Quote: "I'll give you some advice. Don't pick a university just because it has the best course. Consider all with very good courses or better. Whilst a degree doing a poor course is pretty useless, I'd say that a degree at a university you don't like would be equally rubbish. Why do a degree for three years if you don't enjoy it.
If you love cambridge then good for you."
Sorry yes, I think I gave the wrong impression, I love the place!
Been round quite a few times and I just love the town, the atmosphere, and the surroundings.
Quote: "That's the thing about uni though matey. On a proper non-spoon fed course, you don't get taught anything. I remember a lot of people in the first year always complaining that they weren't being taught very well. That's because at any uni worth it's salt, you don't get taught shizzle!! They generally throw a bunch of course texts your way, invite you to ask them questions, give you a learning plan and hold lecturers. True teaching is ramming info down your throat over and over and then testing it and repeating until you know it. That's doesnt happen at uni."
True, at uni a lot of reading is left to be done by you, but you get the lectures and importantly at some unis you get 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 teaching where staff go through problems, work and notes you don't understand.
This may just be me but I think 3 years spent studying at a university is 3 years better spent than, say, teaching yourself. You get the facilities and availability of staff who know what they're talking about that aren't usually available to home students (unless, of course, you parents are professors. Then you haven't really got too much of a problem).
But everybody's tastes in education are different - as long as you're happy with what you do is what matters.
Quote: "Do you go to a private school, because apparently Oxford and Cambridge are pretty biased."
Yes, I do, and no - they're not
only in 3 college do the number of private pupils outnumber the number of state. Cambridge's average is 53% state per college, although I don't know the numbers for applicants. They try to interview everybody who meets the basic requirements (for example, predicted AAA/AAB and have the essential subjects needed, eg. Physics). They do turn people away who stand no chance. But after that, it's all down to your interview and depending on course there may be tests like TSA, BMAT. As most of them said after finishing their talk - "The only way to guarantee not getting a place is to not apply".
I know this stuff - I've been knee deep in applications statistics and processes this past week
Quote: "That's why I think private schools so rubbish. At normal schools and 6th form, you have to deal with teachers not turning up and missing out parts of the course. Therefore, you end up teaching yourself some of it during your revision time. This means that you're not totally useless at university because you already have some basic skills for working independantly. I think statistically private school students struggle more with degrees, and I think it's because of the style in which they're taught."
Have you ever been taught in a private school? I have been, and I'm sorry but that's utter crap.
I was cost an A* at English last year because my teacher missed out part of the course. There are some very good teachers, but we also have bad ones. Everywhere does.
Of course there are differences between public schools and 'normal' schools but the teaching experience is largely the same - right down to taking the same exams at the end of the year.
And I disagree with the notion that people from private school are 'totally useless' with respect to degrees. At least, I hope not. Would be bad news for me and my mates otherwise
