Why I Chose NOT To Go To My Graduation
It was a nice position to be in - Being the first in two
family trees to have gone to University. Furthermore, to have passed with a
2:1…
But what pride can you take in something that has offered no challenge, no fulfilment & no industry contacts? Out of the £24,000 you spend on a degree, your University has ignored any argument or complaint and would rather just keep taking the money out of young adults for as long as it can get away with rather than earning it.
But what pride can you take in something that has offered no challenge, no fulfilment & no industry contacts? Out of the £24,000 you spend on a degree, your University has ignored any argument or complaint and would rather just keep taking the money out of young adults for as long as it can get away with rather than earning it.
My non-attendence at the graduation ceremony is one I took out of moral protest. I have worked damned hard for many, many years of my life. Like any other taxpayer will tell you: Full time means 9-5 Monday to Friday, no half-terms, no "reading weeks", no summers, Christmas, Easter and sometimes not even bank holidays in the real world.
However, we're clearly not talking what's right and what's wrong when it comes to higher education anymore. It's become what's illegal and what can we get away with?
Since there's no 'technical' amount of hours a full-time course has to adhere to & there's no transparency on 'exactly' how many hours you'll spend on these, you can bet the greed will continue to grow in higher education.
You want the truth of my "full-time" timetable during my 3rd year scriptwriters BA (Hons) degree? No University wants a student's parents to see this on public domain, that's for sure! (test it - prove me wrong!) But here it is - I'm not joking. Ask any of the alumni you wish, whilst you're at it. Ask a few of the 1st or 2nd years what theirs are like. If you think this is shocking, imagine being in my position and having collectively paid almost £26,000 in tuition fees alone, not to mention you're living costs!
You want the truth of my "full-time" timetable during my 3rd year scriptwriters BA (Hons) degree? No University wants a student's parents to see this on public domain, that's for sure! (test it - prove me wrong!) But here it is - I'm not joking. Ask any of the alumni you wish, whilst you're at it. Ask a few of the 1st or 2nd years what theirs are like. If you think this is shocking, imagine being in my position and having collectively paid almost £26,000 in tuition fees alone, not to mention you're living costs!
September 2014
= 8 hours
= 8 hours
October 2014
= 12 hours
November 2014
= 12 hours
December 2014
= 5 hours
January 2015
= 1 hour
February 2015
= 4 hours
April 2015
= 0 hours
= 0 hours
May 2015
= 2 hours
June 2015
= 1 hour
July 2015
= 0 hours
TOTAL CLASS HOURS IN THE WHOLE 3RD YEAR - 37 HOURS!!!
What you paid for this - £8,000 - £9,000
Naturally, I've complained about this to the media school dean, which merely resulted in some of its course leaders taking offence and changing a door code that didn't allow me to work on my scripts at the uni anymore because I had already graduated (so to hell with all the money I contributed to your salaries and institution then, I guess). I had little feedback with the changes I had suggested to make the course better... More importantly, something to take some pride in + would even raise its sinking scores even when a few friends in the lower years let me in anyway, I find out they have had their 'Final Draft' (scriptwriting software) taken away. So I'll bet you any money now, next year's prospectus / itinerary will read, students are required to have their own laptops and scriptwriting software and we are not prepared to provide a suitable working station to give you the option to work if you do not possess this!
But lets come back the fact that this course comes just under what a full-time taxpayer works on average. Worried?
You should be – this is what a young adult graduates concept of full-time is being taught as. Whilst most may not have ever had to have fought to pay their own rent before with ‘wages / salary’ – NOT a student loan – that’s what has been made possible and you know the worst thing? There are over 100 courses out there across dozens of Universities that are doing this and no-one seems to give a shit. Not even the students who’re going to be in debt for years to come. Then again for most that are barely motivated to do anything but what they’re supposed to, such as working towards a “grade” then suppose you could say ‘fuck ‘em!’ – right? NO – A thousand times ‘NO,’ – Jesus, Britain’s haemorrhaging enough money as it is from greed but now out of ignorance and / or laziness, wouldn’t it be better for people’s life choices and the economy if after students passed their G.C.S.E’s or maybe even their A-Level's they went and worked full-time for 2 years so it sharpens their work ethic and long-term focus? – WHY NOT?
By the way, should any of you, wish to see the complaint letter I wrote and the diabolical response I received from their 'Quality & Enhancement Officer' then please let me know. Then again by now, you'll hardly be surprised.
What would I have put into all these blank hours of the timetable?
Just to name a few, how about;
Just to name a few, how about;
- Field trips to broadcasters / literary agents / residency programs
- Expanding the course into writing for radio & theatre, doubling the size of your portfolio as a student, CV & showreel building sessions,
- Writing practice sessions for applying for literary agents and analysing these,
- Copyright laws, merging the course with journalism for example so employability ratings go up for the student who’s invested so heavily into the University they attended
- A collaborative project that measures their filmmaking / writing skills for the screen at the start of the course and again at the end to acknowledge how far they have come and something to put out into the world when they leave.
Instead of these things - Bournemouth University has pretty
much ignored me with the mere “we’ll look into it” speeches and hundreds of
students who just accept it for either not knowing any better or felt
threatened that those they complained to would take their final result down –
although that last point I challenge with something any professional writer
should have told them during that course (for the last time): “GRADES DON’T MEAN
JACK SHIT IN SCRIPTWRITING (let alone in the film industry as a whole)!” Although, its clear Bournemouth would rather have
young writer beginners think otherwise where else are they going to get extra money at the end of the
day, right?
Speaking of their spendings, if you want an idea of how irresponsible Uni's like mine are when it comes to spending money, sticking up TV's where they're not needed or asked for, erecting buildings, usally for the sake of ego over function, then wait until you read about their £2 million grant to study the relationship of chickens!
This is what I find most absurd – That course could be fixed
in less than a day if they wanted. They won’t and my formal complaint was
rejected (obviously) because those earning from this false structure, if
properly exposed could potentially lead to the refunding of students and
graduates up & down the country millions of pounds – Well, I’m going to
give it a try.
I’m certain the students I asked to support me whom were too ignorant or coward to would certainly come charging back if there was money in it for them that someone else had fought to get. And do you know what – I bet I wouldn’t even get a thank you from some of them because they, like the people who have charged them through the nose – refuse to listen, take responsibility and accept they were wrong. It’s a shame as personally, I’m not the kind of bloke who’d say “I told you so,” in fact it would be more like a handshake, a smile and a pat on the shoulder.
I’m certain the students I asked to support me whom were too ignorant or coward to would certainly come charging back if there was money in it for them that someone else had fought to get. And do you know what – I bet I wouldn’t even get a thank you from some of them because they, like the people who have charged them through the nose – refuse to listen, take responsibility and accept they were wrong. It’s a shame as personally, I’m not the kind of bloke who’d say “I told you so,” in fact it would be more like a handshake, a smile and a pat on the shoulder.
Watch 'SEASON 7 - EPISODE 5 of 'The Good Wife'
I found to be quite entertaining as it saw Alicia taking down a dodgy University for unfair practice. An interesting & inspiring piece for your lawyers & solicitors guys ;)
Hope to see them making their way through the beast of industry soon!
Only as few days ago I’d met one of my most respected writers, KT Parker, whom you may recall, I attached a link to her blog with regards to the ‘London Screenwriters Festival 2014.’ You should have heard her reaction to the short amount of hours the University offers an undergraduate writer – Why is this so important to acknowledge? – Because it is an insult to those of us who love the craft so much that struggle our backsides off whom ‘hand on heart’ could honestly go into that bloody course and teach it ourselves and would even do it for far cheaper. After all, we’re usually idealists first, capitalists second. Although, I have to say I was pretty gutted to have to turn down a ticket to see the new James Bond ‘Spectre’ film alongside KT for being stuck in two other projects at the time. Next time KT! – I Promise!
I capitalised on the chance to walk onto the MA in Cinematography following some reliable sources telling me about the access to equipment I would have and proof of the amount of time I'm required spend at the campus (this time; 14 - 20 hours a week) and new assignments each week, which has been a damn sight more rewarding than my best forgotten BA there - "About Time!!! Woo Hoo!!!"
It had already paid for itself within the first couple of weeks and my lecturer, Mark Bond is undoubtedly the best lecturer I have come across since college. When it comes the graduation ceremony for this course - you can bet your bottom dollar, I'll be showing up!
NOW THE BIGGER PICTURE & WHY I WENT TO THE GRADUATION BALL!
Yes, there were some lazy people during my time at University but that’s not to paint them all in one colour and that I still enjoy the company of likeminded visual storytellers any day of the week and I will go on record & say I had a bloody good weekend being reunited for the last time amongst them.
People asked me why I hadn’t been seen at the graduation ceremony but I obviously hadn't written this blog yet to direct them to. Ha ha haaa
To name a few of the stars of my time here and those I wrote for or worked with and really stood out:
Murad (@Murad_Ali_ )- Embrace, Virtuoso Rose
Slavi (@slavica_rockov) - Virtuoso Rose, Solace Of Faith, Survivor
Anna (@Annaunlimited) - Embrace, Virtuoso Rose, Purgatory
George (@GeorgeLock13) - What's Up With Seth?, Media Wars, Survivor
Tom (@tommsmith1993 ) - Virtuoso Rose, A Killer's Confession
Ryan (don't think he's on Twitter) & James (@JamesMurphin) - with a coffee each' (seriously, that WAS the name of their radio show), That's What I've Heard - both funny as hell!
Ben (@ben_cb) - Pete & Patch Do Pills
Luke - The Device
People asked me why I hadn’t been seen at the graduation ceremony but I obviously hadn't written this blog yet to direct them to. Ha ha haaa
To name a few of the stars of my time here and those I wrote for or worked with and really stood out:
Murad (@Murad_Ali_ )- Embrace, Virtuoso Rose
Slavi (@slavica_rockov) - Virtuoso Rose, Solace Of Faith, Survivor
Anna (@Annaunlimited) - Embrace, Virtuoso Rose, Purgatory
George (@GeorgeLock13) - What's Up With Seth?, Media Wars, Survivor
Tom (@tommsmith1993 ) - Virtuoso Rose, A Killer's Confession
Ryan (don't think he's on Twitter) & James (@JamesMurphin) - with a coffee each' (seriously, that WAS the name of their radio show), That's What I've Heard - both funny as hell!
Ben (@ben_cb) - Pete & Patch Do Pills
Luke - The Device
... I wish them all the very best!
Hope to see them making their way through the beast of industry soon!
IN OTHER NEWS!
Only as few days ago I’d met one of my most respected writers, KT Parker, whom you may recall, I attached a link to her blog with regards to the ‘London Screenwriters Festival 2014.’ You should have heard her reaction to the short amount of hours the University offers an undergraduate writer – Why is this so important to acknowledge? – Because it is an insult to those of us who love the craft so much that struggle our backsides off whom ‘hand on heart’ could honestly go into that bloody course and teach it ourselves and would even do it for far cheaper. After all, we’re usually idealists first, capitalists second. Although, I have to say I was pretty gutted to have to turn down a ticket to see the new James Bond ‘Spectre’ film alongside KT for being stuck in two other projects at the time. Next time KT! – I Promise!
I capitalised on the chance to walk onto the MA in Cinematography following some reliable sources telling me about the access to equipment I would have and proof of the amount of time I'm required spend at the campus (this time; 14 - 20 hours a week) and new assignments each week, which has been a damn sight more rewarding than my best forgotten BA there - "About Time!!! Woo Hoo!!!"
It had already paid for itself within the first couple of weeks and my lecturer, Mark Bond is undoubtedly the best lecturer I have come across since college. When it comes the graduation ceremony for this course - you can bet your bottom dollar, I'll be showing up!
For now I have a new wave of the filmmaking family to work
with. Unfortunately, there's a lot of first-timers, so although the conversations can be great, the experience, attention to planning and communication is under what I'd prefer but hopefully that's going to change very soon.
I have made another independent film ‘Echo Screen’, I have at least 2 more shoots on the go, a couple more job offers and even the new ‘Film SouthExpo’ (@filmexposouth) event in February 2016 I’m supporting in every way I can, being ran by the lovely Gillian Tully (@GillTully). Please go if you can. I've already got my ticket! :)
I have made another independent film ‘Echo Screen’, I have at least 2 more shoots on the go, a couple more job offers and even the new ‘Film SouthExpo’ (@filmexposouth) event in February 2016 I’m supporting in every way I can, being ran by the lovely Gillian Tully (@GillTully). Please go if you can. I've already got my ticket! :)
