The course could be construed to fit what it says in the prospectus, but in a very twisted, unexpected way. We do token modules in toher media, but not much and they don't seem to reference them in the main lectures. But really, they could call the course "TV Engineering" and not have to change anything.
I was thinking about leaving the course over the summer, but I had retakes to do and one of them (the presentation) couldn't be done until after I got back. If I'd known of the funding deadline with even starting the second year, I probably wouldn't have come back.
So teh plan currently is to switch straight onto the Media Tech course at another university, and hope they accept my credit. I don't think there is a course here that's better suited to me (where'd I say that mark?).
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 10:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Melissa W (Melissa W), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 10:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Alfie (Alfie), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 11:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
So I quit. Well, I transferred at any rate, to a university on the other side of the country, and I loved it there, got involved, made loads of friends and generally found it to have been the best decision of my life. I was more or less the same way through my course as you are through yours, and changing was actually fairly easy. I doubt you'll be able to transfer universities smoothly at this stage in the game, ie straight from one to another. It might be a case of taking the rest of this year off and working, then going to a new one in the next financial year, which is what I did. Funding-wise it was merely a case of 'pick up where you left off' for me, so I didn't have to pay tuition fees, although I did have to defer my student loan repayments in the interim year.
One thing though, it's really not worth your while leaving unless you are pretty sure that things will be considerably better elsewhere. From what you've said on this thread, and in previous posts, I'm not convinced that you are. I'd think pretty carefully.
― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 11:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
"But media is television"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
He fully admitted it was a TV course, and that's what he came up with when I asked why they didn't put TV in the title. He said I should have inferred from the course description from where graduates later worked ("Granada Media Group, BBC Radio and Television, On-Digital and Pearsons Television"). I didn't really press him on why I should look at that and ignore the "At a glance: Radio, television and multi-media" and "This full-time modular course lays down the theory of video, audio and IT practice in radio, television and multi-media". But what a fucking twunt. Pete, who is it I should threaten to write to, if it comes to it?
He did say that my best option was to try and get in in the first year of another course this year, but I'm not sure how the funding would work?
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 11:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 11:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
― angela (angela), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 11:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 12:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 12:06 (twenty-one years ago) link
Course convener could be head of department, head of faculty or some random punter drafted in for the task. The SU should be able to find them for you, and help represent you with a good early verbal complaint. Something that strikes me is that where you are studying - Greater Earthquake Manchester - there are a number of Universities in the area who might be able to do modular units which would fit into your degree stopping the need to move on whilst giving you the degree you want.
Drop out rates are a big issuein Universities at the moment - you do actually have a fair bit of power. And a killer quote you can use against 'em.
― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 12:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 13:03 (twenty-one years ago) link
I'm kind of quite looking forward to getting out of Manchester generally though.
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 13:27 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 13:32 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 13:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 13:41 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 15:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
― g (graysonlane), Tuesday, 22 October 2002 17:15 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 08:44 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Sarah (starry), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 08:56 (twenty-one years ago) link
ironically she is from...manchester!
― gareth (gareth), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 08:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
I like Oxford, it seems more appropriately sized for me.
― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 09:05 (twenty-one years ago) link
If you feel that your course is the wrong one, another two years is an extremely long time to be unsettled and unhappy about it. As others have said, you may not be able to transfer smoothly to another Uni now (though it doesn't do any harm to make a few tentative telephone calls to ask the question, does it? ... you may be pleasantly surprised), so perhaps you should bank on starting elsewhere next year. Life's too short to be miserable.
― C J (C J), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 09:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
Depending on your personal preference you can specialise during the second and final year in two major areas. The first area covers the specialised electronics behind modern media systems, the second focuses more on the computer hardware and software aspects.
I hope everything works out for you.
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 09:49 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
Good luck.
― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 24 October 2002 13:46 (twenty-one years ago) link
I'm just off to see the student union person. I don't really feel I can stay here much until january with that atmosphere between us.
― Graham (graham), Friday, 25 October 2002 09:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
I've been home to dig it out It has a list of modules and descriptions hidden at the back, and they do pretty accurately describe the course. It does have "Audio" and "Programming" and "Multimedia" dotted around the module titles, but it's not obvious how TV focussed it is unless you're looking for it. It also isn't obvious that half the modules are taught in a "you really don't need to know this" way.
― Graham (graham), Friday, 25 October 2002 13:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
Try not to piss people off on your course too much as you may need to get a reference off of them too.
― Pete (Pete), Friday, 25 October 2002 13:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 14:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
My lecturer says I need a plan B, and a plan C. Suggestions?
― Graham (graham), Friday, 6 December 2002 16:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Pete (Pete), Friday, 6 December 2002 16:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 6 December 2002 19:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Sunday, 8 December 2002 14:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 8 December 2002 15:50 (twenty-one years ago) link
(Actually I'm getting a plane back home for Christmas, cz I are mentalist, and I don't see how I can crowbar annoying Melissa into that one)
― Graham (graham), Sunday, 8 December 2002 15:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
(ie No news yet)
GRRR
― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 16:09 (twenty-one years ago) link
I'm on the first train to Oxford tomorrow morning. Any other ideas what to do?
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 9 January 2003 21:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 January 2003 22:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
And be patient. And polite. If you pretend to be rational then you will act rational.
― isadora (isadora), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
(I'm not expecting people to help me sort out my life, I'm expecting them to be friendly)
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:06 (twenty-one years ago) link
So, I guess my best advice is don't blow up at the people at Oxford if they can't help you out, as that will disincline them from taking heroic measures to help you. You've got to find a constructive way to vent your frustration (unfortunately, I don't know what that constructive way is).
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:14 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 9 January 2003 23:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
I went to the Admissions Office first. They phoned people and been phoning and basically told me as they hadn't been dealing with it they couldn't do anything, and gave me phone numbers of the people they'd been trying to ring. But no sympathy.
So I found the Engineering department and harassed the secretary, and she said there wasn't anything she could do as Julia was away, as was the head of the course. I asked if they had mobile numbers and she said yes but she couldn't phone them when they were away. After a lot of pointing out how screwed I was, she went and found some guy, who was the head of Mechanical Engineering. He said Julia had been very busy preparing a report for him and seemed a bit guilty. He took my details and said everything looked good, but he couldn't do anything until he spoke to the Field Chair, who was away until Monday. There's no rooms in halls available, so next week is going to be very interesting.
― Graham (graham), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
Would it be worth my while going to Oxford again tomorrow? That would give me an extra day to sort things out. I guess I should have asked her that.
― Graham (graham), Monday, 13 January 2003 14:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― SittingPretty (sittingpretty), Monday, 13 January 2003 15:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Graham (graham), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 15:07 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 15:09 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 15:11 (twenty-one years ago) link