World Top University Lists + Best In Asia

[theblether]

I was looking through the Telegraph this morning and I came across this link to the top Universities in the World, I had a look through the top 300 in the world and there are no Thai universities on the list. Here are the links to the top in the World list, the Thai University list, and the top in Asia list.

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011

http://www.topuniversities.com/search/universities/thailand?filters=type:profile

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2012

Thailand's Chulalongkorn University comes in at number 43 in the Asia list, Chiang Mai at number 91. To be fair I haven't studied the list extensively so I may have missed a higher entry.

I didn't go to Uni, I might do a course when I semi-retire, just to keep my mind active. Which Uni did you go to? Was it worth it? and do you have kids that are in line to attend Uni in Thailand? After seeing these lists would you send them out of the country?

[soi41]

After reading some posts on another thread here. I would send them anywhere, but the University of Glasgow.

[GuestHouse]

With Thai universities, the top ones as much if not more so, plagued with widely publicised plagiarism, deep rooted nepotism in the award of academic accolades and freedom of inquiry/speech severely curtailed on a whole range of topics.

Who would expect them to be anywhere near the top of world rankings?

OK they deserve full marks for the female student uniforms - but while pleasing to the eye, the whole uniform issue is the tip of the brain washing iceberg.

[travelmann]

Staggering amount of UK universities in that top 100

[isanbirder]

I'm glad to see my university (Cambridge) is still No. 1 in the world.

In Asia, three of the top five are in Hong Kong; no surprise there either.

If you'd ever taught in a Thai university, you'd wonder how they had the face to call themselves a university. And I taught in one of the best, but I'm not saying which one!

[theblether]

With Thai universities, the top ones as much if not more so, plagued with widely publicised plagiarism, deep rooted nepotism in the award of academic accolades and freedom of inquiry/speech severely curtailed on a whole range of topics.

Who would expect them to be anywhere near the top of world rankings?

OK they deserve full marks for the female student uniforms - but while pleasing to the eye, the whole uniform issue is the tip of the brain washing iceberg.

I totally agree Guesthouse, every word.

The website talks about methodology for calculating the lists, I would say that there is too much kidology in the standard of education at Thai Uni's however!!!!.........it can take time so I'm not up for too much Thai bashing. I do take encouragement that further education is becoming more and more important in Thailand.

@travelman, I agree..........I think unlike others our first reaction to seeing that is to be skeptical??? Maybe being skeptical has it's value, as we don't take things at face value.

[theblether]

Update.......I've just noticed that Chulalongkorn University comes in at number 171 in the World list. Credit where credit is due and my apologies for not catching it before I posted my OP.

Well done Chulalongkorn University

Mahidol Uni # 229, also well done

[doggie888888]

Staggering amount of UK universities in that top 100

Yet when some of them end up here, they behave like ignorant morons hell bent on proving that just because their country has MANY of the best universities in the world, it does not follow that the people are more likely to be civilised and educated.

At least the Thais, often maligned here on thaivisa, can claim their ignorance is borne out of a lack of educational opportunities. What is the excuse of the Brits with their world-beating universities and developed country opportunities?

[GuestHouse]

Staggering amount of UK universities in that top 100

Yet when some of them end up here, they behave like ignorant morons hell bent on proving that just because their country has MANY of the best universities in the world, it does not follow that the people are more likely to be civilised and educated.

At least the Thais, often maligned here on thaivisa, can claim their ignorance is borne out of a lack of educational opportunities. What is the excuse of the Brits with their world-beating universities and developed country opportunities?

I suspect the ignorant morons you refer to have never set foot in a university, other than perhaps for the purposes of being studied.

But, and this is a point not to be missed, the ignorance here is not simply due to a lack of educational opportunities, I'm impressed by just how many Thais make the effort to obtain an education, rather it is as a result of a top down policy of providing an education which lacks the very characteristics of inquiry that are necessary for 'education'.

Learning by rote, fixed exams and a policy of the chosen few being above failure is not an education. The very many Thais who make huge sacrifices to obtain an education for themselves and their children deserve a whole lot better than what is dished up.

[dingdang]

At least the Thais ... can claim their ignorance is borne out of a lack of educational opportunities.

what was first, the hen or the egg?

[theblether]

Staggering amount of UK universities in that top 100

Yet when some of them end up here, they behave like ignorant morons hell bent on proving that just because their country has MANY of the best universities in the world, it does not follow that the people are more likely to be civilised and educated.

At least the Thais, often maligned here on thaivisa, can claim their ignorance is borne out of a lack of educational opportunities. What is the excuse of the Brits with their world-beating universities and developed country opportunities?

Do you want the truth?......we've always been a rough mob, how do you think we built the Empire?

"Our army is composed of the scum of the earth - the mere scum of the earth".

Duke of Wellington

Don't be kidded, we know we have a massive rough element in our country, and we know that too many of our youth, our educated youth, revel in it. Then they grow up.

If you want to do battle on the social history of Britain Sir, you'll need to get out of your bed early to beat me. If you would like to start a thread in another place where we can battle out another UK v US slugfest, just for a change, I'll join it.

I don't tend to join in on these slug fests on Thaivisa because I know when I get started I'll just show up some people's ignorance to such an extent that they will never be the same again.

Just sayin'

[isanbirder]

Staggering amount of UK universities in that top 100

Yet when some of them end up here, they behave like ignorant morons hell bent on proving that just because their country has MANY of the best universities in the world, it does not follow that the people are more likely to be civilised and educated.

At least the Thais, often maligned here on thaivisa, can claim their ignorance is borne out of a lack of educational opportunities. What is the excuse of the Brits with their world-beating universities and developed country opportunities?

I suspect the ignorant morons you refer to have never set foot in a university, other than perhaps for the purposes of being studied.

But, and this is a point not to be missed, the ignorance here is not simply due to a lack of educational opportunities, I'm impressed by just how many Thais make the effort to obtain an education, rather it is as a result of a top down policy of providing an education which lacks the very characteristics of inquiry that are necessary for 'education'.

Learning by rote, fixed exams and a policy of the chosen few being above failure is not an education. The very many Thais who make huge sacrifices to obtain an education for themselves and their children deserve a whole lot better than what is dished up.

Yes, young people mortgage their salaries for years to get a university education. I've known private universities offer government loans of half a million baht to village kids whose parents earn 5,000 a month or less.... and what do they get in exchange? Poor quality teaching... and favouritism. But at least they know one thing.... in most Thai universities, they can't fail. That's right, CAN'T fail.

[smokie36]

Mahidol is number 38.

[theblether]

Mahidol is number 38.

On which list???

[somtumlion]

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2012

Mahidol is ranked #38 in Asia, 2012 rankings.

Chula is #43

Chiang Mai U. is #91

Thammasat U is #110

Prince of Songkla U is #145

King Mongkut U of Technology is #161-170

Khon Kaen University is #171-180

Burapha U is #191-200

Kasetsart U is #191-200

Yes there are problems with many Thai universities. Yes, many are below standard and have problems with culture and curriculum. But some are not - and are doing good work and producing good graduates. Don't paint everyone and everything with the same brush.

[CWMcMurray]

Mahidol is 229 on the world rankings

[theblether]

http://www.topuniver...y-rankings/2012

Mahidol is ranked #38 in Asia, 2012 rankings.

Chula is #43

Chiang Mai U. is #91

Thammasat U is #110

Prince of Songkla U is #145

King Mongkut U of Technology is #161-170

Khon Kaen University is #171-180

Burapha U is #191-200

Kasetsart U is #191-200

Yes there are problems with many Thai universities. Yes, maybe are below standard and have problems with culture and curriculum. But some are not - and are doing good work and producing good graduates. Don't paint everyone and everything with the same brush.

I've already corrected my OP and congratulated the Thai Uni's on making it into the top 300 in the world. Did you notice the comment about skepticism though? We Brits are good at it, we direct it daily against our own. It's a good trait. Thailand would be better if it had more of it.

[theblether]

Mahidol is 229 on the world rankings

Yes it's strange that they rank 5 places above Chula on the Asia list, yet Chula is 171 on the World list. It's good to see them on the World list though.

[somtumlion]

http://www.topuniver...y-rankings/2012 Mahidol is ranked #38 in Asia, 2012 rankings. Chula is #43 Chiang Mai U. is #91 Thammasat U is #110 Prince of Songkla U is #145 King Mongkut U of Technology is #161-170 Khon Kaen University is #171-180 Burapha U is #191-200 Kasetsart U is #191-200 Yes there are problems with many Thai universities. Yes, maybe are below standard and have problems with culture and curriculum. But some are not - and are doing good work and producing good graduates. Don't paint everyone and everything with the same brush.

I've already corrected my OP and congratulated the Thai Uni's on making it into the top 300 in the world. Did you notice the comment about skepticism though? We Brits are good at it, we direct it daily against our own. It's a good trait. Thailand would be better if it had more of it.

I have no problem with healthy skepticism. But this topic appears and reappears on TV every 3 months or so, and is used mostly by TV members to slag off on all Thai universities. Better to head it off at the pass, rather than allowing the haters to hate.

[somtumlion]

Mahidol is 229 on the world rankings

Yes it's strange that they rank 5 places above Chula on the Asia list, yet Chula is 171 on the World list. It's good to see them on the World list though.

The asian rankings methodology are slanted towards science, medicine and tech, where Mahidol shines, and the world rankings weight humanities more heavily, where Chula has the edge.

[GuestHouse]

Delted by GH

[GuestHouse]

I have no problem with healthy skepticism. But this topic appears and reappears on TV every 3 months or so, and is used mostly by TV members to slag off on all Thai universities. Better to head it off at the pass, rather than allowing the haters to hate.

Can you point us at the hate to which you refer?

(Edited to get the quote right).

[somtumlion]

I have no problem with healthy skepticism. But this topic appears and reappears on TV every 3 months or so, and is used mostly by TV members to slag off on all Thai universities. Better to head it off at the pass, rather than allowing the haters to hate.

Can you point us at the hate to which you refer?

(Edited to get the quote right).

Search any of the dozens of threads pertaining to this topic on TV, in the Teaching in Thailand forum, etc.

[brit1984]

I went to Oxford and I think it was well worth the time (3 years) and cost (or opportunity cost). I learnt some basic economic theory and some very useful general skills that have helped me to do well since graduating.

Given the rankings, the Thai universities are the equivalent of joke universities back home, where less academic students go mostly to develop their non-academic / life skills (as well as some academic studies).

I doubt studying at a Thai university offers much of an academic grounding, and (at least based on the Thai graduates I know) the Thai universities don't give students much chance to develop life skills.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

[brit1984]

I'm glad to see my university (Cambridge) is still No. 1 in the world.

I thought they would have fixed that anomaly in the rankings by now...

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

[Morakot]

The criteria used in most ranking systems tend to be skewed towards variables that are prominent in "Western" countries: Research grants and international accolades, for examples. University X may move up one point on a scale because an eminent scientist was hired last year, who has been bestowed this year with a prestigious international award in memory of a certain Scandinavian chemist.

Not really the best benchmark for judging universities as places of teaching and learning. Possibly a benchmark for judging the widely assumed "prestigiousness" of the degree to be obtained, regardless of the quality of eduction.

[GuestHouse]

Search any of the dozens of threads pertaining to this topic on TV, in the Teaching in Thailand forum, etc.

.

But it wokkd seem absent from this thread, or as I susprct the mist common hate, that of others holding and expressing opinions.

[GuestHouse]

Search any of the dozens of threads pertaining to this topic on TV, in the Teaching in Thailand forum, etc.

.

But it would seem absent from this thread, or as I susprect the most common hate, that of others holding and expressing opinions.

[Trembly]

As a tangent :

The fates conspired that I should end up having a beer with two professors from the Faculty of Humanities at Maha Sarakham University the other day; one was an anthropologist, the other a foreign linguist (they were native speakers of Lao and Vietnamese respectively). They were shhht-hot.

I'm seriously considering doing a bachelors degree in ASEAN Language & Culture at MSU next year as a result of that encounter. The graduate is supposed to be able to speak, read and write 2 ASEAN languages plus have business Chinese / Japanese / Korean under their belt. I rather fancy the thought of majoring in Vietnamese and Burmese at the moment, what with the field trips and exchanges that I'd have to do.

I couldn't find any other Thai universities offering that course, however.

Language and language related degrees are probably one of the few types of degrees - if not the only type - that transcends institutional reputations since the results in the graduate cannot be gainsaid.

[David48]

.

Nice to see that my University rated in the 'top 50' in the world.

As a complete aside ... I topped the State in quantitative analysis (no BS) ... and I would trade that distinguishment for the ability to learn the Thai Language in a heart beat.

I find that soooooooo hard to do (everyone's brain is wired differently) ... thai language is so hard and I have tried! Oh ... BTW ... I continue to try.

But the best I can do is 'rote learn' the Thai words and phrases.

.