If you did a degree, how much can you remember??

[Timetheworldsaysicantafford]

I studied English Literature nearly twenty years ago and can hardly remember a thing (and have barely read a book cover to cover since!). Someone asked me my favourite author and I couldn't even think who it is really so just mumbled something about Jane Austen and Shakespeare. If you did a degree a while ago, can you actually remember much of what you learnt??

@bumblenbean you may not remember any of it but your education has stood to you. It's broadened your mind, improved your critical thinking skills, literacy, writing, etc. Education is not all about facts and figures. The process (and pain!) is equally as important. It's character building

My degree was in French. I still speak French, but not to the same standard I did then.

Almost nothing of any use. It's all either forgotten or woefully out of date. I'm still working in the field though, thank goodness for CPD!!!

French degree more than 39 years ago - still remember a fair bit of the literature tho my language is v rusty

I'm studying and have just started my final year of 4 years now, for the first 2 years I studied on Human Biology and have switched to environmental biology, I couldn't tell you much from my first course to be honest, I was so disinterested and had picked the wrong course, I feel like I will remember my second course much more as I will be working for a well known southern; water company from the end of the summer

Also an English graduate and TBH learnt little I couldn't have from just reading at home and using Google. But in my case it was a pre requisite for a graduate job (which I ended up fucking off after 10ish years to retrain in a totally different sector).

My first degree was in psychology and I recall very little of it now. I then went on to do a masters and a doctorate in human computer interaction (1990s). Technology has changed considerably since then but many of the basic arguments are still valid and useful. It taught me a lot about how people use websites and search online which is useful as I now run an internet business.

There is an old saying that university is only important to those who never made it there. I returned to education midlife so I valued the experience that was denied me as an 18 year old from a poor background. When I hear people chunnering about mickey mouse degrees I see that as evidence of envy and regret.

@NovemberR Omg how can you dislike "A Streetcar named desire" That's Marlon Brando's best role!! And I would argue the best acted role by any male lead ever

XelaM. I suspect I was bored to tears with constantly watching it to try and analyse how the lighting added to the atmosphere, etc!

Also I'd fancied him in On the Waterfront and he is brutal in Streetcar! I'm honestly not a film buff in any way, to be fair. No idea why this module was compulsory in my final year of a History and Politics degree...suspect it was timetables..

History, early '90s - quite a bit, particularly from the optional subjects, where I could choose stuff I was more interested in. Don't remember so much of the 17th century political thought, but given my starting point there was mostly nil, and I do at least remember names and main works, I have a starting place. I'm currently reading a recent book that covers a lot of my dissertation subject. And I definitely use the critical thinking and analysis tools I gained, pretty much every day.

Computer Science mid-'90s - more than I thought, going by a discussion on a work call today, which turned into a history of programming languages.

I do have a good memory, though. I still remember birthdays of people I was at school with, even though I haven't seen them since we were 16, people I wouldn't have given a card to. I'm quite useful in a quiz team, because I have a ton of mostly useless facts scattered around in my brain.

Most of it because I then spent 24 years teaching the subject to A level. I had to update knowledge regularly too.

Nursing. I have kept up to date even though I don't work as a nurse anymore.

Maths in the late 80s.
I would say pretty much nothing, but the 'ways of thinking' have stayed.
'Don't worry about the 2s' RIP Dr S.Siklos.

The majority of my midwifery degree! Thankfully!
😂

I honestly thought this was just me, so am feeling quite relieved it's not. Literature degree and can barely remember the books, never mind any quotes.

Barely anything.

But then mine was a total waste of time and I've never used it.

A lot. It was a practical degree in OT and I use it every single day.

I don't know whether this thread is encouraging or the absolute opposite

I'm doing a degree now, and I feel like I am not retaining much of the learning! I'm doing it with the open uni, module by module, so slowly, but I often look back over an assignment and think 'did I actually do this?' because it already looks gobbledygook!! I'm able to do the work, scoring about the 85% which is overall needed for a first, but I'm in my 40s now and struggle to retain information.

This is completely normal and how long term memory works. The majority of people who remember stuff, are still using it or have used it v recently.

Nothing. Hated my course and hated university.

About half. But I work in my field and this is the half I use.

Very little. Sociology degree, graduated 1998. I recall very few of the modules I chose and even less about theories I learnt about. I'd even have to Google Marxism to tell you what it's all about, and that's one of the most well known ones!

I didn't learn anything in the degree, let alone remembering it afterwards.

As far as I can remember, all of it. It's my job.

Not much, I did Classics and had to read most of the texts in Latin and my Latin is terrible now. I can remember most of the broad historical strokes but most of the dates have totally gone. It was less than ten years ago too!