Physics at durham - applicants and discussion

Not sure, but surely aren't Maths entry standards higher? And how do you know they do a lot less work? My friend doing Maths does about equal with Physics and Biology. Can't comment on Chemistry as I've not met one yet... maybe they're working so hard they don't party? haha.

You can't judge a course on percentage of firsts, many more factors than pure workload and good teaching....

Reply 22

Aula

Reblet, if a course needs you to turn up to lectures and do work it's not worth doing...

No, I don't have a clue about the course, I'm purely basing what I said on what I've seen from my friends.

Reply 23

Reblet

Not sure, but surely aren't Maths entry standards higher?

No, in fact they might be lower because they don't care how good someone is in subjects other than Maths. They make the standard offer AAB (in Further Maths as of this year)

And how do you know they do a lot less work?

I know people who are split across both subjects and are regretting not taking my advice. But I also happen to be course rep and have had no emails complaining at all about course difficulty (asides a couple saying they think its too easy)

My friend doing Maths does about equal with Physics and Biology. Can't comment on Chemistry as I've not met one yet... maybe they're working so hard they don't party? haha.

Either they really want a first or have taken a really poor choice of external modules.

You can't judge a course on percentage of firsts, many more factors than pure workload and good teaching....

You can judge it when its ridiculously high compared to the rest of the university. They must be doing something right - as in not lowering themselves to the rest of the uni's ineptitude.

Reply 24

Aula

Reblet, if a course needs you to turn up to lectures and do work it's not worth doing...

No course should require you to turn up to lectures - they are supposed to provide a syllabus. Asides I do go to lectures, just watch them online in the evenings after a night out from MIT unless I feel like going to my own ones. I don't object to doing a reasonable amount of work, as long as its (a) flexible and (b) not pointless.

No, I don't have a clue about the course, I'm purely basing what I said on what I've seen from my friends.

Wait and see what degree grades they get first before comparing.

Reply 25

Erm... most courses you do require the lectures to actually not fail?! You'd be an idiot if you relied entirely on them giving you everything in a nice paper form to read through and pass with just that. It's kind of not school...

"not lowering themselves to the rest of the uni's ineptitude." Excuse me? You know of all subjects do you? I, for one, love my course. As do all my friends apart from the one doing Engineering who wishes he hadn't chosen a course with so many contact hours.

Reply 26

Reblet

Erm... most courses you do require the lectures to actually not fail?! You'd be an idiot if you relied entirely on them giving you everything in a nice paper form to read through and pass with just that. It's kind of not school...

Maths requires a photocopier and then you don't have to show up really to do well. All you need are some good books and a list of things to cover. Then you actually learn more at the same time. For example next week I am going to learn 2 courses worth of stuff mainly from 2 or 3 books and some online lectures.

"not lowering themselves to the rest of the uni's ineptitude." Excuse me? You know of all subjects do you? I, for one, love my course. As do all my friends apart from the one doing Engineering who wishes he hadn't chosen a course with so many contact hours.

They only get half as many firsts and don't run anything like a diverse set of admissions. Its quite ironic that the dept which is the most successful at diverse admissions also happens to have the best grades out of the entire uni really isn't it?

Reply 27

Maybe Maths is too easy rather than Physics being too hard? You shouldn't be able to do all the work from 2 books?!

And it's not ironic that Maths does well because Maths applications are SO competitive that you'd expect people to try. It has very little to do with people's personal backgrounds.

Reply 28

TheRandomer

Sorry guys, but I love Physics and I'm planning on either bailing to maths completly, or doing a maths-biased natsci degree from next year onwards. I've only had ONE decent lecturer so far (Signer) (edit) oh and the electromagnetism guy isn't bad either.
Before any of you lot start questioning people's abilities you need to remember how damn hard it is to get a place to start with.

Maybe I just spend too much time partying though :biggrin:

... These collection exams are gonna be hilarious. I don't know a thing.

Reply 29

Fair enough. I wasn't saying that HMK was crap at Physics, I was just saying that you have to expect to work at it. I just haven't heard any of my friends complain about it, but then again they barely seem to believe uni is for learning anyway so... haha.

Why is it so bad? Just really bad lecturers?

Reply 30

TheRandomer

Reblet

Fair enough. I wasn't saying that HMK was crap at Physics, I was just saying that you have to expect to work at it. I just haven't heard any of my friends complain about it, but then again they barely seem to believe uni is for learning anyway so... haha.

Why is it so bad? Just really bad lecturers?

=)
Basically just that they give you tons and tons of information that they expect you to learn before you do the weekly problems, and it's just physically impossible if you want to eat/sleep/breathe as well! haha. The lecturers don't explain the information that well, and we get roughly 3 or 4 problems every week on top of our 4 other modules' work - some of which take a lot of time to work through!
Hmm and the feedback on the problems is less than helpful.

edit: and only one tutorial a week for a double module - maths gives us two.

Reply 31

Is it because you've got the contrast of Maths and Physics that Physics seems so :santa2:

? Cause Maths does seem quite generous on tutes etc.

Reply 32

Reblet

Maybe Maths is too easy rather than Physics being too hard? You shouldn't be able to do all the work from 2 books?!

If you go to all the lectures you can do the work from no books until you reach level 4 / encounter a dodgy lecturer.

And it's not ironic that Maths does well because Maths applications are SO competitive that you'd expect people to try. It has very little to do with people's personal backgrounds.

If you are good at maths it really is near effortless to get a place on it - or was before they added further maths as a requirement.

Reply 33

Reblet

Is it because you've got the contrast of Maths and Physics that Physics seems so :santa2:

? Cause Maths does seem quite generous on tutes etc.

Maths frontload the tutorials so you gradually become more independent as a learner (next year I have no tutorials for my maths modules). But the main thing is they assign everyone an adviser, and if you get stuck with anything its pretty much open door with everyone who can explain anything.

Reply 34

But Maths is one of the most competitive courses across the board and despite supposed grade requirements, most applicants would have had much higher. Plus I'm not that disgusted at the requiring further maths, IMO that's perfectly acceptable if you want to do Maths at degree. Possibly they're fed up of people who haven't done FM struggling? :ninja:

Reply 35

TheRandomer

Sorry guys, but I love Physics and I'm planning on either bailing to maths completly, or doing a maths-biased natsci degree from next year onwards. I've only had ONE decent lecturer so far (Signer) (edit) oh and the electromagnetism guy isn't bad either.
Before any of you lot start questioning people's abilities you need to remember how damn hard it is to get a place to start with.

Maybe I just spend too much time partying though :biggrin:

... These collection exams are gonna be hilarious. I don't know a thing.

Wait until you get on Gausses law - his lectures really don't explain it at all. Then the E&M course just went downhill from there.

Just checking, you are Nat Sci right? It means if you get stuck with anything you are allowed to go and see your adviser, which in physics is Dr Maxwell.

Reply 36

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

Maths frontload the tutorials so you gradually become more independent as a learner (next year I have no tutorials for my maths modules). But the main thing is they assign everyone an adviser, and if you get stuck with anything its pretty much open door with everyone who can explain anything.

This could be why my friends don't think Physics is rubbish, they don't have Maths as a comparison. Surely it wouldn't be that hard for the Physics department to steal the Maths model for doing things and do the same?

Reply 37

Reblet

But Maths is one of the most competitive courses across the board and despite supposed grade requirements, most applicants would have had much higher. Plus I'm not that disgusted at the requiring further maths, IMO that's perfectly acceptable if you want to do Maths at degree. Possibly they're fed up of people who haven't done FM struggling? :ninja:

Its disgusting because lots of schools don't offer it / don't explain to their students what it is. So when someone who is potentially more than capable of doing a maths degree gets to UCAS time, they get a massive shock and either have to do it in year largely on their own (like me - though admittedly I didn't find it too hard), or take it at a low down uni. The problem is that Durham don't really have a choice anymore - A-level has become so dumbed down its comical.

Reply 38

Reblet

This could be why my friends don't think Physics is rubbish, they don't have Maths as a comparison. Surely it wouldn't be that hard for the Physics department to steal the Maths model for doing things and do the same?

Most of them plumb for Single Maths, the department encourage them not to do Core A and B1 which leaves open the option of switching to maths. The Physics dept are very closed minded on the issue sadly - all they do is blame the students.

Reply 39

Christophicus