The pathetic establishment that is my uni...
Discussion
So its hand in day today, got a massive assignment, final one EVER and its about 200 pages. I finish work at 5pm and head over to the library for the final printing and binding. Hand in time is 7:30 and as you can imagine its pretty busy with people doing the work at the last minute.
It gets to about 6:15 and im finally happy with it, print it out at 10p/page (nearly exhausting all my print credit but luckily not as you are about to find out...).
So i need to take it to the computer/library support desk to get comb binding kit in order to get it sorted. But the support desks close at 5:30 on a friday... 8pm monday to thurs...
How the HELL is that meant to work?
So they guy who is behind the desk says sorry mate we are closed. I say ok, well i have this 200 page project here which i need to bind and hand in now, can i have a binding kit from the stationary cupboard? "No mate, the tills are closed"
"Well, can you give me one, take my £1 coin and put it in the till tomorrow when it is open?"
"No mate, not allowed"
"Well can you turn a blind eye to me removing one, it really is important"
"No way, not worth my job"
"I think someone is calling you from the printer, i think its broken"
"Nice try, not happening"
At this point im getting really, really agitated, its 6:30 and I have an hour to get it in, the queues are building up at the campus centre to hand it in and I have to start some serious revision for the upcoming exams!!
So i ask him for the error report log which usually resides on the computer support desk, as i have seen a problem with a keyboard upstairs... he hands it to me... i rip off the comb binding bit, take the plastic sheet and cardboard back, toss him a £1 and say "you'd best buy yourself a new binding kit in the morning for that mate". His face was priceless.
I get myself downstairs, bind it and get it in for 7:23.
Throughout my time at uni, ive realised what an absolute mess the system is. I paid £1070 a year in fees, but the year after I started that went up to £3000+ per year. In my first year i have to say the majority of my lectures were cancelled and we calculated that it was costing large amounts per hour for our lectures, 10p per page to print (b&w), £1 for a comb binder, extortionate amounts for a coffee or toastie from the canteen. Uni's are meant to help the students, not exploit them!!
In my second year i was kicked out of they 24 hour lib at 11pm because my student card had the wrong date on it, the night before an important deadline. I did a coursework using printed notes given to us by a lecturer and got 52%, nobody got over 60% until he realised his examples contained vital errors.
The sooner this is over, the better.
It gets to about 6:15 and im finally happy with it, print it out at 10p/page (nearly exhausting all my print credit but luckily not as you are about to find out...).
So i need to take it to the computer/library support desk to get comb binding kit in order to get it sorted. But the support desks close at 5:30 on a friday... 8pm monday to thurs...
How the HELL is that meant to work?
So they guy who is behind the desk says sorry mate we are closed. I say ok, well i have this 200 page project here which i need to bind and hand in now, can i have a binding kit from the stationary cupboard? "No mate, the tills are closed"
"Well, can you give me one, take my £1 coin and put it in the till tomorrow when it is open?"
"No mate, not allowed"
"Well can you turn a blind eye to me removing one, it really is important"
"No way, not worth my job"
"I think someone is calling you from the printer, i think its broken"
"Nice try, not happening"
At this point im getting really, really agitated, its 6:30 and I have an hour to get it in, the queues are building up at the campus centre to hand it in and I have to start some serious revision for the upcoming exams!!
So i ask him for the error report log which usually resides on the computer support desk, as i have seen a problem with a keyboard upstairs... he hands it to me... i rip off the comb binding bit, take the plastic sheet and cardboard back, toss him a £1 and say "you'd best buy yourself a new binding kit in the morning for that mate". His face was priceless.
I get myself downstairs, bind it and get it in for 7:23.
Throughout my time at uni, ive realised what an absolute mess the system is. I paid £1070 a year in fees, but the year after I started that went up to £3000+ per year. In my first year i have to say the majority of my lectures were cancelled and we calculated that it was costing large amounts per hour for our lectures, 10p per page to print (b&w), £1 for a comb binder, extortionate amounts for a coffee or toastie from the canteen. Uni's are meant to help the students, not exploit them!!
In my second year i was kicked out of they 24 hour lib at 11pm because my student card had the wrong date on it, the night before an important deadline. I did a coursework using printed notes given to us by a lecturer and got 52%, nobody got over 60% until he realised his examples contained vital errors.
The sooner this is over, the better.
First rule of university life - every single employee of the univeristy hates students and will do anything to "teach them a lesson". At my (campus) uni - the security staff on the gatehouse were particularly bitter. One of them tried to split up a massive snowball fight between halls. On his own. Not the best idea...
eldar said:
Welcome to the real world. Having the work ready a day earlier would have given you 24hrs to sort any cockups. Should you really expect some minimum wage service to make exceptions (and probably risk their job) for your lack of foresight? s
t happens...
Saved me the trouble t happens...
Pasco said:
eldar said:
Welcome to the real world. Having the work ready a day earlier would have given you 24hrs to sort any cockups. Should you really expect some minimum wage service to make exceptions (and probably risk their job) for your lack of foresight? st happens...
Saved me the trouble t happens... Probably a better lesson than anything on the actual course......andy400 said:
Pasco said:
eldar said:
Welcome to the real world. Having the work ready a day earlier would have given you 24hrs to sort any cockups. Should you really expect some minimum wage service to make exceptions (and probably risk their job) for your lack of foresight? st happens...
Saved me the trouble t happens... Probably a better lesson than anything on the actual course......Pasco said:
eldar said:
Welcome to the real world. Having the work ready a day earlier would have given you 24hrs to sort any cockups. Should you really expect some minimum wage service to make exceptions (and probably risk their job) for your lack of foresight? st happens...
Saved me the trouble t happens...You'd think common sense would prevail and the campus centre would close at the same time, even if it was at 6:30, as the support desks.
Sometimes the printers go wrong, spit out rubbish, your print credit is eaten... what do you do then of you cant add to it?
Im considering ways to pay back the nice chap as we speak.
Firstly, that will teach you to leave it till the last minute like everyone else 
Second, been there, SO done that. My MA is shared with a bunch of other London universities. Because my university is a 40 minute train journey from London, we were told that if we kept our tickets to classes in London with the other universities (Kings and UCL) we would get a refund for them at the end of term, apparantly this was to encourage us to make use of all the facilities and knowledge available to us.
One of my classes in London was mandatory, the other I chose, and then my third is on my normal campus.
We've now been told that we will actually only be refunded up to £200 for the academic year. By my count I've spent close to £400 on train journeys, I would not have made use of "all facilities and knowledge" if I had known this because my MA has already cost a LOT of money and effectively losing £200 is a big deal to me.
And don't get me started on the appalling lack of security on campus (I'm sorry, but driving around in a big car is not patrolling, it's driving around, especially when it doesn't take you anywhere near several Halls), the number of times reception has been closed for weekeneds when they're meant to be our first point of call if anything goes wrong (i.e. burglary, burst pipe etc) and the whole "Oh yeah, someone tried to rape a student on campus last week but we're only telling you now" thing.
Second, been there, SO done that. My MA is shared with a bunch of other London universities. Because my university is a 40 minute train journey from London, we were told that if we kept our tickets to classes in London with the other universities (Kings and UCL) we would get a refund for them at the end of term, apparantly this was to encourage us to make use of all the facilities and knowledge available to us.
One of my classes in London was mandatory, the other I chose, and then my third is on my normal campus.
We've now been told that we will actually only be refunded up to £200 for the academic year. By my count I've spent close to £400 on train journeys, I would not have made use of "all facilities and knowledge" if I had known this because my MA has already cost a LOT of money and effectively losing £200 is a big deal to me.
And don't get me started on the appalling lack of security on campus (I'm sorry, but driving around in a big car is not patrolling, it's driving around, especially when it doesn't take you anywhere near several Halls), the number of times reception has been closed for weekeneds when they're meant to be our first point of call if anything goes wrong (i.e. burglary, burst pipe etc) and the whole "Oh yeah, someone tried to rape a student on campus last week but we're only telling you now" thing.
Edited by MentalSarcasm on Friday 25th April 23:07
AlexE46 said:
Pasco said:
eldar said:
Welcome to the real world. Having the work ready a day earlier would have given you 24hrs to sort any cockups. Should you really expect some minimum wage service to make exceptions (and probably risk their job) for your lack of foresight? st happens...
Saved me the trouble t happens...You'd think common sense would prevail and the campus centre would close at the same time, even if it was at 6:30, as the support desks.
Sometimes the printers go wrong, spit out rubbish, your print credit is eaten... what do you do then of you cant add to it?
Im considering ways to pay back the nice chap as we speak.
MentalSarcasm said:
Firstly, that will teach you to leave it till the last minute like everyone else
Isnt it just.Id also like to add that I have NEVER once stepped foot in the union, ive worked my arse off during these 3 years, paid that uni a fortune, got into all sorts of debt - its not as easy as its cracked up to be although i imagine if id have just let parents pay for everything, lives in halls, slobbed about, drank beer, then id have had much more time.
Maxymillion said:
Give us a hint of which uni...?
yeah, because we can make a shedload of money selling plastic combs at inflated prices!! buy a pack of 25 for a fiver down Staples and the uni is selling them for a quid a piece. seems like the students really aren't learning the value of money 
"wanna plastic comb mate......only 70p"
AlexE46 said:
Pasco said:
:Yarn: Stop kidding yourself
In what way?I'm guessing what he's referring to is the whole "poor me I'm a student I work so hard thing". Because let's face it, there a lot of students out there who spend all night getting pissed, stumble off to type up an essay, and rely completely on the bank of Mum and Dad for everything, then b
h that they have too much work to do.Seems a shame to tar all of us with the same brush, but that's life.
andy400 said:
AlexE46 said:
I have NEVER once stepped foot in the union.
What's the point of uni without going to the union to trap 18yr old girls away from home for the first time and adventurous with alcoholic persuasion?Things have changed since my uni days, I see........
MentalSarcasm said:
AlexE46 said:
Pasco said:
:Yarn: Stop kidding yourself
In what way?I'm guessing what he's referring to is the whole "poor me I'm a student I work so hard thing". Because let's face it, there a lot of students out there who spend all night getting pissed, stumble off to type up an essay, and rely completely on the bank of Mum and Dad for everything, then b
h that they have too much work to do.Seems a shame to tar all of us with the same brush, but that's life.
My humble apologies 
AlexE46 said:
andy400 said:
AlexE46 said:
I have NEVER once stepped foot in the union.
What's the point of uni without going to the union to trap 18yr old girls away from home for the first time and adventurous with alcoholic persuasion?Things have changed since my uni days, I see........
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