to want to strangle anybody who use's the phrase 'university of life'?

[StuckintheBellJar]

There is a woman at work who does this. Any time that somebody mentions something, anything related to their time at uni she trumps up "Well I went to the university of life!" Er, so you've been alive?

Rant over.

worse than that is seeing the spelling 'use's' with an apostrophe...and being unable to do anything about it

but YANBU, it's an annoying phrase

It is an annoying phrase along with "school of hard knocks"

doesn't "I went to the university of life" usually mean "I tried and failed to get into an actual university, possibly because I'm not very bright"?

KateSpade - well I had to stick the town of Life in a county - and for some reason, Lancs came to mind first.

Just to reassure you that there was nothing meant by it and that I hold all the splendid folk of Lancashire in very high esteem. Why, just the other day I was pondering what a fine place it is - with a noble history and a rich and varied culture and cuisine.

I first fell in love with the region when strolling through Astley Park in Chorley...

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In my experience (of the University of Life), the phrase is only ever used by people with a gigantic chip on their shoulder.

As someone without a degree (but working hard at my OU course) I can confirm the phrase is only ever used by people with massive chips on their shoulders. Yes, sometimes you can get more "life experience", whatever that means, by not going to uni at the age of 18, but then you have different experiences at uni that you shouldn't have had otherwise. Your degree might not be useful in one job, but I honestly think that learning in itself is a good thing, and the experience of motivating yourself, putting essays together, etc is valuable, and a degree is hard work, so anyone who manages it should be applauded, or at least not belittled...

IMO, it is the same kind of people who will moan about "mickey mouse degrees" like media studies. Because nobody needs to know how the media works in this day and age...

It's certainly irritating, but I personally just feel a twinge of sympathy these days. We all have our insecurities and sometimes I hope I have enough wit to not parade them around so transparently.

Just respond in a super surprised voice " Really SO DID I!!! what years were you there???"

"I went to the university of life too! I also went to a real university".

Revolting phrase. As if everyone who went to university is somehow lacking in other practical areas, or that those who didn't go were all busy getting fabulous skills...

I agree that the only people who say the university of life are wankers those who have massive chips on their shoulders. I mean, does life really stop when you're at uni? Not for me, still need to have a part-time job, pay the bills etc. On the other hand, it does get boring to hear people drone on and on about their uni days. We get it; you got drunk every night, slept all day and did your dissertation in 24 hours....blah blah blah.

I went to the University of Life, a red brick AND a virtual university.

Do I win?

I think sometimes people say it when they didn't get an opportunity to go to university, not that they are incapable of going to university. I do feel a bit of sympathy when people say it.

I might feel a little if someone who went to university appeared to consider themselves my intellectual superior simply by virtue of having been especially when they misuse apostrophies Nonetheless I would not use that phrase so YANBU although one wonders why you all discuss university at work may I ask whether you work in an academic environment?

As long as she uses apostrophes correctly I wouldn't care

I don't wish to pile in but, genuinely, the incorrect use of apostrophes drives me more demented than most things. Including my dm, who has just been staying with my for 3 days.

I think the OP's work mate has been reading tee shirts, from the 80's!

I bet it was really a polytechnic of life ponced up to look like a uni of life

Talc borrowing my spade

Some bits of Lancashire are very nice, some bits are like the Chatsworth...

A friend of mine got fed up of people putting her down for being at university doing her masters degree. Everytime she got the "university of life" type stuff she'd reply with "oh yes, isn't that where you go when you can't get into a real university"? Harsh maybe but it shut them up. I get quite pissed off when people tell me their old chestnuts about graduates who can't change a lightbulb etc. "Why would I need to when I have a grunt like you to do it for me"? is a suitable comeback. I don't see myself as superior just because I have a degree (in a "hard" subject too), I am in awe of people who can decorate, mend cars etc actually because I can't. But I get sick of people who choose to put down my achievements too. Would those same people say "oh you're only a builder" or "any idiot can snip off a bit of hair for a living, get a proper job"?

OP - is the woman doing the same work as you ?

She hasn't got a degree but you have ? but you're both doing the same work ?

ecclesvet - that is exactly the response I always want to use.

My DP likes to talk about having been to the university of life, the school of hard knocks and the nursery of having the shit kicked out of you.

Oh bugger, I see Lemarchandsbox has done that one too. That's what happens when you come late to a thread.

Slepydog your work does not have to be in the same field as your degree, mine certainly isn't. I have colleagues with loads of different education levels, nobody went to University of Life though. (Or Uni for that matter)