Weird and wonderful university traditions

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/8888676/Weird-and-wonderful-university-traditions.html

University admissions: best pupils 'losing out'

Some admissions chiefs like to get a range of abilities and skills on their courses and so make a range of offers.

Academically strong pupils with higher predicted grades may therefore have to get higher grades to secure a place, while those predicted lower grades may get lower offers if they can persuade admissions staff they have other qualities.

The problem is that the admissions systems vary considerably and are complicated, according to the report in the Times Educational Supplement.

A pupil predicted three top grades at A-level may be made an offer of AAA, whereas a candidate expected to achieve As and Bs may be offered AAB or ABB for the same course.

Roberta Georghiou, the head of Bury Grammar School for Girls in Greater Manchester and co-chairman of the Independent Schools’ Universities Committee, said: “The danger is that universities admit candidates who are unable to capitalise on the opportunity they have been offered, while others who meet the criteria are excluded.”

Pia Pollock, the admissions policy adviser at Manchester University, said: “Some of our academic schools use what we call a range of offers to ensure that they recruit and select the best students.” Lower offers were made to candidates unlikely to achieve the highest grades if they could convince staff that they had the potential to succeed, she added.

Details of the variation in admission systems were laid bare in a Freedom of Information Act request.

“Students and their teachers are being put in a difficult position by the complexity of the university admissions system and the lack of predictable patterns, with each university setting its own rules,” said Dr William Richardson, the general secretary of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference.

University applications drop sharply after fees hike

But Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said: "Ministers need to take responsibility for their disastrous education reforms and admit that, regardless of the final application numbers, the behaviour of prospective students will be affected by the huge rise in fees.”

Martin Lewis, creator of the Money Saving Expert website and head of the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, admitted Britain was “close to a crisis point for university applications” because of misinformation about repayments.

“While university may not be right for everyone, there's no doubt the increase in fees are at the very least a psychological deterrent – often more with parents than with pupils themselves – and worryingly potentially those from poorer backgrounds too,” he said.

The total number of people applying to university by November 21 stood at 158,387 – a drop of 12.9 per cent compared with the same point last year.

British applications slumped by 15.1 per cent and applications from other European Union states fell by 13.1 per cent.

The biggest drops were among mature students, with applications from 25- to 29-year-olds falling by a fifth and demand from over 40s slumping by more than a quarter.

But applications from foreign students outside the EU – who can be charged more than British counterparts and do not count towards Government caps on student places – have actually increased.

Numbers are up by almost 12 per cent, it has emerged, to 15,996.

Mr Willetts said: “Going to university depends on ability not the ability to pay.

“Most new students will not pay upfront, there will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”

Figures show that in Britain applications have dropped quickest among Scottish students – by 17.1 per cent – even though they get free tuition from the Scottish Government.

Demand among Welsh students, whose fees are fixed at just ￡3,465 by the Welsh Assembly, are down by 10.3 per cent – the smallest drop.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, the vice-chancellors' group, said: "We still have to hold back before coming to conclusions about these figures.

"It's worth noting that applicant numbers are currently down, not only in England, but also in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who do not have the same fees system. And last year for various reasons, was something of a one-off in terms of record demand.

"If we compare today's figures with the same point in 2010, the numbers are broadly similar.”

Academic condemns 'tortuous' university admissions

The university admissions process is "needlessly torturous", said Professor Mary Beard.?Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Mary Beard, the Cambridge University classics professor, said the admissions system employed in Britain was “more difficult and stressful than it should be”.

She also condemned the “shameless self-marketing” candidates committed on their application forms, suggesting many personal statements were copied from the internet.

In further comments, the academic rejected criticism of the notoriously tough Oxbridge admissions process, saying that common attacks on the system by politicians of all parties were misguided.

The comments were made after the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service proposed a sweeping overhaul of the current system.

They are planning to allow students to apply for places after receiving their results for the first time in a move that would lead to A-levels being brought forward and candidates choosing courses over the summer.

Writing for the BBC News website on Sunday, Prof Beard said that the changes would involve “more upheavals than you can imagine” but insisted it could take the “unnecessary heat out of the whole process”.

“The whole business of university applications in this country, for any university, is needlessly tortuous,” she said.

“The end result might be OK - happily many kids get where they want to go.

“But the route they have to take is more difficult and stressful than it should be.

“It relies on ridiculously minute distinctions between exam grades, it demands shameless self-marketing from the students on their application forms, and it operates according to a timetable that any outside observer would say was plain bonkers.”

Prof Beard, classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement and presenter of the recent documentary series Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town, said many universities now relied on students’ A-level grades and their personal statement – instead of an interview – to select candidates.

But she insisted: “Today's statements are much less concerned with good works, and are often uncomfortably corporate in style - weaving together clever quotations from Shakespeare and Aristotle with carefully constructed personal anecdotes, to create an implausibly perfect impression.

“They're so professional that they have to be put through "plagiarism detection" software - which apparently many fail.”

Currently, students are supposed to apply to Oxbridge by October – around a year before courses start – and to other universities in January. Candidates are then given provisional offers based on the proviso that they gain predicted exam grades the following summer.

Those who fail to score high enough in A-levels and other qualifications are eligible for “clearing” – the system that matches students to spare places.

But writing on BBC online, Prof Beard said: “More than anything, it is the bizarre timetable that makes the application process so preoccupying.

“When we say in January or February that someone ‘got in’ to their chosen university, we don't actually mean that. We mean that they will have got in if they achieve the grades demanded by the university in their summer exam, which even if all goes well, drags out the nail biting for a good six months.”

She added: “If it doesn't go well and they don't get the grades, they enter a whole new round of applications in August.

“This is a frenetic process, with applicants tracking down the remaining unfilled places by email and phone - then being given maybe a few hours to accept a place for a course they haven't really explored at a university they know little about.”

Academic condemns 'torturous' university admissions

The university admissions process is "needlessly torturous", said Professor Mary Beard.?Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Mary Beard, the Cambridge University classics professor, said the admissions system employed in Britain was “more difficult and stressful than it should be”.

She also condemned the “shameless self-marketing” candidates committed on their application forms, suggesting many personal statements were copied from the internet.

In further comments, the academic rejected criticism of the notoriously tough Oxbridge admissions process, saying that common attacks on the system by politicians of all parties were misguided.

The comments were made after the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service proposed a sweeping overhaul of the current system.

They are planning to allow students to apply for places after receiving their results for the first time in a move that would lead to A-levels being brought forward and candidates choosing courses over the summer.

Writing for the BBC News website on Sunday, Prof Beard said that the changes would involve “more upheavals than you can imagine” but insisted it could take the “unnecessary heat out of the whole process”.

“The whole business of university applications in this country, for any university, is needlessly tortuous,” she said.

“The end result might be OK - happily many kids get where they want to go.

“But the route they have to take is more difficult and stressful than it should be.

“It relies on ridiculously minute distinctions between exam grades, it demands shameless self-marketing from the students on their application forms, and it operates according to a timetable that any outside observer would say was plain bonkers.”

Prof Beard, classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement and presenter of the recent documentary series Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town, said many universities now relied on students’ A-level grades and their personal statement – instead of an interview – to select candidates.

But she insisted: “Today's statements are much less concerned with good works, and are often uncomfortably corporate in style - weaving together clever quotations from Shakespeare and Aristotle with carefully constructed personal anecdotes, to create an implausibly perfect impression.

“They're so professional that they have to be put through "plagiarism detection" software - which apparently many fail.”

Currently, students are supposed to apply to Oxbridge by October – around a year before courses start – and to other universities in January. Candidates are then given provisional offers based on the proviso that they gain predicted exam grades the following summer.

Those who fail to score high enough in A-levels and other qualifications are eligible for “clearing” – the system that matches students to spare places.

But writing on BBC online, Prof Beard said: “More than anything, it is the bizarre timetable that makes the application process so preoccupying.

“When we say in January or February that someone ‘got in’ to their chosen university, we don't actually mean that. We mean that they will have got in if they achieve the grades demanded by the university in their summer exam, which even if all goes well, drags out the nail biting for a good six months.”

She added: “If it doesn't go well and they don't get the grades, they enter a whole new round of applications in August.

“This is a frenetic process, with applicants tracking down the remaining unfilled places by email and phone - then being given maybe a few hours to accept a place for a course they haven't really explored at a university they know little about.”

University admissions: best pupils 'losing out'

Some admissions chiefs like to get a range of abilities and skills on their courses and so make a range of offers.

Academically strong pupils with higher predicted grades may therefore have to get higher grades to secure a place, while those predicted lower grades may get lower offers if they can persuade admissions staff they have other qualities.

The problem is that the admissions systems vary considerably and are complicated, according to the report in the Times Educational Supplement.

A pupil predicted three top grades at A-level may be made an offer of AAA, whereas a candidate expected to achieve As and Bs may be offered AAB or ABB for the same course.

Roberta Georghiou, the head of Bury Grammar School for Girls in Greater Manchester and co-chairman of the Independent Schools’ Universities Committee, said: “The danger is that universities admit candidates who are unable to capitalise on the opportunity they have been offered, while others who meet the criteria are excluded.”

Pia Pollock, the admissions policy adviser at Manchester University, said: “Some of our academic schools use what we call a range of offers to ensure that they recruit and select the best students.” Lower offers were made to candidates unlikely to achieve the highest grades if they could convince staff that they had the potential to succeed, she added.

Details of the variation in admission systems were laid bare in a Freedom of Information Act request.

“Students and their teachers are being put in a difficult position by the complexity of the university admissions system and the lack of predictable patterns, with each university setting its own rules,” said Dr William Richardson, the general secretary of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference.

Academic condemns 'tortuous' university admissions

The university admissions process is "needlessly torturous", said Professor Mary Beard.?Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Mary Beard, the Cambridge University classics professor, said the admissions system employed in Britain was “more difficult and stressful than it should be”.

She also condemned the “shameless self-marketing” candidates committed on their application forms, suggesting many personal statements were copied from the internet.

In further comments, the academic rejected criticism of the notoriously tough Oxbridge admissions process, saying that common attacks on the system by politicians of all parties were misguided.

The comments were made after the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service proposed a sweeping overhaul of the current system.

They are planning to allow students to apply for places after receiving their results for the first time in a move that would lead to A-levels being brought forward and candidates choosing courses over the summer.

Writing for the BBC News website on Sunday, Prof Beard said that the changes would involve “more upheavals than you can imagine” but insisted it could take the “unnecessary heat out of the whole process”.

“The whole business of university applications in this country, for any university, is needlessly tortuous,” she said.

“The end result might be OK - happily many kids get where they want to go.

“But the route they have to take is more difficult and stressful than it should be.

“It relies on ridiculously minute distinctions between exam grades, it demands shameless self-marketing from the students on their application forms, and it operates according to a timetable that any outside observer would say was plain bonkers.”

Prof Beard, classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement and presenter of the recent documentary series Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town, said many universities now relied on students’ A-level grades and their personal statement – instead of an interview – to select candidates.

But she insisted: “Today's statements are much less concerned with good works, and are often uncomfortably corporate in style - weaving together clever quotations from Shakespeare and Aristotle with carefully constructed personal anecdotes, to create an implausibly perfect impression.

“They're so professional that they have to be put through "plagiarism detection" software - which apparently many fail.”

Currently, students are supposed to apply to Oxbridge by October – around a year before courses start – and to other universities in January. Candidates are then given provisional offers based on the proviso that they gain predicted exam grades the following summer.

Those who fail to score high enough in A-levels and other qualifications are eligible for “clearing” – the system that matches students to spare places.

But writing on BBC online, Prof Beard said: “More than anything, it is the bizarre timetable that makes the application process so preoccupying.

“When we say in January or February that someone ‘got in’ to their chosen university, we don't actually mean that. We mean that they will have got in if they achieve the grades demanded by the university in their summer exam, which even if all goes well, drags out the nail biting for a good six months.”

She added: “If it doesn't go well and they don't get the grades, they enter a whole new round of applications in August.

“This is a frenetic process, with applicants tracking down the remaining unfilled places by email and phone - then being given maybe a few hours to accept a place for a course they haven't really explored at a university they know little about.”

University applications drop sharply after fees hike

But Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said: "Ministers need to take responsibility for their disastrous education reforms and admit that, regardless of the final application numbers, the behaviour of prospective students will be affected by the huge rise in fees.”

Martin Lewis, creator of the Money Saving Expert website and head of the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, admitted Britain was “close to a crisis point for university applications” because of misinformation about repayments.

“While university may not be right for everyone, there's no doubt the increase in fees are at the very least a psychological deterrent – often more with parents than with pupils themselves – and worryingly potentially those from poorer backgrounds too,” he said.

The total number of people applying to university by November 21 stood at 158,387 – a drop of 12.9 per cent compared with the same point last year.

British applications slumped by 15.1 per cent and applications from other European Union states fell by 13.1 per cent.

The biggest drops were among mature students, with applications from 25- to 29-year-olds falling by a fifth and demand from over 40s slumping by more than a quarter.

But applications from foreign students outside the EU – who can be charged more than British counterparts and do not count towards Government caps on student places – have actually increased.

Numbers are up by almost 12 per cent, it has emerged, to 15,996.

Mr Willetts said: “Going to university depends on ability not the ability to pay.

“Most new students will not pay upfront, there will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”

Figures show that in Britain applications have dropped quickest among Scottish students – by 17.1 per cent – even though they get free tuition from the Scottish Government.

Demand among Welsh students, whose fees are fixed at just ￡3,465 by the Welsh Assembly, are down by 10.3 per cent – the smallest drop.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, the vice-chancellors' group, said: "We still have to hold back before coming to conclusions about these figures.

"It's worth noting that applicant numbers are currently down, not only in England, but also in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who do not have the same fees system. And last year for various reasons, was something of a one-off in terms of record demand.

"If we compare today's figures with the same point in 2010, the numbers are broadly similar.”

Students 'could be put off university' by confusion over fees, warns Martin Lewis

Confusion over the system of tuition fees in 2012 could be putting students off university, warns Martin Lewis.?Photo: REX FEATURES

Martin Lewis, the consumer expert, said students were “ill-equipped and uneducated” about how the new system would work next year.

From 2012, English universities will be able to charge up to ￡9,000 a year – almost three times the current amount.

Graduates will pay back loans when they earn ￡21,000 and make smaller monthly repayments than at present. Debts will also take much longer to clear but will be written off after 30 years.

Mr Lewis, who has been named the new head of the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, said he was “no fan of the changes”.

But he insisted that the myths surrounding the practical finances of the system “may well end up more damaging to prospective students’ aspirations than the new fees themselves”.

It came as a poll of almost 2,000 adults, published by the taskforce today, found almost six-in-10 had little or no understanding of how the new fees system would work.

More than a quarter – 26 per cent – wrongly thought that students would have to pay their fees upfront and more than half said the system would make going to university less attractive.

The disclosure comes despite the fact that applications have already closed for some courses – including those to Oxbridge – and most students are expected to apply by January.

It also comes amid continuing uncertainty over fee levels at some universities.

Some 27 un-named institutions are yet to confirm their final average fees after submitting revised plans to the Government’s Office for Fair Access, it was confirmed this week.

Mr Lewis, head of Money Saving Expert, said: "The communication of tuition fees by all parties over the last few years is a national scandal.

"They've left us as a nation ill-equipped and uneducated about how this crucial and very different form of finance works.

"We need to start a war on this ignorance. After all, if students don't understand the true cost, how can they decide if it's worth it."

Non-Euro mod lang degree course guide

This course offer students the chance to get to grips with the language and cultures of a major non-European country or countries?Photo: Jeff Blackler/Rex Features

"Any man who does not make himself proficient in at least two languages other than his own is a fool." Martin H. Fischer

What qualification do you leave with?

Usually a BA. Scottish universities typically offer MAs.

What does it cover?

Chinese courses seem likely to grow in popularity, as the country's economic boom drives new career opportunities for British graduates with linguistic capabilities. Degrees vary in the extent to which they emphasise contemporary Chinese – Leeds offers a course entitled "modern Chinese" – or the language in its classical form: London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) expects all students to study classical Chinese alongside the modern form for at least two years. Generally, options allow students to focus on subjects ranging from art and archaeology to literature and religion, and there are also chances to learn about Chinese business and enterprise.

Japanese is said to be one of the world's hardest languages, its lack of connection and similarity with English making it a challenging subject for many. Students on most courses will grapple with reading and writing the characters of the Japanese language, while building fluency in conversation, grammar and comprehension. Japanese degrees generally give undergraduates the chance to explore both the ancient origins of Japanese culture and its hi-tech contemporary expression, as well as taking modules on linguistics, the politics of Japan and its neighbours, and, in some cases, on the language and culture of proximate societies including China, Korea and Thailand.

Students wanting to immerse themselves in the language, cultures and often conflict-laden histories of the Indian subcontinent have a range of courses to choose from. At SOAS, South Asian Studies covers India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, with undergraduates specialising in one of six languages. At Edinburgh, students can take South Asian Studies in combination either with Social Anthropology or Sociology. At Leeds, a range of joint honours degrees cover South East Asian Studies, embracing Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia. SOAS also offers courses in languages including Burmese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean, while Sheffield also offers Korean.

Undergraduates attracted to the language and civilisations of the Middle East also have a range of possible destinations. Arabic – language, culture, history and politics – is taught at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Exeter, Manchester and SOAS, all of which also offer Persian, while Oxford, Manchester, SOAS and King's College London teach Turkish. Hebrew is taught at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews and University College London. Middle Eastern Studies is offered by universities including Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester.

Finally, students can take a degree in African studies at either Birmingham or at SOAS. Academics at Birmingham have particular expertise in West Africa, but the course covers the entire continent, including the historic relationship with Europe, the experience of the African diaspora in the Caribbean and the interaction of African peoples with Islam. Students also get the chance to learn the West African language of Yoruba. At SOAS, Yoruba is one of six languages taught, with the focus being on the culture, history and politics of sub-Saharan Africa.

What to expect

A chance to focus on any of a huge range of cultures, with language learning usually central.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

Generally, an A-levels in the language to be studied is not required, with universities expecting that most students will begin language learning from scratch. In some cases, a language degree of some sort is preferred. Universities often make requirements of higher grades at GCSE in subjects such as English, maths and a language.

Career prospects

Modern linguists are generally in demand, and the small numbers of students taking many of these degrees will give them highly specialised skills in the jobs market. Graduates emerging with knowledge of the language and societies of countries including China, Japan and India will find business opportunities associated with the trade the UK does with these powerful economies. Graduates from the featured subjects also find work in non government organisations such as the United Nations, Oxfam and other charities, in the civil and diplomatic services, in teaching and in journalism.

Top places to study

The Complete University Guide rates Cambridge, Oxford, the School of Oriental and African Studies, Cardiff and Nottingham as the top five universities for East and South Asian Studies (including Chinese and Japanese) according to an index based on student satisfaction; entry standards; an assessment of the quality of the university's research; and graduate prospects. The guide does not provide ratings for other subjects listed here.

Students 'could be put off university' by confusion over fees, warns Martin Lewis

Confusion over the system of tuition fees in 2012 could be putting students off university, warns Martin Lewis.?Photo: REX FEATURES

Martin Lewis, the consumer expert, said students were “ill-equipped and uneducated” about how the new system would work next year.

From 2012, English universities will be able to charge up to ￡9,000 a year – almost three times the current amount.

Graduates will pay back loans when they earn ￡21,000 and make smaller monthly repayments than at present. Debts will also take much longer to clear but will be written off after 30 years.

Mr Lewis, who has been named the new head of the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information, said he was “no fan of the changes”.

But he insisted that the myths surrounding the practical finances of the system “may well end up more damaging to prospective students’ aspirations than the new fees themselves”.

It came as a poll of almost 2,000 adults, published by the taskforce today, found almost six-in-10 had little or no understanding of how the new fees system would work.

More than a quarter – 26 per cent – wrongly thought that students would have to pay their fees upfront and more than half said the system would make going to university less attractive.

The disclosure comes despite the fact that applications have already closed for some courses – including those to Oxbridge – and most students are expected to apply by January.

It also comes amid continuing uncertainty over fee levels at some universities.

Some 27 un-named institutions are yet to confirm their final average fees after submitting revised plans to the Government’s Office for Fair Access, it was confirmed this week.

Mr Lewis, head of Money Saving Expert, said: "The communication of tuition fees by all parties over the last few years is a national scandal.

"They've left us as a nation ill-equipped and uneducated about how this crucial and very different form of finance works.

"We need to start a war on this ignorance. After all, if students don't understand the true cost, how can they decide if it's worth it."

Performing arts degree course guide

What does it cover?

There tend to be three main elements to music degrees: performance, composition and musicology – the historical and scientific study of music – although the precise balance between the three can vary by course. It will also be heavily influenced by the individual's option choices. Universities can give the individual the option of tuition in up to two instruments along with the chance to build expertise of historical developments in music over the centuries and skills in critical analysis. Universities also offer specialist music courses, in subjects including popular music, music technology and music industry management, while joint honours degrees in combination with subjects as diverse as computing and fine art are also popular.

Drama and theatre studies degrees also blend the practical with the theoretical. Students get tuition in acting and in vocal skills, alongside studying the literature of the theatre: some courses cover dramatic writing from the classical era to today, with Shakespeare also prominent. Universities also offer chance to acquire a foundation in the skills of stage management, lighting, theatrical sound engineering, costume creation and stage design, while there are ample opportunities to take part in full-scale theatrical productions and some courses also allow the chance to take theatre to schools and care homes.

Dance degrees tend to focus on choreography and technique, underpinned by modules allowing opportunities for analysis of human movement, and teaching which puts the subject in its historical and cultural context. Students will become familiar with a range of types of dance, from ballet to street dance, and learn to engage critically with their own work and that of others. There are often opportunities to work with professional dancers, while productions are widely and understandably a staple of students' experiences. Some universities offer modules in which students perform for specific audiences outside the university, including in schools.

What can you expect?

While the accent for many will be on honing their performance skills, these degrees also provide academic and practical understanding of the foundations of these subjects which will be invaluable for some in future careers.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

For music, not all universities insist on an A-level in the subject, but performance to grade 8 is often required. Applicants may also be required to provide a recording of themselves performing.

For drama, universities vary in their requirements, some of them stipulating drama and theatre studies, others allowing English literature or wider humanities courses, and another group not specifying particular subjects. Many courses, though, will ask students to take part in an interview, audition or workshop.

For dance, some universities require or prefer dance or performing arts A-level, but they are in the minority. Students should expect to be interviewed and/or to undergo an audition.

Career prospects

Music graduates go on to jobs as performers, including in professional orchestras, and in composition (including film music composition) and music technology. They also take up work in arts administration, music teaching, publishing and journalism.

Drama graduates go on to become actors, directors, writers, designers, stage managers, technicians, drama teachers, TV researchers, producers and presenters and arts administrators, as well as entering wider careers such as public relations, marketing and publishing.

For dance, some graduates go on to teach, via Postgraduate Certificate in Education courses, while others find work either as dancers or behind-the-scenes work in dance companies. Dance therapy is another possible route, as, after further training, is physiotherapy.

Top places to study

The Complete University Guide rates Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, King's College London and Sheffield as the top five universities for music according to an index based on student satisfaction, entry standards, an assessment of the quality of the university's research and graduate prospects. For drama/dance, Warwick, King's College London, Queen Mary, Manchester and Bristol top the guide's rankings.

Universities need Pepys as much as Newton

Leszek Borysiewicz: a university is defined by the breadth of its mission?Photo: ADRIAN SHERRATT / REX

For more than 800 years, the University of Cambridge has been a crucible of knowledge and culture. Our students and scholars – from Wordsworth, Wittgenstein and Pepys to Newton, Darwin and Crick – have contributed to society across the centuries. We value, in the widest sense, creativity and research across all disciplines.

Yet the current economic climate is encouraging many outside academia to assess universities’ impact in narrow, utilitarian terms, concentrating only on economic benefit or benefit to individual graduates and their employability. I believe that as global political and economic uncertainty increases, so does the danger of this viewpoint.

Cambridge is rightly celebrated for its innovation in science and technology – from the structure of the atom to the structure of DNA – and the university has more Nobel Prize winners than any other higher education institution in the world, in literature, economics and peace, as well as chemistry, physics and medicine. This reminds us that a university is not defined solely by science and technology but by the breadth of its mission.

And so it is essential that the full range of universities’ contributions is valued appropriately by the society we serve. The arts and humanities – which my colleague Professor Stefan Collini describes as “a series of disciplined attempts to extend and deepen understanding of human activity in its greatest richness and diversity, across times and cultures” – are an indispensable part of that contribution.

I am not alone in my concern. Reflecting on Cardinal Newman’s ideas on the role of the university, my predecessor as vice-chancellor, Professor Dame Alison Richard, observed: “The dichotomy between 'useful’ and 'not useful’ is itself increasingly 'not useful’.” With an anthropologist’s view of the benefits of biodiversity, she made a powerful case for its academic equivalent: “The case for breadth centres on the proposition that the greatest challenges facing the world today are of huge complexity and global scope, best tackled by people whose education enables them to integrate different fields of knowledge and work across conventional academic boundaries.”

As we face the aftermath of one recession and struggle to avoid another, governments are, reasonably, focused on short-term financial perspectives. But as an 800-year-old academic institution and one of the world’s leading universities, Cambridge has a responsibility to take the long – as well as the broad – view.

Recent debates on higher education have focused on undergraduate teaching, obscuring the true scope and nature of universities by neglecting their research role – even though the benefit to students of being taught by those with active research careers is transformative.

To address complex questions of critical importance requires research across many disciplines and over the long term. Cancer prevention offers a good example, not least because the disease presents a complex challenge: the core problem cannot be addressed by science alone.

I trained as a doctor and spent most of my career in academic clinical medicine, studying cervical cancer. A UK-wide vaccination programme has been under way since 2008 and take-up has been excellent. But just as a safe and effective vaccine depends on the best clinical research, in a society that exercises free choice, successful take-up depends on a programme whose acceptability to patients must be informed by rigorous social science research that complements and completes the medical science.

This is not to argue that humanities and social science research exists only to serve science, technology and medicine. Understanding the causes and consequences of human behaviour is an end in itself, and there are many examples of arts and humanities research at Cambridge that bring social benefit or help illuminate pressing global concerns.

Migration and multiculturalism are two of those concerns, and in March this year, Cambridge launched a collaboration with two German universities using the latest research on German history to shed new light on immigration and guest workers.

Given that declining populations mean Western Europe as a whole must face up to a need for immigration, we should welcome the fact that historical scholarship can help inform this debate.

Closer to home, academics from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics recently set up the Cambridge Bilingualism Network. Working in local primary schools where pupils speak dozens of languages, the Network is bringing the latest linguistic research into the classroom to help parents and teachers nurture the gift of bilingualism.

In economic hard times, who will look to the long term? Governments will not; stockmarkets cannot; businesses dare not. Instead, we must look to our universities, which by virtue of their autonomy can build the disciplinary breadth and long-term vision to discharge that responsibility.

Over 800 years we have discharged it to the benefit of Britain and the world, and we discharge it best by remaining committed to the arts and humanities. Cambridge this week is celebrating these disciplines and how they enrich all our lives, in the third annual Festival of Ideas – a showcase for Collini’s description of richness and diversity, across times and cultures.

Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz is vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge

IT and Computer Science degree course guide

Computer scientists are much sought after by employers and can command high salaries?Photo: BRC Designs/Rex Features

"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed." William Gibson

What qualification do you leave with?

Students usually leave with BSc but at University College London there are both MEng courses which stretch for an extra year as well as a three year BSc programme.

Degrees are usually three years but combined Masters courses as well as many opportunities to study

What does it cover?

Most computer science courses combine two strands, basic theories behind computer functions (ie algorithms) and more applied work such as Java programming. The initial course at UCL is 'Computer Architecture' which gives students a basic understanding of the structure of computers and the ways in which they hold information. Other common areas of study are professional specifications for software projects and the workings of microprocessors. Students then finish their degree with a large individual project which, at UCL, has included students designing commercially available iPhone applications and software which manages the reams of data already gathered on the athletes likely to compete in London 2012. Goldsmiths, University of London, run undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes that include the application of computer science to the arts, media, music, design, games, psychology and business.

At undergraduate level at the University of Bedfordshire, 17 specialist BSc degrees courses are on offer.

What can you expect?

Whilst most people think some kind of voodoo magic enables our phones to receive emails, computer science students are amongst the few humans who can fully comprehend how small devices like laptops and phones manage to do all the things we ask them to.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

UCL requires students to have mathematics at A level and – for their mathematical computation programme – further mathematic too. Some institutions will only require strong GCSE results in maths but students need to show that this is an area that they are passionate about and determined to succeed in.

Career prospects

It may have become a hackneyed truism but computers play an increasingly fundamental part in our lives, from managing financial transactions between international corporations to letting us stream television programmes we've missed earlier in the week. This therefore gives computer scientists a shaman-like position in society, opening doors to well-paid jobs across the public and private sectors.

Top places to study

The latest Complete University Guide (published in April 2011) rates Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL and Bristol as the top five universities for this subject according to an index based on student satisfaction, entry standards, an assessment of the quality of the university's research, and graduate prospects.

Spend £27,000 on university? No, thank you...

When I tell people I’m not going to university, I am often met with shock and pity. I have the qualifications – three A-levels, including two As – but not the inclination.

This autumn, I have watched each and every one of my friends leave home for higher education. My entire school life had been based on preparing me for to university. In Year Seven, my teachers would hold up failed maths exams and bellow, “You will never go to university if you carry on like this”. In sixth form, I had two classes a week devoted solely to my Ucas application; and after I’d been suspended for a second time, the headmaster put his head in his hands and sighed, “Well, there’s always secretarial college”.

So higher education of some kind was not an option, it was a given. Now, when people find out that I am not participating in this rite of passage, they tend to assume that I am either about to come into a huge amount of money or that I failed my A-levels. Neither of which is the case: I just don’t want to go.

I became disillusioned with the idea of university when I realised that every one of my friends was applying. Not just the clever ones, or those who wanted to carry on studying: all of them – including those who “simply couldn’t miss out on freshers’ week”.

But the intensive competition for truly desirable courses meant the majority had to settle for subjects of minimal interest. My two best friends, neither of whom is entirely unintelligent, both applied to relatively competitive universities because of pushy parents and the assumption that university is everything. They have ended up studying Construction Management and Sports Performance Studies.

I don’t think anyone has ever turned around to a builder and demanded: “Before you put up that scaffolding, do you have a degree in construction management?” Or said to an athlete: “That was the most impressive triple jump we’ve ever seen. Did you learn that in sports performance studies?”

People try and convince me that I will be unable to get a job without a degree in the current economic climate. But I believe that if I fetch enough coffees in a enough offices, learn about the businesses in which I’m fetching those coffees and make friends with the people whose coffee I’ve fetched, then I am more likely to end up with a paid job than someone who has a 2:2 in Animal Psychology from the University of Wolverhampton — no disrespect to animal psychologists or Wolverhampton.

I believe that being interesting, charismatic and driven – and I am working on all three – are worth more than any degree. In my experience, the people who end up relying on a degree are those who have not been brave enough to back their own ambitions or follow a path that their friends have disparaged.

If you love a subject, you should pursue it, carry on studying and, hey, maybe even get a degree in it. But most of the people that I know don’t go to university to study something they enjoy. They go so they can spend three years making friends, getting drunk and ending up with some sort of clue about work at the end of it.

I’m quite sure that if you try hard enough, you can do all of those things without shelling out ￡27,000.

Physics degree course guide

Students initially look at the theoretical strands of physics, from waves and lasers to quantum mechanics and relativity?Photo: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features

"Physics is imagination in a straight jacket." John Moffat, physicist

What qualification do you leave with?

Students get a BSc or an MPhys if they do a combined undergraduate and masters degree.

Usually a three year degree but with all the possible specialisms and opportunities for further study, it's not difficult to find students on four year programmes.

What does it cover?

Such is the breadth of physics – it does seek to understand the entire universe – there are many areas which students can concentrate on later in their degrees such as the physics behind sound and music to electromagnetism. Students looking for the chance to concentrate on extraterrestrial and intergalactic areas of study might want to go straight into an Astronomy or Astrophysics degree, where the birth of our Solar System, planetary structure and the behaviour of stars are all explored if they are yet to be fully explained.

What can you expect?

Physicists may be still on the hunt for a theory of everything but what they do know is still pretty impressive. From the origins of our universe to the power involved in a motorway accident, Physicists are very good at finding an opportunity to apply their skills to answer the most profound questions and to better understand the details of everyday life.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

Students will find it difficult to be accepted – or to keep up if they are – unless they've taken Physics and Maths to A-level.

Career prospects

From the progress of nanotechnology to the reams of data that the Large Hadron Collider is currently accumulating, the edge of human knowledge is creeping further into unchartered territory so whilst the jobs and areas of research of tomorrow might be impossible to predict, the need for physicists to explore and explain the universe will undoubtedly always be there.

Top places to study

The latest Complete University Guide (published in April 2011) rates Cambridge, Oxford, St Andrews, Durham and Imperial College as the top five universities for this subject according to an index based on student satisfaction, entry standards, an assessment of the quality of the university's research and graduate prospects.

Oxford University Conservative Association: famous alumni

William Hague, Foreign Secretary, who is association's current Honorary President

William Hague is currently the association's Honorary President (Picture: PA)

Guy Hands, former Goldman Sachs trader, chairman of Terra Firma and a close friend of William Hague

Guy Hands (Picture: REUTERS)

Dominic Grieve, Attorney General

Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary

Jonathan Aitken, former Conservative MP jailed for perjury

Members:

Theresa May, the Home Secretary

Theresa May, the Home Secretary (Picture: AFP)

Ed Balls, Shadow Chancellor,

John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons

Sally Bercow was a member during her days at Oxford (Picture: AMELIA TROUTBRIDGE/ EVENING STANDARD)

Sally Bercow, the speaker's wife

Nick Robinson, BBC's political editor

Nick Robinson, the BBC's Political Editor, outside No 10 Downing St. (Picture: REX FEATURES)

Lord Rees-Mogg, former editor of The Times

Ed Vaizey, Culture minister

Courtney Love, the rock star made a non-executive officer for "rock 'n' roll" earlier this year

Courtney Love, pictured with Kate Moss in 2007 (Picture: REX FEATURES)

Earl of Dartmouth

Sir George Young, the Leader of the House

Andy Street, the managing director of John Lewis

Andy Street, the boss of John Lewis, was a member of the Association (Picture: PAUL GROVER)

Other modern European languages degree course guide

Modern linguists are generally in demand, thanks to their ability to communicate where others fail?Photo: Markku Ulander/Rex Features

"Language is the dress of thought." Samuel Johnson

What qualification do you leave with?

Usually a BA. Scottish universities typically offer MAs

What does it cover?

Portuguese, Scandinavian and Russian/Eastern European studies enable students to get to grips with languages and cultures which are less widely-studied in the UK. This potentially gives graduates in these subjects scarcity value for employers, while often these courses benefit from having small teaching groups. All these courses include linguistic study, from beginner level, throughout the degree, and also offer a year abroad at university, working in a school or on work placement.

Portuguese, which outside the universities of Oxford and Cambridge is usually offered in combination with another subject in a joint honours degree, gives students the chance to acquire fluency in the language, histories, literature, film and wider culture not only of Portugal, but of Brazil and of African nations including Angola and Mozambique. It is also possible to study Portuguese as part of Hispanic Studies courses which also embrace Spanish language and culture. (See Spanish/Hispanic Studies).

Scandinavian Studies courses are available at the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and University College London. Students get the chance to learn Danish, Norwegian or Swedish, while encountering the literature of their specialist country from the Middle Ages to the modern period, studying the history and politics of the region and being given the chance to specialise in aspects ranging from linguistics to music. Specialist options include "The Enlightenment in Scandinavia", "Ingmar Bergman and cinema" and "Nordic welfare states and social democracy". UCL also offers modules covering Finland and Iceland, and a course in Viking Studies.

Russian/Eastern European studies is more widely offered, and allows students to investigate these rapidly developing though persistently enigmatic societies, their often traumatic histories and their rich cultural backgrounds. Students will be able to select options including a focus on Russian writers including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, on modern Russian history, on individual personal experiences of the Soviet regime and, in some courses, to take complementary language study in Czech, Polish or Ukrainian.

European Studies tends to emphasise contemporary continental politics and history, which students can study while building fluency in one or two European languages. Some courses, such as that at University College London, also offer students the chance to specialise in aspects of European civilisation much wider than politics, including anthropology, law, philosophy and urban planning, while modules taught at the University of Essex include "sociology of the new Europe" and "art, sex and death in 18th century Europe". Students will also learn about the institutions and politics of the European Union.

What to expect

A chance to follow your interests in learning about fascinating cultures less commonly investigated in this country.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

These degrees tend not to insist on the relevant language at A-level, as they offer teaching in the subject for beginner linguists. Teaching is, however, generally tailored so that those who do have proficiency will be taught at a higher linguistic level in the degree's initial years. Many courses require or prefer a language of some kind at A-level. Good GCSE grades in English, maths and sometimes a language are also often stipulated.

Career prospects

Modern linguists are generally in demand, and those fluent in either Portuguese, in Scandinavian languages or in Eastern European languages have the added advantage that their skills are relatively rarely found in Britain. Graduates with Portuguese, benefiting from the language's connection with Brazil, and Russian linguists, will gain in particular from the fast-developing opportunities associated with these countries' booming economies. Graduates in these subjects find work as translators/interpreters, in international companies, in journalism and broadcasting, in teaching and in the civil and diplomatic services. European Studies graduates are particularly well-placed to work within the institutions of the European Union.

Top places to study

The Complete University Guide rates Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, St Andrews and Bath as the top five universities for Iberian Languages according to an index based on student satisfaction, entry standards, an assessment of the quality of the university's research and graduate prospects. For Russian and East European Languages, the guide's top-ranked universities are Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Exeter and Bristol. The guide does not provide ratings for Scandinavian Studies and European Studies.

Forensic Science degree course guide

Television programmes and scientific advancements have made forensic science an exceptionally popular career choice?Photo: United National Photographers/Rex Features

"Nature composes some of her loveliest poems for the microscope and the telescope." Theodore Roszak

What qualification do you leave with?

Students leave with a BSc but many students specialise in crime scene science as a postgraduate.

It usually takes three years to complete a BSc.

What does it cover?

Students usually begin with getting a good grounding in some of the fundamental scientific ideas which underpin forensic science such as cellular chemistry, genetics, physiology and criminal psychology. Students are then gradually able to apply these ideas to forensic settings and at the University of Bedford this culminates with students working with new areas of forensics such as DNA profiling and compiling legal case studies. Students at Teesside University have access to a mock courtroom and must produce a professional standard photographic portfolio for assessment.

What can you expect?

Students might find the glamour of CSI quickly dissipates and human tragedy comes to the fore but forensic scientists are responsible for keeping us safe from some of our most dangerous fellow citizens.

What are the usual A-levels you need?

Applications come from quite a diverse pool of students but at least one science at A level will usually be expected.

Career prospects

The government's own Forensic Science Service warns potential applicants that "generally, all applicants have achieved a high standard with many having gained a PhD, Masters or other postgraduate qualification". This means that if students are looking to take a role in a forensic science lab then their undergraduate studies might be only the beginning of a long process. Alternatively, a student's broad legal and scientific knowledge can make him/her useful employees in a large range of research and management roles in both the public and private sectors.

Top 10 computer science degree courses

IT and computer science degree students at Edinburgh University are the most privileged when it comes to the amount of money spent on them by their department. Just under ￡20,000 was spent on each of the 455 graduates last year. The course also has one of the lowest student to staff ratios in the country, with eight students to one teacher. Unsurprisingly, 85 per cent of course graduates left saying how satisfied they were.

This list is compiled from data on employment prospects provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. For a full comparison see the Telegraph University and Course Finder tool.

Picture: ITV/Rex Features