To ask what you would think about someone that had masters degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge?

[Zorbing]

That's the question!

Its not me, obvs. But I am wondering what assumptions, if any, you might make about someone like this (justified or otherwise).

Would you think they were highly intelligent / had a strong work ethic? Or just lucky and privileged?

Would you think that they're probably a bit of a dickhead?

Its a woman incidentally, not sure if that makes a difference.

Mandalay246

I would be inclined to think they didn't want to get a paid job in the real world. You can be highly intelligent and have a strong work ethic without being a lifelong student!

I studied for an MSc whilst working full time at the university that ran it. In fact it was free because I was an employee. Why is everyone so judgemental towards people who study?! So bizarre. Is it jealousy?

@TheDevils

there's a strong undercurrent of suspicion and anti-academic dismissiveness in many of the replies here. The idea that this person 'doesn't understand the real world' and 'likes being a student too much' and 'must be wealthy or come from money'. It's so depressing to read. As someone with multiple postgraduate qualifications it saddens me to think I could be judged in the same way.

I've gained most of my qualifications while working full time ( including my PhD) which I think demonstrates a very strong work ethic. I'm from a very poor background and have had most of my quals paid for either by my employer or through scholarships.

The anti-academic narrative in this country is really depressing.

Honestly people are just assuming full-time masters. And no scholarships. It’s really a very vague statement to be making judgements upon!

[quote Lemonwoe]@TheDevils yip, you are exactly the type of person I’m imagining with multiple post grad qualifications[/quote]
It's the same for most people with multiple qualifications- certainly in my experience anyway!

My first postgraduate qualification was full time and paid for via a scholarship ( but I still worked part time). That allowed me to enter my particular sector. All my other quals were paid for by employers because they were directly linked to my job or a requirement. I'm now a university academic teaching the my original postgraduate qualification but I worked in industry for years.

A number of students on my course already have post grad qualifications but they're doing my course to train for a specific job.

I have a Masters from Cambridge, which I funded myself through putting a case to my employer for a loan which I paid off monthly. The actual cost wasn't too bad, about £5k- it was before the fee increase. I worked FT throughout the 2 years, went through IvF and was pregnant the last 6 months. It was a hard slog! I'm not the most intelligent person but I work hard and am efficient. I also have 2 degrees from Russel Group uni's- undergrad and a doctorate. I come from a working class background and had no parental/family money support.

Honestly people are just assuming full-time masters. And no scholarships.
It’s really a very vague statement to be making judgements upon!

Doesn't stop them though!!

I'm absolutely mystified by the widespread assumptions that a) an MA is the only type of masters, b) this person studied full time, and c) this person studied the two masters back to back and directly after their undergrad degree. There is no evidence for any of those assumptions.

Even if c) were true, this "workshy" person could have been working for thirty years since then. Master's degrees don't expire. You still have them years and years later when you're working.

Oh yes, and I left out assumption d), this person has only just finished these years of b2b education and therefore has no work experience. What the fuck is that about?

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

Oh yes, and I left out assumption d), this person has only just finished these years of b2b education and therefore has no work experience. What the fuck is that about?

There are enough sour grapes on this thread to populate several vineyards. Not to mention sneering classism, which goes both ways.

@MayIDestroyYou

Oh MNHQ - it was such a fascinating discussion. Must you take it down?

OK - we'll leave it to stand for the time being anyway!

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

If you have this information because she made a professional and formal application to you, I think this thread is really not on. If it were me and I found out you'd done this (and it would be very easy to identify yourself in this) I'd be raising controlled hell.

I agree. It is a bit disappointing to be honest that it is such an issue that not only was there a big discussion (it seems) between your colleagues about this but it has also sparked this thread. Poor woman. Why can't her qualifications just be taken as they are rather than being read into? It never occurred to me that someone looking at my CV would start stereotyping and second guessing things about me just from the institution I studied at beyond taking it at face value I.e. she got a good degree at a good university.

@DownSideUpped

Mandalay246

I would be inclined to think they didn't want to get a paid job in the real world. You can be highly intelligent and have a strong work ethic without being a lifelong student!

I studied for an MSc whilst working full time at the university that ran it. In fact it was free because I was an employee. Why is everyone so judgemental towards people who study?! So bizarre. Is it jealousy?

I know right?! I have an undergrad and 2 postgrad. I worked from 16, at one point having more than one job at once. I then worked during uni part time in term time and full time during holidays. I managed to save enough in my gap year and by working decent pay jobs during holidays to enable me to fund my very expensive first postgrad. I didnt work during that year. I then immediately got a full time job and then enrolled on another masters which wasn't required for my career but was a subject I was very interested in. I worked full time and paid for the course module by module attending part time.

So the only loan I had was for my undergrad and not because I was rich - I just saved and work hard to pay for my postgrads. And now I earn well and paid off my undergrad loan some years ago.

Grazie mille, @MNHQ!

Some of the attitudes on this thread are the reason I put together a non academic CV a few years ago. I removed my master's and PhD and just put the part time jobs I'd held while studying down to cover that time period instead. So, instead of "2001-2005 - Oxford University DPhil" I put "2001-2005 Retail Assistant Top Shop".

Suddenly all the temp jobs and short term admin jobs I'd not been able to get were totally available. My qualifications stayed on my main career CV, but if, for some reason, I needed to take a job that wasn't in my field (where postgraduate qualifications are very normal and no one bats an eyelid) I'd probably bring out the Top Shop CV again. Because apparently I look like I have more of a work ethic if I was just working 3 days per week in Top Shop and not also working every spare hour god sent on that fucking PhD.

Poor woman. Why can't her qualifications just be taken as they are rather than being read into?
Either OP is being disingenuous in leaving out key information or the applicant worded her CV badly or it was a tick-box form that didn't allow her to expand.
She should have explained herself sufficiently so that there wasn't all this fill-in-the-gaps speculation. All those saying that she could explain at the interview are assuming that she gets past the first sift, which she may not if this thread is anything to go by.

What is ‘sockpuppeting?’

Ah, I see potteringshed made my point, by giving a real-life example, while I was typing up!

Some of the posters on this thread would have really enjoyed being part of the Khmer Rouge.

@Pottedpalm

What is ‘sockpuppeting?’

Online ventriloquism. Name-changing within a thread to agree with yourself, or sometimes - madly - argue with yourself.

It’s a way to whip up a thread.

@Potteringshed yes it’s depressing isn’t it? The anti-academic prejudices and stereotypes on display.

I have a PhD - I worked full-time while doing it. But because I’m a professor people assume I have no common sense and don’t live in the “real world” (whatever that is) or do a “real” job (whatever that is).

[quote MsAnnFrope]@Zorbing honestly if I were going to work at a company with people who had a chip on their shoulder based on my qualification and where I studied, I would want to know so I could look elsewhere.[/quote]
This ^

I'd think they were trying to be an eternal student.

@Toddlerteaplease

I'd think they were trying to be an eternal student.

What if they worked alongside studying?

[quote ShortBacknSides]@Potteringshed yes it’s depressing isn’t it? The anti-academic prejudices and stereotypes on display.

I have a PhD - I worked full-time while doing it. But because I’m a professor people assume I have no common sense and don’t live in the “real world” (whatever that is) or do a “real” job (whatever that is).[/quote]
If doing a PhD while working full time doesn't demonstrate an excellent work ethic then I don't know what does!!

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

I wasn't going to make this personal, but fuck it. I have degrees from both of the Places, although one is my undergrad. I will also embark this year on my third master's degree. All three have/will contribute to build the skill cluster I have now, which is rare and desirable.

I have worked/will work FT or close to FT through all three postgrad degrees. The first one I paid for with savings I acquired working FT after I finished undergrad; the second and third were/will be fully funded by my employer. Alongside and around, I've acquired 16 years of work experience.

A lot of the assumptions people are making are crap.

I also used to know a man with two Oxbridge PhDs. His field was a highly specific one where the sciences collided with philosophy; he had PhDs in both. He was a lovely, highly intelligent and fully competent-at-life man, and presumably still is, and he was also a successful academic.

I think this is something alot of people do not understand. There are plenty of careers whereby qualifications in niche areas are of a significant benefit. In my area work, everyone has at least one undergrad and a postgrad as a bare minimum. Many people then have another postgrad and it isnt unusual for experts to have multiple

@Toddlerteaplease

I'd think they were trying to be an eternal student.

But given undergrad uni degrees are pretty standard for alot of professions, even if the masters weren't (which in many professions at least one is) its only 2 extra years. Even if they didn't work at all during them (and many do) its not really perpetual student territory is it? Obviously its your opinion but just interested why people think this. Also we don't know this woman's age. If she did it all from school so finished at 23, and is 40, surely then she's not trying to be a perpetual student?