org/papers/w7322
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17159
Original post by jneill
Or the very STEM centred Nobel Peace prize or Nobel Prize for Literature. Oh wait.

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The nobel prize is awarded to the following disciplines (which I am sure you know but I am stating to make a point): Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, Economics. For Mathematics there is no Nobel prize rather the equivalent prestigious award called Fields Medal.

Now I studied economics and although I studied this "science" I still consider Physics and Medicine and the other Nobel prizes to be more important. Important in which sense? In the difference they bring to humanity and our knowledge. Physics in that respect is, in my humble opinion, way more important than economics.

Literature is a difficult one. The power of the language is very important, so I agree that they should be a Nobel prize for literature. But as Physicist Stephen Hawking has told in Google's Zeitgeist conference; philosophers have not kept up with science and their art is dead. Something for you to think about jneill!
(edited 7 years ago)