University Rankings

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University Rankings
Tweet Topic Started: Aug 8 2013, 05:19 AM (563 Views)
Buuberries	Aug 8 2013, 05:19 AM Post #1
No Posts: 7,150 Group: Members Member #8,753 Joined: December 30, 2012 Gender Not Specified Country None Favourite Anime The Passion of Christ What Browser do you use? Christianity Favourite Manga The Bible	Okay so recently this has been pissing me off. I've been looking at postgraduate courses -- mostly an MSc in some type of psychology field since that's where I kind of want to go career wise -- and for the life of me I can't decide a damned thing. I have it in my head that university rankings are important (both overall and for specific subjects). I didn't care too much about it when I applied for my undergraduate because employers tend to look at the reputation of your postgraduate university for careers that require postgraduate qualifications. At least from what I've heard, your undergraduate university isn't as important. It's mainly for fields such as business and law (again, this is from what I've been hearing from friends and acquiantances), but unfortunately it also applies to academia. I'm undecided on where I want to go career wise at this point in my life. Originally, I wanted to go into practice, but now I'm kind of toying with the idea of going into academia and being a researcher. Doing either ends up with me completing a doctorate level course, and trying to help other people which is the main thing I want. However, most MSc courses for psychology aren't versatile enough to allow me to do one or the other after they're completed unless I do extra courses (problem with this is that I don't s* out £8k every time I'm in the loo). I would have to choose which path to go to before selecting a course. If I want to go into clinical practice, then I don't really have to give a f* about university reputation too much. If I want to go into academia, it'd be advantageous to pick at least a semi-prestigious university. I found a course at very prestigious university that will allow me to go either way after completing it, but they have like 10 placements per year and there's no way in hell I'm getting into that unless I get a superduperomfgsupersaiyan989189238921gokuvegetakidbuu>superbuuloplbroly>everyoneamazing reference from my third year dissertation supervisor. So basically can you try to dissuade me from thinking that university ranking is the be all and end all of education and career because it's limiting the s*** I look at. It doesn't even really matter too much for psychology, anyway; it's mostly an ego thing on my part of knowing I went to a prestigious school... if I even get accepted to any in the first place.
	¯\(°_o)/¯


NineTailedFox	Aug 8 2013, 05:52 AM Post #2
Posts: 274 Group: Member Member #9,173 Joined: March 12, 2013 Gender Female Favourite Anime AOT, DBZ, Naruto What Browser do you use? Google Chrome Favourite Manga Death Note, AOT	I have an ex who wanted SO BAD to go to a high end university (I live in the US), for the sole purpose to study English and be an English teacher or professor. She could literally do that ANYWHERE in the US, but she wanted one of the hardest schools that doesn't even have a very good English department. She ended up not even getting in (and she had like a 4.7 gpa, all A's and outstanding reports on her nation tests (SAT and ACT), but she wasn't up to their standard, apparently. That may or may not tell you how hard that certain school is. Anyways, she ended up going to one of our state schools (like Michigan State, Iowa State, etc.) and is in the honors college there. I honestly do not know how postgrad stuff works, so I wouldn't be able to comment on that. But imho, I think you could go to any University, regardless of the ranking, make the best scores you possibly could, and from YOUR work, not the school's, you could display yourself like you just graduated from Yale or Harvard or maybe MIT. EDIT: Oh my god autocorrect can go to h*. Edited by NineTailedFox**, Aug 8 2013, 06:10 AM.



Buuberries	Aug 8 2013, 06:14 AM Post #3
No Posts: 7,150 Group: Members Member #8,753 Joined: December 30, 2012 Gender Not Specified Country None Favourite Anime The Passion of Christ What Browser do you use? Christianity Favourite Manga The Bible	Yeah that's where my problem is. I almost dropped out of university during my second year. I ended up staying, but I didn't put in any effort afterwards so my marks just took a nosedive. My third and final year (the academic year just gone by), I started to care again and managed to get a lot of good marks to pull up my overall grade, but my crap from second year left a massive dent. So basically I'm relying on getting a decent reference to let people know I managed to redeem myself, although I do blame myself for being an idiot in the first place. The main theme of my life is being an underachiever, which is pretty ironic because I based my research dissertation on underachievement and got a pretty good mark lopl. But yeah you're right: I should make the most of whatever I get. Still, it'd look nice on my CV to get a placement at a semi-prestigious uni
	¯\(°_o)/¯


NineTailedFox	Aug 8 2013, 06:24 AM Post #4
Posts: 274 Group: Member Member #9,173 Joined: March 12, 2013 Gender Female Favourite Anime AOT, DBZ, Naruto What Browser do you use? Google Chrome Favourite Manga Death Note, AOT	I'd say f* what people think, but that's just me. I'm going into the military after college anyways. Flip a coin on it. Heads you care about ranking, tails you don't give a s*. Not just to see which it lands on, but in the moments that coin is up in the air, you know exactly which one you want it to land on. How's that for some psychology for ya?



Tim	Aug 9 2013, 12:22 AM Post #5
Forum Royalty Posts: 7,535 Group: Prince Member #4,562 Joined: November 1, 2009 Gender Male Country New Zealand Favourite Anime Hunter x Hunter What Browser do you use? Chrome Favourite Manga Hunter x Hunter	Buuberries Aug 8 2013, 06:14 AM Yeah that's where my problem is. I almost dropped out of university during my second year. I ended up staying, but I didn't put in any effort afterwards so my marks just took a nosedive. My third and final year (the academic year just gone by), I started to care again and managed to get a lot of good marks to pull up my overall grade, but my crap from second year left a massive dent. So basically I'm relying on getting a decent reference to let people know I managed to redeem myself, although I do blame myself for being an idiot in the first place. The main theme of my life is being an underachiever, which is pretty ironic because I based my research dissertation on underachievement and got a pretty good mark lopl. But yeah you're right: I should make the most of whatever I get. Still, it'd look nice on my CV to get a placement at a semi-prestigious uni That is the exact position i'm in haha. As far as rankings, make sure you're looking at their rank for research in this case if that's what you're going into. I'd be looking less as rankings in that area though and more at the reputation the school has for your field. For example, my university has a very well thought of neuroscience department and even though our ranking as a research university has recently dropped to 2nd in the country it is still a better option for that than the new #1. Definitely go and get a lot of opinions though ^^ Research



Buuberries	Aug 9 2013, 01:26 PM Post #6
No Posts: 7,150 Group: Members Member #8,753 Joined: December 30, 2012 Gender Not Specified Country None Favourite Anime The Passion of Christ What Browser do you use? Christianity Favourite Manga The Bible	Oh cool you do neuroscience? One of the courses I'm looking at is developmental neuroscience and psychopathology. I opted out of the neuroscience module during the third year of my BSc, though, so I haven't got too much experience with that, but luckily a lot of these MScs see psychology as really relevent. Anyway, thanks for your posts. Some of the universities I'm looking at are ranked in the top 10 worldwide for psychology research. Only thing bothering me is if I'll even get considered for those. And good luck. I managed to pull up my grade from something abysmal. I figure that if I managed it, then anyone can.
	¯\(°_o)/¯


Tim	Aug 10 2013, 05:53 AM Post #7
Forum Royalty Posts: 7,535 Group: Prince Member #4,562 Joined: November 1, 2009 Gender Male Country New Zealand Favourite Anime Hunter x Hunter What Browser do you use? Chrome Favourite Manga Hunter x Hunter	Buuberries Aug 9 2013, 01:26 PM Oh cool you do neuroscience? One of the courses I'm looking at is developmental neuroscience and psychopathology. I opted out of the neuroscience module during the third year of my BSc, though, so I haven't got too much experience with that, but luckily a lot of these MScs see psychology as really relevent. Anyway, thanks for your posts. Some of the universities I'm looking at are ranked in the top 10 worldwide for psychology research. Only thing bothering me is if I'll even get considered for those. And good luck. I managed to pull up my grade from something abysmal. I figure that if I managed it, then anyone can. I study medicinal chemsitry but opted to do a neuroscience paper as an elective, and hopefully will do one or two more next year as I finally finish off my undergrad :c I say go for it! Present a good application and I reckon you should have a good chance



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