h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Last year was spent in something of a drug & hormonal daze. Also, with my blood pressure through the roof as it was, I didn't really have any energy left over, even if I'd had some brain power.

So instead of getting worked up about things that were unfair, illogical, badly handled, stupid, wrong, mean or anything else I don't like, I just kind of took it on the chin, shrugged it off and carried on going. All my energy was concentrating on managing myself, I didn't want to take on the world too.

(It might help at this point for you to know that my other life prior to Uni was spent as a fairly hard-core, high-flyin' PA. I've worked for some big companies and I've worked for some high level people. Basically I used to run their lives - and I was good at it.)

Now that I'm cured of the high BP, my hormones are fixed and normal and I'm not on any drugs, the old urge to fix things that aren't right is reappearing. The problem with that is that last year I was kind of happier, concentrating on my own little patch of stuff. Tilting at windmills is tiring, frustrating and ultimately, few things will improve.

At the moment I'm writing my final report for the first semester at Uni. The same brief has been issued to the 3rd years and to us, the 1st years. This feel a lot like setting us up for failure, although I'm assuming we will be assessed on a different level to them. There are no 2nd years to be assessed. (and that little fact is a story in itself)

My Uni is an Arts Uni. It's not academic in the common sense. There's a huge emphasis on hands on experience and we're learning a lot of stuff (like MIG welding, lathe-ing plaster, laser cutting and so on), some of which is immediately useful and other stuff which isn't at all at this point.

This is a small course - there are only 9 of us in the 1st year. Our teacher is also the head of department for our course and the much much larger 3DD department which includes glass work, ceramics, metal work and jewellery, with many more students in each of those.

Our teacher is very busy (and somewhat disorganised - my PA muscles are twitching) and as he is our only regular teacher, this usually means his time with us is cut short. On average we're supposed to have 6 hours with him a week, split over two days. We often only get one day out of those, i.e. 3 hours a week. This is our ONLY teaching some weeks. There have been no formal lessons or lectures, no discussions about parameters for things (stuff like knowing furniture is designed differently in the US to Europe to Asia - often due to average population height / size), or which materials are suitable for which sort of usage or their load bearing features or tensile strength.

I know we're in Yr 1, but somehow I would expect there to be some discussion of this seeing as how we are supposed to include it in our project reports!

Also, there have been several projects that have been cancelled and nothing has replaced them. We were supposed to do a 'flat pack' project in November - cancelled. We were supposed to have a week of learning how to build scale models - cancelled.

Our projects are due in on Tuesday, except our teacher has double booked himself, so he's asked us to bring everything in the following week instead. In effect, we've been given an extension, except we've not seen him since December and won't until the day of the assessment.

He is frequently late or doesn't show up - but when he's there he is hugely generous with his time. He is a brilliant designer and has worked for some really cool companies and he is just about the one teacher EVER that I can respect.

Which is why it kills me that I have this sinking feeling in my stomach - that this isn't going very well.

The reason I picked this Uni still stands. It is my local place and it's easy to do without uprooting everything. The hands on thing really appeals to me and I've very much enjoyed it. But I've also studied academic things before and I'm struggling to accept the whole self-motivated thing. I want to be TAUGHT something.

If I wanted an entirely self-motivated education, I'd have gone to the library or to the Open University. I want direction and attendance requirements and classes.

Now, I don't think I'm the only one with issues in the class. But I also think I'm about the only one crazy enough to try and fix things and I'm trying very very very hard to not get involved. I've even resigned as the student representative in an effort to be more self-centred and more selfish in a way - to concentrate on ME and MY studies, not everyone else. all the way.

But it's a hard fight. And I need you people to remind me why I shouldn't get involved and why I should just keep my head down and do my own thing and why I should complete the degree and why I shouldn't give up (again - that would be number 3!) because it isn't perfect and just go off and have kids.

Well, I've now had my assessment and am waiting for the written feedback. I'm hoping to improve my grade by at least 2% as that would then be the highest grade I've ever managed at uni level. I wasn't a very diligent student the fitst time around..hence the dropping out.

Also, we've had the new timetable and it looks a lot busier than the last one, so that should help. We're doing a group project with the third years and I want to work harder myself anyway so maybe the degree might end up being worth a certificate come the end.

*crosses fingers*

If the fingers crossed are for the results of Tuesday's assessment - thanks very much

If it's for the rest of the degree not sucking - I fear that you may be slightly premature and / or your fingers will be permanently bent from all the crossing required for the next 2 1/2 year for them not to suck...

why did I want to do this again?

I also had that problem, in a way.

60-80 hour work weeks for Uni were the norm, dropping to about 40 during "breaks". And I've come away feeling that there are huge gaps - for example, I don't know how to use a lot of different CAD programs. We were simply never offered opportunities to learn them.

Perhaps a few complaints in the right places?

Well, I got my mark and I managed my wished for 2%... times 3! I was hoping to crack 60% and I got 64%, so yay me!

Am very happy as this is the highest mark I've done at Uni level and hope to just continue to improve.

I had a chat with Tutor and he explained that due to the low numbers on the course there wasn't enough funding currently to get in an additional tutor, which he acknowledged was required as his time was actually split 50/50, head of department/teacher, which as a percentage isn't enough to do either job properly.

We've had a new schedule for this term and it's better in many ways - there is more structure set up. But last term part of the problem wasn't the schedule, it was the not showing up part. We've also got a sessional teacher running a whole project and my, is he a different teacher! He teaches at a near-ish Uni which is probably the only other place I'd consider going to, if I thought it was even possible, let alone a good idea, to move.

The reason I don't think it's feasible is because I don't think I'll have any / enough transferable skills / credits and if I can't end up with a good degree (from a better program) I'd rather take a good degree (from a lesser program) and go on to do an MA at somewhere really posh.

The group project with the third years is a really quick-fire one and so far it's not going well. Their priorities are different and there's some herding of cats involved just to get everyone to show up when agreed (in fact I'm at school now, waiting for more people to show up, 2 hrs late. But this way I can argue the toss - that _I_ was there!).

We also have a group project to do somewhere else and I'm not the happiest little camper with these things at the best of times and _these_ are not the best of times.

So. Last term, one project at a time. This term, three projects in one go. And a huge desire for the thing (and moi) not to suck.