Got my Degree results through 2 hours ago...

[MSA]

2:1 BA (Hons)..in Business Studies.

Kinda gutted though because I got 69%....1% off a 1st. Bugger!

I'm pleased though, but not as chuffed as Ullrich! Wow, what a ride.


--
Mark

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak"

[Nick Kew]

In article >, one of infinite monkeys
at the keyboard of Ben > wrote:

>>Kinda gutted though because I got 69%....1% off a 1st. Bugger!
>
> My brother just had a similar experience, half a % off a 2.1.

Huh? They give actual percentages these days?

20 years ago when I got my degree, it was just a classification.
10 years ago when I was (very peripherally) involved in assessing
students for theirs, likewise AFAIK ...

Is this something to do with university[1] league tables and competition?

[1] insofar as that is still meaningful ...

--
Axis of Evil: Whose economy needs ever more wars?
Arms Exports $bn: USA 14.2, UK 5.1, vs France 1.5, Germany 0.8
(The Economist, July 2002)

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

in article , Nick Kew at
wrote on 19/7/2003 12:19 pm:

> 20 years ago when I got my degree, it was just a classification.
> 10 years ago when I was (very peripherally) involved in assessing
> students for theirs, likewise AFAIK ...

I was given a percentage when I got my 2:1 (in Electrical Engineering) back
in 1989

[MSA]

"wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX" > wrote in message
...
> >Kinda gutted though because I got 69%....1% off a 1st. Bugger!
>
> I know that feeling ;-) But major congrats on your degree!

Thanks Helen!
>
> >I'm pleased though, but not as chuffed as Ullrich! Wow, what a ride.
>
> It was indeed.

Now wondering what his performance will be like in the Pyrenees and in the
last Time trial stage which is really flat.

Great Tour this year, it's like watching a soap opera unfold as the days go
on!


--
Mark

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak"

>
> Cheers, helen s
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> This is sent from a redundant email
> Mail sent to it is dumped
> My correct one can be gleaned from
> h$**$*$el$**e$n$**$d$**$o$*$t**$$s$**$im$mo$ns*@a$ **o$l.c$$*o$*m*$
> by getting rid of the overdependence on money and fame
> ~~~~~~~~~~

[Nick Kew]

In article >, one of infinite monkeys
at the keyboard of Michael MacClancy > wrote:

> we had to achieve to gain a Distinction. My understanding is that there
> was a change in practice during the late 80s as a result of data
> protection legislation (or the threat of it). This might be wrong but
> the theory was certainly current at the time. I'm surprised to read that
> you were awarding only classifications as recently as 1993.

Ah, that could well be. And I could easily have been mistaken; as I
said, I was only very peripherally involved: specifically (and in
different capacities) I supervised a couple of student projects, and
wrote an external assessment for a PhD thesis, but I was never involved
in the actual awarding of degrees.

> I found it much more motivating to know the actual percentage. It is
> much easier to identify strengths and weaknesses and decide which
> subjects to concentrate on.

I think you're probably right. Though I found it demotivating to know
them at school, in the sense that an A-grade was devalued by knowing
it was impossible to miss. (Cambridge entrance exams were another
matter - they were a real challenge).

ObCycling: it's largely thanks to Cambridge's enlightned policies and
the commute between Girton and town I got started:-)

--
Axis of Evil: Whose economy needs ever more wars?
Arms Exports $bn: USA 14.2, UK 5.1, vs France 1.5, Germany 0.8
(The Economist, July 2002)

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

in article , MSA at
wrote on 19/7/2003 2:46 pm:

> I'm just wondering if I should appeal?

If you weren't offered a viva there's prolly no point :-/

Guy

[W K]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" > wrote in message
...
> in article , MSA at
> wrote on 19/7/2003 2:46 pm:
>
> > I'm just wondering if I should appeal?
>
> If you weren't offered a viva there's prolly no point :-/

Well do they do that?
It was standard practice for any borderline cases to get a viva, and I did
also overhear lecturers discussing "other factors" like timekeeping and
getting things in on time.

[MSA]

"W K" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Nick Kew" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >, one of infinite
> monkeys
> > at the keyboard of Ben > wrote:
> >
> > >>Kinda gutted though because I got 69%....1% off a 1st. Bugger!
> > >
> > > My brother just had a similar experience, half a % off a 2.1.
> >
> > Huh? They give actual percentages these days?
>
> More to the point, people go on usenet 2 hours after getting degree
results.
>
> Were the pubs shut?
>
>

Man, was it an anti-climax. I started phoning around to tell people and
they were all friggin out! I spent the night in with some tinnies! I came
on Usenet just to get a response from someone...you have to share the news
eh?

PS: I'm not as sad as I sound :-)


--
Mark

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak"

[Tony W]

"Peter Connolly" > wrote in message
...
..
>
> ...it was a first, but as it was in computer science, it's gets less
> relevant as the years go by. Who needs to know about punch-cards and
bubble
> memory now! (I just wish I brought some shares in that small company that
> invented MS-DOS v.1...)

No point. They got about 50 bucks from the smart geek down the road and
then went bust.

A few bob in that smart geeks outfit would have been nice though.

T

[Peter Connolly]

"Tony W" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Peter Connolly" > wrote in message
> ...
> .
> >
> > ...it was a first, but as it was in computer science, it's gets less
> > relevant as the years go by. Who needs to know about punch-cards and
> bubble
> > memory now! (I just wish I brought some shares in that small company
that
> > invented MS-DOS v.1...)
>
> No point. They got about 50 bucks from the smart geek down the road and
> then went bust.
>
> A few bob in that smart geeks outfit would have been nice though.
>
> T
>
>
Well, you know what I mean! After 20 years, Tim Patterson and QDOS have
pretty much been forgotten, and the $50,000 is long spent!

I remember complaining, "Why do we have to use this MS-DOS thing, when CP/M
is much better"....so don't come to me for any share-dealing tips!

Regards,

Pete.

[Danny Colyer]

Michael MacClancy wrote:
> When I was doing my first degree (1980-83) we only got grades
> throughout the whole course and we had no real idea about the
> weighting of these grades in the final result,

When I did mine (1991-1995) we were given a percentage at the end, but
no feedback during the course. If we'd had feedback, I might have done
a bit of work and done better than my 49% (just missing out on a 2:1)
:-(

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny )
Recumbent cycle page: http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

[Nick Kew]

In article >, one of infinite monkeys
at the keyboard of "Peter Connolly" > wrote:

> ...it was a first, but as it was in computer science, it's gets less
> relevant as the years go by. Who needs to know about punch-cards and bubble
> memory now!

Erm, who needed to know about them then? I didn't in my first professional
programming job in '83.

> (I just wish I brought some shares in that small company that
> invented MS-DOS v.1...)

AIUI when he sold up to Bill Gates, $50K was considered way overpriced.


--
Axis of Evil: Whose economy needs ever more wars?
Arms Exports $bn: USA 14.2, UK 5.1, vs France 1.5, Germany 0.8
(The Economist, July 2002)

[MSA]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" > wrote in message
...
> in article , MSA at
> wrote on 19/7/2003 5:50 pm:
>
> >> More to the point, people go on usenet 2 hours after getting degree
> >> results.
> >> Were the pubs shut?
>
> > Man, was it an anti-climax. I started phoning around to tell people and
> > they were all friggin out!
>
> And they didn't invite you? Obviously you spent too much time working and
> not enough cultivating the Right Sort of Friends ;-)
>
> Guy
>

Probably more truth in that than you realise! Still, I'll enjoy making up
for lost time!

Mark

[Colin Blackburn]

In article >,
says...
> When I was doing my first degree (1980-83) we only got grades throughout
> the whole course and we had no real idea about the weighting of these
> grades in the final result, which was itself just the normal
> classification.

Ditto, but more strangely first degree 1980-84 (extra year because I
jumped subjects.)

> When I did my Masters at a different university
> (1990-91) we were told the percentages throughout and knew exactly what
> we had to achieve to gain a Distinction.

Ditto, but more strangely Masters 1990-1992 (extra year because it was
part time.)

If you tell me either of your degrees are physics I'll be positively
spooked!

> My understanding is that there
> was a change in practice during the late 80s as a result of data
> protection legislation (or the threat of it). This might be wrong but
> the theory was certainly current at the time.

This is certainly continuing to have an impact. I mark examination
scripts for a different university to that in my email address and we
now have to consider any comments written on the script as these can be
made available to the students if they ask. Of course most comments are
simply clarifications to second markers, moderators and exam boards but
it was not uncommon for negative comments to be written next to answers.

I need to provide details of my undergraduate study to yet another
academic institution. I will be amazed if Manchester can provide the
details since it is now 20 years ago but I will be even more amazed to
find out my grades or percentages in individual subjects.

> I found it much more motivating to know the actual percentage. It is
> much easier to identify strengths and weaknesses and decide which
> subjects to concentrate on.

Yes. A recent graduate knew his final grade with a smallish error margin
because of 1st and 2nd year exams and assessment results. He was able to
target his final year, to some extent, to use his strengths.

Colin

[Michael MacClancy]

In message <MPG.1985aaf26cbd2235989b25@localhost>, Colin Blackburn
> writes
>In article >,
says...
>> When I was doing my first degree (1980-83) we only got grades throughout
>> the whole course and we had no real idea about the weighting of these
>> grades in the final result, which was itself just the normal
>> classification.
>
>Ditto, but more strangely first degree 1980-84 (extra year because I
>jumped subjects.)
>
>> When I did my Masters at a different university
>> (1990-91) we were told the percentages throughout and knew exactly what
>> we had to achieve to gain a Distinction.
>
>Ditto, but more strangely Masters 1990-1992 (extra year because it was
>part time.)
>
>If you tell me either of your degrees are physics I'll be positively
>spooked!

Cold shivers running up and down your spine? ;-)

The first one was Physics, the second an MBA.
--
Michael MacClancy

[James Annan]

MSA wrote:
> The only trouble is that
> whenever anyone asks what I got I'll be saying, "well a 2:1, but I was only
> 1% from a first!".

I know the feeling. I got a 1st, but only just.

:-)

James

[Colin Blackburn]

In article >,
says...
> In message <MPG.1985aaf26cbd2235989b25@localhost>, Colin Blackburn
> > writes
> >If you tell me either of your degrees are physics I'll be positively
> >spooked!
>
> Cold shivers running up and down your spine? ;-)
>
> The first one was Physics, the second an MBA.

Phew! First one physics, second one computational physics. I am not you!

Colin

[James Annan]

Daniel Auger wrote:
> On Mon, 21 Jul 2003, James Annan wrote:
>
>
>>I know the feeling. I got a 1st, but only just.
>
>
> Does that mean that you got some kind of "minimum energy" first?
> ;-)

Optimal resource allocation, I call it.

James

[MSA]

"James Annan" > wrote in message
...
> Daniel Auger wrote:
> > On Mon, 21 Jul 2003, James Annan wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I know the feeling. I got a 1st, but only just.
> >
> >
> > Does that mean that you got some kind of "minimum energy" first?
> > ;-)
>
> Optimal resource allocation, I call it.
>
> James
>

Thanks to everyone for the kind words....much appreciated.


--
Mark

"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak"