ThunderPeel2001

Books, books, books...

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Why?

Because it would fit in so well with the rest of his oeuvre and I think I would read it.

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wrong answer, I was expecting: "Just 'cause"

Oh. Right. Well they made that joke on the Giant Bombcast, so if you listen to the episode from a week or two ago, you'll get your fix.

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And on the first episode of Weekend Confirmed.

Back to a book I'm (attempting) reading; The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Atm I'm trying to figure out what I want to do/where I want to go with regards to Universities, and I saw Human Sciences at Oxford and it looked pretty pro, so I'm trying to go through their recommended reading list, and then wow them at an interview!

Oh, here's a question I'd really like if you Americans could answer. Of the following Universities, which have you heard of?

-Oxford

-Cambridge

-Imperial College

-St Andrews

-University College London

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-Oxford

-Cambridge

-Imperial College

-St Andrews

-University College London

Oxford

Cambridge

And...St. Andrews, but that's a common name so I don't know if I've ever heard it being used to describe an English university.

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Yeah. They're the top 5 Universities in Britain, but I know that people will only have heard of two of them - much like I only know of Harvard and Yale in the States.

What I really want to do is eventually move to America, and be like "I have a degree from Oxford" which would be pro. Anywhere else? Well, it's not the same :P

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Yeah. They're the top 5 Universities in Britain, but I know that people will only have heard of two of them - much like I only know of Harvard and Yale in the States.

What I really want to do is eventually move to America, and be like "I have a degree from Oxford" which would be pro. Anywhere else? Well, it's not the same :P

Really? MIT, Stanford, Colombia, Berklee college of music?

Don't choose a university because it is recognised by the general populace of where you Would like to live, employers would have a better understanding of that. I have known people to drop out of both Oxford and Cambridge, just because they didn't enjoy the locale. University is about more than your future, for a large part, it's likely to be the last time you can be a kid.

Don't listen to the crap about league tables or any of that, it's complete bollocks, hell before I started Hull were above Manchester for maths, despite not having a maths department. Probably the easiest way to tell how well renowned a university is, in a particular school, is by finding out how many international students they get and how busy the course generally is. Consider the city, then decide whether you would enjoy living there for 3 or more years.

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-Imperial College

Is that where they train the Sith?

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Really? MIT, Stanford, Colombia, Berklee college of music?

Don't choose a university because it is recognised by the general populace of where you Would like to live, employers would have a better understanding of that. I have known people to drop out of both Oxford and Cambridge, just because they didn't enjoy the locale. University is about more than your future, for a large part, it's likely to be the last time you can be a kid.

Don't listen to the crap about league tables or any of that, it's complete bollocks, hell before I started Hull were above Manchester for maths, despite not having a maths department. Probably the easiest way to tell how well renowned a university is, in a particular school, is by finding out how many international students they get and how busy the course generally is. Consider the city, then decide whether you would enjoy living there for 3 or more years.

Yeah MIT I may've heard of, and possibly Stanford... Other than that, not really.

Realistically, I want to go to a top Uni for my degree (I'm thinking Human Sciences) and then move to the states and blag my way through by saying "I went Oxford lol".

I hate choosing a university, mind. It all sucks so hard.

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Is that where they train the Sith?

Duh, no. Sith were trained on Korriban at the Sith Academy. Tsk. :crazy:

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...Berklee college of music?

Pff, only Dream Theater fans care about Berklee.

(I've heard of plenty of American colleges, not just because I have associates who have studied there, but a watcher of American television or cinema should easily have come across many of them. I think I can blame the Simpsons for most of my younger self's knowledge.)

I am always wary of league tables, because the placing of most universities differ between most lists. (What are you basing your list on, by the way? Alarm bells ring on that one because, well, Imperial is a science/business-only institution, so it can't be that well-rounded a survey...)

Better to choose what you're interested in, then see which universities offer courses in that area that have good approval ratings, interesting modules and good-looking staff, then whittle them down based on which cities you want to / don't want to live in, and other concerns.

Hey, books! I'm enjoying the hell out of William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen-Trade, widely believe to be a great book on screenwriting, by the dude who penned Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, All The President's Men and The Princess Bride. What I love about it is how down to earth and pragmatic it is - throwing most theory or criticism out of the window in favour of some pretty easy maxims and guidelines. But then the book also works as a collection of anecdotes about Hollywood, and then again as an autobiography. And he's a punchy writer, so it's 'great read', as well. Wowzer.

Unfortunately I've left it in London, and I'm with my family for the Easter weekend, so I've started reading Mikhail Bulgakov's Black Snow, which is a short novel that also works as a crazy satire on the Moscow mid-20th century arts scene.

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Yeah, Imperial's a very specific University, but what it does, it does very well. I'm basing it on the Times 2010 League table, which is the best one (I believe).

And yes, I am aware that it all depends on which course you want to take as to which is the best university (for example, Warwick is the best in the country for Maths, I believe), but I'd still like to go to a decent one. UCL is seeming most likely at the moment, as I don't believe I could ever get into Oxford!

Books. Have to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which is the worst book ever written, for English Literature, along with Small Island (meh) and The Pied Piper of Hamelin: A Child's Story.

The best text I'm reading at the moment though, has got to be The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere. It's another text for Literature, but it's so utterly fantastic... I love it, and emplore anyone who enjoys literature to read it.

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St. Andrews, but that's a common name so I don't know if I've ever heard it being used to describe an English university.

You probably never have; St Andrews is in Scotland. My dad went there!

Books: I haven't made any progress in Gödel, Escher, Bach in ages. I'm tempted to start Persepolis, but if I do I'll probably never finish GEB.

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You probably never have; St Andrews is in Scotland. My dad went there!

As did my Grandad!

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Don't listen to the crap about league tables or any of that, it's complete bollocks, hell before I started Hull were above Manchester for maths, despite not having a maths department.

What the hell is all this? :grin:

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Yeah MIT I may've heard of, and possibly Stanford... Other than that, not really.

Realistically, I want to go to a top Uni for my degree (I'm thinking Human Sciences) and then move to the states and blag my way through by saying "I went Oxford lol".

I hate choosing a university, mind. It all sucks so hard.

Have you been accepted by any schools yet? You probably shouldn't get too dead set on one in particular before you know what your options are. Also...unless you're wealthy or something, you'll probably want to wait and see what each school you're accepted to offers you in terms of scholarships and financial aid.

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Not wealthy, but have a nest egg for any Uni - in the form of my Dad's life savings (he's dead, therefore it's mine etc).

And I actually haven't applied yet - I'm still in my first year at college, and so I don't apply until later this year!

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And I actually haven't applied yet - I'm still in my first year at college, and so I don't apply until later this year!

Oh, ok. I forgot about the UK system of higher education.

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Realistically, I want to go to a top Uni for my degree (I'm thinking Human Sciences) and then move to the states and blag my way through by saying "I went Oxford lol".

Is your real name Jay Gatsby?

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And on the first episode of Weekend Confirmed.

Back to a book I'm (attempting) reading; The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Atm I'm trying to figure out what I want to do/where I want to go with regards to Universities, and I saw Human Sciences at Oxford and it looked pretty pro, so I'm trying to go through their recommended reading list, and then wow them at an interview!

Oh, here's a question I'd really like if you Americans could answer. Of the following Universities, which have you heard of?

-Oxford

-Cambridge

-Imperial College

-St Andrews

-University College London

BRISTOL is the best University in the country BAR NONE :mock:

I study Medicine at Bristol and did a BSc in Physiology before that, which entailed some work in the School of Biological Sciences (SOBS) The SOBS at Bristol is world renowned partially for their considerable involvement in whatever David Attenborough does. I'm not sure what you are looking to do but you could do a lot worse than Bristol for anything Selfish Gene related :grin:

I would also second what Patters said about league tables and choosing a university because having a degree from there would be 'cool' in America. University is just as much (?more) about growing into an adult and as a person as it is an education. If you go to Oxford or Cambridge (I have friends who have been there) you must expect to work like a bitch for your degree which while sounding great probably makes very little real difference over and above a degree from any one of the Russel group of Uni's.

Ahhh to be 17 again :grin:

Bristol ftw :clap:

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anyone here read Hugh Laurie's book, "The Gun Seller"?

It's from 1996 and it's somewhat of a...parody of a conspiracy thriller...actually quite an interesting read...with lots of sarcastic and cinic humorous bits...

here's an excerpt from the first chapter of the book...

That was a great excerpt, now I have to read that book...

I recently finished "Zorro" by Isabelle Allende. I read and enjoyed "House of Spirits" in High School but it's cool to read something more accessible. Its about this kid Diego growing up and its fascinating to see him pick up traits and craft this highly romanticized persona. You get a strong attachment to this flawed kid who has really noble idealistic ambitions, but is heavily dependent on the level-headedness of his friends to actually achieve his goals. Great book as both an adventure story and a character study.

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Does anyone here know any books, er, the Coen brothers like? It's lame, but I'm in a Coen mood right now and, uh, yeah. I just bought the book their new movie is being based on, True Grit, and I know they like Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett, but if there's anything else, I'd like to know.

Or maybe a book like the game Full Throttle? I'm re-playing it, alongside Grim Fandango. I am in such a biker gang/tough guy mood right now.

Which is to say that my brain is switching between The Gone Jackals song "Legacy" (

song in Full Throttle) and various pieces of music from Coen brothers movies.

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