Am I the only one who was really wound up by this comment? It was from one of Alan's interviewers about Simon.

To me, he was making out that going to Cambridge was simply part of coming from a priviliged background. I don't know Simon, but I'm pretty sure he had to work damn hard to get into Cambridge.

That should read, his parents worked really hard to get him in to Cambridge

Not that priviliged....Its not like its Eton

No because you get into Eton based on Wealth

Cambridge you have to have the knowledge and qualifications to get in.


Doesn't Eton do quite badly in league tables??? Out of interest.

I didn't see the the same way as the OP, nor in fact as H2O (I'd put it as subscript if I could) or even Weight-Man.

You don't have to come from a privileged background to go to Cambridge, nor it is like Eton!

Neither do you necessarily have to work hard to get there, especially if you're a brainbox like Simon - and that's not saying that Simon is better than anyone else because trust me it's a mixed blessing.

However, what siralan may have meant is that having gone to Cambridge in itself means having a little priviledge. It is indeed a priviledge to go to Cambrige, and one I was silly enough to overlook.

I was tipped for Cambridge when I was at school but I left school at 16 because all of that seemed to easy to me at the time and anyway I couldn't be bothered to apply myself. I also joined Mensa, but not until much later and just to spite an ex boyfriend who failed and who said I'd have no chance of getting in because he hadn't (arrogant git!). Since then I've lead a less than illustrious life, but not a totally unhappy one. I don't apply myself commercially and I never have. I have a degree in science and another in computing. I currently work as a customer service adviser in a call centre, lol!

I think Simon is the same. He actually did go to Cambridge, so he has even less excuse for being so lacklustre. He doesn't have the drive to be the executive.

I wouldn't give me the job of running any of siralan's companies, and I wouldn't give Simon the job either. I don't know what siralan will do. Christina is by far the better person for the job.

*oops double post*

I'll give the interviewer the benefit of the doubt, I don't think he meant to connect privilige with going to Cambridge.
Cambridge is not like it used to be. My daughter is there at the moment and a majority of her fellow students are just like her, from 'ordinary' backgrounds but obviously hard working and very intelligent. I know how hard she had to work to get there and how high the standard is that is expected of her.
If Simon graduated a year early with a 2:1 he must be incredibly intelligent but has probably not found the right vehicle for his potential.

Love Mary x

But going to Cambridge is itself a priviledge, regardless of your affluence. Therefore, going to Cambridge makes Simon 'priviledged'.

The point he was making was that a Cambridge degree is meant to be your passport to a good career, yet it seemed that Simon had failed to make any use of it.

Simon is privileged. His family worked hard to send him to a well known public school which in turn increased his chances of getting to Cambridge.

After that great start in life, to be made redundant from a job in the city (and the chances of getting into the city are increased if you went to a good school and university) I think the panel were unimpressed at what he had chosen to do since, given this huge leg up in life.

I thought one of the interviewers said his background was generally privileged i.e., Cambridge, attending a 'very good school', and a upper middle class upbringing.

My thoughts exactly! It is surprising, if not very puzzling, that someone with an creme de la creme education, City work experience, and the talent to speak six languages... is flogging lighting equipment online.

The city is awash with people who went to the right school and the right university. It's at that point where talent and ability separate the wheat from the chaff.

I think they were right to hold him up to a higher standard.

In the selling to the trade task, was'nt it Simon who said his parents had a shop in south or east London ?

One of the interviewers is a total tw*t. IIRC in the first series, whilst the other two said that posh James was OK/quite good, he wrote him off completely and said he would just as happily have gone on any other reality show. Regardless of whether James was any good, I remember wondering how the hell he got to that. He (Claude?) just has a chip on his shoulder. [Contempt]'Yeah, you like 'academic' types.'[/contempt] -moron.

Westminster school is a place of privilege of course (though I'm pretty sure you have to pass exams to get in), but Cambridge? It's a funny word to use. You don't get in or do well just by going to a certain school (though I'm sure it helps). Leaving a year early with a good degree is a success, not a privilege. What happens after that is a different matter.

He's a loser, irrespective of his priviledge.

I think what he meant was "He comes from a privileged background AND he went to Cambridge."

That's how I took it anyway.

To be fair to Simon, he got made redundant at Credit Suisse, in an incredibly competitive industry. I don't think he should be hung out to dry for that.

Good on him for going to Cambridge. We know Sir Alan doesn't place a premium on qualifications, but that's not to say someone should be disadvantaged for having the apparent audacity of getting them!!

And to speak 6 languages fluently is credit to him.

The interviewers did focus on his "premium qualifications". All 3 of them mentioned it. It was crucial on their good feedback to SAS.

Thousands of students are just like Simon, should any of them be the apprentice? Simon might be bright but his brightness has never shown in the series. I believe those who are like Simon are in academia rather than business.

I really hope now that Kristina wins because if Simon does win, the whole series will lose its purpose. SAS should have employed the apprentice conventionally according to his/her CV rather than their performance on the tasks.

Confucius say large IQ is very much like large p***k, a sign of potential but ultimately a disappointment if not used with creativity. Qualifications and intelligence are all very well - the skill comes with being able to apply them in the real world.

His father is a multi milionaire entrpeneur as is his grandfather - as for getting into Cambridge - it's funny how many Etonians go there

The last i seen there results were not particularly fantastic in comparison to other schools who have much lesser success of feeding into Oxford or Cambridge.

That aside the guy is obviously very bright and I'm sure his Eton education did him no harm on his application to Cambridge.

Nice argument, if slightly unsubtle. One slight flaw, he didn't actually go to Eton...

He went to Westminster not Eton.

The point is still valid however, Oxbridge colleges are far more likely to take a 4A's candidate from a public school than a 4A's candidate from your local comp.

If anything it is the other way round now.

Simon is obviously a very intelligent person, but

1, Sir Alan doesnt really care about the education, because in todays society, the gap is closing, and Sir Alan never had an education, so that proves you dont need it to get somewhere in life, you can be the brightest person on this earth, and never had an education, so nowadays it doesnt mean a thing, so Simon doesnt have the advantage from that point of you.

2, i do think he has the drive to succeed, but i think Christina will pip him to the finish, because she is more raw talent and she hasnt had any of the priveleged upbringing with rich parents, she has done it on her own, and worked very hard to get anywhere.

And i think he respects Christina for that, but they are both very employable.

But then again so is Katie

Matthew

To say that Sir Alan doesnt care about qualifications is correct.

To say that the gap is closing as a massive misjudgement.

In today's society everyone and their dog can get a degree. That has devalued the actual currency of a degree.

Are more people earning degree's based upon their ability or are more people gaining degree's based upon league tables?

Well, take your pick.

Universities (old, redbrick and new polys) are having to run remedial classed for their intake in science and engineering based subjects because current science at A level is so poor.

70% of intake into engineering courses don't understand basic mathematical principals, and by that I mean basic, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. These people should understand the basic concepts of theoretical mathematics by this stage. If they cant ****ing add up there is a problem.

I read a blog written by a Physics teacher. I understood it, I have A level Physics. I understand Newton 3 principle laws, I've seen Young's Slit experiment and I've dabbled with Alpha and Gamma radiation.

The current 'o' level questioning for physics is , explain in your own words why environmental energy is important. That is a ****ing english essay.