The_Doctor

Just back from playing Mezzanine for the first time - probably not the last time....

Here's a write up:-

http://goo.gl/TBMWd

Howdy,

I've been using the router for about 2 months now, and have similar reports...

First up - there was no bill in month 1, which does mean the first month is included in the initial price - a bonus at the end of the month if you didn't know that.

My connection does also drop for the odd minute from time to time. Frustrating - yes! But, I would say on the whole I am very pleased with it and it beats any of the other providers I've tried here. Speed seems on the whole quicker than TTT - although I haven't run exhaustive tests. The connection is pretty reliable, but the best part is the portability. The router slips in my laptop case, and follows me wherever I go.

Hi - does anyone know where I could buy some cricket equipment in Chiang Mai? I am teaching a PE course, and will have 2 weeks on cricket. I know there are Chiang Mai 6s each year, so I assumed that it wouldn't be that hard to find a bat / ball / stumps - does anyone know where?

Thanks.

I just got the AIS 3G system and I'm very impressed. A wireless router cost me 4,900B (but you can get a usb stick cheaper). It now costs 800B per month for up to 30Gig bandwidth. The router is compact and slips in my laptop case so I have internet wherever I go in the Chiang Mai area so long as I have power. I highly recommend it.

The quality of Payap's programs can vary from degree to degree, and of course there will be some who have had a disappointing experience. However, I think if you surveyed most graduates, you would find them proud of their degrees and very satisfied with their experiences. I am involved with the CIS program at Payap, so perhaps I am biased, but I would confidently say that we offer a high quality program taught by qualified instructors from throughout the world. The international programs are fairly new (around 6-7 years), and during that time they have been developed and improved. Unlike many 'international' programs in many Thai universities, Payap's programs are 'truly international' with all teaching through English medium.

A couple of posters have questioned the values of degrees from Thailand and this is a question which often arises. Quite often the value of a degree is in how it is marketed. Graduates of Payap's international programs have a lot more to their CVs than just a degree from a 2nd rate western university - such as language skills and diverse cultural experience. Payap degrees have been consistently recognised in the west.

Please feel very free to contact me for further information.

What an interesting thread, with clearly two conflicting points of view! <-- That was how I began my first post, and many posts later, it seems a logical repost. It is a very interesting thread!

Like HTWoodson, I'm a little torn... From one perspective we have 'Gator' baiting and fishing for response. I certainly don't agree with his style and don't follow all of his posts, but this is an international forum and we can't assume all are 'perfect', native speakers. Nor could I expect everyone to agree with my posts simply because they are well written (if I say so myself). However, I must visit Marcos, and sample their tuna cappacio as it seems to add an effect to late night replies!

From an alternative perspective, he is 'keeping it real' and challenging throw away comments. I'm not sure his motivation, but it is keeping the thread alive.

Example: It is easy for me to claim to have students joining PhD's programs, it's harder for me to prove it.

- I'm not sure myself how naming the institution helps, but it does add information to my comment and allows someone interested to go ahead and verify the information.

In a forum such as this it is very easy to state "We believe Payap is one of the best universities in South East Asia and our international programs offer a truly quality eduction." But what is the value of a statement like that? Certainly until the entire community agrees? As an alternative, consider if someone posted a comment like "Payap degrees are not worth the paper they are printed on", in that case I would also want to take issue and perhaps challenge them to prove it. Perhaps by "dog piling"!

For my program, I am fiercely proud of what we offer, and the graduates we produce. I am in no way neutral in this thread. There are parts of Payap that I'm not so proud of and work daily to improve, but I definitely think that my graduates get excellent value for money and are well equipped to compete in a global marketplace. The international and intercultural experience, coupled by excellent instructors facilitating up to date and quality education place my graduates in a great position that is easily comparable with graduates from many western universities. <--- This is my opinion, and not one I can quantify or qualify in a forum such as this. People may have conflicting opinions, and perhaps only time may address that.

And, perhaps to aid the changing of people's perceptions, I repeat my invitation. I am very happy to meet with any TV'ers at Payap, so I could show you what we have to offer personally and candidly. PM me for contact details.

Gatorhead,

I apologise for not answering your question straight away - I am fortunately quite busy with my "rl" and don't get the opportunity to "troll" these forums constantly, and I guess I missed your question the first time - my bad!

The point I raised earlier concerned the 'value' of a degree earned at Payap, which as with many qualifications depends on how you market it. Payap degrees are internationally recognised, and I backed the claim up with an example. As mentioned previously, and graciously highlighted by yourself, one of our graduates was accepted into a PhD program at a top university in the UK. The university in question was Lancaster University, and the student in question was exceptional, he is currently seeking funding before taking his place the program. When students do run into problems transferring credits, then it is due to administrative process - and that is the same for when students transfer credits from western universities to Payap as well.

Regarding wheelchair access I have contacted 'harry' via pm.

Its good to see your continued interest in the thread and topic. Perhaps you would be interested in joining one of our programs - you can find more information here: English Communication at Payap University

Again, you are welcome to meet with me if I can answer any more of your questions.

Again, Gatorhead, I repeat my invitation for you to visit us, so that I can clarify your misconceptions about Payap. Until then it is difficult for me to understand why you persist in posting in this thread. I trust that most interested readers will take the time also to visit us.

harry - sorry to hear about your story. Hearing it, I am not overly surprised and I wish there was something we could do about it beyond raise it to the administrators... :S

BlackArtemis - You are right... Cheating and Plagiarism happens. It happens at Payap, it happens all over the world, and one of the jobs of a lecturer is sadly to try and catch it and punish it. It happens in the west, but you are right, it happens here in Thailand a lot more. In several different Thai universities I have caught examples, and I am sure that some students will have got away with it too. It is more of a reflection of the student than the university, as all universities have policies and practices to prevent it, Payap certainly does, and from my experience it does a good job of preventing it. I have found much worse cases in other universities.

richard10365 - if only you were in charge of marketing!

Gatorhead333,

I am curious why you are persisting in using this thread to bash something you clearly have no direct experience of. The OP clearly asked for the experiences of graduates and those who could comment on the quality of the teaching there. I would be happy to take the time to meet with you and answer any questions you have about the programs at Payap, so I can clear up any misunderstandings you have about the school. Feel free to PM me.

You comment that programs are taught by underpaid expats. I agree - I am underpaid (aren't we all?), but if I was here for the money, I wouldn't be here. The size of the paycheck isn't proportional to the quality of education, and fortunately there are enough like-minded and qualified people with motivations other than the paycheck to create some good programs. I admitted that things aren't always perfect, and minor kinks are being always worked out, but that is the same in any institution and with your ('red') highlighting it seems you have missed the point. You don't need to be in the UK or US to get a quality international education, there is one offered here, at Payap, and the experience you'll have while here will certainly add to your resume.

One of the posters questioned the value of a degree from Payap. For information, one of my graduates was accepted into a Phd. program at a top university in the UK, and our students regularly take part in exchange programs with US, UK and Australian universities, each with MOU's to exchange credits earned. Other graduates earn more than I do working in Chiang Mai, Bangkok or abroad, the degree being accepted for what it is worth. The 'value' of the degree is how you market it, and our students have plenty of opportunity to add to their CV. The experience gained here, (imho) is comparable to many western universities.

No doubt snippets of this reply could be interpreted in many ways, but please feel free to contact me directly to ensure you understand what Payap has to offer.

What an interesting thread, with clearly two conflicting points of view! One side is repeating negative viewpoints based on hearsay, while the other is from current students. I am an instructor at both CMU and Payap, and have several years experience in both institutions and if I was recommending a westerner to study for an MBA in Chiang Mai, there would be one choice - Payap's IBMBA program. It is an excellent program, with high standards and highly qualified instructors.

CMU is a good university, offering a wide number of excellent programs. They have huge numbers of students, and large numbers of very qualified teachers - with many professors, assistant professors and associate professors. However, they have little to offer if you don't speak Thai. They do have some "international" programs, and they are mostly taught in English - *mostly* being the key word there.

Payap's international programs are truly international, with instructors from all around the world and 100% in English. There is a good community of students and a great atmosphere around the campus. Of the programs offered, the IBMBA is one of the best programs.

It's easy to say that Payap is just about the 'girls', because there is a 65%-35% split (females/males), but I would question anyone who used that as a basis for choosing somewhere to study. It's also easy to pass on other negative stereotypes about Payap, Payap is far from perfect! The international programs are fairly new though, but they have been getting better over the past few years. Just because someone might have had a negative experience near the beginning, don't use that to judge the quality of the programs now.

Why don't you come and see for yourself?

Can you cover for me Laopo? I have to give a class all afternoon.... Busy day!

Make that the Guggenheim in Bilbao...

Is it the googenheim (spelling)..?

I am a new father of a 15 day old little girl. Your comments and questions make me sick! What if she is telling the truth! She has cared for you. cleaned for you, slept in your bed for a year! All the while your off being a butterfly man! And you call her a crazy! You poor excuse of a man! Go back to her, beg for forgiveness for you terrible behaviour! Own up and be a man!

Look into these little eyes and say you want to kill her!

Hear Hear

I guess I'm too young...

From what I've heard it isn't a problem - when my son was newborn, he was very irregular! Now I have the opposite problem - stopping him from pooing (when Mummy's not around!) I've found that when he's going to poo he always assumes 'the position' - standing up, leaning forward against a door and grunting! Stop him from getting into the position, and he's poo free till Mummy comes home!

Payap University in Chiang Mai also offers International Programs, which are accredited. One of our graduates was immediately accepted onto a PhD. program at a respected UK university, so is a degree from a Thai university worth something? I would say yes!

Once you graduate from here, the 'value' of the degree is much to do with how you market yourself on your cv. Compare, 'got a degree from a 3rd tier university in UK', with 'got a degree from a respected university in Thailand, where I also had the benefit of living in an Asian culture, learning another language.....'

As for funding - he would probably have to pay for it himself. As I understand it students in the UK only get loans these days anyway. I don't think he qualifies for student loans for a degree out here, it would have to be a career development loan - which might work out an expensive way of doing things...

Be careful with the Regent!!! I bought a house from Tropical in one of their Emperor villages... While I am very happy with the house now, it was a long period of fighting with the village to get what we paid for. While you are a prospective customer, you will be treated well - as soon as you hand over the money they provide zero customer service, and lie constantly.

We are still waiting for a clubhouse which was promised us 2 years ago - they are yet to start it.

My advice is still to go ahead, as they are great houses - but keep a close eye on what is going on (every day) and only hand over the minimum money until you are happy with it.

I believe what you want is a 'Shengen' visa... I believe that that will take you into most European Union countries (except uk)... But you probably want to google it for updated info. If your wife already has the uk visa, the shengen will be no problem...

The Thai spouse will own it (of course - foreigners can't own land). Many foreigners use a usufruct, or lease arrangement to protect their assets...

There are plenty of articles about this all over the place!

Nope - there is a Chiang Mai -> Phuket flight with Thai, but the return goes via Bangkok. No other airline offers this route, although for the life of me I have no idea why not!

Actually Payap University in Chiang Mai is the oldest private university in Thailand...

Which ring road was it? The one by Rimping, or the next one out?

My wife gave birth at Chiang Mai Ram, and I was very pleased with the whole package. So we maybe paid a little more than we would elsewhere, but the whole process was excellent. To begin with we tried to go to Lanna hospital, but ended up sitting there for 5 hours one day waiting to see the doctor for a routine visit. For me the service and 'waiting' time saved was worth the money difference.

Also I was allowed in to watch the birth (this was 8 months ago)... What could I do if something went wrong? Nothing, but just being there was an amazing experience.

As for the doctors name, it escapes me, but I can ask the wife - PM me if you want. He was a largish chap who seemed to find everything funny!

Good Luck OP.

Label the Balls (A-L)

Place A, B,C,D on one side & E,F,G,H on the other.

Case 1: The balance is even (hence odd ball is I,J,K or L).

Place I,J on one side, and K,A

Case 1A: The balance is even.

L is odd (compare with any ball to determine if heavier or lighter)

Case 1B: The I,J was heavier.

Place I on one side and J on the other.

Case 1B1: The balance is even.

K is odd and lighter!

Case 1B2: I is heavier.

I is odd and heavier!

Case 1B3: I is lighter.

J is odd and heavier!

Case 2: The A,B,C,D side was heavier (hence odd ball is A-H - either A-D is heavy or E-H is lighter)

Place on A,B,I on one side and C,D,E on the other side.

Case 2A: The balance is even.

F,G or H is lighter.

Place F on one side and G on the other.

Case 2A1: The balance is even.

H is odd and lighter.

Case 2A2: F is lighter.

F is odd and lighter.

Case 2A3: G is lighter.

G is odd and lighter

Case 2B: A,B,I was heavier.

Either A or B is heavier, or E is lighter.

Place A on one side and B on the other.

Case 2B1: Balance is even.

E is odd and lighter

Case 2B2: A is heavier

A is odd and heavier

Case 2B3: B is heavier

B is odd and heavier

Case 2C: A,B,I, was lighter.

Either C or D is heavier.

Place C on one side and D on the other side.

Case 2C1: C is heavier.

C is odd and heaver.

Case2C2: D is heavier.

D is odd and heavier.

(N.B. case 3 is the reverse of case 2)