Studying takes time.

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

I'll try and keep this brief.

Last September I returned to studying after having previously failed in all forms of education. After what later turned out to be serious depression from 2002 to 2011 (self diagnosed in 2009), this return to study (a course I twice failed previously, so as to prove to myself and others the cause of the failures was illness) is why I've played (and purchased) significantly less computer games since last august. I hope to be able to play more at the end of studying (if summer doesn't suck me in) and I do miss playing games and chatting with THN.

I successfully went cold turkey on computer games when I started in September, until that is, I had head aches due presumably to stress, alleviated easily by a few hours a week of gaming.

Apologies for being vague on what I am studying, it is intentional and all will be revealed, though I shall go as far as to say I have applied to a University.

The last 6 months have gone so fast.

Missing you all!

I've been thinking of doing this for a while, but today I noticed in the Aliens thread that my opinions appear very soiled by a lack of time to play games.

 

[Nanor]

Best of luck with your studies Killer. I fucked up my studies a while ago but I'm doing real well in Uni now. Believe it or not studying actually works!

See ya in Summer.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Good luck with the studying. It's hard but it should be worth the effort.

 

[HotStuff]

best of luck and always remember that "education transforms lifes"

 

[KillCrazy]

All the best to you bud. I too have returned to study after several failed attempts. Studying is always worth it. There is nothing more satisfying than getting passing grades

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Finished college. I think I did OK. Been a hard year.

 

[Zooggy]

Hoy,

Gratz, mate! That's good to hear.

My English is mostly American English, where College and University are one and the same. I take it that's not the case for you Brits. So, I ask. Are you still angling for Uni?

Cheers,
J.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Yeah, college here usually means sixth form college for a-levels or other more vocational qualifications and training.

 

[Zooggy]

Hi,

college [...] means sixth form college for a-levels

I'm afraid I have no idea what any of that means...

Cheers,
J.

 

[Ronin Storm]

I'm afraid I have no idea what any of that means...

I don't know whether it's still the case, but roughly we have two "school-level" qualifications (i.e. for 18 and under). GCSEs are the lower level qualification that pretty much everyone is expected to have. A-levels are the qualifications for those who stay in school after age 16 and take two years usually. There's also an AS-level, which is pretty much a half A-level. A-levels, however, tend to be for academic qualifications (maths, physics, english, etc) and, instead, you might focus on vocational stuff (brick laying, dress making, etc) and a college can cater for that need too; they used to be BTEC qualifications, and might still be, but it's a long long time since I needed to know this stuff.

 

[Haven]

For Zooggy:

Age 14-16 GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education) - first "formal" qualification level within the Secondary School System (11+ years old). Usually 6-10 subjects are studied depending on the school setup - 8 is the norm. GCSE's are mandatory as the minimum level of education required in the UK.
Age 16-18 A (Advanced) Level examinations. Required for entry into most University courses. Usually 3-4 subjects are studied, often 3 formal subjects and one "General Studies" subject).
Age 18-21 (22 in Scotland) Degree Level qualification.
21+ Masters degree/Doctorate (Post graduate Studies).

For mature students outside of these age bands appropriate courses to repeat or do additional qualifications can usually be found in Colleges outside the traditional school system. Colleges used to cover more vocational forms of education in the UK but are now seen as being a valid alternative to High School (A Level's) and also Universities for some courses.

I'm sure there wil be some differences in interpretation but that should give you a bit of scaffolding to work with.

 

[Zooggy]

Hey,

Aaaaah, gotcha, that makes some sense. Thank you both.

Cheers,
J.

 

[Razaak]

And from personal experience: Age 21+ (22 in Scotland): realise it has done nothing to prepare you for the mind-numbing drudgery of a full time job (now you know why I'm such a miserable old codger)

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Studying at Boston College (Lincolnshire) Most of the courses on offer are level 3, but there are many level 2 as well plus very few level 4-5-6.