Tag Archives: degree

Angry driver destroys degree show display (Rousse)

We queued for the degree show. This year it was held in the middle lane of a very busy highway. The traffic was forced to a standstill and the drivers were becoming increasingly frustrated. For one enough was enough. He … Continue reading

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Narrow boat holiday negotiations (Rousse)

RG-J was far more excited about her family’s narrow boat holiday than her husband. I couldn’t quite understand her enthusiasm for travelling by canal, especially when she tried – and failed – to demonstrate how to steer a narrow boat … Continue reading

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Tom Binns, Kev F Sutherland, a trip on the Titanic, and a disputed thesis (Rousse)

Tom Binns was in the pub enjoying a lunchtime drink with my colleague KC. I interrupted their conversation to invite Tom Binns to lunch with me during the Edinburgh Fringe. She (for Tom Binns is really a woman) was reluctant … Continue reading

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An Edinburgh colony house visit (Rousse)

I met LK sitting on the narrow pavement outside her colony house on Easter Road. She wanted to show me her garden so we left her two daughters by the roadside and I followed her through the main door of … Continue reading

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Doctoral degree entry requirements: Oxford and Edinburgh (Rousse)

All the others were clutching revision notes as we entered the exam hall. I had nothing in my hands because I had done no preparation whatsoever. So what if SH got a first and I failed? Then I started to … Continue reading

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A PhD on wind turbines (Rousse)

B’s PhD thesis was beautifully presented. Everything was well laid out on the highest quality paper, with a fluent and compelling narrative. I had always thought that he was conducting research into the efficiency of wind turbines, yet – so … Continue reading

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New discoveries at the University of Manchester: puppies working as lift attendants, an immersive Star Trek game with daleks, and a man called Yeast (Rousse)

At last the time had come when I could take up my place at Manchester University on the Early English honours degree course. I wondered what it would be like going back into first year. I anticipated that essay writing … Continue reading

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University of Birmingham releases exam marks 29 years late (Rousse)

It was about 06:00am when I heard someone come in through the back door of the flat and make their way into the kitchen. I leapt out of bed, pulled on some pyjamas, and went to confront the burglars. What … Continue reading

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Good academic conduct (Rousse)

MS made us sit through a multimedia training video that covered topics such as the disappointing award of non-English (specifically not “non-British”) degrees to Chinese students, plagiarism, bribery, and the spending of departmental funds on whisky. JK played all the … Continue reading

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Impatient engineers and cigar-smoking students (Rousse)

At 3pm I joined a meeting of colleagues in the School of Engineering. I never realised before just how many there were of them: hundreds! When it came to my turn to speak it was hard work to shout above … Continue reading

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