Get a Degree in Failure...or Enter Life's Trade?

[Tim Ingmire]

Qualifed as a Biologist (BSc applied biological science) then realised 2 things:

1. Day to day work as a 'scientist' ie research assistant was tedious in the extreme. (sample test record - repeat ad infinitum then do the stats - repeat over).
2. The pay is shite.

So get a job where I never used all that mavellous info.  Never looked back.

So what use was the degree - well the degree was, at the time, minimum entrance requirement to getting promoted from the level I was at (this was a large pharma company).  Without the degree your CV often doesn't even get passed the monkey in HR doing the filtering.  (Of course, I've since learnt there are more ways to getting a job than just replying to a job ad and sending in said CV).


I knew a guy that was made redundant from a good job as a Logistics manager with an oil company - he decided not to start looking right away and then thought he'd get a basic job like shelf-stacking in Asda - he loved it so much he's still there several years later.
Why?  Well he loves it.  The mortgage was paid, you know your hours, no job stress - few bills so didn't need a big old job to make lots of money - money thats needed to pay off even bigger bills.  And he gets to spend more quality time with his family.

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>with reference to the original post, i'd like to point out that some parts aren't a million miles from the way the 'top' unis operate

i've got a degree in zoology from nottingham uni (redbrick uni, generally about 5th - 7th in the country on those lists....)

the first year of my 3-year degree was a foundation year - designed to get everyone up to the same speed, as people starting the degree often have very different educational backgrounds. all our results in our second and third years counted towards our final grade (including most pieces of coursework), but in our first year we just had to pass. which means, over all 12 modules, we only had to get 40%.

one of my first year modules i completely failed to gain a mark in, because i was in australia (enjoying my formative diving experience) when i should have been taking the test. however, since i got an average of well over 40%, i went on to my second year without having to retake that module.

most unis are the same - even oxbridge. obviously what luton has done isn't comparable, but people shouldn't go away thinking 'in REAL unis people have to pass every test....'

[Mary]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Kate R @ Feb. 09 2004,14:59)]most unis are the same - even oxbridge. obviously what luton has done isn't comparable, but people shouldn't go away thinking 'in REAL unis people have to pass every test....'

<font color='#F52887'>well apart from medicine........

[Kate R]

<font color='#000080'>don't you get a foundation year?

[Dr Stevil]

Yeah, &nbsp;but in Medicine and Dentistry you only need to get 40% for everything and hardly anyone bothers with anything higher because unlike the case for Kate &amp; I (who've both done Zoology), no-one is chasing the 50%s 60%s and 70%s to get a higher honours classification.

As a post-doc I've sat in on lectures etc with Dentistry students and was amazed at the co-operation between students as opposed to the guarded protection and deliberate misdirection of information I saw when competing against others on an Honours programme. &nbsp;But the medics and dentists shared many of the same first year modules as the zoologists and marine biologists (chemistry, genetics biochemistry etc) so I can't see that there assessment criteria is going to be any different as the marker isn't going to know or care which degree someone is on.

[Mary]

<font color='#F52887'>Well so far as Nottingham goes we do not get a &quot;foundation&quot; year, all our exams count even if they don't for some of the people we attend the module with. We have different exams from those we sit some modules with ie neuroscience, although based on the same course of lectures.

The majority of our exams being (in 1st and 2nd year) plus one minus one negative marking on true false questions, this makes things a lot more tricky to get the magic 40%, if we answered all randomly we would come out with a score of 0%. We then do a research project in our 3rd year and graduate with a BMedSci, so marks do count (I have a desmond &nbsp; &nbsp.

As you progress to clinicals the exams are a mixture of practicals, objective short clinical examinations or OSCEs. objective structured long examination record or OSLER and various vivas in which you are examined by consultants in addition to written papers. These practicals are designed that the pass mark = basic competancy ie you are safe.

The written papers are either more true/false plus 1 minus 1 style or extended matching. Again the % of marks potential available by chance is calculated and removed from you final score, via some fancy maths the whole year marks are then adjusted. So it is a little harder than some courses to get our 40%.

As for clinicals whilst most do not graduate with a degree class, it is possible to graduate with honours (about 5-10% of the year) so marks do still count.

[Ian@1904]

<font color='#736AFF'>Hi Simon
Maybe we could team up. I employ a plumber and the rate is very good and if I had time could do most of the jobs myself.

Mind you seems a bit of a waste of the BSc Engineering with Business Studies and my FCCA (Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants):blues:

[Fee]

<font color='#0000FF'>40%!!!

should have trained in wales - pass mark is 50% for medical degree - unlike intercalated BSc where passmark is mere 40% (and you can even pass some modules at 35% as long as you achieve the &quot;magic&quot; 40% overall). &nbsp;I missed out on a merit in my 3rd year exams as although I got 65% overall in the exams, to get a merit you had to score over 70% in 6 out of the 10 exams. &nbsp;Compared to that my intercalated BSc (done alongside &quot;regular&quot; BSc students was a doddle!

Just to put things in perspective 50% is a bare pass in medicine but a Desmond for other degrees. &nbsp;And we also do the evil negatively marked questions!!!

BAH HUMBUG!! &nbsp;

[Helen F H]

<font color='#000080'>I went to a poly, Northumbria. &nbsp;It was voted best new uni about 3 years running. &nbsp;

Mind you, the posh bird i share an office with me used to look down her nose at me for going there, till both her kids dropped out of red brick ones cos it was too much for them. &nbsp;har har har. &nbsp;At least i got a degree.

[tom]

Northumbria's got some real strengths, not a bad place at all. They've been making steady progress up the league tables over the past few years. And some of the buildings are made from red brick Porg