Uni Exams

definitely, although he has done well for himself slam dunking minnie fraser!

I agree with you there you know 1st hand what he's like

whats this
isnt he married to a Russian or something?

Just a rumour i heard last year at uni.

Do you Building Surveyor's get Alan Davies for any lectures by any chance?



This guy has to be one of the lecturers at uni, he's off all the time, me and lads reckon he drinks water.

Not heard of an Alan Davies we get the hobbit 'Kev' he's a canny enough lecturer

if u have any specific comments/complaints - i suggest you take it up and use the correct procedures at Uni - personal attacks using photos like that over stepped the mark in my opinion.

Kev is quality.

Yep agree he talks sense best place to find him is in the pub

The thing is is that it seems like so much more is expected from us these days, with the ability to read journals online, word-process essays, and all that then the expectations are so much higher than they used to be.

Yes, I get annoyed when I can't have the lecture slides (I don't care if they give them to us or not, as long as they put them online so I can print them out before the lecture) - but this is simply because lecturers have to cram so much into a short space of time - I get one lecture per week on each of my modules as lecturers don't have enough time to actually LECTURE - they need to do research (which as I explained is unfortunately more important than lecturing) and so they cram LOADS in then give us a "reading list" which is regularly 3 or 4 pages long (i.e. about 100 articles)....obviously can't read it all but this is where the whole self-directed learning thing comes in.

I can understand maybe some places are very spoonfed, but at most universities they're just moving with the times and as more and more people go to Uni, the pressure is really put on to get a First, otherwise you're "just another graduate"

Welcome to the real world...your own initiative will get you far.

Thats why work experience is really important. So many people on my course have never done a days work in their life! I'd imagine that most employers would chose a 2:1/2:2 student with work experience than a First with none. As my lecturer once said, if you get a first then theres something seriously wrong with your social skills

Thats good news then ive about 4 working years in my role

Yes that's true in certain industries, but bollocks when it comes to the top of the top - whereby they tend to employ on your grades. The high profile recruiters look at your degree and your interview, not much else.

I always said that work experience counts, and yes it does in "normal" work but not when it comes to earning the top money - though I don't really care about that because I don't want to work in those companies (i.e. consultancy agencies/investment banks who employ the people with least common sense and social skills!)

It all depends on which industry you want to go into - I want to work with kids so the fact that I've been working on summer camps for 3 years running now and have been given my own camp to run this summer means the experience really DOES count over my geography degree, ha!

He always reminds me of a little pitbull Sound enough bloke though and knows his shit.

What have you been working as? Im working as a trainee valuer in an estate agents for the summer its quality might just take the job full time and do day release fuck going to uni for another 4 years.

I run the insurance side of a building firm overseeing the jobs from start to finish including pricing up, My manager has been allowing me offsite to do roof surveys, flood work and we worked on that big gas explosion in North Shields last year im hoping to get on the bigger commerical jobs over the summer

I agree to an extend but it's getting that first job in the first place isn't it.

I mean I have to be realistic here, my uni isn't the best. Yes I could have went to a better one but the course I wanted was at Sunderland so there we go...but that is of no consequence to an employer. Similarly if I get a shit grade, they arn't interested in any reasons/excuses! Combine the two and we have little initial prospects.

I've been working on and off part time for a firm for 3 years now, and did my placement year there....by far the most I have got out of my course! Fortunatley for me, the director is very good friends with some "high flying" I.T. company execs.....and I happen to be best mates with his son! Needless to say I will use this to my advantage

But on top of that I have the drive and the enthusiasm to really shine in interviews

Exam went OK last night, convinced I have the 56% i need to make that module a 2:1.....one little "time constrained test" remains, and then i'm done! Roll on 1st June!

Just really hope I don't have to do any resits

Glad it went well

Anyone can learn a skill but you cant teach initiative/common sense/self motivation/social skills

Companies sometimes like to employ someone who arent completely skilled in a field.

There was a good article in the Indepedent last year about it....ill try and find it