Top Unis - am I missing something?

If future job prospects are the primary concern here, then perhaps politics wasn't the wisest choice of degree in any case?

I have an Oxbridge degree, and I think it did open some doors early on in my career, but honestly, most employers these days are more interested in relevant work experience. I honestly couldn't care less what uni people went to...

I think you're also assuming she's pushing herself so much harder than others who 'only' get As. A levels are hard, some more than others, and there will be some students busting a gut to get lower grades.

It's also worrying that you say she is sacrificing all her spare time for this. It would be wise to encourage a healthier life/work balance.

OP do you honestly think your daughter will be the only person with 4 A star grades at these non Oxbridge universities? Spoiler alert - she won’t. And there will more than likely be people who’ve done them in one sitting, which is more of an achievement than your daughter who is only doing the 3 this year.

Yes your daughter is bright but so are lots of people at Universities. She’s not going to stand out the way you seem to think.

I can't imagine how terrible it must be to be surrounded by people who all have worse A level results.

As PPs have pointed out, there is a lot more to the university experience than "does everyone here have at least as good A level results as I do". She should be thinking about what she wants from university and then setting the criteria she needs it to meet, for her to have a good experience.

Her daughter is much too bright to slum it at a university where students got in with just 3A’s 🙄

(a) Oxford only asks for 3 As, same as Bristol/Exeter/probably many more!
(b) She doesn't have 4 A stars, predicted grades aren't guaranteed
(c) I should imagine she is very confused as her mother is putting ideas in her head about certain universities being the only option when this is just rubbish

This.

She won't need 4 *s for politics.

My DC is applying for loads of unis that requires A*s in the subject. The fact that they aren't Oxbridge never crossed my mind, there are loads of highly regarded Unis with excellent quality teaching.

You're coming across as a snob and focusing on the wrong things. I hope you're able to get more perspective while you're guiding your daughter through this important chapter of her life.

I got 3 A* by the way and didn't go to Oxbridge. I'm doing fine.

Your daughter is predicted 4 A* grades but is shy and finds making friends/settling difficult. All the more reason to go to a university that is far enough it won't allow her to go home every weekend. The world of work is about far more than academics. She needs to be doing extra curriculars, sports, debate, theatre, making friends with different life experiences, dare I say it even having a part time job! This is her opportunity to grow as a person.
Those are the graduates who are snapped up (with the grades too of course)

Blimey 😳.

I'm starting to become embarrassed for you.

Many people with 4 A *'s will be on courses with entry requirements of 3 A's.

There are very few courses, including most Oxford courses, with higher entry requirements than 3 As. I think the exceptions to this might be courses like computer science or other science/ economics courses which are more competitive than politics.

What does she want to do after getting her degree?

Has she a career path in mind?

Also, is she having support for the interviews for Oxbridge?
It's not just about grades.

Does she have a great CV showing she's a 'rounded person' not just a 'swot'?

If not, even her 4*s may not be enough.

This is a good point. I think if she has had to work so hard then she might fare better outside Oxbridge. I'm not saying that getting 4 A stars isn't a great achievement but plenty of people can achieve this while still having a full social life and not having to give everything up for it.

My stepsister was one of these, she literally worked every hour she had and managed to get 3 As (A stars didn't exist then) and got into medical school, she was entirely unsuited to this as the volume of work was 3x what she had for A level and she totally floundered. She had no social life, just worked all the time. It was miserable.

Of course Oxbridge opens doors, but her approach is very inconsistent. If she sees that as the only reward for working hard - it's, and it's fantastic. It can feel very high pressure ans of course she will sometimes feel a bit stupid when the comparison point is the 99th centile of achievement. That's kind of the whole pointe people you meet are absolutely fascinating.

And yet she not only doesn't want that, but doesn't want a city, doesn't want too much travel, and doesn't want too much work? That makes Warwick absolutely perfect. It has a good reputation for politics. Tbh I'd be telling her there are tradeoffs for everything in life.

You come across asa university snob.

My DD is studying politics at Exeter. She needed to get 3 As. Entry requirements for 2025 are also 3 As. I'm not sure what your point is?

I went to Cambridge and I think you are being ridiculous. There are loads of good universities outside of Oxford and Cambridge. That doesn’t stop being true if she decides she doesn’t like any of them.

It’s your job to guide her towards more mature decision-making. Start with trying to work out what she actually wants to study - SPS at Cambridge and PPE at Oxford are totally different courses, and depending on her interests within them, not necessarily top-tier.

Megabus OP
Get an overnight one, she gets on pops some headphones in has a sleep and wakes up in London. Also very cheap. I was also able to fly home sometimes when flights were cheap. Don't let being a homebody restrict her it's time to stretch her wings. Terms at unis like Durham are so short and there's so much going on, she's unlikely to want to come home in between anyway. She can also use the A1M to practice her driving, get her passed before she goes she wouldn't need a car, my dad used to drive up and I'd drive his car back at the beginning and end of year when you have loads of stuff to transport.

ETA the reason the entry grades aren't the highest is because politics isn't the hardest subject to get into. PPE at Durham is A* AA

I don't understand this post. The universities you mentioned are good universities. Student should work to the best of the ability and choose a university based on their needs and preference.

You should be more concerned about studying politics.
It's not regarded as a tough course and isn't vocational in the same way that sciences are.

A degree in politics doesn't automatically open a door in politics if that's her aim(which seems unlikely if she's a bit shy and a home-bird.)

Most parents would be delighted if their child got into a Top 10 Russell Group uni.

You're coming across as very snobbish and also very uninformed about what employers want.

It's also her interests outside of uni that employers will look at. Charity work, personal goals and achievements, etc.

Companies like investment banks look at those, not just an Oxbridge degree.

So she can just go to Cambridge then, surely, if she's that smart and has all the super curriculars, etc?
And she doesn't get in, gap year and reapply next year with grades in hand.

That explains the conundrum. Your dd is determined and hard working so will do amazingly whichever uni she choses. However, as pp said, if she had to work her socks off she may struggle at Oxbridge - if she gets in. Is she going from private school or state? It's easier to achieve these grades at private and could be unfavourable for her application.

Hi OP. I arrived in the UK at 19 and applied to a random university (I didn’t know any better at the time). I was a hardworking student with grades equivalent to As and A*s at A-level in my country. The university I chose was ranked around 180 in the UK. I achieved a first in my first year, which didn’t count toward my final grade, but it helped me secure a competitive placement year. This placement experience, in turn, allowed me to apply directly for a PhD after finishing my BSc, and I was accepted into a fully funded program at Oxbridge.

Now, five years after completing my PhD, I’m very successful in my field and earn just under six figures. However, this success isn’t necessarily because of my Oxbridge degree—most employers don’t focus on that. Instead, they consistently commend my work ethic, intelligence, and skills.

What I’m trying to say is that if she’s a hardworking and capable student, she will ultimately do well, regardless of where she studies. In fact, I found that the lesser-known university provided better supervision, mentorship, and more opportunities than Oxbridge.

You have quite a narrow view of university education I’m afraid! Your daughter will do perfectly well in a university that isn't Oxbridge. Yes she is very clever, but I assure you that even professors in even the most un prestigious ex polytechnic will have plenty to teach her.
Your daughter is more than her academic ability. I’m afraid that your attitude to her work life balance may be setting her up for a fall / burnout.

So at the risk of repeating other messages i would suggest the following:

1. Continue investigating unis she feels good about and continue letting her have her own opinions, however much you might like to steer.
2. Encourage her to add in a couple of outliers - one might be more distance or London, one might be lower grade boundaries but a place with a thriving politics/international relations department.
3. See what comes back offer wise
4. Go to the offer holder days for all those she gets offers for. They are quite a different atmosphere from the general open days and she will get more concentrated time with her potential lecturers and class mates. You would be surprised how differently this may make her feel.
5. Make sure she visits the accomodation stuff again. Many of the city unis actually have thriving student villages which will give her the campus experience as well. Manchester and Sheffield aren't as far as Durham and Edinburgh and both have amazing student village experiences and politics/IR depts.
6. Say yes to the offer she is happiest about and put it all in to the background for her exams.
7. Be open to deferring a year. There shouldn't be any issue with doing that on/around results day with most places except cambridge.
8. Politics is one of those subjects that will benefit from students with a bit more world experience. If she defers, she will have time to mature and to chill a bit following the intense school focus and maybe travel or get experience in the area. Doesn't really matter what. It will also give her the chance to apply with grades in hand which often also means getting her first choice accomodation guaranteed!
9. There are some great unis that on paper will have lower grade boundaries but in reality, will have top-scoring students applying and so the offers will inevitably go to those who will smash the grades on paper. Don't get too hung up on that. Research the departments and modules and research leads plus their employment records for graduates. More useful to be honest.
10. Don't dismiss cambridge as being overwhelmingly work focused if she gets an offer. It sounds like her work ethic is there already and there are so so many opportunities to play hard as well as work hard. It's a fantastic place, a super compact city and will give her very short terms so she will feel less homesick knowing she only has a max of 8 weeks a term before she's home again.