University and all that

[tubeswell]

A while back my boss offered me a chance to go back to university. Its been 21 years since I finished my last stint in such a place (I've got a BA in sociology and a town planning degree) and I wasn't sure if I wanted to take the plunge into the murkiness of academia again or not.

I finally settled on a thesis topic (renewable energy policy) and have been busy the last few weeks getting provisional permission from the dean of a science faculty to enrol at one of the local universities to do a thesis-only MSc part-time for 2 years. I managed to get all the stage four papers of my existing planning degree (including a research study I did years ago at another university) credited so that I don't have to complete the Part I masters course of lectures and all that. So that parts all good.

So my weekly routine is going to consist of 4 x 10 hour days at my usual work and 2 x 10 hours days hot-desking at the university for 2 years. Hmmmm... I sure better enjoy this.

Anyone else been back to university lately? It all changed apparently. I hear they use the internet these days.

[Heid the Ba]

Not lately but I went as a 28 year old and felt ancient . . .

The internet? I understand they have that on computers these days.

[Lianachan]

My wife has gone back to university. I've no idea what it's like now, but I'll ask. All I know is that she is - suspiciously - studying a subject that I know extremely well, and that as I like things like blow jobs and dinner I'd better keep helping her.

[Enzo]

It has been many years now, but I went back to my university library, and all those drawers full of file cards with the book names were GONE! Just some kind of funny TV screens in their place.

[Мастер]

It has been many years now, but I went back to my university library, and all those drawers full of file cards with the book names were GONE! Just some kind of funny TV screens in their place.

And guess what else? They might even be using UTF-8 instead of ANSI!

[Enzo]

Is that anything like CP/M?

[tubeswell]

Its all official, my thesis topic is approved and I'm a paid up and enrolled masters thesis student. Bought a new lappy (macbook pro) and have the bibliography editing software installed on it, and my work has paid the course enrolment fee. I've reorganised my work schedule for 40 hours Mon-Thurs and I've been getting up nice'n'early for the last three weeks to get into practice. Now all that's ahead of me is to research and write 30-40 thousand words of well-researched and meaningful, interesting and appropriately formatted and referenced, unplagiarised original and hopefully useful research that will make a contribution to environmental science. I start next week. I sure better enjoy this weekend.

[Arneb]

Hey, good luck with that thesis, man. Even if it's hard work, have a blast!

[Enzo]

"Master Tubeswell"

Has a nice ring to it.