Cost Of University?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by StonerPenguin

Not in Alabama they're not Lots of colleges in Montgomery (the capital of Alabama) are a complete JOKE. A friend of mine was at the Admissions Office of Troy University overheard them accepting a girl who graduated high school with a 2.0 GPA. I mean their graduation rate is 18%. Even at the university I'm going to they have a 95% acceptance rate with a 24% graduation rate. They let any old dumbass in who has the cash and I have to suffer with these retards in my classes while they catch up It's a joke and not nearly as cheap as it should be (approx. $7,000 annually).

I still think that's better than the nearly-everyone-graduating policy in Japan, there are so many people with degrees who have no clue about their own subjects.

In Japan it's tough to enter universities but super easy to graduate.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

Since someone's revived this thread I might as well reply to it, lol.

The cost of university is extortiant, especially in the UK where you can now be paying up to £9k a year, or a lot more if you're an international student, and that isn't including accomodation, food, books, travel and so forth. I do still maintain that it's possible for anyone and everyone to receive an education, regardless of monetary funds and economic background. I - for many reasons - had to do my university degree through distance learning, but because I'm a fulll-time student I don't work, so I have no income, and my uni is kind enough to waive fees for students in this case, in fact I even received help for books and equipment. If a student knows where to look and plans correctly then they can still get an education, even if it's not the exact one they may have liked.

I think home-study is more difficult. It gets lonely at times, because half my friends work full-time and the other half are away at brick-and-mortar universities, so I'm more often than not alone. I think in some respects it can be better. It enables a student to organise their timetable to suit their life, encourages independent study, allows for more concentration, and so forth. There is a lack of social interaction and independence, because one isn't living alone or meeting new people, but at the same time - for some - the pros far outweigh the cons. Less debts, more free time, closer to family, easier to concentrate, easier to revise . . .

The downside is - like you said - there are no jobs. I literally can't work in the UK. If I was to be a teacher here I'd need to go into debt to spend an extra year at university (the government/uni won't offer support for anything other than the first degree), then move to some obscure part of the country in hopes of finding a vacancy, and all for tuppence of a wage. I'm lucky that I want to work abroad. I earn exactly the same as I would in the UK, and I get an apartment found for me and key-money/deposits paid for, and I don't have to go into debt and spend an extra year finding a job. I have several relatives who've emmegrated, and a few friends who wish to, and I can't blame any of them. Graduates have it tough. There just isn't any jobs going in this current climate.

Sorry I can't answer many of the other questions, especially concerning Japan in specific, but other members have more eloquently and kindly offered good answers anyway. I will say though that I think - in this day and age - if one wants a good job in their hometown then it may be best looking at apprenticeships or NVQ's, because - depending on the individual's needs - it may not be in their best interests to get a degree.

I find your thoughts fascinating Robin. Is it truly so difficult to obtain work in the UK with your degree?

Young people are urged to get to UNI- in order to educate themselves and presumably that should give them a huge advantage over those who have Not had University education. It appears Not so.

I do wonder if it is the subject that they choose to study that may not be a great deal of use in the outside world-- with all the competition out there.

Many seem to study Media studies, IT, etc whereas possibly there is need for physicists, scientists, engineers etc.

Our manufacturing facilities are almost extinct in this country-- that is So bad.

I believe one has to read the newspapers that advertise jobs to try to fathom what would be a good subject to study in order to obtain well paid work after Graduation.

I admire you for studying at home, but it must have been very difficult and lonely for you.

Would that be Open University? I imagine there is so much more to be gained from being in a University where there are hundreds of other students, possibly many from abroad-- so expanding ones experience, living among them all and learning a great deal at the same time.

I wish our government would encourage more and enable those who have monetary difficulties.

Our politicians did not have to pay for their time at University.

Learning on the job used to be a good way to learn.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RealJames

I still think that's better than the nearly-everyone-graduating policy in Japan, there are so many people with degrees who have no clue about their own subjects.

In Japan it's tough to enter universities but super easy to graduate.

Hi James, what sort of work do these graduates obtain? Is it still working for big companies?

From what I have read, the Japanese have had intensive education.

to what purpose?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

Hi James, what sort of work do these graduates obtain? Is it still working for big companies?

From what I have read, the Japanese have had intensive education.

to what purpose?

intensive education following up to university entrance examinations, and then 4 years of chilling out and relaxing

they get big company jobs based on the name of the university they went to, in other words how hard they worked in high school and how rich their parents are

several months of paid training at their new companies is where they get the necessary skills to work, not so much from their years at school

think of university as the last break before you put your nose down to the grindstone for so many Japanese people

[dogsbody70]

Apart from the large Companies-- what other work might be available for University graduates?

would their degrees be at all appropriate for such work I wonder?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

Apart from the large Companies-- what other work might be available for University graduates?

would their degrees be at all appropriate for such work I wonder?

many people don't get hired for the field of their degree... strangely lol

[dogsbody70]

OKAY so what if they do not actually attend University? Or do they all have to attend?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

OKAY so what if they do not actually attend University? Or do they all have to attend?

blue collar work, most people feel very pressured to go

[RobinMask]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

I find your thoughts fascinating Robin. Is it truly so difficult to obtain work in the UK with your degree?

I do wonder if it is the subject that they choose to study that may not be a great deal of use in the outside world-- with all the competition out there.

Many seem to study Media studies, IT, etc whereas possibly there is need for physicists, scientists, engineers etc.

With my degree I'm stuck with two choices: publishing and teaching. To be a teacher I'd need to get a teaching certificate, that would take an extra year and cost quite a fair bit of money, and if I was to teach English as a foriegn language within the UK I'd again need to go into a fair ammount of debt to spend a year upping my certificate to that of a diploma. Publishing isn't really an option for me, I have no interest in that field, which seems far too competitive and with far too much pressure. In countries like Japan my degree and TEFL certificate, with some experience in teaching, are enough to find a job . . . in England I'd pretty much be laughed at and told to go get more.

The area of study is hugely important. There's some areas, such as a while ago physiotherapy and speech therapy, that you could simply not find any work in whatsoever as there were no jobs going in those areas. Nursing and Psychology are highly competitive, which means getting jobs in those areas is a nightmare. Business Studies, I've been told by businessmen, is a complete waste of time - along with Philosophy - because it means nothing in the business world. At the moment IT is - as you say - perhaps one of the best to go into, it opens a hell of a lot of doors for the graduate.

I believe one has to read the newspapers that advertise jobs to try to fathom what would be a good subject to study in order to obtain well paid work after Graduation.

True, but I would rather work at a subject I love and passionately adore, finding work difficult afterwards, than to slave away in a subject I detest merely to make finding work easier. The retirement age in the UK is forever going up and up . . . does someone really want to spend 60 years in a job they hate, simply because it's easier to do so? I've a few friends who've made that mistake, and by God they regret it . . .

I admire you for studying at home, but it must have been very difficult and lonely for you.

Would that be Open University? I imagine there is so much more to be gained from being in a University where there are hundreds of other students, possibly many from abroad-- so expanding ones experience, living among them all and learning a great deal at the same time.

Yes, it was the Open University. Actually I adored it, the courses were the same as what I would be studying at a brick-and-mortar university, the only difference is where my friends had forty or so modules to choose from I had around ten, lol. I adored the courses though, found them highly educational and interesting, and I enjoyed studying on my own. I work at an insanely fast pace and prefer working ahead, so I didn't have all the 'sitting around bored waiting for the next piece of work to appear' that I suffered with in college. The tutor support was amazing, too. The only thing I did hate was the exam stress, but I would get that in regular university, too, lol.

To be honest I didn't miss out too much on socialising and interaction. My friends are all rather diverse in terms of gender, religions, races and so forth, and my hometown is rather multi-cultural, too. The whole partying hard and binge-drinking aspect of uni never appealed to me anyway, I have to roll my eyes when my friends discuss their recent hangovers. So I don't feel I lost out. My priority was always the degree itself and the education, which is what I got. Just waiting for my results now

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

With my degree I'm stuck with two choices: publishing and teaching. To be a teacher I'd need to get a teaching certificate, that would take an extra year and cost quite a fair bit of money, and if I was to teach English as a foriegn language within the UK I'd again need to go into a fair ammount of debt to spend a year upping my certificate to that of a diploma. Publishing isn't really an option for me, I have no interest in that field, which seems far too competitive and with far too much pressure. In countries like Japan my degree and TEFL certificate, with some experience in teaching, are enough to find a job . . . in England I'd pretty much be laughed at and told to go get more.

The area of study is hugely important. There's some areas, such as a while ago physiotherapy and speech therapy, that you could simply not find any work in whatsoever as there were no jobs going in those areas. Nursing and Psychology are highly competitive, which means getting jobs in those areas is a nightmare. Business Studies, I've been told by businessmen, is a complete waste of time - along with Philosophy - because it means nothing in the business world. At the moment IT is - as you say - perhaps one of the best to go into, it opens a hell of a lot of doors for the graduate.



True, but I would rather work at a subject I love and passionately adore, finding work difficult afterwards, than to slave away in a subject I detest merely to make finding work easier. The retirement age in the UK is forever going up and up . . . does someone really want to spend 60 years in a job they hate, simply because it's easier to do so? I've a few friends who've made that mistake, and by God they regret it . . .



Yes, it was the Open University. Actually I adored it, the courses were the same as what I would be studying at a brick-and-mortar university, the only difference is where my friends had forty or so modules to choose from I had around ten, lol. I adored the courses though, found them highly educational and interesting, and I enjoyed studying on my own. I work at an insanely fast pace and prefer working ahead, so I didn't have all the 'sitting around bored waiting for the next piece of work to appear' that I suffered with in college. The tutor support was amazing, too. The only thing I did hate was the exam stress, but I would get that in regular university, too, lol.

To be honest I didn't miss out too much on socialising and interaction. My friends are all rather diverse in terms of gender, religions, races and so forth, and my hometown is rather multi-cultural, too. The whole partying hard and binge-drinking aspect of uni never appealed to me anyway, I have to roll my eyes when my friends discuss their recent hangovers. So I don't feel I lost out. My priority was always the degree itself and the education, which is what I got. Just waiting for my results now

good luck with the results.

I have often considered doing an OU Course but so far done nothing about it. I was busy for five years in helping former child migrants trace their families plus being a listening ear for those who spent time in the so called Care System. I have done a lot of research in that field aprt from my own experiences

I used to go to lots of different adult education classes-- my most favourite was Drama Therapy which I adored-- but that needed very careful handling.

So many emotions to be considered.

The cost now of Adult education is so high that on my pension I cannot really afford to go.



Not sure if O. U. have/has a Japanese language Course.

I agree--nobody wants to be forced into a job they would hate. But also these days no job is really secure-- not like the olden days when they were secure. Times are rapidly changing and I guess one has to be versatile and ready to try new things. The business world is so cut throat.

At least if you can teach English, you can travel if that is your ambition.

One is constantly learning in life--no matter ones age.

I wish you success in whatever you do. It's tough out there these days.