To want my son to go to a higher achieving Uni?

I've barely heard of the uni and no doubt it will be the same for many employers.

Hogwash 😂 Aberystwyth is a very well known and established uni, and any employer worth working for will definitely be familiar with it.

How on earth can you teach and assess people who are only capable of getting Bs and Cs at the same level as those who got A stars?

Whilst I agree it is his decision, I would be mindful of the fact that Aberystwyth is classed as one for the easiest universities to get into in the UK, with a 97.6% acceptance rate. It is worth him considering how this will look to employers if comparing job candidates.

I might also add that the teaching at the 'lower' status uni I went to for undergrad was far far better than the teaching on the MSc at the red brick. The latter could sit back and rest on their institutions name to get by. The former genuinely cared about the students, and the lecturers were all v passionate about their subject matter!

Obviously a small sample and only comparing two unis on different level courses! But ....

Aber is lovely, he will have an amazing time. Uni is partly to broaden horizons and if you have lived in London it will be strange not being on edge all of the time, totally different pace of life. I know people will challenge that but Aber is very safe to be. Just remember the sea is dangerous and show him some rip tide videos! He could also learn Welsh!

This is MN, OP. You will be branded a snob and given a lecture about how you should never try and influence your children on anything because it’s controlling and abusive. Having aspirations for your children is considered undue privilege. You will be told how he should just go to wherever makes him happy and join the conveyor belt of graduates coming out of mediocre universities with pointless degrees.

I don’t think YABU, job markets in top jobs are tough and employers may look at what uni candidates went to as a factor.

But sadly it’s his choice at the end of the day. If he wants to live by the seaside could he have an extended holiday this summer before going to uni?

Well this is daft. Who decides whether the reason is good enough?

He might have a reason he thinks is great but you don't, and what you highly value he may not be bothered about.

Aber means your son is probably thinking about a holistic view - study/work/life balance - which is amazing. I'd be 100% behind him going there. Too many people enter a rat race of a life way too early and never get off the treadmill. If your son is sensible enough to know academics are important but not the only thing - and health and happiness are important too - then he's on to a winner.

I picked a uni quite far down the league tables over Durham. This was 25 years ago. I picked the uni based on the scenery :) and the 'vibe'! Which didn't go down too well with my mum! But honestly it was the best decision I've ever made! Best years of my life! I went on to get an MSc from a red brick (not on purpose, it happened to be the place I was sponsored by my employer to go), then a PhD from a random!

Ultimately noone cares where your degree is from. A few older white men of a certain age say a bit of 'well done' when it's a degree from a red brick, but they r fewer and far between! Ultimately, enjoying the uni experience is the most important thing IMO!

Historically, Aber has been really well regarded for Arts and especially MFL. It used to be one of the few places you could do joint honours courses like this, so snapped up bright students who wanted something specific.

I teach a humanities subject at a smaller university where students come in with averages grades ABB but some a lot lower. I've also taught at a RG uni where students came in with AAA/AAB. I don't teach differently now than I did then. Especially because my experience is that A level grades aren't a great predictor of how well a student will ultimately do.

As PP has said, at a small institution, bright and committed students can get a lot of attention. I give students who want to excel lots of extra tutorials, help with post grad applications, etc that I never got at the "better ranked" institution I attended for my own first degree.

I also see a lot of students pressured into taking certain routes by parents who think it will be better for them transferring over into our department. No one does well when they're unhappy. Let your son make his own choice.

Yes, as I said, I moved to a startup tech company and make double what I made at the IB. That's also not the point for an undergrad.

He is probably going to do what he wants to do.

I guess so long as he is aware of the consequences of his choices and you aren't the ones paying for it then fine.

Going to a place to study because it is beside the seaside doesn't sound like a great choice to me. Maybe he should go to uni in a place with a better reputation and get a summer job by the sea if he like it this much. Then he will really be able to take advantage of it, at uni most of the time will be spent studying.

Personally I would always choose the university with the best reputation possible. Bristol, Durham and Leeds are all excellent.

Fair enough, but not everyone has that experience. Most people leave IB and move on to interesting and lucrative careers in other industries or other areas within finance using their experience.

Honestly I went to Cambridge for my field of work. No one and I mean no one asks me where my degree is from. I wish I'd gone somewhere lower down. Since doing masters, my best experience has been at a lower down then one of the UK's top 10 universities. All they are bothered about is doing their research. The help support and teaching is shocking. They are in their own world and it shows. I can't wait to finish its miserable.

@Scottishskifun I totally agree this should be the case, but this simply isn't true. I only have knowledge of London centric city jobs, but university does matter when it comes to recruitment (only at the graduate scheme type level), after that work experience starts to become more important,

It's also unlikely that OP's son would have an awful time at the other unis mentioned, all of which have great student life etc.

The idea that uni isn't for employability is why so many grads end up on minimum wage without having really thought through the point of going to uni

I think you need to discuss his reason for picking the one he has, in a non confrontational way. And in a way that isnt just you telling why he is wrong until he gives in. But, ultimately, you need to accept this is his choice

I agree with this.
I mean, both Aberystwyth and Swansea are hardly low institutions.

You have to look at the whole picture, and by that I mean outside of MN too.

By far the most important things are that he’ll be happy there and will enjoy the course. If he likes the place, and is enthusiastic about the course based on the published course content, he’ll be happy and successful.

Please don’t pressure him to go to a more “prestigious” university, and if he goes to Aber please don’t criticise him or show that you’re disappointed. You’ll damage your relationship with him. One of my dc’s friends was pressured by their parents into going to a “top” uni that they didn’t really want to go to, and is predictably very miserable to the point of a near breakdown. This isn’t uncommon either.

Aber is a fantastic university with the national library of wales literally a 10 minute walk max from campus this is extremely useful when doing a dissertation. It’s politics and international relations is highly respected, honestly if that’s where he wants to go let him, just because the offers are BBB does not and I mean does not mean the academics will be lower despite what people think.

YANBU. I do think most employers still look at which university candidates attended and that is something they look at for longer over someone’s career than the specifics of the candidates’ A level results. I also think some people regard a good degree grade from a less demanding uni as the equivalent of a lower grade at a better one, e.g a 2:1 from a less traditional uni being the same as a 2:2 from Oxbridge. It may not be fair, but it is often the reality.

That said, it also depends on what your son wants to do and what he is studying. There are some less well regarded universities that have particularly good courses for some industries. Those industries will be aware of those courses. It may be that your son has been looking at that and it has fed into his reasoning? Plus, he will do better somewhere where he is happier. That is not to be ignored as a factor.

You need to have an unemotional conversation with him in which you discuss all of this. He may have reasons for choosing Aber that you’re not aware of and are sensible. But even if not, you can’t force him to go somewhere else so all you can do is make him aware of these issues. He needs to know that this is coming from a place of concern for his future, not snobbishness.

Good luck, OP.

Better he gets a degree from Aberystwyth or Swansea than he drops out somewhere else because he isn't enjoying himself.

Kindly, you need to butt out. He's an adult now, and this is his first major life decision. Putting pressure on him to go to a certain place or do a certain thing will only make him resent it. By all means offer him advice, but at the end of the day it's his decision to make.

It’s up to him but I would be concerned that the academics wouldn’t push him enough if the offer is so much lower and he’d get bored. Of course, that might be what he wants out of the uni experience and to enjoy the beach in which case he can crack on! If he is doing an internationally oriented course it’s pretty far to an airport though.

Hang on, Aberystwyth is really well regarded for international relations!

Just seen your update with him doing a MFL - believe me, he will be highly desirable in plenty of sectors.

Aber is a great place and a nice uni. It's not all about the academia. You have to be happy there or it is a VERY long 3 years.