Student Life?

[Zany Reaper]

Hello all,

After doing a brief search on the forums under the query of "student life," I was curious to find that the nearest thing was this thread about unemployment (up to 3 years ago):
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthre...t=student+life

Without being too personal specific, here goes - I am currently an undergraduate, who is going to graduate in roughly 6 weeks in a computer-science related degree. I thought this'd be a good time to reflect on past experiences and wondered what other people's university experiences here have been, assuming that a fair proportion of people here have been at a university.

In my case, starting university for me (my first year) was a new experience, not being near parents for an extended period of time, so I was free to go out and explore this "new environment." However, as the work piled on I gradually have started to dislike my current institution and have grown ever more conscious of the idea that academics actually have almost no interest in students, particularly undergrads (who actually do very little to benefit academics in specific, besides paying wages in the UK to an extent).
In particular I've started also to become increasingly fearful of non-students that live in the vicinity/same areas as students, as they tend to heavily dislike them (who wouldn't? Why would I wish to live next to people that party every week and make noise well into the night?)

So here I am now suddenly finding that without loads of seemingly pointless coursework to do and no lectures which I have to otherwise "pass my time" at - I'm quite relaxed.

So, what's been the case with the rest of you?

[Ra owa]

For the past six years I have been doing courses at university part-time while being fully employed. The course fees being payed for by the company I am working for.
Just last week I handed in my dissertaion project and completed the last exam I will ever do at university, and it feels good. At the start of the six years it was quite novel, and therefore I quite enjoyed the university side of things. But as the time went by, I began to dislike it more and more. Maybe it was because of the extra work while holding down a full-time job - maybe I would have enjoyed the university experience more if I had done that full-time instead.
Either way, I am glad it is finished now - I just have to wait for the results. My job ultimately stays the same, the main point being that I do stay in the job (which is especially good considering the trouble that people I know have had getting jobs after graduating).

The bonus to the route I went down is that I don't have a student loan to pay off, and I have 6 years job experience under my belt. The other side of that being that my university memories will only be of exams and doing extra work after coming home from my day job. The things I missed out on obviously being the 'proper' student life, that a lot of people usually look back on with fond memories.

[BananaMaster]

I ended up graduating with a bachelor of architecture from an avante-garde design school in the United States. We architecture students don't have "exams" per se--you end up working extremely long hours resolving architectural related issues, such as circulation, egress, structure, etc. (well actually not quite; most of the stuff we did many a student outside the field would call art). Many a night was wasted on cans of coca-cola, junk food, sleeping in your studio (or car) and the like. I enjoyed undergrad for the atmosphere and student camaraderie--I mean we we're basically all in it for the long haul. We drank together, designed together, poured sweat (and sometimes blood) over physical models, cnc milling machines, you name it. Shortly after graduation, I found myself unemployed with only a few internships to back my cv. 2008 was one of the worst years for newly graduated architecture students and many found themselves either working for free at internships or working for their parents. Luckily, I ended up in grad school, thanks to some great parents who were concerned about my financial situation. Two years later, I completed my Master's of Architecture from a more traditional university in the midwest. I met peers who had different interests (thank gawd for that) other than my chosen major and worked as a graphic designer on the aside for the school's communication department. Despite the new (and awful) experience of exams, I nevertheless completed my thesis and graduated.

Unfortunately, the industry at large refused to budge and appeared to have changed very little two years after. I decided to take a chance with a small interior design firm in Shanghai, China. I accepted the job offer, flew all the way from the US to join fellow expats in the modernization of a once communist, and now capitalist nation. There's a lot of opportunity here that many people outside of China refuse to acknowledge, or worse, still hold onto preconceptions about a country's political past. I mean shit, they're chi coms right? Wrong.

The first few months I worked for wages that would have deemed laughable in the States, yet considered well paid over here. Not long after, I received my work permit--I was finally legal. Now 8 months later, looking back, it might not have been the best situation, but hell, it was the right opportunity for me to take a chance and accept new experiences for what they are worth. Now, with some valuable experience under my belt, I'm moving from a designer position to project management with a school project under construction designed by us--a bunch of amateur recent architecture grads. If I stayed in the US, I would never have made it this far. Well, that's my two cents--take a risk, fail multiple times if you have to, and realize it's part of the learning experience.

[LoCo]

Can't say as I've heard of a story like yours before Zany Reaper.

Academics I know have plenty of time for their students. Even in my first year when I was taking papers from every subject, I never met a single academic that didn't want to help. Here in NZ, from what I've seen at least, undergrads are given a lot of time because the universities want to foster them in the hopes that they will stay for graduate and postgraduate study. Granted, graduates and postgraduates get more time, but that's to be expected.

I was also under the impression that anyone of university going age would already know that non-students would dislike loud music/parties well into the night when they have work in the morning or even just want to get some shut-eye after a long day. Hell, I'm still studying and I hate the noisy students around here. But you say you are growing fearful of them? Why? People can tell where the loud music and long parties are coming from. People will also react well to you as an individual if you are polite. (something many students don't bother to be)

So if you don't do the loud music and all night party things (Where I'm from the students generally party until 9pm and then head into town. It's rare that they will come back loud, but they do sometimes turn the music up when they do because, apparently, their drunken state makes them def and unable to tell that it's 2am.) then I'm fairly sure you have nothing to worry about. It's not like they are going to come by and beat you. At worst they'll yell and call the cops.

For myself... I think I missed out on a lot of the classic 'university experience' due to two things. First, I didn't stay in the housing on campus. That limits your interaction with other students and removes you from the path of most of the events. Second, I went to university after a long stint in the 'real world' so I have always been at least five/six years older than the majority of students. As such, most of what they did/wanted to do, did not appeal to me.

Oh, also, I'm a gamer/geek. So instead of going out and spending all my hard earned cash on getting intoxicated to the point where I later splatter all that alcohol into some old lady's garden, I was in my room either playing games, reading or studying.

Still, university life has been what I wanted. I met my wife there, am doing what I want and I'm interested in and enjoying my studies. I'm also really glad that I tried a bit of everything in my first year so that I was absolutely sure of what I wanted to do and didn't, like a lot of students I know, get bored with my chosen field a year or two down the line.

[Mr Carrot]

I spent 7 and a bit years at uni with a couple of years out in industry.

Stop being a silly sausage, you are really in the ONLY period of your life when you get all the benefits of being an adult with 0 responsibility.

Step one, join some clubs (pref sports teams), get a good crew together and go out and party as much as possible. For 3/4 years. It's not hard to get a first whilst going out three or four times a week. But you are really doing the wrong subject if you actually want to engage with academics and the academic process at an undergrad level. You having nothing to add to their academic investigations at your skill level (and outside of the arts feedback is pretty much a worthless crapshoot) and they are teaching you so they can get funding to go do their important research.

Which city/uni?

[Open Blue]

I cruise through courses, sleeping through all the lectures and yet still pulling 90% on assignments and exams. Software engineering is boring.

I live on stale bread crusts and rocks, my room is cold with little in the way of furnishings and my shoes all have holes in them. My laptop is my most prized possession and I guard it like a jealous fatty guards the hiding place of the chips. At the end of this year, I get booted out and I'll need to, once again, find a job. Perhaps it's not so bad though, I feel that uni life has been a bit of a blur, and having something to focus on will be good (maybe I'll buy a heater this year).

[Inq]

Meh. I worked fulltime (at night) whilst studying fulltime at uni, didn't want to feel like I wasn't achieving the most I could. Bought houses, invested and traded shares. Studied at business school during the same time. Towards the end I also restored a car.

Uni was the relaxing component of my life, in Australia you don't get the full immersion that the US style seems to portray. I did enjoy the juxtaposition of being classified in a group which is generally defined as 'poor', whilst being relatively well-off for my age group.

Would result in some dirty looks when I didn't join in on the whinge-fest of lefty-career studiers.

Glad it's over with though.

[PetarB]

Damn, I miss university.

It was a lot of fun, and a huge eyeopener.

I often think of returning.

[Black]

I just finished up a math degree. Still not sure what I'm going to do come autumn.

[PetarB]

With a math degree... there are a LOT of things you could do. Very nice.

[Bowkers]

Good luck with the job queue guys.

[Inq]

A classmate from highschool finished up a Maths degree last year. She has got a job in checking highschool maths textbooks.

So there's always that! Or a plethora of other interesting jobs.....

Edit:

Bowkers: Heh, I guess it depends where you are and what you studied...

[Kirjava]

UNI WAS AWESOME and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Best time of my life. Do what Carrot says and live it up- it's a uniquely care-free period, though make sure you at least come out with a good grade.

[Shoota Fodder]

I'm studying Civil Engineering and just completed my first year. Two weeks until the results arrive to let me know if I'm into second year but I am confident that my exams went fine. I live with my Parents and commute to uni, which is nice because I hate juggling part time work and full time education at the same time just to pay for food. So yea, now I stay at home and work full-time during summer and sponge of my savings for a year (With slight top ups at Christmas and my birthday in April from relatives and whatnot).

I do love uni. Or should I say Student Unions.

[Pocktio]

Uni was, so far, the best experience of my life.

Finding a job was pain, 4 months and hundreds of pounds later I land a random job in which I have met some awesome people, and the job ain't bad.

Still nothing compared to uni. Enjoy it while it lasts, quickest three years ever :-(

[Richter]

Getting raped by uni. It is literally exactly the same as high school, just far more expensive. I don't even have the money for parking, which means fines, which I also can't fucking pay. Public transport takes too damn long to do a 10 minute trip.

The lecturers are pretty damn awesome though. Being taught to be a teacher, then seeing how badly some lecturers teach, is kind of aggravating though. Other than the days I go to uni, I talk to absolutely nobody.

[Inq]

Long commutes for 10 mins at uni is annoying, but is a fact of life. Make you choice, pay the money or take the bus. Don't have the money, you only have one choice left.

Can't all be sugar coated gumdrops and rainbows.

[Faek]

It could be worse. I know people who have 3 hour round trips to Uni. I'm really lucky with buses though, it should take a lot longer to get in but the bus i take avoids the roads (as in totally) until its into the city proper.

My University has microwaves and sandwich presses. I'm currently contemplating pancakes.

[Nurizeko]

Spent the first two years living at home, 3rd year was at student flat, never again. Student flats are fine when you're in the mood for hanging out but it's just not a proper flat/home.

First year was fine and fun, 2nd year was almost a complete write-off due to personal problems, 3rd year was an improvement of things, though kinda got bored of my classes this year and a break-up this semester kinda ruined what I was enjoying.

Wouldn't trade my uni experience for anything but wouldn't want to go through it again. At least I don't think I want to do uni again for a long time and hopefully with some solid idea of what I want out of it. Got one more year and I can graduate.

Met some niteresting people, made friends, had some interesting times, but definitely wasn't enlightening the way you imagine social interaction will be at uni.

[Waterbizkit]

First Year: Fairly typical. My wife (then girlfriend) and I moved over-seas and started our first year at uni in Plymouth, UK. We lived in a "student flat" and mostly ignored our flat mates. She switched courses from architecture to psychology and needed to wait a year because psyc was already full-up. I finished my first year with excellent marks. Otherwise we made some friends and did the usual pub-crawling when I wasn't at lectures or labs. Good times.

Second Year: We got married and had a child. He was born there in the UK part-way into what was my second year and her first. Being across the Atlantic with a new born and nowhere near the usual support of family, it was.... interesting. We still managed to get out occasionally, but for the most part social life ceases to exist. We could hardly blame our friends though. It was uni. They were young and there to have fun & study. We were the young idiots with the kid, we could hardly expect them to stop drinking long enough to come 'round for a quiet night at the flat. And speaking of, we moved into our own private flat, since given the addition to the family a private space was certainly needed.

Third Year: My last year. In the same flat. Still across an ocean raising our son. We managed though and still made a good time of it. I graduated and got my lovely degree.

Fourth Year: I was done, she was in her last year. I worked a part-time job at the Uni making as much money as I was legally allowed to based on my visa. Spent the remainder of my time at home with my son. Same as the previous year really. Going out, having a good time. Just not in the pub-crawl sort of way.

Then home to the US. Then work. Then our own apartment. Then our own house. Then the dog. Then.....

[Bowkers]

Nice review, please tell me more!

[Codex]

Maths and Philosophy MSci, just handed in the final work for the 4 year course last Friday. Fingers crossed for the degree class.

These years have been so crucial to me. I've spent most of my formative years in the UK and it's been good to me. I love Bristol, and would love to stay here. But I would really love it if I had the opportunity to go back to university equipped with what I know now- some kind of resolve to work, to be better, to not just been stuttering all the way to the finish. I was just so ill-equipped when I got here.

Now for the big wide world...

[Paladin]

I just got back from travelling about 690 miles (Each way) to attend a 1 week gunsmithing class... Does that count?

[Atreides]

College has been a blast for me, although I am somewhat unique in my perspective. You see, several years ago my wife and I set forth goals and plans; I worked extra putting her through school (she is a physical therapist) and she is now returning the favor. Currently I will be entering my third year for RN, this summer I am doing an internship in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit at a hospital. I have loved the college experience, I have had great discussions with professors and have learned a great deal about different people and myself.

[Slow_Runner]

1st year I played a lot of DoW.
2nd year I played a lot of Winter Assault and Dark Crusade.
3rd year I started partying and still got my BA thesis done.
4th year I kept on partying.
5th year I was still partying.
6th year I met my gf and started on my MA thesis. And I still partied some.
7th year I finished all my remaining courses, completed my teacher training and got my BA degree papers.
8th year (this year) I started working as a temp teacher and I'm going to finish my MA thesis and graduate as a Master of Arts with English as my major, IT and teacher studies as my subjects during the summer.

[cagecrawler]

In an odd way, I've been really lucky with my time at university. I went to uni back in 2006 and was totally unprepared for university life. I chose the wrong degree, I didn't get properly involved in university life and as a consequence I ended up... I wouldn't say not enjoying it but more of not taking full advantage of my opportunities. I ended up failing my third year due to a lack of interest and instead of resitting the year I decided to take a year out, earn some money and decide what I wanted to do with my life. This was the best decision I could have made - I've gone back to uni doing a different degree, got much more involved in the university and am enjoying my time much more.

That said, I wouldn't change the way I went about getting here. The three "wasted" years on my other degree taught me a lot about living on my own and about university life, matured me and made me some really good friends. And I'd much rather have found out now that my first career choice was not going to be something I wanted to do for the rest of my life than in five or ten years time.

[FriendlyFire]

Starting my MSc in quantum computing this summer, rather excited about it. Had a fairly ordinary BSc (double-major comp sci/physics), worked my ass off through the physics courses and cruised through the comp sci ones, wasn't all that much into partying and such but met a lot of good friends and enjoyed my time there. The 1h30 commute time (yes, I'm one of those 3h a day people) sucks big time, but it's what I pay for comfort and space.

Oh, and I managed to score high enough to get a grant, which means my tuition fees, books, materials, commute tickets are all paid for, and I even get some spending money as a bonus. Perhaps save up a little.

[Zany Reaper]

Wow, haven't checked on this thread in a while...



LoCo - I've met academics that have been pretty helpful, but a number who seem rather unenthusiastic in students. About a third of the lecturers I've had since I started have also been unanimously described as "below standards" by their students.

It's not the students funnily enough that are the problem for me, it's all the locals to the area. Only a few days ago I noticed so many dangerous-looking people out on a Friday night. Didn't go near any of them. Then again, the place where most students live in B'ham is said to have some of the highest crime rates in the country.


Richter - the wierd thing is that I feel I have gained more info on how to teach (not that I want to) from the incompetent lecturers, rather than the good ones! I suppose I just remember how much these staff members pissed me off and then learn not to teach as they did. Always remember to complain to your student-staff representatives about bad material, if you have any reps.

Nurizeko - do you ever get the impression that university can feel incredibly inpersonal? I often do, when I'm not talking to my tutor.

Waterbizkit - how does one study whilst raising a child? I can't see how they manage, even though many do.

cagecrawler - were most of the friends you met from societies?

FriendlyFire - Good luck! If you're in the UK and doing a typical one year master's course, I doubt you'll have much (if any) time for fun though. I've heard a lot of people with MSc courses who had to lose sleep to complete assignments several times.

-----------------


Well, with no academic work now until I start my PhD in Sheffield, things have been pretty much almost always better since my last exam. I've received my results which are good enough for me, and look forward to graduation Somehow that feels like the most important experience and the most enjoyable of university - being seen off. Maybe it's because one's parents are there?

[Codex]

Find out of my degree class on Monday.

Eek *hyperventilate*

[Shoota Fodder]

Not quite as bad, but I did discover earlier this week that I've passed my first year. Second year here I come. I want to do better and try harder this time, but I know I'll spend half the week in the student union again. *sigh*

[Derivative]

I'm currently going for a masters in chemistry and I hate it. I can't get out and switch to a different department, as they don't have money. And dropping isn't viable either, as it would cut off my meager pay. The summer research isn't as bad though. But I'm not finding this graphene stuff as fascinating as everyone else is.

And here's some free advice about room mates:
Unless you get along very well with someone, try to avoid them. My experience with roommates have taught me the following:
1. Roommates require the most unbearable temperatures to live at. They will turn on the heater or air conditioning to reach this even if the room is currently 1 degree away.
2a. A roommate will watch the creepiest tv shows, as well as leave the tv on for hours while they are out of the room, and will yell at you if you turned it off. This applies to music as well.
2b. The roommate has to have whatever is playing extremely loud.
3. Roommates will not clean anything. This includes (but not limited to): dishes, floor, clothes, self, room.
4. A roommate will insist that you do not have to lock the room. This is true even after there were 3 dorm room robberies within the last week.
5. A roommate will close the window shades in the middle of the day for some asinine reason, such as 'there's a reflection on my clock'
6. A roommate will move out before you. This might seem great at first, but Rule #3 still applies.

[Zany Reaper]

Codex. - Wasn't Monday the date you posted that post on? What class you get?

Shoota Fodder - 2nd year hit me almost like a brick, with a 10% drop despite putting more effort into it than my 1st year. 1st year at most UK universities & courses really isn't taken seriously by anyone.

Derivative - LOL. You forgot to add "often doesn't pay for stuff, like rent."

I've seen so many plus sides to locking doors. In our 1st year (halls of residence), we were the only flat in the block to lock our front door and room doors. We found that in the flat below us (which I thought was full of idiots but anyhow), some stranger just walked in there whilst the students were out (or distracted, more likely) and took a PSP & related games from someone's room! When the police came and told us this the only think I could think of saying back was "ROFL."

One of our house mates this year had no incentive on cleaning stuff. I got so bored of having all his crud pile up in our living room that I just threw it up the stair case outside his room. I had real fun hiding his shoes and then pouring week-old coffee all over his bag, subsequently dumping it in the rubbish bin and then craving the reaction when he returned. We then chucked out the rice cooker that'd been growing fungus for about 3 months, against his will. Good times...

[MadCatChiken]

Well, I've just finished my first year doing a computer science (more specifically in games development) and I spent most of the few month or two partying like mad since I didn't do it much beforehand but I soon realised this was a bad idea as I then spent the rest of this year in my overdraft. =/ For me the excitement of university was the independance and being to live my life how I want it without someone else telling me what to do. I found my work this year rather easy scoring 80%~ with most of my assignments, sucks that the first year doesn't count towards the actual degree but I'm not suprised since I found most of my first year not very much in the detail. It was all very basic and didn't go into muich specifics though next year I hope this does change as I'm more interested in the programming side of computer science and game development.

Towards the end of my first year I actually wanted to go out less and I didn't feel like boozing up as much as I did at the beginning, I suppose at the beginning everyone is all like "wayyheeyyyyy" meeting new people and using alcohol as a way of dimming the nerves. I did however end up meeting a very beautiful girl who is now my gf and that has made my year very much awesome..

As far as room mates go, I think I got pretty lucky with mine in my halls of res with them all being very easy going and good to chat with. As always though there is the odd person who doesn't not seem to know how to clean a plate and would use yours and never wash up after so this ended up me just keeping my plates in my room.. Though I ended up leaving my plates and pans to dry and left them in my cupboard but someone decided to use them not wash them and the cleaner came the next day and threw away all of it because it was dirty.. That was within 2 weeks and I had lost all my pans and my plate due to someones inability to clean. I managed in the end to find some good people to share a house with next term but one or two still have cleaning problems (though they do eventually). I said I would sort out the internet so if there are dirty plates left out I'll just block their router access until they wash them.. xD

[Nurizeko]

First Year: Fairly typical. My wife (then girlfriend) and I moved over-seas and started our first year at uni in Plymouth, UK. We lived in a "student flat" and mostly ignored our flat mates. She switched courses from architecture to psychology and needed to wait a year because psyc was already full-up. I finished my first year with excellent marks. Otherwise we made some friends and did the usual pub-crawling when I wasn't at lectures or labs. Good times.

Second Year: We got married and had a child. He was born there in the UK part-way into what was my second year and her first. Being across the Atlantic with a new born and nowhere near the usual support of family, it was.... interesting. We still managed to get out occasionally, but for the most part social life ceases to exist. We could hardly blame our friends though. It was uni. They were young and there to have fun & study. We were the young idiots with the kid, we could hardly expect them to stop drinking long enough to come 'round for a quiet night at the flat. And speaking of, we moved into our own private flat, since given the addition to the family a private space was certainly needed.

Third Year: My last year. In the same flat. Still across an ocean raising our son. We managed though and still made a good time of it. I graduated and got my lovely degree.

Fourth Year: I was done, she was in her last year. I worked a part-time job at the Uni making as much money as I was legally allowed to based on my visa. Spent the remainder of my time at home with my son. Same as the previous year really. Going out, having a good time. Just not in the pub-crawl sort of way.

Then home to the US. Then work. Then our own apartment. Then our own house. Then the dog. Then.....

So how old were you when you guys started uni?

In the UK uni is almost just a glorified day-care centre for adults who aren't ready to grow up.

At the least almost no-one seems to settle down. Brits seem exceptionally bad at maintaining a relationship from even the slightest pressure until after uni at least.

Nurizeko - do you ever get the impression that university can feel incredibly inpersonal? I often do, when I'm not talking to my tutor.

It was fairly hands off for me but I thought it might just be my course, that I need to seek out input. 1st and 2nd year were pretty bad for input but admittedly once I got into 3rd year it seemed better, very low scheduled contact hours though, next year looks to be the shit-storm of work though.

Also I take offence at the 'locals' comment, I'm going to my local uni (yeah not very adventurous but I've already been the the other side of the world and local is cheaper all round) and I am not a 'dangerous' looking person (except a danger to girl's virginity). :P

For me the excitement of university was the independance and being to live my life how I want it without someone else telling me what to do.

Except that's not how it works. You gotta pay bills when you;re told, you gotta hand in work when told, you still got to do a lot of things other people tell you to do. But I get what you mean lol. :P

I lived with mostly friends so sharing a flat wasn't bad, the other girl was pretty cool (clean and quiet to) and the other guy was a nutjob but had to flee back home after police action so we got a new guy who kept entirely to himself. Which is fine, if you can;t have a friendly flatmate have an absent one.

Cleaning could be a bit of a problem (in that some people who shall remain nameless seemed disinclined to do their share of dishes) but my attitude is that it's a student flat so I didn't invest much in the way of home pride or nothing.

Won't miss the accommodation, I'm 27 this week and I am too old a man for such prison like living arrangements as a law abiding citizen. Back to living in proper flats and homes for me.

[MadCatChiken]

Except that's not how it works. You gotta pay bills when you;re told, you gotta hand in work when told, you still got to do a lot of things other people tell you to do. But I get what you mean lol. :P

Yeah sorry that was mainly going towards parents not being there to annoy etc.. I should have been more specific. :P