Comments on: The system isn’t the problem http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/ The idle musings of John B Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:23:21 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Doormat http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-17613 Doormat Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:04:54 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/#comment-17613 If I were a betting man, then I'd say that Tania probably applied to read medicine. I can't see Sheffield rejecting someone with grades that good otherwise. But, as voyou said, it's impossible to tell, which is because the original reporting is wank. Are there really people out there who think that getting onto a medicine course should be as easy as getting into a mathematics course, say? Apparently so... If I were a betting man, then I’d say that Tania probably applied to read medicine. I can’t see Sheffield rejecting someone with grades that good otherwise.

But, as voyou said, it’s impossible to tell, which is because the original reporting is wank. Are there really people out there who think that getting onto a medicine course should be as easy as getting into a mathematics course, say? Apparently so…

]]> By: john b http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-17611 john b Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:41:12 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/#comment-17611 Yup, you're right. Doh. It reminded me of the whole Laura Spence thing - bright working class girl rejected for medicine at Oxford, subsequently offered a scholarship for biochemistry at [$US Ivy League establishment]. Cue idiot commentators suggesting that this was because Oxford was class-ridden and evil, not because biochemistry is an order of magnitude easier to get into than medicine... Yup, you’re right. Doh.

It reminded me of the whole Laura Spence thing – bright working class girl rejected for medicine at Oxford, subsequently offered a scholarship for biochemistry at [$US Ivy League establishment]. Cue idiot commentators suggesting that this was because Oxford was class-ridden and evil, not because biochemistry is an order of magnitude easier to get into than medicine…

]]> By: voyou http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-17609 voyou Fri, 24 Aug 2007 06:37:47 +0000 http://www.johnband.org/blog/2007/08/23/the-system-isnt-the-problem/#comment-17609 I think the article is talking about the A-levels they took (i.e., one did geography, the other psychology), not what they applied for; indeed, Imperial <a href="http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/courses/azofdepartmentsandcentres#G_int" rel="nofollow">doesn't seem to offer geography</a>. The article doesn't say what the two women applied for, or where they both applied. Without that, it's basically impossible to tell whether this is or isn't a sensible outcome. As you say, if they applied for different things at different universities, it could be perfectly reasonably that one got a place and the other didn't (the article is an annoying example of the belief that some people are "good students" and others aren't, without specifying <em>what</em> they're supposed to be good at). I think the article is talking about the A-levels they took (i.e., one did geography, the other psychology), not what they applied for; indeed, Imperial doesn’t seem to offer geography. The article doesn’t say what the two women applied for, or where they both applied. Without that, it’s basically impossible to tell whether this is or isn’t a sensible outcome. As you say, if they applied for different things at different universities, it could be perfectly reasonably that one got a place and the other didn’t (the article is an annoying example of the belief that some people are “good students” and others aren’t, without specifying what they’re supposed to be good at).

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