| > my experience has been the absolute contrary. This certainly seems to be the case. You write: > universities are not primarily interested in benefiting the students, their primary interest is on working as a gatekeeper for employers But my experience was of a university that only cared about getting graduates employed to the extent that league tables included this statistic. What they really wanted was to trade people towards being academics (and would sometimes look with disdain upon capable students leaving to be paid well in industry instead of heading for academia). My grade was based almost entirely on end of year exams with a token amount of assessed coursework (which was, like the exams, not specific to any course). So one did not need to attend lectures (and many did not, especially if the lecturer were bad or the student hungover). Doing homework was only enforced by the social pressure of not wanting to admit to not having done it, although if you didn’t do any then you might be punished (eg made to wait a year before returning) even if you do ok in exams. Granted I went to university in the U.K. and other universities or the American system might be different (eg I understand American universities grade classes individually and if one signs up for a class, one will get a grade; whereas we did not have that and so one could attempt difficult classes that might not be taken to exams). I only went to university a few years ago so I suppose this is a counter anecdote to your anecdote. Also if you really so above your peers and bored of your teachers then you should find some harder classes and some teachers whom you want to talk to. And maybe find some relevant university person to talk to about your difficulty attending class (although they mightn’t be much help) |
Very interesting
>if you didn’t do any then you might be punished (eg made to wait a year before returning) even if you do ok in exams.
These are the rules I do not understand and find counterproductive, but your uni seems much more lax.
>you should find some harder classes
I have done this already.
>although they mightn’t be much help
Thanks for trying to help, but you are right, nothing would change, I am almost done with Uni so I'm about to put it behind, but I feel entitled to criticizing how inefficient it is, when a math class has 3 tests during the course of 4 months and they can be passed by studying for 4 days before each test without attending class, then it feels too silly and wasteful to me, but I have no choice but to put up with it.