What about this brainy University Challenge girl then?

[UnquietDad]

I've been following Miss Trimble's progress keenly over the last few weeks. Now she is featured in both the Observer and the Mail on the same day.

Some of the blog articles mentioned in the article and linked to in the comments are not very nice.

What's the betting she turns up presenting a "Classical world for Beginners" type documentary? I'd watch!

[UnquietDad]

Jezza's very arts-biased. He always tuts and looks exasperated if they get a question wrong on the lines of putting Mary Shelley in the wrong century, and yet if it's a "what is the coefficient of x when z is a constant with trajectory y if the vector is 1" type question, he looks as baffled as anyone and does a kind of "How the hell should anyone be expected to know that?" sort of expression.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[MaryAnnSingleton]

smug isn't a very attractive thing though, in anyone,male or female

[FattipuffsandThinnifers]

How depressing that this attitude that subjects such as Latin etc are deemed as valueless . What a crass argument.

The study of ancient history, cultures, language, literature, politics, etc adds to the world's knowledge (and in a tangibly useful way, adds insight into present and future society), by contributing to the continuing expansion of knowledge and debate in fundamental areas - surely one of the most important things about being human?

'Value' does not simply mean monetary.

The same criticism of not being 'useful' could be said of studying, say, English, Philosophy, Sociology etc at university, some of the most popular subjects.

[mrsbabookaloo]

Habibu..oh, I don't know....I admit I haven't really thought it through properly, and dh disagreed, but it's just my gut reaction: DPhil in Latin Lit, what FOR??!!

Especially as there are so many many people in this country who struggle to read and write at all and who are not given nearly enough help and support. (mrsbab gets on adult literacy soapbox, even though it's barely relevant to the thread)

[Habbibu]

But for all you know there are people with PhDs in Latin literacy working in adult ed, and it's their joy of learning, their appreciation of language that makes them enthusiastic and good at it. You could say that people who sell lipstick are just as useless. Or who invent quilted toilet paper. That doesn't have any long-term benefit to society, whereas adding to the sum of knowledge does.

[thisisyesterday]

have to admit that I havebn't seen her in action due to not having television, but I think that a lot of people study things they love and enjoy... why shouldn't they?
they don't have to be "useful". she should study whatever the hell she wants to study.

they were talking about her on Radio 4 earlier and one of them made a very good point, asking WHY she is all over the newspapers? is it really that shocking that a girl in this day and age happens to be clever??? is that really so newsworthy?

[WowOoo]

At first, she really got on our wicks and she does seem a bit smug. But, she's bloody clever and wish them well.
I really liked last weeks captain, thought he was fab.

[Habbibu]

I love the Manchester team, though. Am rooting for them.

[MaryAnnSingleton]

me too

[mrsbabookaloo]

Habibu: yes I agree on both those points, except that studying for a DPhil is expensive and time-consuming and you could stop at a Masters and then share your love of learning and language with those less fortunate for yourself.

Good point re quilted toilet paper etc: there are so many professions with quesionable "usefulnes"...banking, one might justifiably say....

[mrsbabookaloo]

"than yourself", not "for yourself", dammit!

[thisisyesterday]

so what if it's expensive and time-consuming

so, people should limit their education to a precise budget and not do anything that takes up too much time?
that's a pretty narrow-minded viewpoint don't you think?

[Habbibu]

Usually if you're studying for a PhD you're teaching as well, and the difference in what you learn, not just in terms of your subject, but in terms of research methods, public speaking, managing a project and producing a long, well-argued piece of research is miles apart from what you get from a taught or even a research masters degree. And many of these people will be academics in training, for whom these are critical skills. Stop Latin/History/etc PhDs and there'll be no-one to teach the teachers in a few years. Plus PhDs are increasingly widely available to other researchers and do therefore contribute very actively to the sum of human knowledge.

[Pruners]

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[mrsbabookaloo]

OK, OK, you all win and I'm a neanderthal.

[mrsbabookaloo]

I'm still rooting for Manchester tonight though!

[Habbibu]

Oh, me too - I think they're a great team.

[ScummyMummy]

I think it's great that she's brainy but she has a real facial expression problem that comes across as appalling smugness, unfortunately. UD could be right that it's embarrassment rather than smugness, though. There is an even worse, in this regard, man in the opposing team. Shrimp like guy with spectacles and an air of thinking himself the absolute greatest. I don't know if I will be able to watch the two of them together without extensive distress, tbh. If you turn away and don't look at them you can just be awed and impressed at their intelligence but cop the merest glance at either of them and there is a real danger of being too busy being sick distracted to admire their great knowledge. It's probably not their fault though so I am trying to be more tolerant.

[mrsbabookaloo]

I think it's very hard to arrange your face into an appropriate expression when you've answered a question correctly. Go on, try it out...what face would you make?

This is why so many people have a sip of water immediately after answering a q.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[FattipuffsandThinnifers]

Can anyone remember an exceptionally bright contestant (male), also studying Classics, Oxford college (can't remember which one), though he wasn't the captain. They won the series.

He was just amazing, I think even JP was astounded.