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Leisurely student life

**helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Students who don't work hard get on Laura's nerves.

Read her rant and see if anything she says sounds familiar :)
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :yippe: It's not just me who thinks this!

    One of my mates nearly failed last year, so I thought that would shock her into working this year. Apparently not. I've barely seen her. How hard is it to attend 9 hours of lectures etc a week?? NINE hours??? :banghead:

    "For me, that £50 could pay for two weeks worth of food shopping, or a return train ticket home for the weekend."

    Where does she live?? My uni's up north & my home's down south, so they couldnt be much further away from each other if I'd tried. But I managed to get a train ticket home for Christmas at £15 :thumb: Well impressed!! Thats planning ahead, people. I booked it like halfway through term, cos if I booked it now it would be sky-high. Woop woop!! :yippe:

    Anyway, yup, totally get what she's saying, but hey, its their life. If they wanna waste their opportunity, they can. I'm just gonna work damn hard to get a good degree.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Uni isn't all about working, it's also about further developing life and social skills.

    Fair enough, people who do constant partying and don't go to class are going to fail, but both partying and working can be done. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree about idiots talking during lectures. This girl was sat behind me during one and said under her breath about the lecturer 'gawwd shutttttttt up'...it's a lecture..what does she expect?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Her rant is fair enough, but I think there's a happy balance between work and play and neither her or the people she's talking about have found it - she's too much on work and they're too much on play.

    I rarely turned up to lectures 1st and 2nd year and when I did, rarely actually paid attention or listened. Final year yes I turned up, but did spend most of the lectures either writing/talking to friends during them, playing games etc. Lectures to me were an utter waste of time...lets listen to a lecture read out some notes that he's basically copied from a text book we've been made to buy anyway. But what I did was a lot of work during those days when I wasn't turning up in my own time to keep on top of it all. I could still be out every evening drinking and partying as well.

    There's no way of knowing what people do behind closed doors and people shouldn't rant about what they don't know. Students who don't do the work fail, others pass and those who work hard get top marks. Why does anyone else care about what others are doing...it's their lives and let them live it the way they want.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The one that gets me is people who *think* they are working hard as a student.....

    When in fact that means they've read a couple of books in the last few weeks, been to a couple of lectures and maybe written an essay.

    I'm an engineering student, on a light day I've been to at least 2 lectures, either done a practical or put in a good few hours on a write up or mark up for a practical, and another good couple of hours doing problem sheets.

    I don't care whether other people work or not, as long as it doesn't affect my work, what gets me is when some lazy arts student thinks they have a high work load.

    And before I get leapt on, I say arts students because they will always have a lighter scheduled time table than science students, thus if they do no work outside compulsory stuff, they'll be doing less than science students doing the same.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What I've never understood about universities is - why do the hours on different courses vary so much? I know one person, for instance, who studies Linguistics and she says she has 8 hours of lectures a week. When she added up the number of hours they recommend she devote to the course, it added up to just over 30. It seems very little, to say the least. Don't get me wrong - uni shouldn't be all work, but eight hours of lectures seems insufficient.

    Apparently, the hours that you spend on each course at British universities is, on average, lower than in most other countries. I understand comparisons aren't particularly easy, given how different the contents of these degrees will be, but I do find it odd, to say the least.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Apparently, the hours that you spend on each course at British universities is, on average, lower than in most other countries. I understand comparisons aren't particularly easy, given how different the contents of these degrees will be, but I do find it odd, to say the least.

    Part of that is funding issues, and another part is the way we study. In the UK far more independent study is expected of students.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rebelde wrote: »
    Part of that is funding issues, and another part is the way we study. In the UK far more independent study is expected of students.
    Don't get me wrong here - I think independent study is a good thing. There is a thread about self-education in P&D at the moment, and everyone agrees on how important it is. University should be a way to help "enrich the mind in more ways than one", to use one slightly cringeworthy expression. What I'm saying is that the number of hours in lectures and seminars seems small. Or are they? Eight hours doesn't seem enough, but... I don't know. How many hours does everyone have in lectures?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong here - I think independent study is a good thing. There is a thread about self-education in P&D at the moment, and everyone agrees on how important it is. University should be a way to help "enrich the mind in more ways than one", to use one slightly cringeworthy expression. What I'm saying is that the number of hours in lectures and seminars seems small. Or are they? Eight hours doesn't seem enough, but... I don't know. How many hours does everyone have in lectures?

    I had 1 hour lecture and 1 hour practical per module, although it was actually 13 hours 1st year, 12 hours 2nd year and 8 hours 3rd year. We were expected to put 8 hours a week in per module though including the lecture time and a lot of our course was practical stuff that could only be taught through experience rather than sitting in a lecture theatre.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't really care if other people choose to waste the opportunity of being at university, that's their problem. I don't understand why they would waste all that money and 3 years of their life and not bother attending lectures or studying.

    As for hours of study, when I first went to university in Cardiff, I couldn't believe how few hours of lectures and seminars I had. I really didn't think it was worth the money.

    When I went to another uni, I had far more hours of class time.

    Personal study time is all very well, but it's not the same.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    this term (first year and all that) i had..

    4 hours of lectures
    8 hours of seminars
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have three hours of lectures and an hour and a half of seminar for my English bit, then four and a half hours of seminar for my creative writing bits. So 9 hours a week. Sounds tiny >.<.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have 8 and a half hours a week, but the amount of shit I'm expected to read would have me occupied for plus 30. So different from school where you're basically molly coddled into suceeding.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The one that gets me is people who *think* they are working hard as a student.....

    When in fact that means they've read a couple of books in the last few weeks, been to a couple of lectures and maybe written an essay.

    I'm an engineering student, on a light day I've been to at least 2 lectures, either done a practical or put in a good few hours on a write up or mark up for a practical, and another good couple of hours doing problem sheets.

    I don't care whether other people work or not, as long as it doesn't affect my work, what gets me is when some lazy arts student thinks they have a high work load.

    And before I get leapt on, I say arts students because they will always have a lighter scheduled time table than science students, thus if they do no work outside compulsory stuff, they'll be doing less than science students doing the same.

    Ooh ooh ooh.

    Slight bit of course elitism there maybe ;). I'm not an arts student but I know they're not easy. But I'm sure we've had this discussion before. I'm doing account w. management this year and did maths last year. I found maths easier, but less interesting. It was *more* work but it's easier to do it in workshops, lectures and 1 to 1 tutorials every week, than having to read 5 books about a random conceptual idea from 5 different people then trying to merge them together into some form of definition for your 2000 word essay. But, out of all the people I've spoken to, when yous ay you were doing maths, they react with physical fear.

    I think it's a shame that some people think difficulty = hours. A friend of mine was doing chemistry and he just found it tedious, not difficult (that was 30 hours a week).

    I'm not picking on you, but I think it's important in any field not to get blinkered vision and realise that people require different skills to do different tasks. The management side of my course gets interesting next year when I will have to depend on other people for my grade (:() - but collaborative learning like isn't the kind of thing I would have been learning in my maths degree - and I'd rather improve my confidence in working with people than my expertise at using a mathematical programming language.

    As for the girl, well I think it's good she's working hard but I wonder is she making enough effort to get out? In the first term I've gone out nearly at least once, and at £10-£15 a pop (I went out for £5 last week though, woo!) it can be manageable in a student budget. Obviously as the workload gets heavier you need to do more work, but even at the peak (45 hours) there are enough hours left in the week to finish your work up early on wednesday and let your hair down.

    The people who spend £50 are the ones who end up in debt, don't worry about them ;) the message hits home pretty hard lol.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not a bad article in fairness. Though why is she so concerned if other people balls up their degree? Is the their collective mother? If they fuck up, they fuck up. Their choice. Tell them where to go when they beg you for lecture notes but don't get all fucking parental and broody if they choose to waste their education.

    I sense future Fleet St. hack cum Private Eye Grauniad fodder here.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy, I didn't at any point say arts courses are easier than Science courses, purely that if you do the bare minimum as an arts student, that's a damn site less hours than you'd do doing the bare minimum as a science student.

    My heart bleeds for all of those doing 30 hour weeks, I'll just keep dreaming about those, but that's my own fault for doing a silly course at a silly uni. ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its plainly obvious some courses are alot easier. While some require a good 20/30 hours a week reading and preparing for classes on top of essays, presentations, dissertations and 10-15 contact hours with quite difficult exams afterwards some have 4 contact hours, a handful of essays, a dissertation and no exams.

    I'm not trying to knock any courses which is why i havnt mentioned any in particular but workload varies enormously between courses. Or maybe im just jealous some people didnt have to do exams.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    this term (first year and all that) i had..

    4 hours of lectures
    8 hours of seminars

    Oh my goodness! I'm majorly pissed off because this term I've had just 2 months and 1 week of lectures and seminars and thats cost me £6306 (incl accomodation, uni's classed me as an international student tho I pay my taxes grrr obv slightly bitter about that one!).
    The only thing that gets me in my lecture halls is thinking how much my parents have to pay a year. I love my course and all but what is said in lectures is in the books anyway so I could miss it but my parents are paying for it so I feel bad not going.
    I thought 1st year uni was supposed to be a breeze but I've never been so busy in my life!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i do....um 9 hours a week in lectures plus another hour or two of supervisions and an hour of logic class/discussion group. Only the latter two are mandatory, so at the bare minimum i have 2 hours a week of scheduled work time....but pretty much everyone goes to lectures really. i think most of the science ones are mandatory, and they have a LOT more, time wise, than we do.

    basically you can do as much or as little work as you like. although there's a fair amount of pressure from tutors, DoSs etc. there's always a happy medium though. i figure work all day, party all night!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yerascrote wrote: »
    I have 8 and a half hours a week, but the amount of shit I'm expected to read would have me occupied for plus 30.

    thats pretty much how its supposed to be and where the expression comes from that you actually have to "read for your degree" - but it shouldn't be all about work either esp. not as an undergrad. in fact i don't know many people who would honestly say they didn't party a lot as 1st years. the 1st year is not ever mentally taxing enough - i've many grad friends who say the same. if you want to be taxed mentally imo you'd be better with a 40hr/week career or being a direct entrant to the 3rd year of your degree where you would be expected to work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dont know about anyone else, but I certainly didnt work hard (except around final paper time), not really and I most certainly never put in a 30+hour week during the whole 3 years. Still got a 2.1 though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh dear, I only read the first few paragraphs in that rant up until the bit where she says she goes to bed every night with earplugs whilst her hosuemates go out!

    Fair enough if that's what you want to do but most students prefer to have a bit of fun!

    I think some people are naturally more studious than others anyway but I certainly wasn't and for me going to university was about spending a few years away from home with friends, having a laugh and doing things that you can't really do when you're working full time in a permanent job. I don't regret a single minute of it, and I look back at those times and those friends as something special. I still got my degree and a job in the industry I wanted so what's wrong with that!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Something that hacked me off during year 2 of uni (1999/2000 academic year): I spend two weeks doing a coursework, hand it in and get a grade C. My housemate leaves it 'til the very last evening, does a 7-hour study/coffee bender overnight, hands it in and gets a grade A!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im in my 3rd year and i have 2 hours of (scheduled) lectures a week. and thats just one with my tutor. im expected to basically do ALL of my work outside of uni at home.

    at first i was happy with this arrangement - not having to get up early and have a lie in 6 days a week, however, having done practically NOOOO work this term, im starting to miss the days when i had 10hrs plus a week and had strict deadlines. :(
    at least then i HAD to do work, because i had to come into lectures and give the work in. now, the only things i have to hand in to my tutor are my dissertation in april and my final major project in may. this has resulted in me lying in making up excuses to stay in bed 'just an hour longer'... which then turns into 2.. and then i HAVE to watch a certain programme... and then tidy my room.. and by the time i finally decide to do work, its too late and i go to bed :p

    its a bad cycle and i need to get out of it! otherwise i seriously see myself failing. now im back at home my mum and dad are making me do work tho. which im liking :) for some reason i get more motivation to do work when im at home!! funny that..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And before I get leapt on, I say arts students because they will always have a lighter scheduled time table than science students, thus if they do no work outside compulsory stuff, they'll be doing less than science students doing the same.

    So what you're basically saying is that you science students need your hands holding the whole time, whereas the art students are intelligent enough to work it out for themselves? ;)

    I think the ones with fewer contact hours are just the ones where you need to read more.

    And I love the people who never go out and work really hard. I love it when you've been out every night, handed an essay in, and you compare marks, and you've got the same. There's one important lesson in life, that with most things, you get to the stage where you could spend the rest of your life working on it, and it would just never get any better.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm a firm believer in the social aspect of the uni experience.

    I think i went to most lectures in semester 1 of the first year, but soon realised that i didn't need to as all the slides were from text books anyways. Thus i practically stopped going.

    It may not be the right way, but the way i've done things for the first, second and first semester of the third year, is to enjoy the patying and socialising then spend a week at the end of each semester working on essays, courseworks and everything else. I know myself that had i put a little more effort in i could have gotten better marks than what i have got, but for the experience i have had, my grades are pleasing to me. (I'm on a 2.1 in my main module and a first in my with module.

    I really don't see the point in spending whatever hours it is you have in a lecture hall when you can learn it all yourself in your own time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It doesn;t bother me, if people want to work hard at uni then do, if they don't then don't. I don't work no where near as hard as I should do, especially with independent study. I'd rather go out at the weekends and have a good time or go the gym during the week then sit down and read :rolleyes:
    Although I think alot of that is down to the amount of hours I have to do for my course. When on placement I have to do 37.5 hours a week and when I'm in university it's normally 9-5 everyday :(.
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