What are the most important things when buying a bike?

Arthur Clune

Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:

: You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
: to.

Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Brian G

Tumbleweed wrote:
> "Brian G" <junk@ardo-howe.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:3238hkF3h6qcsU1@individual.net...
> <snip>
>
>>I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
>>substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
>>them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs involved
>>in university education (in particular the punitive rentals charged by
>>many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they have had to
>>enter into significant loan deals in addition.
>>
>
>
> Since rents are now returning the same level of income as if the money had
> just been invested in a b soc account, say 4 or 5%, I dont think 'punitive'
> is a good choice of phrase.
In my relatively recent experiences of student accommodation,
particularly in Edinburgh, "punitive" is precisely correct. I obviously
don't know for certain that large returns are being made, although it is
generally felt to be the case. However, spending three or four years in
the type of accommodation on offer for very large sums is punishment indeed.


--
Brian G

Arthur Clune

Just zis Guy, you know? <uce@ftc.gov> wrote:

: Ain't that the truth. When did debt suddenly become a good thing? I

About the time that student loans where introduced....

It's very easy to get the "well, I'm 9 grand in debt, another 50 quid on
the card won't make any difference" attitude.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Chris Malcolm

"Arthur Clune" <ajc22@york.ac.uk> writes:

>Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:

>: You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
>: to.

>Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
>longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
>once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.

They may well do that in some of these rubbish modern "universities"
the Govt created as a prelude to stuffing half the population through
"university".
--
Chris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Brian G

Arthur Clune wrote:
> Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> : You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
> : to.
>
> Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
> longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
> once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.
>
> Arthur
>
You're saying that British universities are now offering Masters degrees
for sale, a practice hitherto thought to be confined to Certain Other
Countries. Is there an age limit for purchasers? I never did get
around to doing a Masters when young. :-)

--
Brian G

[Not Responding]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:53:36 +0000, Brian G <junk@ardo-howe.co.uk>
wrote:

>Arthur Clune wrote:
>> Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>>
>> : You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
>> : to.
>>
>> Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
>> longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
>> once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.
>>
>> Arthur
>>
>You're saying that British universities are now offering Masters degrees
>for sale, a practice hitherto thought to be confined to Certain Other
>Countries. Is there an age limit for purchasers? I never did get
>around to doing a Masters when young. :-)

It's more the case that if you keep writing the cheques (couple of
grand a year?), they won't throw you off. Still have to do the work to
get the degree, though.

Tumbleweed

" [Not Responding] " <not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
news:5gbrr09lecfpulpvvoj9i0v8mhe8foah9g@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:53:36 +0000, Brian G <junk@ardo-howe.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>>Arthur Clune wrote:
>>> Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>> : You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
>>> : to.
>>>
>>> Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
>>> longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
>>> once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.
>>>
>>> Arthur
>>>
>>You're saying that British universities are now offering Masters degrees
>>for sale, a practice hitherto thought to be confined to Certain Other
>>Countries. Is there an age limit for purchasers? I never did get
>>around to doing a Masters when young. :-)
>
> It's more the case that if you keep writing the cheques (couple of
> grand a year?), they won't throw you off. Still have to do the work to
> get the degree, though.

Except at Cambridge IIRC? Do they still do that? A friend of mine got an MA
there just for turning up a year later after his BSc and paying a few quid.
This was <fx>cough</fx> several years ago though.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Colin Blackburn

Tumbleweed wrote:
> " [Not Responding] " <not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
> news:5gbrr09lecfpulpvvoj9i0v8mhe8foah9g@4ax.com...
>>It's more the case that if you keep writing the cheques (couple of
>>grand a year?), they won't throw you off. Still have to do the work to
>>get the degree, though.
>
>
> Except at Cambridge IIRC? Do they still do that? A friend of mine got an MA
> there just for turning up a year later after his BSc and paying a few quid.
> This was <fx>cough</fx> several years ago though.

This is historical. The MA is what your friend went there to get. They
gave him a BSc after 3 or 4 years to give him a bit of paper that
employers would understand, as that's the bit of paper the other English
universities hand out, until he qualified for his MA after seven years.
It is the other English universities that are "different", for what it
matters.

Colin

Dave Larrington

Tumbleweed wrote:

> Except at Cambridge IIRC? Do they still do that? A friend of mine got
> an MA there just for turning up a year later after his BSc and paying
> a few quid. This was <fx>cough</fx> several years ago though.

And Oxford, or at least it was the case when Dr Larrington went from BA to
MA.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
World Domination?
Just find a world that's into that kind of thing, then chain to the
floor and walk up and down on it in high heels. (Mr. Sunshine)

Arthur Clune

Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:

: They may well do that in some of these rubbish modern "universities"
: the Govt created as a prelude to stuffing half the population through
: "university".

Really? Do you think it's just the modern ones? Look at my posting address

Arthur (yeah, I now, it's not that modern....)

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Arthur Clune

Brian G <junk@ardo-howe.co.uk> wrote:

: You're saying that British universities are now offering Masters degrees
: for sale

No. Nothing that blatent. I'm saying that if you pay, and turn up and hand
in something bearing a vague relation to what you are ment to hand in,
even if that isn't very good, then you'll pass.


--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness

Nick Kew

In article <325ps0F3gdgjiU1@individual.net>,
"Tumbleweed" <thisaccountneverread@yahoo.com> writes:

> Except at Cambridge IIRC? Do they still do that? A friend of mine got an MA
> there just for turning up a year later after his BSc and paying a few quid.

Bzzt. No such thing as a BSc at Cambridge. Those new-fangled things
are an innovation of newer universities.

And why did he want to *pay* for his MA? Didn't he earn it?

--
Nick Kew

Nick Kew

In article <cpkhpc$3rl$1@pump1.york.ac.uk>,
"Arthur Clune" <ajc22@york.ac.uk> writes:

> Arthur (yeah, I now, it's not that modern....)

1960s-vintage, innit? The penultimate big wave of expansion gave us
some unis with rather strong reputations - like Warwick, for instance.

I have some vague recollection of putting York on my UCCA form and
visiting it[1] as a sixth-former. Looked OK - I think I might even
have gone there if Cambridge had turned me down.

[1] They were careful not to call it an interview - they really
couldn't afford to risk intimidating or insulting candidates
with the notion of having to achieve something even then.

--
Nick Kew

Tony Raven

Tumbleweed wrote:
>
> Except at Cambridge IIRC? Do they still do that? A friend of mine got an MA
> there just for turning up a year later after his BSc and paying a few quid.
> This was <fx>cough</fx> several years ago though.
>

Cambridge and Oxford tradition I believe - plus you have to stay out of
jail to qualify. OTOH most employers know that so discount its value.

Tony