Top Unis - am I missing something?

Well I really hope she gets them, truly, because you seem to have attached a lot of her worth to them.

I'd be more worried about pure Politics being seen as a soft option and what she plans on doing with it afterwards.

'Prestige' is absolutely no guarantee of good teaching.

We live on a fast mainline in the south east and it takes DS about 5 hours to get to Durham. He does find it a bit small and remote. All his school friends went to Bath/Bristol/Warwick etc. and I know he misses them. Not being able to join them on their southern university tours is probably good for his bank balance and academic achievements though.

Her grades will not be exceptional at any of the universities mentioned.

So your DD wants a campus uni; not too far from home; full of 4 A star students; but not Ox or Cam.
A quick google shows this...
Top campus universities in the UK
The top ten campus universities in the UK according to our 2024 university rankings are:

1. Loughborough University
2. University of Bath
3. University of Warwick
4. Lancaster University
5. University of Southampton
6. University of Birmingham
7. University of Leeds
8. University of Surrey
9. University of Exeter
10. University of York

Or she could compromise on travel/campus/grades?

Best for Politics list here -
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/politics

I'm not really sure what the problem is. You look at all the unis on offer and pick the one you like the most.

PP mentioned equality and diversity in recruitment meaning that the university of her degree is not taken into account. Certainly in Civil Service institutions are meant to be hidden. Fast Stream intake is rigorous assessment centre with range of exercises. The Cambridge degree won't make much odds if performance doesn't match it.

I don’t think that’s controversial @Fluffyiguana. I’ve seen lots of similar examples of that.

You are correct, with the A stars and and an A it's only Oxbridge you'd need those for. I don't know enough about Durham's grade requirements.

We're in the SE and my son has ruled Durham out because of travel time and expense and I agree with his choice. Sometimes DC stay in uni towns and I don't want to encourage living in a town so many miles away!

But yes it's then a big drop down to the grade requirements for the other top unis.

So as you say, she doesn't need to break her back to get those grades, unless she wants a chance to get into Oxbridge.

Agree that LSE is mandatory consideration if she’s serious about politics.

Just FYI, there's an H at the end of Edinburgh

Controversial opinion but I've found that a significant proportion of people who go to Oxbridge don't end up being very successful or focused career-wise...

A few I know have been super high flyers and got to the top of their field. But I'd say at least half have finished their degree and been at a complete loss as to what to do next and that's lasted decades... going from job to job they don't enjoy, or just doing masters after masters and never wanting to stop being a student.

Ultimately being completely focused on academic success, studying, writing essays, revising etc. doesn't necessarily prepare you for the real world or a career. At Oxbridge you can't even get a part-time job or anything for a start!

Whereas a lot of people who went to good but not the best Unis and spent time developing themselves in lots different ways (societies, work experience, part-time jobs) have done much better career-wise.

She is going for a Politics degree and dismissed LSE? Good luck in your endeavour!

If her interest is politics maybe she should be considering Unis at big cities ie Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham etc where she could broaden her experience of life and make contact with local political parties there who would introduce her to 'real life' politics, campaigning and all it means. Campus Unis can be very insular.

I think YANBU. At least for humanities/social sciences, Oxford and Cambridge provide a more rigorous academic experience than other universities in this country and they are more prestigious. So you're absolutely right that if you don't get in there, then yes, you are looking at somewhere that is a bit less academic. Which I agree is a bit stupid given how difficult those places are to get into. However, you can obviously work hard and do well at other well-regarded universities. Personally I would see UCL and LSE as the 'next best' in England.

University is for life experience as much as it is about studying - it's that transitional stage between childhood and the adult world. Any one of those - fantastic - universities will give your daughter a great educational and real-world experience.

Warwick is lovely. My daughter did maths there and needed 3 A* including Maths and Further Maths. It wasn’t easy to get into Warwick at all. If your daughter is “over qualified” in terms of entry requirements it will surely mean she stands more chance of obtaining a first class?

It is possible - you can leave blank choices other than the early entry choices and just add the other options before the January non-early option deadline.

Haven't read the whole thread, and please don't shout me down, but I do kind of get what the OP is trying to say here. My DC is predicted 4 Astars, got all 9s in GCSEs....also has applied to Oxbridge, and not keen on Durham or Edinburgh.

DCs school is very good at getting kids to manage expectations - all pupils fully aware that Oxbridge is a lottery to a certain extent, many brilliant candidates don't make it through, and I am a big believer in that university is as much about having fun in young adulthood as it is about academia. I remind my DC of this a lot at the moment - that if Oxbridge doesn't happen they might well have a more fun time elsewhere where the workload will inevitably be less. They have applied to some brilliant RG universities also, where the offers that have come in have been a little bit lower.

BUT - and I wouldn't say this to DC - a tiny part of me worries that they might not be as stimulated or the teaching might not be quite as good if it's NOT Oxbridge 🤐. Yes, I know that other universities lead in certain subjects, but for my DCs subject - which they are absolutely passionate about and excel in - it IS the best place for it. So, if they don't get in - that's a bit of shame in some ways...

It's worth thinking about competition for jobs after she's graduated, will there be a lot, is it a niche area. DD works for a small business in a bit of a niche field, he's found in the past that graduates who have come from anything other than the top unis, just aren't up to the job for him, also he's really looking for a first class honours. DD is the only one with a 2.1, but she went to Edinburgh and had relevant experience as extra-curricular which was available - without the later two, there's no way he could have considered her.

BTW
I was accepted at Bristol, but chose to go to a Scottish uni

I have never regretted my decision.

BTW My friend went to a uni in Wales & loved it

Your DD should make her own decision

Both my DC turned down Oxford although it's my Alma Mater.
DS is in Westminster now having studied politics.
My DD wanted a campus university too.

Remember if your DD does go to Oxford they are not allowed to take a part time job. The halls are kept reasonably priced for this reason.

You can submit your UCAS form with fewer than 5 choices, and add additional ones later. I think it's not unusual for Oxbridge applicants, to give them more time to consider options whilst waiting to see if Oxbridge accept them.

Back in the day, Oxford used to often ask for 2 E grades.

DH had a 2 E offer for PPE... still got 4 As (A star not invented at that point) as did most of his friends.

Weirdly they didn't all feel that they "didn't really need to spend that much time working, studying and sacrificing free time"... they were genuinely interested in their subjects, and bright enough that they got the A grades without that much work.

If your DD is needing to spend so much time working to get those grades, is she actually Oxbridge material - especially for politics where there is a lot of extra curricular to get involved with.

@OnTheRoll"Thanks for replying. I am not moaning and I did list some great unis. But I think you will agree that they are not top ones and you don't need 4 A Stars to get into those."
Warwick and Bristol are definitely among the top universities. So are Bath and Exeter.
There are other good universities apart from Oxbridge.

I got top marks for every exam I've ever sat. Scottish exams, so x9 1s at standard grade and x5 As at Highers (with recognition from examination board on actual marks). I went to University of Glasgow and loved it and have a fabulous, highly paid career. I went on to a Masters at UCL to specialise a bit more. It really doesn't need to be Oxbridge - I'm intrigued why you think this?

The published required grades and the actual required grades are 2 different things. For my course, the published required grades was BBB. The actual required predicted grades were AAB (this was before the days of A stars) to even get an interview, there were over 50 applicants per place. So her getting higher predicted grades than those published should give her an advantage.

There is also something to be said about achieving for self satisfaction rather than for a specific outcome, which if she has this, is a fabulous quality which will help her go further than any specific grades will.

She could consider unis like Bath, Royal Holloway, Exeter, Reading?

I had similar grades to your DD and got an oxbridge place but decided it wasn’t for me - too formal - and went to one of those instead, and I’ve never regretted it.