Cretins are two-a-penny since the debasement of education started in the early 90s.

[sasguru]

They have? I was applying to universities in '99 and Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, were definitely still 3 year courses for hard science and maths degrees, as were all the others I can remember like Bath, Warwick, etc.

Many offer an optional 4th year to get a masters, is that what you are referring to or something else? Scottish unis do 4-year courses as standard IIRC - have English ones started doing that as standard too?

reason I put that in is that there was an article by a Physics Prof at Oxford who said he's had to change from 3 to 4 years. That was recently. I'll see if I can find it.

[d000hg]

Erm, excuse me but if somebody's just plain thick, why would an extra year at university help? Inability to understand things isn't about speed of learning; it's just plain dimness.

On the other hand, someone with a good brain can probably do OK without university.

He's saying that school syllabus' miss stuff out that the university has to teach on top of their "proper material".

[mudskipper]

So you will no longer be a MSILF?

I will be a BA(Hons)

[sasguru]

Surely you don't agree with #4.

No you're right. My rates are sky high because I'm good at what I do. False modesty doesn't become me.

[d000hg]

reason I put that in is that there was an article by a Physics Prof at Oxford who said he's had to change from 3 to 4 years. That was recently. I'll see if I can find it.

Maybe they should extend their terms a bit... 24 weeks a year when I was doing UCAS!!

[Mich the Tester]

He's saying that school syllabus' miss stuff out that the university has to teach on top of their "proper material".

Oh, OK. Well, not OK, but never mind; I understand now. But you see what I mean; I'm a bit slow sometimes, but not thick. Some people are just plain thick and won't understand the material however long they take.

[sasguru]

They have? I was applying to universities in '99 and Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, ?

Anyway that was a tad over-ambitious wasn't it?

[Mich the Tester]

They have? I was applying to universities in '99 and Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, ...

Looks like we applied to the same Polys! Did you end up at Leicester too?

[sasguru]

He's saying that school syllabus' miss stuff out that the university has to teach on top of their "proper material".

In other words an A-level in Maths today is not worth the same as one in the 80s.
You can check the evidence for that by looking at the papers online.

[NotAllThere]

Surely you don't agree with #4.

To an extent I do. But it's not much the quality of grads - it's the lack of them.