I teach in a middle of the road university in the North of England. Nothing posh, however it is top in the country for widening participation, which I think is more important than anything. It certainly isn't one of the Russell group (the top 11 in the UK) which includes two of the top 5 on Earth. My son attends a Russell group university and you know, I am not impressed. My son has type 1 diabetes and the pastoral care is awful. My colleagues and I have just been scraping together a bit money from alsorts of uni funds to get one student an amplified stethoscope, my son's university didn't have water for 4 days...WATER! I am glad that really where you went still isn't as important in UK as your classification of degree you obtain, but still, what makes these establishments the top and why should it even matter? I am really hoping that Jacob comes to UCLAN to do his LLB post grad because York is not what I expected. What have your experiences of universities been?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.It’s over twenty years ago since my sons went to uni....at Napier in Edinburgh (which was formerly Stevenson Technical College) where Graeme did a B.Sc. In Computer Engineering... and Neil did Law with French at De Montford in Leicester. No complaints with either institutions, not Russell Group in either case of course, I was secretly relieved when Neil failed to get into the LSE, as the cost of keeping him at that elite university would have been bankrupting, I’m sure. Grants had just been scrapped and student loans only go so far at London prices. He needed 3 straight A’s at A level to gain admittance to LSE, but only got a B in his French because he was a lazy sod at his written French, top marks in his oral and aural. My nephew went to York, and did an M.A. in English, didn’t hear of any complaints. I hope both of your sons do well, wherever they end up.
Marionville
Level 10
Aug 15, 2019
0
My eldest graduated last year and weirdly now works at the same crisis centre I commissioned for our local mental health trust. I seriously did not pull any strings but he's got an amazing job. Very proud. His BA was in politics!
Living in Cambridge made me fantasize about doing 50 knots up the river Cam in a V8 swamp boat during fresher's week.
MrBeelzeebubbles
Level 7
Aug 15, 2019
2
You are funny
@Amisja I can almost taste it. Tarquin and Tobias and some really great chaps from Harrow, having larks on a punt and looking forward to a pleasant afternoon of drunkenness and mildly sexually assaulting the local serving staff, look up when a deep, throaty, throbbing engine noise reaches their overprivileged ears. Their braying laughter falters as it grows louder, Louder, LOUDER until I hurtle past, dragging a 100 foot rooster tail and a 6 foot wake behind me. It flattens them like a tsunami, leave a trail of chaos behind me. You couldn't get the grin of my chops with a crowbar.
@MrBeelzeebubbles giggles. My Jacob is def not priviledged...just hard working
@MrBeelzeebubbles Same type of anti-Tarquin and Tobias wind powered machine I used to own and skipper... these were first built in 1896... 16 foot boom for clearing decks of punts, some films of these boats produced by Head Injury Media Company... You lead, I will follow behind - up the Cam we GO, bwahaha! Well, yeah, bridges a bit of a problem...
I remember my time at university when any personal problems were only discussed in the context of how it affected your work ... there was a possibility of being directed to some sort of support service, but that was always an external body, never connected to the university.
At what point did all the educational establishments of the UK adopt the role of social workers, rather than educators?
ShadowAmicus
Level 8
Aug 15, 2019
0
Pastoral care is a massive part of my job. In fact was on the phone to one at 11pm last night. I really don't mind. They invest a great deal into becoming highly qualified nurses. I hope I can inspire them a little to become caring compassionate people.
@Amisja A friend does what sounds like a similar job to you in Sheffield...teaches various subjects to nurses two days a week now
@ShadowAmicus I teach Bsc and Msc student nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and medical students.
@Amisja sounds busy - think my friend only teaches student nurses
I know what you mean and agree I attended University in the North of England (University of Teesside) and loved it, my son followed me to my Alma Mater and stayed to take his masters.
My Aunt and my late writing partner both attended Durham to do their post grad work and both wished they had stayed at Teesside.
LenHazell53
Level 9
Aug 15, 2019
0
Oh Durham...tres posh.
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