The deed has now been done. Last night I sent off the final version of my open letter of complaint to the EUREC Steering Committee. Suffice to say it didn’t take 5 minutes to compose. It needed two drafts over a 5 month period before I was reasonably happy with the result. It’s still not perfect but I just had to send it. I tried my best to be constructive in every way.
So why did I take this task so seriously you may ask?
I see my relationship with EUREC similar to that between a restaurant owner and a patron. When you pay very good money, you expect an excellent plate of food. For 11000 of my hard earned Euros I expected a lot more.
Let’s just say that in the university environment there is often little incentive to become better, to improve and to strive. For some lecturers, delivering material last edited 6 years ago is okay. Well I don’t think it is. But let me say too that I’ve met some amazing administrators and lecturers during my time in Germany. To these I say thank you and I encourage you to become even better still.
I see it as my duty to inform all prospective EUREC students what they are letting themselves in for. We’re all adults. Read my letter for yourself and make up your own mind. If I were you I wouldn’t stop at the EUREC masters programme when researching RE masters degrees. Look wider. In the navigation bar on the side I’m busy adding a list of links to other renewable energy masters programmes around the world. If you choose carefully you could just get the tuition for free! But don’t let that be the deciding factor. It’s good tuition, challenging practicals and a wide ranging exposure to industry that you want. And at the end of the day if you want to go on to do a PhD that should be possible too.
Good luck with your choice!
Hi Roy,
My name is Pedro Peña (Barcelona, Spain, 34) and I am a current EUREC student in Oldenburg and from next semester to Athens. I just want to tell you, that all the current EUREC students in Oldenburg have read your letter and agree with you 100%. Therefore, right tomorrow we are going to meet all together to make a letter to support you. You will hear from us, and you ar not alone. I think you have just initiated something big! Cogratulations. I (we) will keep you informed
Kind regards
Pedro
Pedro I’m very grateful for this action. Thanks very much to you and all the current Olb EUREC students. Yesterday I also had contact with the 2005/2006 group and it turns out they compiled a very similar letter to EUREC to which there has been zero response. I would like to post this letter on my blog too but need to get their permission first. If you want a copy in the meantime I can send it to you via email. My address is name.surname[at]gmail dot com.
Regards
Roy
Hello Roy,
Thanks for the quick reply. I will send an email myself to EUREC with a couple of questions as suggested by you, and will keep you posted, hopefully the will give me a useful answer. I would like to go for the PPRE which is the one you recommend and costs a third of what the EUREC masters costs but unfortunately for me, for personal reasons I dont want to be out of Spain for more than six months, and for that reason I will probably study the EUREC Core in Zaragoza. But you never know, maybe in a future. Thanks again for all the useful info, and keep in touch.
Kind regards,
Luis Granada
Hello Pedro, Roy,
My name is Luis Granada (Granada, Spain, 27) and I have applied and been accepted to the 2010 EUREC Masters Programme. I have also paid the 1000 € registration fee required to validate my registration which is non refundable four days ago, and let me to tell you that had I read this blog before I wouldn’t have done so. I applied for the core in Zaragoza and the specialisation in Athens (wind). I am now very concerned about your post, and I am thinking of deserting my place in this masters and look for something else, even if implies losing the registration fee. I have read your open letter and I am very sad. I thought EUREC Agency was the center of it all, and kept somehow control of the information taught in each University. So, having read your letter come to the conclusion that each University teach whatever they want, and what is even worse I am doing the core at Zaragoza where the have no Labs. I wish I had read this blog four days ago. I will keep reading your blog, and will make my mind to decide whether I do this masters or dont. Thanks for all the information.
Also, Pedro I would like you to contact me if possible so we can write each other, because I would like more information about the wind specialisation, and I suppose to this date you have already finished it.
Kind regards,
Luis Granada
Hello Luis,
Thanks for your comments. My apologies you didn’t find this blog before paying up. But all is not lost. They don’t have all your money yet
[Luis]
I thought EUREC Agency was the center of it all…
[Roy]
So did I. Reading their regulations (http://master.eurec.be/Regulations) tells one nothing concerning this. But essentially it is a bunch of universities, all doing their own thing and masquerading behind the EUREC logo to appear as one. I personally feel this is a misrepresentation and is essentially unethical. It should be made very clear from the outset that the course is structured this way.
[Luis]
I am now very concerned about your post…
[Roy]
This is the very reason why I put up these posts on my blog. I wanted to open the eyes of prospective students and make them aware they shouldn’t just believe everything they read (on the EUREC blog or elsewhere) or assume anything (like I did). I’d like to direct you to the following comment where I guide another RE wannabe in constructing a set of questions to pose to the EUREC office:
http://eurec.wordpress.com/about/#comment-26
This will give you an idea but feel free to add your own questions. Should you use some of my ideas, please reword the questions in your own style. Think also about what is important to you and what you want to get out of the course. You must surely have certain expectations?
Then construct an email to the EUREC agency and see what they say (I prefer responses in writing. Telephonic conversations have a nasty habit of being reinterpreted). Better to ask the questions before you pay any more money. I would love to know what answers you get!
All the best with your choices and feel free to ask further questions,
Roy
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