University of Greater Manchester

[Tonge moor green jacket]

8 hours ago, only1swanny said:

Sorry but you're wrong.. 

Seen it working at Bolton, access course, undergrad, and onwards.. That's what makes it different and why they aren't bothered about being bottom of "that" league.. However I will bow down to your superior knowledge on the subject over my own experience of doing just that (having dropped out of 6th form with poor AS results). 

The league linked is not purely based on intellectual elite, that wasn't what I meant.. however if you skimming the cream of either a level results, or wealthy kids, then you're going to have a higher percentage of learners that have career prospects, which is one of the key factors in the link that was posted. FWIW, I think there were about 25 lads from my year in school that went to Oxford or Cambridge, the school wouldn't support an application unless they were predicted straight A's at A Level, well heeled or not..

So long as the degrees it offers are genuinely worth the paper the certificate is written on, then the location shouldn't matter. 

Clearly too many courses in too many institutions that are money making products for the institution, and of little value for the student. 

I've no idea what Bolton is like in terms of courses so hard to comment. 

For me a university should be for the academic element, with alternative approaches (apprenticeship/college learning) being of equal weight in the long run. 

A definite blurring of the lines has now created a situation where too many feel they have to go to university to achieve a moderate career, and that's unfair and unhelpful.

Just had a terrible time with our lad, who you know. 

Academically, very capable, but a shit experience at sixth form has put him off.

He felt pressured into going to university though, and only last week had a bit of a breakdown because ultimately he doesn't want to go. At least not yet.

Difficult to watch your son in pieces opening up about being so unhappy, stressed to fuck and in his words "vomiting myself to sleep".

I've said to him all along that he doesn't have to go, but it's the way of the world, that he felt compelled. 

He's now taken a step back, going to take some time/get some work, and re-assess later, and he's much happier. 

Passed his driving test yesterday too, so is a happy bunny!

[mickbrown]

1 hour ago, Not in Crawley said:

I knew of a few people who I went to sixth form with who got straight As and either didn't get in to Oxbridge or turned them.down as the course they wanted to do was better suited to what they wanted to do afterwards. 

Exeter - hope they enjoy it! Tell them to go and see a show at the Northcott - lovely theatre. Thom Yorke's old uni as well. 

And that is pretty much all I know about Exeter. And I recall a steep hill outside the train station 😁

A friend of mine got a conditional offer of 2 E’s for Oxford. 

[TrickyTrotter]

8 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

 

Just had a terrible time with our lad, who you know. 

Academically, very capable, but a shit experience at sixth form has put him off.

He felt pressured into going to university though, and only last week had a bit of a breakdown because ultimately he doesn't want to go. At least not yet.

Difficult to watch your son in pieces opening up about being so unhappy, stressed to fuck and in his words "vomiting myself to sleep".

I've said to him all along that he doesn't have to go, but it's the way of the world, that he felt compelled. 

He's now taken a step back, going to take some time/get some work, and re-assess later, and he's much happier. 

Passed his driving test yesterday too, so is a happy bunny!

Feel for you all.  I'm sure it will work out fine for him.  

You're right the system puts so much pressure on young people to comply, but then I think it always did - Uni or Teacher Training in my day.

[TrickyTrotter]

10 hours ago, Traf said:

Because they'd have to relocate Northwards?

I'll bite.  GM is just an administrative construct from 1974, which was abandoned then resurrected.  Bolton has always been geographically in Lancashire. Uni of GM is a crap idea, I could live with South Lancashire.  

Like Swanny I went to the Institute, I enjoyed it.  I'm sure I would have enjoyed other places as well,  maybe better.  My son went to Oxford, he enjoyed that in part  (the pandemic bit was shit).  Comparing them though is like chalk and cheese.  Oxford and Cambridge sit at the top of the world rankings in part due to their research reputation and income - ARM was spun out of Cambridge Uni and was valued overnight at $54bn on the NYSE.  FibreLec is probably worth £5.40 if it still exists.  When research is excluded - the Guardian rankings - Bolton has climbed to 30th. A good outcome (Championship) from an originally Non-Leaguer.  

It's horses for courses.

[royal white]

This seems a good idea 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12502731/amp/Low-achieving-pupils-banned-taking-student-loans-MPs-claim.html

[Spider]

39 minutes ago, globaldiver said:

Might as well go the whole hog and rebrand us as Greater Manchester Wanderers

Would certainly upset United and city

Gets my vote

[mickbrown]

12 minutes ago, royal white said:

This seems a good idea 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12502731/amp/Low-achieving-pupils-banned-taking-student-loans-MPs-claim.html

He’s a prick. Could be argued that International Relations at Oxford Poly is a Mickey Mouse degree. 
 

I read some journalist saying that Humanities degrees are a waste of time and that people should stop obsessing over Oxbridge. Of the course the daft bint did something like English Lit at Oxford. 
 

They want it back to the old days where University was for them and we knew our place. 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 hour ago, TrickyTrotter said:

Feel for you all.  I'm sure it will work out fine for him.  

You're right the system puts so much pressure on young people to comply, but then I think it always did - Uni or Teacher Training in my day.

I'm glad there is a changing emphasis now, towards more apprenticeship type roles, but more to do.

Why an increase in manufacturing/agriculture is welcome.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

51 minutes ago, mickbrown said:

He’s a prick. Could be argued that International Relations at Oxford Poly is a Mickey Mouse degree. 
 

I read some journalist saying that Humanities degrees are a waste of time and that people should stop obsessing over Oxbridge. Of the course the daft bint did something like English Lit at Oxford. 
 

They want it back to the old days where University was for them and we knew our place. 

The old days were far fairer. You went to uni on academic ability alone. A grant based on income of parents.

No bastard debt, accruing interest, which in many cases isn't getting paid.

This was part of the reason my lad was concerned- expected to be around £60k down after three years.

The level of outstanding loans is £205bn and is expected to double by 2040s.

It isn't sustainable, and a return to career pathways not all requiring a degree is necessary. 

[globaldiver]

59 minutes ago, mickbrown said:

 

They want it back to the old days where University was for them and we knew our place. 

I get that.

I’d like to see analysis of whether, and, if so, to what extent the country is better off. Then counterbalanced with the costs.

It seems that we have ploughed on regardless for the last 25 years or so.

[Traf]

3 hours ago, Not in Crawley said:

Exeter - hope they enjoy it! Tell them to go and see a show at the Northcott - lovely theatre. Thom Yorke's old uni as well. 

And that is pretty much all I know about Exeter. And I recall a steep hill outside the train station 😁

Cheers, I'm sure they'll love it and I'll send them to the Northcott.

There's a massive Spoons on that hill between the station and the Uni.

[mickbrown]

8 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The old days were far fairer. You went to uni on academic ability alone. A grant based on income of parents.

No bastard debt, accruing interest, which in many cases isn't getting paid.

This was part of the reason my lad was concerned- expected to be around £60k down after three years.

The level of outstanding loans is £205bn and is expected to double by 2040s.

It isn't sustainable, and a return to career pathways not all requiring a degree is necessary. 

My nipper is going this Sunday. I’m dead chuffed for her  

We think we’ve got her accommodation and living expenses covered and she should just be paying back tuition fees.
 

And the payback conditions are very favourable to the kids, We’ve talked about it with her and got her to view it as a graduate tax rather than a big fuck of debt hanging over her, so she’s pretty relaxed about it. 
 

 

[mickbrown]

14 minutes ago, globaldiver said:

I get that.

I’d like to see analysis of whether, and, if so, to what extent the country is better off. Then counterbalanced with the costs.

It seems that we have ploughed on regardless for the last 25 years or so.

Aye, that would be interesting to see. 
 

Be also interesting to see if PPE at Oxford is designated a Mickey Mouse degree. 😃

[Sweep]

12 hours ago, only1swanny said:

One of the most diverse universities in the UK. They aim for that and  do extremely well with it. 

Oxford and Cambridge only accept the elite, Bolton has taken on anyone with the desire to learn and helps them achieve what they didn't thing possible, 

It's truly a lovely set up and from the three universities I've been to, head and shoulders above the others. 

That's not true at all

[Sweep]

2 hours ago, globaldiver said:

Might as well go the whole hog and rebrand us as Greater Manchester Wanderers

 

1 hour ago, Spider said:

Would certainly upset United and city

Gets my vote

I've said for a while it wouldn't be the worst idea, merge us with some of the smaller Manchester clubs like Oldham, Rochdale and Bury, maybe even shoehorn in Salford City - we'd have great brandiing and a larger support base. A few old duffers would probably be against it, but give it a generation or two and everybody would be happy. As we have the better ground, they all move to us and use our stadium. Only a dinosaur wouldn't be able to see the benefits

[Sweep]

35 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The old days were far fairer. You went to uni on academic ability alone. A grant based on income of parents.

No bastard debt, accruing interest, which in many cases isn't getting paid.

This was part of the reason my lad was concerned- expected to be around £60k down after three years.

The level of outstanding loans is £205bn and is expected to double by 2040s.

It isn't sustainable, and a return to career pathways not all requiring a degree is necessary. 

My eldest nephew finished at Bristol Uni last year, he had a great time and really enjoyed Uni life. He's now entered the real world, and he's actually got a half decent job......but he does also have £48K of debit around his neck, which he just had to start paying back a couple of months ago I think (I'm sure he went almost a year without having to pay anything back)  -  he's only on £30K per year, and I think he told me that it could take him, as things stand, something like 24 years to pay it off 😁

[Spider]

Universities are some of the richest businesses in the country. Their growth and expansion props up a lot of areas.

Scaling back would be a mistake.

[Not in Crawley]

9 minutes ago, Sweep said:

My eldest nephew finished at Bristol Uni last year, he had a great time and really enjoyed Uni life. He's now entered the real world, and he's actually got a half decent job......but he does also have £48K of debit around his neck, which he just had to start paying back a couple of months ago I think (I'm sure he went almost a year without having to pay anything back)  -  he's only on £30K per year, and I think he told me that it could take him, as things stand, something like 24 years to pay it off 😁

I left with 6k of debt I think. My Mrs has only just finished paying hers off and she's 42.

My fist job after uni was in Canterbury and got paid 12k 😁 £200 quid a month rent with all bills included - thought I was loaded.

[Not in Crawley]

1 hour ago, Traf said:

Cheers, I'm sure they'll love it and I'll send them to the Northcott.

There's a massive Spoons on that hill between the station and the Uni.

What more could a student want than a massive spoons. Its a shame that the Bikeshed is closed - that was a lovely little bar/theatre place on Fore Street. I believe it's been turned into a music type bar. The Ram is the campus pub isn't it?. Oh, it seems I do know something else about Exeter. 

I've got a show at the Northcott in feb, can't say yet as its not annouced but it should be right up their street (ie its for the young cool folk) - l'll let you know and if they want a couple of tickets just shout.

[royal white]

Speaking of Exeter uni, plenty of female students used to get free accom at weekends on the nearby Marine barracks. Speaking from experience obviously 😉

 

Sorry for mentioning this again @Smiley

[Not in Crawley]

26 minutes ago, royal white said:

Speaking of Exeter uni, plenty of female students used to get free accom at weekends on the nearby Marine barracks. Speaking from experience obviously 😉

 

Sorry for mentioning this again @Smiley

Student: Do you come here often?

RW: But do YOU come here often is what I am saying.

😉

 

[jayjayoghani]

2 hours ago, mickbrown said:

Aye, that would be interesting to see. 
 

Be also interesting to see if PPE at Oxford is designated a Mickey Mouse degree. 😃

Probably the biggest "what if" of my life. Got offered the chance to do PPE at Oxford. Think they wanted more oiks or something. 

[royal white]

11 minutes ago, Not in Crawley said:

Student: Do you come here often?

RW: But do YOU come here often is what I am saying.

😉

 

There was no talking. Just the Royal wink which had them quivering and back to the love nest in minutes few. 

[ErnestTurnip]

One of mine is in the final year of 4 and one dropped out after a year and even though the combined income in our house is pretty low I reckon I'll have had to chip in about 12k by the end of it so I'm no fan of the current loan system.

If the other kids end up wanting to go I might end up selling my arse on Shiffnall to make it happen.

[Zico]

15 hours ago, MickyD said:

Besides, calling it University of Greater Manchester, even if Greater Manchester was a thing, means it would hope to be the University of Bolton, Wigan, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, Salford, Manchester, and Stretford. Manchester and Salford already have one (two in Manchester’s case) so how do they hope to identify as the whole of Greater Manchester?

they don't

they probably just want to identify as a university near manchester for people who don't get into the manchester unis to consider