Planetarion Forums

Mushroom · 26 Feb 2004, 01:46

I'm not going to get an unbiased answer out of any of my teachers, so i'm looking to you lot

Do key skills have any meaning whatsoever apart from UCAS points, which most universities don't seem to care about anyway so long as you have the grades? I'm apparently required to do this Communications key skills thing, which sounds like sitting down learning about how to write reports and discuss things, which sounds about as interesting as a thursday afternoon with a stoned snail. I'm considering just skiving the entire thing, because i don't feel it's worth it at all, but then again they've only told us that it's precious ( :gollum: ) UCAS points at stake so we must do it. Also it was in the contract we had to sign to get into the college (apparently, i don't remember that bit but it might well have been), so i guess there's the slight chance that they might chuck me out if i refuse outright to go.

so
1: Are key skills really worth it?
and
2: Is it worth the bother to get the extra time to do coursework and stuff by skiving the entire thing, which would lead to trouble from college and might possibly get me chucked out (though it does seem a rather menial thing to chuck someone out over...)

(I'm exempt from the patronising IT ones because i'm doing Computing at A-level. However i'm not doing English at A-level, so i'm required to do patronising Communications instead.)

midge5 · 26 Feb 2004, 01:50

I don't think they were worth it. I didn't turn up for any of my IT ones and the communications my teacher just used one of pieces of classwork and made up all the other stuff we were meant to do. Most of the universities I looked at also said they wanted these points not including key skills or in the offer would specify 300 points from 3 A levels or so.

So no, not worth it at all.

w2k · 26 Feb 2004, 02:19

i did IT but skipped commucations and maths

Tomkat · 26 Feb 2004, 03:18

Not only universities care about UCAS points.
I've recently been looking at jobs and they care about them too.

the_dastardley_chihuahua · 26 Feb 2004, 03:28

when i did my a-levels i went to one key skills class then didnt go again. no ****ing point. if you cant do key skills you shouldnt be doing a-levels anyway.

Deepflow · 26 Feb 2004, 03:28

i didnt get any key skills. Did none of the coursework etc and went to one exam when i turned up by accident. Did quite well, but still did no coursework so got no pass.

personally, i would rather have had all those free friday afternoons than a shit key skills mark.

MrL_JaKiri · 26 Feb 2004, 11:44

If you're looking to go to a reasonable university or better, key skills are utterly useless.

pablissimo · 26 Feb 2004, 12:11

Keyskills is utterly useless regardless of where you want to go. When we did them it was the first year they'd been run (I think) as a replacement to General Studies, and a lot of universities didn't even know what they covered let alone their UCAS value.

At least GS taught some semi-useful skills like debating, and finance, and politics. At least it did in our school.

Edit:
Instead of doing keyskills, and if you really want to use your time in some way that could at least be UCAS application material, take up a sport or something with all the other keyskills-h8rs thus giving you the ability to claim that you head an independent sports group at your college/school.

Ste · 26 Feb 2004, 17:11

They were useful to get some typing qualifications as I did a couple of RSA exams.
But everything else was pointless.

LHC · 26 Feb 2004, 17:47

I did a GNVQ in IT at school but only did two of the units and failed. Now I have to do Key Skills IT

Proteus · 26 Feb 2004, 17:49

My school didn't even do Key Skills, so I can't imagine they are particularly important.

MrL_JaKiri · 26 Feb 2004, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proteus

My school didn't even do Key Skills, so I can't imagine they are particularly important.

I did Key Skills and General Studies, but I refused to go to the Key Skills lessons (except the IT ones, because there was an internet connection). I wasn't required to go to the general studies ones, because I was doing 4 A Levels.

The only universities I specifically know of that accepted a General Studies A Level as being equivilent to a proper one were York and Oxford.

And people wonder why we think we're superior.

LHC · 26 Feb 2004, 18:07

You failed cambridge

MrL_JaKiri · 26 Feb 2004, 18:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHC

You failed cambridge

In what sense?

LHC · 26 Feb 2004, 18:13

I thought you had to drop out for being a loser or something

MrL_JaKiri · 26 Feb 2004, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHC

I thought you had to drop out for being a loser or something

If you've got information, please tell the Senior Tutor of Christ's College. He is of the opinion that I'll be in college next year.

LHC · 26 Feb 2004, 18:15

I probably made it up but I thought I read something like that somewhre

pablissimo · 26 Feb 2004, 18:16

I thought you got kicked for not turning up to shit =(

MrL_JaKiri · 26 Feb 2004, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by pablissimo

I thought you got kicked for not turning up to shit =(

No, restarting the year. 'Degrading' is the specific term.

roadrunner_0 · 26 Feb 2004, 18:26

mark, you are always degrading

and yes, key skills is utter, utter shit, without worth

Baron Morte · 26 Feb 2004, 18:31

this sounds like those special skills that the pageants must have (no, not fellatio skills) but more like singing or spinning plates...

Dante Hicks · 26 Feb 2004, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomkat

Not only universities care about UCAS points.
I've recently been looking at jobs and they care about them too.

What? Which jobs have you applied for when they asked about UCAS points?

Do you have a degree? Is this part-time work you're applying for?

26 Feb 2004, 23:59

I never went to my key skills classes....I dropped out of college.
If you dont want to end up like me, go to them.

MrL_JaKiri · 27 Feb 2004, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir_Workalot

I never went to my key skills classes....I dropped out of college.
If you dont want to end up like me, go to them.

You shouldn't have banned him, he has a valuable point to make.

Mushroom · 27 Feb 2004, 01:58

As far as i can tell, key skills communications is learning how to write reports and essays, how to do debates properly, and doubtless something meaningless such as how to talk proper eloquent, like wot i is.

I have to write reports in economics, essays in history, we do proper debates in politics and as for anything else, well pfft.
I'm already doing what used to be the RSA diploma in text processing (you have to do at least one 'enrichment' course at this college) , but god knows if they'd give me UCAS points for completing that. At least i get letters after my name.

But the thing that really pisses me off is that i have to miss two rather important lessons (ie. final lessons before coursework exams and the like) doing the exam for this key skills crap, and i value those lessons far more than anything key skills will ever give me, to be honest.

Jammers · 27 Feb 2004, 10:07

I went to about 3 key skills IT lessons before realising that I could have an extra 45 minutes sleep by not going. Noone realised I wasn't going, so I never went back. Unfortunatly now I have no idea how to make a spreadsheet in Excel.

No wait, I already knew how to make a spreadsheet in Excel, so I guess it really was pointless.
I would have skived General Studies as well, but for some reason they kept a track of you in that lesson and I didn't really want to get into any trouble in case they found out I wasn't going to Key Skills.