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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how the HELL some people get into university?

600 replies

SayYuleNowSayWhipTheReindeer · 01/12/2011 18:50

I'm currently doing a degree as a mature student alongside work, and am just amazed at the stupidity lack of knowledge some of my fellow students have. For instance, nearly all of them - on a fecking ENGLISH LANGUAGE degree course - mix up "your" and you're", "there" and "their", and use the spelling "definately".

I overheard a conversation today that involved several students talking about how they didn't know their times tables above 5 or 6. Shock

AIBU to seriously wonder if it's even worth doing a degree if this is the standard they're allowing in at the moment?

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 01/12/2011 21:31

Oh dear ... I don't know the alphabet, not without saying it through to myself. Blush

I think you're right Manatee, my mum tutors maths to primary school kids and they seem to do more with 'number bonds' than tables in order.

Matsikula · 01/12/2011 21:32

I'm going to get whipped here, but I would like to confess that I don't properly know my six times tables. between 6x6 and 6x9 I just can't remember them, so I have to do a speedy bit of subtraction or addition.

My massive ignorance hasn't held me back. I have a top degree in a 'proper' subject from a top university, I speak 2 foreign languages, and have had a reasonably sucessful career in which i frequently have to work with statistics.

I am not innumerate, but I do struggle with numbers. for example, I can only remember about four phone numbers. Perhaps the OP's overheard student had similar problems.

I do, however, agree with a lot of what has been said about younger people often not being able to write properly.

GothAnneGeddes · 01/12/2011 21:32

I hate these threads. In fact any thread on MN where people start talking about polys and redbricks is guaranteed to be crap, IMHO.

usualsuspect · 01/12/2011 21:35

I hate these threads too..full of I'm oh so clever and all the young 'uns are thick posts

Original poster
SayYuleNowSayWhipTheReindeer · 01/12/2011 21:35

I overheard students clearly saying they did not know their times tables above 5.

And at no point have I made a general statement about all students. I merely pointed out that a lot of my fellow students at my particular university aren't particularly well versed in grammar and spelling.

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 01/12/2011 21:35

Oh dear ... I don't know the alphabet, not without saying it through to myself

Isn't that what everyone does? the problem is if you can't do that Grin

staranise · 01/12/2011 21:36

I edit MBA theses for a reasonably well-known business school and the standard is dire - admittedly, the students are nearly all non-native English speakers but this should be irrelevant (they're taking an English degree for an English exam board and need to have the standard cert in English as a foreign language).

Its not just the grammer and syntax which is awful (and it is, to the point where I can't edit it because I have to guess at the meaning) but basic general knowledge is lacking eg, students not knowing the dates of the First World War or what the Industrial Revolution was and haven't heard of Lenin. I can only assume the business school is in it for the money alone.

On the other hand, I also do some work in the public sector and the graduates we get there (English speakers and non-native English speakers) all seem bright, keen, and very up to date with politics and current affairs. They would never get to interview stage with the standards of English I see in the business students.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 01/12/2011 21:36

Maybe that's all it is! Smile

Original poster
SayYuleNowSayWhipTheReindeer · 01/12/2011 21:37

Oh Lordy.

OP posts:
strictlovingmum · 01/12/2011 21:40

What kind of uni is it?
The kind DS is applying for next year, requires A*AAA as minimum, command of English grammar and full command of time tables.Grin
Not every University and every course carries the same weight, prospective uni students these days have to be very careful in how they choose course for degree and at which University, so not to end up jobless forever after graduating, and in process spending a small fortune of their parents money.

MillyR · 01/12/2011 21:40

LRD, yes I agree that people can learn these skills later on. That is what I did. When I started my environmental module at a good university, I couldn't spell environmental.

But I feel that I have used up a lot of time as an adult learning things that I should have been taught at school. I would have liked to have spent that time on other things.

I don't think that people should be prevented from entering higher education because of poor literacy skills. They can develop them while they are there. Undergraduate degree courses are not about educating the most generally competent people; they are about educating the people who have most aptitude for the specific subject area. My brother designs components for racing cars, but he can't write a postcard or a cheque because his written English isn't good enough. I don't think that should prevent him from studying engineering or working in that field.

reelingintheyears · 01/12/2011 21:42

I can say the alphabet backwards.

So there.

MillyR · 01/12/2011 21:46

With times tables, I think that the less competent you are at Maths, the greater the need to know all the tables off by heart. DS is able to calculate very quickly and accurately in his head and is good at seeing patterns, understanding the relationship between numbers and so on, so he can get by without knowing the tables.

DD is less confident and more likely to make mistakes, so knowing the tables off by heart makes a huge difference to her maths ability.

staranise · 01/12/2011 21:48

Oh and my 'its' was a typo ;o)

A reasonable grasp of literacy is essential, no matter what the degree course. The stuff I 'edit' isn't often literate - yes, the subject matter might be economics etc but you still need to be able to write a sentence that makes sense otherwise how will you ever write up results? Some of the work I've seen is sub-GCSE English.

TotemPole · 01/12/2011 21:51

Would people hear about rabies now? It's wiped out in a lot of countries. It took Hugh Laurie a whole episode of House to diagnose it.

I could care less

tigerlily, that's the American way. We say couldn't they say could. It doesn't make sense to me because if you could care less, then you care, which isn't what it means.Confused

claig · 01/12/2011 21:51

staranise, don't they have to pass the GMAT before entering business school?
It tests English comprehension, but maybe not writing skills.

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 01/12/2011 22:00

Stop showing off, Reeling - we all know it's pretty much the only thing you actually can do. Grin

staranise · 01/12/2011 22:04

Yes, and the GMAT isn't easy but I think it's mainly multiple choice testing reasoning skills ie, not requiring much writing. Most students are intensively coached for it. I don't know much about it but to be honest I've no idea how some of the students I work with have passed a-level/Bac. standard qualifications (which presumably they have). No doubt some business schools are harder to get into than others.

reelingintheyears · 01/12/2011 22:07

You're right Rock ...

I'm shite a Maths.

Failed by a mile at 'o' level.

IIRC all i did was write my name at the top then had a little nap.

claig · 01/12/2011 22:10

'No doubt some business schools are harder to get into than others.'

Yes, I think that is it. Education is good business, particularly with the rise in fees etc.

samstown · 01/12/2011 22:17

Anyone who wants to can get into a university these days - thats what happens when a govt has said that it wants 50% of school leavers to go. What, suddenly half the population are bright enough to go, or have you dumbed down the standard to get in? Hmm

Universities are supposed to be elite institutions (its kind of the point of them), however, the culture that 'everyone is entitled regardless of previous achievements' has meant that a degree has been totally devalued. And students now wonder why they are having to pay thousands to go and dont walk into a well paid job at the end of it?

Also A-Level standards have quite obviously fallen as well. Are we really meant to believe that the grades have just got better year on year? Surely there must have been one or two 'thickie' cohorts in there somewhere!

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 01/12/2011 22:24

PMSL Reeling. Are you my mum? Grin

CrystalQueen · 01/12/2011 22:26

OP you are a mature student. I think it's easy to scoff at the 18 year olds, forgetting perhaps what you were like at that age. I have demonstrated in undergrad labs, and the mature students always did much better because they weren't wasting time fannying about, prepared in advance and could follow instructions. So they can't spell now. Maybe after (hopefully) getting consistently marked down they'll improve. And I bet most of them do know their times tables, was a bit of competitive stupidity going on there?

claig · 01/12/2011 22:26

'Surely there must have been one or two 'thickie' cohorts in there somewhere!'

You only need to look at the new crop of MPs to see the truth in that statement.

claig · 01/12/2011 22:28

'IIRC all i did was write my name at the top then had a little nap.'

Reeling, nowadays that would possibly be a borderline C grade.