to dislike the word uni ?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

it really irritates me and I'm sure it's unreasonable, but it does.

But they did the same courses!

ahh,but there was more prestige in going to a proper art school

Hmmm...not sure!! Good art school doesn't always mean good course!

I've always hated this. It sounds so wanky. I've also always felt slightly guilty about hating it so I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

Oh yes I hate this word.

uni was all Neighbour's fault wasn;t it? hate it.

I always used to say "when I was at college", but then people have asked me what sort of college it was, so now I say "when I was at university". Would never say "uni', but no-one called it that where I went.

I'm sure it's become "uni" because of the influence of Neighbours.

Always a student favourite after all (bit of breakfast tv for them!)

... which is just what hatwoman said

Twiglett were you a student in Leeds?

fizzbuzz - were you disgruntled by an art course then ?

Oh, I've always hated the word uni - not unreasonable at all

People have strted using the term at the same time as universities were expanded massively and turned into sausage factories for people to learn what they used to learn at 'A' level. So to me 'uni' always suggests someone for whom university is just an extended gap year rather than an academic experience.

Oh god that makes me sound horrible -- but it's true!!!

not horrible threadworm - I agree with you !

I did a vocational degree so try and say 'when I was training'. I too hate the word.

It doesn't especially bother me when others use it. While I doubt I'd ever say 'uni' myself (and often use the term 'college' instead anyway as it's more ambiguous), I'd type it without qualms as it's shorter.

Ah now see i think the reason you probably wouldn't use college where we come from in Somerset, si that there aren't generally any sixth forms, so when kids leave at 16 they mainly go to college. Where you don't get grants etc the same, or students bank accounts or move away...... so Uni / University after is a distinct further step away, IYSWIM. Think its just an anomaly of the Somerset system though, that most schools don't even offer A-Levls.

Nope not at all........in fact had time of my life

Going back a few posts, I wish everyone would drop the lazy snobbery about ex-polys. Some of them have longer and more honourable traditions than plenty of redbricks, thanks very much. It wasn't that long ago that Oxbridge, Bristol and Durham sneered at Imperial, Sheffield and wherever. Now some of the redbricks are in the Russell Group, everyone sneers at the polys instead.

It's pure snobbery. Polys were set up to educate the working classes who didn't have access to universities. Many did and do a bloody good job - and plenty of redbricks have departments that are not up to scratch.

It sounds like something older people say to sound 'right on with the kids'

Ah, edam beat me to it. Two of my best ever PhD students went to actual or former polys. They both had a good academic training and yet faced this kind of snobbery, making it hard to get PhD places.

What I can never quite understand edam is why the polys, which offered excellent applied and vocational courses, dropped so much of what they did well to chase the 'Uni' tag. They were almost agreeing with the stupid steriotype that polys were 'second rate', which they were not. they simply offtered a different type of course and training to their students.

As I said BIL did a degree in a poly and did exceptionally well out of it, far better than dh and me with our 'academic' qualifications.

tamum, my tutor was a graduate of the poly system, and retired as a professor at the university of Bath

Good for her, mb. One of my students has never quite got the confidence in her own abilities that she should have, because she faced so much snideyness about having been to a poly. Awful really.

[ahem] I did an LLB in European Union law at a former poly, I'll have you know. Certainly not knitting or media studies or whatever...
Went for them because they offered the most interesting subjects.