Feelers said:
Steve in NZ are you able to go straight from a Bsc into a masters? I wont be getting hons, but a masters seems much more appealing to me - I dont really like the uni system (well here at Canterbury at least), its a lot like school.
Its all wrote learning, remember, then regurgitate. In fact most courses I have sat have prior exams that are ridiculously similar to the old ones. A friend of mine in engineering managed to get hold of a past exam - and it was EXACTLY the same - Word for word answer for answer.
I do like the idea of masters, however.
Hmmmm. Interesting points. You most certainly can go and do a Masters without having done an Hons degree, but you do have to watch your grades in that 3rd year (C's/C+'s aren't looked upon too fondly). And perhaps before locking yourself into 3 years of *frustration* doing a PhD it is better to do the Masters first (and this is still a major undertaking, because it is 2 years out of your life - one of papers and one of slog undertaking the first major piece of research you have done).
The problem (personal belief) with the 'system' that we have today, and a problem with many of the students (not all), even the brightest, is that years are spent memorising trivial detail that you'll never use again (or at least I have never found a need for it), and years of critiquing literature. Ask a student who has spent years tearing something to bits ('critique') to construct something and they hit a brick wall ... and do nothing constructive/productive for months, then get thoroughly disillusioned, then start finding fault in everything and everyone.
I've also noticed that people can read 100's of papers, and be able to synthesise the information, but ask them to write a single paper (their own work) and they will not know where to start, or what they have done is never good enough (they have higher expectations), and they also grind to a hault. Nothing ever will be perfect, and you can be certain that 'your' work will never be the last word on something.
There's a major difference between 'critique' and 'construct'; I think the education system lends itself more to memorising and criticising something more than it does to constructing something. That's why I think it is extremely important to 'construct' that first thesis, during which time you learn many new skills, before embarking on a full PhD programme that is all about constructing something.
I must stress that these are just personal views!! You still have to treat everyone on a case-by-case basis.