Coasters?...

... No, not the kind that protect precious surfaces from a ring of tea of coffee, or the type that Bernard Black eats in Black Books, but a different kind of coaster altogther. Allow me to give you a scenario ...

             There you are in the Uni library surrouded by books splayed open on various pages, paper strewn everywhere, there's even a sheet of bibliographical references stuck to your head as a result of your hourly lament which ivolves you lying, face down on the table in pure academic depression. Sheets of quotes from primary, secondary texts and ponces masquerading as literary critics, all of which have not produced anything remotely useful to you. Which, after two hours, is slightly discouraging. However, in the midst of your fully recyclable mound of unanswered questions, a coaster flounces passed with a comparatively un-creased brow, not a care, book or piece of academic material in sight.

             Now, everybody knows a coaster, at least one, anyway. If you happen to know or work with more, then you have my condolences.  A coaster, as I have named this strange breed of human being, is someone who applies to university, agrees to spend over £12,000 to get a degree and then does one, two, or perhaps even all of the following;-

A) Do a course that they know involves a lot of reading and then doesn't buy or read any of the material.

B) Turns up to lectures on a minimal basis and yet some how still manages to remain on the course, considering that three consecutive abscences usually gets you the Boot.

C) Turns up for lectures without a pen or paper.

D) Is often asked to leave seminars on account of not reading the given texts.

E) Tells you frankly and proudly how they did all their assignments in one day, or in some other ridiculously short amount of time and still reckon that they have decent marks.

Do feel free to add any more ...

        Now, does anyone else find this slightly frustrating?
And don't even get me started on the coasters role in group projects. I myself have been landed with coasters a few times, through college and uni, for group projects and I assure you that you have my sympathies if you have had a similar experience. Their work is usually about a useful as a highly un-coordinated water-skier. Not only are they being dragged behind the boat, they are struggling deftly in its wake; and if the water-skier falls into the sea, the boat has the turn around and fetch them.

As far as I'm concerned, there are plenty of people who have missed out on a place at university that would have put the effort in, and these people were rejected (unknowingly) for coasters who don't give a frisbee about their course. It's a waste of a coasters money, which could be better spent getting plastered or buying things they don't need, and it's a big disappointment to hard working people who have been denied a great oppurtunity. This isn't the Universities fault, anyone can write a convincing personal statement to some degree whether it's honest or not. It's the fault of the coasters themselves and their attitude towards University in general.

If you want to be here, then put the work in, if you're tailgating for the hell of it, then give someone else a chance.

I thought I may as well jump into the blogging world with a bit of a rant :P