Why am I putting myself through this?

[Spencer Wells]

Just to slightly correct Archy, the average UK graduate starting salary last year was 24k (source = Association of graduate recruiters). The current Basic (pre-banding) FY1 salary is 22k.

[Polldoll]

I did music for my first degree and worked harder than I ever did for nursing degree! Going to study music or dance or something like that is not a "fake" degree or waste of time. It takes an incredible amount of hard work, dedication, and the competition is immense! I was in uni every day from 8am - 9pm, spent 3-5 hours in a practice room working hard, we did concerts evenings and weekends. I had to practice every day, holidays and xmas included, to be the best of the best its what you have to do! (There also is an academic side to studying music!)

I dont regret anything I have done so far, yes my life would of been much more straight forward if I had done medicine straight from school, but what I have done instead has made me the person I am.

History would be a really interesting degree, and I bet you have learned many transferrable skills! Look to the future, not to the past!
Px

[Arch_Angel]

Going to study music or dance or something like that is not a "fake" degree or waste of time.

In as much as the taxpayer contribution to the university you go to, you are a drain if you study either.

[Briefcase]

In as much as the taxpayer contribution to the university you go to, you are a drain if you study either.

Easy tiger - thats quite an assertion!!!! Where do you draw the line - what criteria? Would you like to apply the same reasoning to any non science subject - art, music, humanities, languages and social sciences?

Surely education in a wide range of subjects can be one of the most worthwhile investments a society can make in its members?

[clemette]

Unless of course Arch only values subjects by what they add to the tax pot. Culture perhaps doesn't rate highly in his world?!?

How do my history degrees rate I wonder...?

[Genevieve]

Sure music and dance aren't always very well paid careers, but surely it's better to do what you enjoy and make contributions to society than sitting on your fat lazy arse watching tv all day and claiming the dole. It's also a great emotional and expressional outlet.

Entertainment is important; a world without musicians and dancers would be very very boring.

[Polldoll]

In as much as the taxpayer contribution to the university you go to, you are a drain if you study either.

I am almost speechless that someone can be so narrow minded!! Music, dance, drama and the arts are essential to our society! Not just for entertainment and providing a general release from the monotonous days many endure at work, but also the arts can help in many areas that science cant! You ever heard of music therapy? Have you ever seen severely disabled people who dont respond to people or day to day life actually respond to music? I have gone into nursing homes where residents spend the day sitting in the day room, not speaking, not interacting, only to play music with them and getting them singing and clapping their hands!!

Do you watch movies in your relaxation time? Try watching a film and imagining it without music!

Are you a dull academically minding medic who had absolutly nothing in your life apart from study and books? Perhaps you then turned to music to give you some extra curricular activity to prove to the admissions that you werent some geek who had absolutly no idea how to interact with real people!! Those clarinet lessons, grade exam and band experiences helped you get into medicine!!

There is so much more to studying music or another similar subject that you obviously have not got a clue about! And until you have completed a degree in either then you really have got no right to make such statements.

What an arse!!

[Kinkerz]

Entertainment is important; a world without musicians and dancers would be very very boring.

Most of the people I know lead lives that wouldn't be influenced...at all...if there were no dancers. Okay, in the grand scheme of things, not exactly a wide sample, but still...
I'm not sure the world would be all that much different without dancers. Musicians? Probably, but you don't have to go to university and study music to be a talented musician.

If someone could explain what a degree in music/dance could lead to - realistically - other than teaching music/dance, that would be useful.

[Arch_Angel]

Ha awesome

The problem is, we (or perhaps you) expect tax payer money to be spent on degrees that are either of no use to anyone including the person who spent 3 years doing it or only of use to the person getting it. For example, a degree in english lit is probably quite difficult to get, but it will only advance your own career prospects and not benefit society in any possible way (ie, no problems that any country can ever face can be put down to not having enough english lit graduates). If I were a (enter minimum wage job here) I wouldn't be to happy in the knowledge that I am paying (through tax) for someone to go do a degree that is of no use to anyone, then they will go on to start at a higher wage that I could ever achieve.

As for the history I'm a bit reluctant to answer as I would have loved to do a history degree, but I'm afraid that your average proletariat still shouldn't be expected to fund it.

Of course, we shouldn't have some sort of purge of these subjects, just don't complain when you have to pay higher fees to do them.

Unless of course you can come up with an argument that would convince someone working 2 jobs and still struggling to keep their crappy house that they should be paying for you to mince around...

Also, sorry to the OP for using their thread as a soap box...

[Arch_Angel]

I am almost speechless that someone can be so narrow minded!!

Yet follows a massive post...

Music, dance, drama and the arts are essential to our society! Not just for entertainment and providing a general release from the monotonous days many endure at work, but also the arts can help in many areas that science cant! You ever heard of music therapy? Have you ever seen severely disabled people who dont respond to people or day to day life actually respond to music? I have gone into nursing homes where residents spend the day sitting in the day room, not speaking, not interacting, only to play music with them and getting them singing and clapping their hands!!

I suppose music therapy only works if the music was played by someone with a music degree?

Do you watch movies in your relaxation time? Try watching a film and imagining it without music!

I refer you again to the comment above. Also, films make a lot of money and can afford to pay their composers, as such, if they want to study music it shouldn't be paid for them.

Are you a dull academically minding medic who had absolutly nothing in your life apart from study and books?

No, I also enjoy arguing on the internet...

Perhaps you then turned to music to give you some extra curricular activity to prove to the admissions that you werent some geek who had absolutly no idea how to interact with real people!! Those clarinet lessons, grade exam and band experiences helped you get into medicine!!

Now this one doesn't make any sense....the only band I've ever been could play one song and it was a misfits cover, hardly the stuff of musical genius. I have nothing against music et al. I just don't want to pay for others to study it...

There is so much more to studying music or another similar subject that you obviously have not got a clue about! And until you have completed a degree in either then you really have got no right to make such statements.

Perhaps, but only when tuition fees cover all the cost of your education

What an arse!!

Ta