So, July is upon us, exam season is over for one cohort but the real challenges are still yet to come. For many now is the time of year when you'll be starting to consider your longer term career options, post university. Now, apologies I couldn't get to you when you were 15 and still … Continue reading Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Milkround? (Graduate schemes, it’s obviously about graduate schemes.)
Tag: university
You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need. (How my Grandfather got to Oxford).
It would be easy to take the view that I'm against universities given some of my output in the last few weeks. So in the interests of balance here's my counterpoint - yes, I do think that schools are pandering to an outmoded way of thinking that is designed to appease parents, patronise the less … Continue reading You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need. (How my Grandfather got to Oxford).
Turn up, tune in, drop out.
I've been gobbing off about this for a while now but new figures show even more clearly that the schools' push to get all students, regardless of their aptitude or suitability, into university is demonstrably failing. Not in the goal, they are indeed packing them in there, but keeping them there is something quite, quite … Continue reading Turn up, tune in, drop out.
Choose wisely for today’s choices affect tomorrow.
Another month and another set of stats to look at, it seems that every week around this time of year someone else is throwing their hats in to the ring demanding that their university league table should be regarded as the definitive version. Lo, today is no different as The Guardian publishes their version of … Continue reading Choose wisely for today’s choices affect tomorrow.
8 of the best – top tips for what not to say in your personal statement.
It's too hot to think, much less create fascinating content on a daily basis. So instead I'm going to take the lazy route and do a list. Yeah, lists are good right? Easy, digestible, bite size morsels of fact based goodness without all the filling excesses of a paragraph. It is that time of year … Continue reading 8 of the best – top tips for what not to say in your personal statement.
The relentless march towards faux social mobility is devoured by its own hubris. (Or why university is getting worse. Still.)
What's that? Did anyone else hear clucking? Pay it no never mind, it's just the chickens coming home to roost. I've spoken a lot on this page about the danger of the 'university at any cost' thinking, as well as the risk posed to the devaluation of degrees because of this and the fallout from … Continue reading The relentless march towards faux social mobility is devoured by its own hubris. (Or why university is getting worse. Still.)
World University Rankings released – why are we Brits so unambitious when it comes to university selection?
Finally some good news! Well, qualified good news. Well. Qualified good news that will have a small impact on a small minority of people. But good news nevertheless. The Times Higher Education rankings for 2017 (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/world-reputation-rankings-2017-results-announced) have been released and the UK can proudly boast of its having 10 in the top 100 universities globally. … Continue reading World University Rankings released – why are we Brits so unambitious when it comes to university selection?
To BA or not to BA (Part 2) – don’t gamble with your happiness.
When it comes to university there's definitely a polarising barrier between the old school and the emerging new schools of thought regarding its benefits. I've frequently mouthed off and objected to the 'university regardless' approach that is still being peddled by so many schools up and down the country but a recently released survey, the … Continue reading To BA or not to BA (Part 2) – don’t gamble with your happiness.
To BA or not to BA…
When it comes to finding jobs, are degrees still the magic bullet or a nasty scam? And so the debate trundles on endlessly, after years of education for all, the Orwellian nightmare of some animals being more equal than others comes full circle. Degrees have become so devalued and intrinsically useless from a career perspective … Continue reading To BA or not to BA…
Here comes the sun… Top five tips for work experience goodness.
Here comes the sun. Possibly. Whilst I can't guarantee sunshine. I can guarantee that at this time of year schools will ostensibly remember their obligations to the students finishing out the first year of sixth form, and try and run them through some last minute work experience. What's less clear is why they will have … Continue reading Here comes the sun… Top five tips for work experience goodness.