An article that I couldn't help smiling at...

[blazey]

It wasn’t like this in my day . . . - Times Online

An article written by a mature student, that made me a smile a bit, as the older generation are always saying 'it wasn't like that in my day.' Well now I see why.

Do we have any people around this gents age who did a degree when they were younger who can relate to what he's saying? I'm going to ask on the uni's intranet forum and see if any of the mature students can add to his story

[garinda]

I've only done one degree, but can relate to the article a little when it comes to the study of mathematics.

At school, in 1981, one failed maths O-level, grade D.

At Brixton College, in 1990, one passed maths GCSE, grade A*.

Reason being GCSE's are easier than O-levels were.

[blazey]

Originally Posted by garinda

I've only done one degree, but can relate to the article a little when it comes to the study of mathematics.

At school, in 1981, one failed maths O-level, grade D.

At Brixton College, in 1990, one passed maths GCSE, grade A*.

Reason being GCSE's are easier than O-levels were.

Yeh I read an article quite a while back that said O levels where upto 5 times harder than GCSE. I dont think the article is anything to do with the ease of a degree though, I think its to do with the changing attitudes of degree students, and in particular he's pointing out that the culture is much more focused and dedicated than when he was a student in the past. However, he clearly wasn't living with people like my housemates, because they do nothing but eat pizza, watch telly and go out drinking. I'm yet to see one do any reading and we've been here over a month.

I guess some things never change

Though those after class meetings to have a drink then go home and work til 3am sound so familiar lol. The other night my group of friends drank J2O or whatever its called then went home University makes me feel old before my time!

[garinda]

Yes, it's a shame that the ideologies of student politics, that was so prevalant in the sixties and seventies, is no more.

No mass protests against war.

No marches, protesting at underfunding of education.

No campus sit-ins, in support of those living under a regime of terror.

Just blind acceptance.

Shame.

[Less]

Originally Posted by blazey

Do we have any people around this gents age who did a degree

Excuse me? while he was full time at Uni' I was full time at college and others where full time in apprenticeships. We all, say It's not like when I was younger, that's what us grumpy old middle age so and so's do, we don't need a degree in it, we learnt it from our parents.


I have worked in many places where people with a useless degree, perhaps in for example, The ancient art of hod carrying through the ages, enjoyed the three or four year break from earning a living only to find they aren't even considered useful enough to carry a hod!

[blazey]

Originally Posted by Less

Excuse me? while he was full time at Uni' I was full time at college and others where full time in apprenticeships. We all, say It's not like when I was younger, that's what us grumpy old middle age so and so's do, we don't need a degree in it, we learnt it from our parents.


I have worked in many places where people with a useless degree, perhaps in for example, The ancient art of hod carrying through the ages, enjoyed the three or four year break from earning a living only to find they aren't even considered useful enough to carry a hod!

The article is about University attitudes, and therefore I asked about those who had experienced uni in the past and the present to see if it was the way this man is presenting it.

Also Garinda, your wrong about the lack of protests and I attended a talk on terrorists on friday that was about how some 'terrorists' should be freed. Back to the protests, I joined a group for gay rights which challenges the laws on gay adoption, marriage and blood donation and all sorts of other issues. Not all student 'just accept it'.

The BBC did a series about protesting and the law not so long back as well, and if you had watched it you would have seen that the terrorist laws have cut down the number of protesters as the law is quite ambiguous in some areas and you may end up being imprisoned as a terrorist.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by blazey

The article is about University attitudes, and therefore I asked about those who had experienced uni in the past and the present to see if it was the way this man is presenting it.

Also Garinda, your wrong about the lack of protests and I attended a talk on terrorists on friday that was about how some 'terrorists' should be freed. Back to the protests, I joined a group for gay rights which challenges the laws on gay adoption, marriage and blood donation and all sorts of other issues. Not all student 'just accept it'.

The BBC did a series about protesting and the law not so long back as well, and if you had watched it you would have seen that the terrorist laws have cut down the number of protesters as the law is quite ambiguous in some areas and you may end up being imprisoned as a terrorist.

Student protest in the 60's wasn't tea and biscuits in room 101.

Troops took to the streets to quell the students.

The streets of Paris and London were more akin to war zones. Students were fired on by troops in the States, and many sadly died.

Hardly in the same league.

[blazey]

Originally Posted by garinda

Student protest in the 60's wasn't tea and biscuits in room 101.

Troops took to the streets to quell the students.

The streets of Paris and London were more akin to war zones. Students were fired on by troops in the States, and many sadly died.

Hardly in the same league.

A group of us from college used to go to Manchester every now and again, but no, none of us got shot I'm afraid, so yeh, I guess its not in the same league.

I would've thought its a good thing that students didnt cause terror in the streets. I would imagine that if a group of students started protesting outside accy town hall to the extent of the armed forces being called out then Accy web would be complaining for weeks about the waste of tax payers money.

[Less]

Originally Posted by blazey

friday

Hey up smarty thinks to herself, I'm going to get a degree so yah boo sucks to you, your opinion aint worth dog doodies 'cos you ain't got one, Friday is always, spelt with a Capital,

'F'

Time someone going for a degree to work in the Queens Courts should learn how to use the Queens English!

Then he said meekly you can tell the world what to do!

[Eric]

Originally Posted by garinda

Yes, it's a shame that the ideologies of student politics, that was so prevalant in the sixties and seventies, is no more.

No mass protests against war.

No marches, protesting at underfunding of education.

No campus sit-ins, in support of those living under a regime of terror.

Just blind acceptance.

Shame.

Indeed it is a shame. Innovation becomes reiteration. Marshall McLuhan was right ... the medium is not more important than the message; it is the message.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by blazey

A group of us from college used to go to Manchester every now and again, but no, none of us got shot I'm afraid, so yeh, I guess its not in the same league.

I would've thought its a good thing that students didnt cause terror in the streets. I would imagine that if a group of students started protesting outside accy town hall to the extent of the armed forces being called out then Accy web would be complaining for weeks about the waste of tax payers money.

In the past, students had idealism, which saw them take to the streets to protest against things like unjust wars, racism, and broader social inequalities.

All things we still have, but today's students are more concerned with their own futures, especially finacial. Not commenting as to why this is so, it's just a fact.

Your extreme naivety is rapidly losing it's charm.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by blazey

Also Garinda, your wrong

You'll soon learn.

I tend never to post, if at all unsure about something.

It's a simple, yet effective trick.

[Ianto.W.]

You do not need to go to a Universityto attain degrees, these pieces of paper are meaningles. The best teacher is experience, the University of life, everyone has something to offer if you are prepared to listen. Regardless of age accademic ability, they will have knowledge and personal expriences to pass on to you. Entrepeneurs and empire builders are seldom accademically minded, as this can be a stumbling block to err on the side of caution.
The world is full of 'if only, and I was going to do that people' fortune favours the bold and the brave, a quality seldom found in accademics.

[Less]

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

Entrepeneurs and empire builders are seldom accademically minded, as this can be a stumbling block to err on the side of caution.

One of the Lads from long ago, I knew him from primary school always being kept back, disruptive, didn't seem to have a sensible sentence inside him, (no, not me another one), left school couldn't read or write, useless at maths, (Unless it was to do with betting slips, no bookie pulled a fast one with him).

He bought himself a clapped out van as soon as he could drive built up from there to a multi-million haulage firm, It didn't alter him at all he would always stop and take the time to spit on me. He paid people to write for him.

[garinda]

Although I was only a child at the time, I remember seeing the student protests against the war in Vietnam, and in support of civil liberties, on television. Just because you didn't experience something yourself doesn't make it less valid, and like it never happened in the first place.

It made me smile when I read this today in the Sunday Times.

Barclays bankrolls Mugabe’s brutal regime - Times Online

In the eighties no student worth their politcal salt would bank at Barclays, because of their business links to South Africa, and their direct support of the apartheid system. There was not one student account held at a Barclays bank in Liverpool in 1983. Not bad when there were only four main banks to chose from then, and there was a student population of over 50,000 students.

Skip forward twenty odd years. Barclays are still supporting an African regime that has a terrible record on human rights.

Are students boycotting the bank?

Are they protesting outside branches of Barclays, like students did outside South Africa House in London for over twenty years, night and day, year in, year out?

If Barclays gives students a twenty quid voucher to spend a W H Smiths, when they become a student, probably not.