Polytechnics...
...pretending to be universities. The general rule is never to trust any academic institution with either a river or a county in its name.
(ubergeekian, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 17:20, 11 replies)

The "university" I went to
was just a swimming pool before it was a poly.
( buffet_the_appetite_slayer ٩(●̮̃•)۶ jacked in to the ICE on, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 17:21, closed)

or Luton...
.
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Thu 16 Oct 2008, 17:27, closed)

The real danger
Is former polytechnics who're actively proud of pretending to be universities. Damn Anglia Ruskin are putting all their money into advertising and none of it goes back to the courses - gah! And they celebrated their 150th anniversary last year. No, no, WE'RE 150 years old, us, the art college you swallowed up and are steadily trying to ruin!

/rant
( Hampster Squared has stuff at www.tilla.co.uk, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 17:32, closed)

And more
from the days when they were Anglia polytechnic University - pretending they were a real university and getting thenselves confused with the University of Easy Access ...
(Biff..., Fri 17 Oct 2008, 15:55, closed)

ack
I go to Anglia and I didn't think it was too bad...
(Loopy^, Mon 20 Oct 2008, 23:49, closed)

The university I was a student at
is one of the country's oldest, with the some of the highest academic standards around, but nobody was afraid to call a spade a spade.

My first job was at a different university - this time a former Polytechnic. The amount of sheer bullshitting I saw and heard there in an attempt to make themselves sound academic was unreal. The lecturers didn't teach. They undertook 'pedagogical exercises'.

Needless to say, one of my most-used phrases that year was 'could I have that again, but in English please?'.
( rubberduck should only be used after consulting with your GP, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 17:33, closed)

"Pedagogical exercises?"
They want to be careful. If the place is common as you say, there'll be a howling mob outside the door wanting to "lynch the kiddie-fiddlers."
(Rsoles, Fri 17 Oct 2008, 12:54, closed)

The exception to this
is of course Sussex, which is a proper uni, while Brighton most certainly isn't
(Bazongaloid, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 18:29, closed)

Exceptions
Indeed - it's really just a rule of thumb. Then there's Oxford Brookes which (a) sounds as if it has rivers in the name (b) used to be (called) a poly and (c) has a far higher proportion of upper class twits than the real university down the hill.

Generations of in-breeding don't make for high intelligence ...
(ubergeekian, Fri 17 Oct 2008, 13:26, closed)

Errm
"The general rule is never to trust any academic institution with either a river or a county in its name".

So that's Cambridge out, then.
(MrC. Having the most boring username on b3ta since 2004, Fri 17 Oct 2008, 16:06, closed)

What about Durham?
The county is called County Durham.
( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Sat 18 Oct 2008, 11:56, closed)