“Keep the Cat Free” 09/11/12 Issue 1530 felixonline.co.uk Breaking business FelixFel interviews the CEO of TeachFirst andand the VP Sales of CSC. Pages 10-11 Inside...>> Here’s your report POLITICS 2012 entry Report card will have degrees, indication of containing A small election performance information occurred right? >>16 in Horizons on extra- FOOD courses they curricular Degree: Physics take. Exact activities, Area Grade wording is to may be Physics B 6 Football B Spanish B be decided. introduced? German C Socialising U Spending every Reviewing a Jam single day in a A Yulia Negreskul Reporter new Higher Education Achievement computer room Cupboard 18 Record (HEAR) which extrapolates >> further the idea of the European Di- Higher Education Achievement Re- ploma Supplement and represents a cord (HEAR) have recently been sug- school-type report which will come in gested as an alternative to just receiv- addition to the degree transcript. Th e FILM ing a single grade. document will include all the extra- Following GCSEs and A-levels, uni- curriculum achievements including versities experience grade infl ation relevant work experience, volunteer- with the last graduation being the ing, prizes and positions held at the most successful ever with fi rst class clubs and societies throughout a stu- degrees being awarded to a sixth of dent’s time at university. As for the students which is more than twice academic matters, the report will aim the number seen a decade ago. As a to give a better insight into the taken Drowning result, degrees seem to be losing their degree and the progress accomplished value making it very hard for the em- throughout by providing the informa- in fees? ployers to distinguish between good tion about every module and exam and bad job applicants. taken. It is thought that the introduc- Special report on International fees. Awful, but great, In 2007, Universities UK and Guild- tion of the scheme would encourage 34 HE in their report came up with a students to participate more fully in films... >> solution which was to introduce a the university life taking full ad- >> 4 Page 5 2 FRIDAY 09 NOVEMBER EDITOR’S PICKS 16 22 39 POLITICS >> SCIENCE >> GAMES >> Letter from USA Professor Nutt Halo 4 and more We’ve gone hard on the US Professor Nutt is a badman A report from Imperial’s Election. A report from in- (in the good way) as he Gaming Society as they take side the US, and a calcula- stands up for what he be- on UCL. Plus, a quick review tion of what you could buy lieves and for science. His of Halo 4. There’s also some with the campaign spends. book is reviewed in Science. odd crediting going on? CLASSIFIEDS Medical Summarizer Wanted Fee’ding well? Looking for 4th, 5th or 6th year medical student with medical understanding. 15 hours a week. Crompton Medical Centre London W2 1ND For further details please contact Mr. Faisal Ahmed on 07776126204 Tim Arbabzadah Job Description - Summarizing all medical letters and discharge summaries from Secondary Care (Hospitals) into the medical records for each patient at Editor-in-Chief the practice, clinical software used is EMIS LV. Feedom of IC that’s happening? Or is there a cheeky Well, yes, they are if they are here. Part-Time PA/Tech Person little extra bonus of Imperial chucked However, just because you can do Another week and another late night. in there? something doesn’t mean you should. Good with Apple computers and technology Also, of course, another hasty and Why are people willing to pay the Allow me to make a rushed analogy: Someone who wants to come in ground level start-up with new tech frantic sprint to the fi nish. fees? Well, one word: prestige. It’s a I could, perhaps, if I were more co-or- company and dealing with tracking device sector. This week, we looked into all of the good degree, so therefore is a good dinated and had bigger pockets in my Researcher and highly organised to work with the proprietor and fees charged to international students “investment”, but degrees shouldn’t coat, steal a chocolate bar from the Li- by the Russell Group. What we found be purely an investment, and fees brary. I choose not to (JCR has a wider teams in London and Silicone Valley, California was that Imperial was signifi cantly shouldn’t be charged based purely on selection... I really hope no-one looks General Offi ce duties higher than the average, and that in that. at the CCTV images – joking, obvi- Preferably CRB checked most cases we were the highest. Only I’m worried that they are essentially ously) because I deem it to be wrong. Start off at 2 days per week Oxford tipped us off the top spot for pricing out a lot of people from apply- Total 8 to 10 hours per week at £10 per hour some categories (however, if you take ing to Imperial. Yes, as an international HEAR me now the cost of living into account it is student, you would have to pay higher Please send CV to [email protected] once again Imperial that is on top). fees anyway. So you could argue The Higher Education Achievement Why are the fees so high? There are that some international students are Record was recently announced. This is the understandable points about the priced out from the off, but you should big news, as it could essentially change fact that we are in London and that we aim to let as many people as possible how your degree looks. I, personally, LOLCAT OF TEH WEEK: Finding these is a perk of the job are a purely science university, which be able to apply (ideally all, but that’s think that having a permanent and dif- means each student takes more mon- not going to happen). Then you can fi cult to make up record of extra-curric- ey to train. Although the London point pick the best, not the richest. ular interests is a good idea. It benefi ts is lessened by UCL, Kings, et al (I feel Another point is that it really isn’t everyone. You gain from it, as it shows like I’m referencing again) being much fair to international students to use you are more than just one single grade lower than us. Even taking into ac- the fact that they are willing to pay on a piece of paper, as well as allowing count those points, some of the fees such high fees as an excuse to just you to be credited offi cially for things seem just way too high. pick a high fi gure and charge away. you like to do anyway (bit like me with Medicine is the highest, at £40,000 Unfortunately, systems are systems: this paper actually...). Employers will fi nd a year. A year! Ouch, that hurts. Here now, everything is set in place, and so it useful as it means they can see what is the question though: for what? money is going to be allocated with sort of person they want, and choose They get exactly the same lecturers, an expected income. This means it’s more easily. Also, it means they don’t fi rms, and so forth, as the home stu- likely that fees will only rise. That’s a play a cat and mouse game in terms of dents, so why are they charged so depressing thought. the classic “is this person in front of me much more? Possibly it’s to subsidise Are international students willing to exaggerating the truth when they say the home students, but is it okay that pay that much for the Imperial degree? they once out sprinted Usain Bolt”. Felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 020 7594 8072. Fax: 020 7594 8065. THIS BROUGHT Printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge, Winship Road, Cambridge. Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711. Copyright © Felix 2012. WEEK WASTO YOUBY Editor-in-Chief Tim Arbabzadah Deputy Editor Saskia Verhagen Assistant Editor Matt Colvin News Editor Aemun Reza Features Editors Caroline Wood, Stephen Smith Business Editor Deepka Rana Science Editors Philip Kent, Laurence Pope, Philippa Skett Politics Editors Padraic Calpin, Marie-Laure Hicks Food Editors Carol Ann Cheah, Sophia Goldberg, Yiango Mavrocostanti Comment Editors George Barnett, Navid Nabijou, James Simpson Fashion Editors Alex Ramadan, Saskia Verhagen, Alice Yang Arts Editors Eva Rosenthal, Meredith Thomas Books Editor Maciej Matuszewski Music Editors Mark England, Ross Gray, Simon Hunter, Íñigo Martínez De Rituerto Television Editor Lucia Podhorska Film Editors Katy Bettany, John Park, Lucy Wiles Games Editor Ross Webster Technology Editor Jason Parmar Coffee Break Boss Matt Colvin Travel Editors Veronika McQuade, Simon Carnochan Sports Editors Oli Benton, Sorcha Cotter, Margot Pikovsky Online Editors Philip Kent, Jonathan Kim Puzzles Commanders Louisa Byrne, Sotirios Karamitsos Copy Chief Annina Sartor Copy Editors Jonathan Peek, Al Norman, Matt Colvin, Christopher Witham, Laurence de Lussy Kubisa, Illustrators Hamish Muir, Outi Supponen, Lizzy Griffiths Illustration on cover Lizzy Griffiths FRIDAY 09 NOVEMBER 3 News Editor: Aemun Reza [email protected] NEWS Imperial physicist dies in Perth Maciej Matuszewski Reporter on my condolences to both of those by the scientifi c community. Our families and tell them we will provide thoughts and condolences are with Dr Sean Barett all the support that is possible to both Dr Barrett’s family, friends and col- An Imperial College physicist was of them.” leagues at this tragic time.” killed in a car crash in Austalia in the Dr Barrett had studied at Cam- Professor Myungshik Kin and Dr early hours of 19 October 2012.