Damned Hippies (654 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.33 on 13 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Philst82 <Philipdstubbs.at.hotmail.com> (View user info) at 2004-05-20 06:53:48 EDT
A little background to this, I'm currently on a year out from a physics degree at Bristol University, working in industry. Today I looked at my handbook, because Bristol want lots of stuff from me, to find this:
"The week 24 Placement report should be a summary of your overall personal experience of the industrial placement, dealing with how you felt it went, what was good, what was bad and what you got out of it. This does not need to be more than ½ pages long."
This is proving to be the hardest ½ page that I've ever written in my life.
First off, why should I have to write a report on my feelings about my year? Last time I checked I was a scientist, and no one gave two flying shits about my "feelings". Come on; am I back in pre-school again? It seems like someone has asked me to write about what I did over the weekend.
"We went to the park and then we had sandwiches, and then I went on the swings and went really high. Then we fed the ducks, and I push my brother in the lake. It was fun. The ducks thought he was bread. Mummy and daddy were not very happy..."
Just where to Bristol get off patronising us? Its not like I haven't just written a 50 page report on the work I've done, surely from that you can work out how much I enjoyed the work?
Secondly, how do you write a report, where if you were honest the people responsible for giving your degree would be pissed off? What I want to say is that while my employers have treated me well, Bristol University have collectively sucked the monkey cock, and treated me and my fellow year in industry students like the shit on their shoe. And they'll probably expect us top credit them in our research project reports because of the support they didn't give us. If I had a question to ask of them, it took months for anyone from Bristol to reply, and even then it was to say that they were considering the question. I have had no contact with the academic supervisor (the guy Bristol assign to make sure everything is ok where I am) other than the two times he came down to torture me by making me give hour long presentations. We were definitely victims of the out of sight, out of mind, mindset. I also had to do some problem sheet work to "keep my eye in", but they were never marked and no one seemed to care whether I handed them in or not.
Thirdly, since when have physicists had to know what they were feeling? When did the hippies invade science and make sure that everyone is not doing work, but writing about how they "feel" about doing work? I am not a sensitive person, I do not keep a journal, I do not have any feeling about how this year went that you really want to hear. Honestly if this kind of thing continues, if Britain is invaded, our army will unprepared as they will all be writing about how they "feel" about going to war.
In short, piss off Bristol University. Sing for your placement report.
I wish I could send this off.
User Reviews
Submitted by squiddles (user info) at 2004-07-28 09:06:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
hey ummm different side to me is a bit difficult to show really as ive always kept it to myself ive never let anyone really know the real me and as for writing like a 2 year old can't really help that!
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2004-05-20 10:03:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm positive you should just send them this post.
Submitted by indigogecko (user info) at 2004-05-20 08:09:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
yey for departmental rants. One of the many reasons I *don't* plan on taking a placement (Physics @ Bath) is because it would be a loss of contact time for my degree...
Submitted by Philst82 (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:52:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
What you've missed Mr. Addict is that this is a 4 line paragraph in the handbook of 40 odd pages, that everyone missed until this week. This has not been mentioned all year to us, nor has it been chased up on.
I'm sure the chemistry department are good at this kind of thing, since they've been doing years in industry for ages now, but Physics as ever is behind the curve. They don't care, and more to the point they shouldn't try to make it look like they do. Arsewipes.
Submitted by DeathJester (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:52:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Heh poor you. Durham is ace, esp Geology.
GO ROX WOO!!!!
Submitted by Staccers (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:51:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I dont live in the north-east. But I have my opinions on it ----> http://www.ubersite.com/m/33252 I live in the south, but if i wanted to go to a uni nearer home, it would have to have been an agricultural polytech. As much as learning not how to grow anything, and grow rich and fat off EU subsidies, sounded good, it didnt appeal to me.
Submitted by Magicaddict (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:41:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
As a Bristol University chemistry graduate, it falls to me to answer this.
The lack of contact you were bemoaning? That was it.
That sheet of paper was for you to fill in anything that was particularly good or bad about the placement. Were you given your own office and a gopher (good)? Or were you told to make tea all the time (bad)?
Yes, it's not the most interesting of things, but Universities these days are desperately trying to get away from the "geek factor" of science degrees by encouraging the more creative side of people. Asking for your actual thoughts on the placement is one of the things they do to further that.
If you have no opinion, state that, or ignore the request, but please don't think they don't care, because they just demonstrated they do.
Submitted by Bellebrown (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:35:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
*smirks*
Submitted by Philst82 (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:32:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
And to think I turned down durham....
But there's nowt wrong with the city of Bristol. Just the elitest arseholes in charge with ideas above their station.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:27:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
send that!!
Submitted by Falco (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:26:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Staccers (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:19:58 (#)
Ranking: 2
HA! A well-earned +2. Makes me nervous though, im doing a medical placement with Durham university next year, I hope it treats me better than Bristol treats you.
But then Durham Uni is superior to ...ugh... Bristol.
*********
Durham! no shit i was going to go there? where bouts do you live in the north east?>
Submitted by Staccers (user info) at 2004-05-20 07:19:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
HA! A well-earned +2. Makes me nervous though, im doing a medical placement with Durham university next year, I hope it treats me better than Bristol treats you.
But then Durham Uni is superior to ...ugh... Bristol.
Submitted by Jimbo McSporren <MOnster> at 2004-05-20 07:02:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I have just eaten the back legs of an badger. mmmmm