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The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

newleftreview.org

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Re: The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

#4
One of the key killing factors is the sheer waiting time on a grant. It used to take a matter of weeks and months to apply for a grant and wait for a result on whether you got it.

Now, we're talking on the order of months to a year. Imaging telling a talented grad student who wants to work with you to wait a year to secure them a place.

This prompts a lot of researchers to pre-emptively apply for anything and everything at all times, increasing the needless competition and slowing down the vetting process immensely.

Re: The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

#5
post #4

One of the key killing factors is the sheer waiting time on a grant. It used to take a matter of weeks and months to apply for a grant and wait for a result on whether you got it. Now, we're talking on the order of months to a year. Imaging telling a talented grad student who wants to work with you to wait a year to secure them a place. This prompts a lot of researchers to pre-emptively apply for anything and everyth…

Has Brexit played a role in this? When I was in and around British universities, ~20 years ago, EU grants were a significant source of income.

Re: The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

#6

University systems worldwide will need to consolidate and combine in order to preserve themselves, their rich collections and institutions, if they want to survive, because populations are plummeting globally.

They trivied for centuries on far lower population

Re: The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

#7

The article spends some lines blaming this on private capital but only hand waves and on it. I would expect something more concrete.

It's because they depend on foreign students for their income because they are limited on how much they can charge domestic students. Recent anti immigration sentiment has caused a massive fall in foreign student numbers.

Re: The British university is dying, and it seems that almost nobody cares

#10
The UK student loan book regularly changes hands on the secondaries market at half of face value. Make of that what you will. Draw whatever conclusions you might about the market value of some of the education provided.

I support anyone's wish to gain an education, including the study of esoteric subjects if that is what interests them. However many young people have been mis-sold an education in the belief that it would result in a well paying job. Of course the young are the easiest people of all upon which to perpetrate such a scam. There are very few with a film studies degree, who manage to secure a job as film director. About 500 people every year study golf course management. We have about 2500 golf courses.

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