Top Unis - am I missing something?

This is one of the oddest posts ever on this topic IMO.

You're dismissing unis that are consistently in the Top 10.
That's really odd.

Also, a degree in politics is seen as a 'soft' subject and I'm wondering what career exactly your DD is hoping to enter?

That's why her offers from other excellent unis are low- it's the subject she's applying for. You don't need top grades to study politics compared to say economics, bio science, computer science, medicine.

Are you under the misapprehension that a degree from Oxbridge opens all kinds of doors regardless of the subject?

She seems a bit hesitant about joining in student life anyway if the north is too far.

If what you're saying is unless she goes to Oxbridge then uni is a waste of time, I'd think you need a touch of realism.

A degree is the first foot in her career. What she does with her degree is more to the point.

What does she want to do?

Please not Bath or Exeter. Hopefully she will get into Oxbridge. It’s possible to fly from Edinburgh which is quicker, although I appreciate maybe a bit more expensive. Congrats on your daughters success.

It seems like you’re concerned that not going to Oxbridge will not stretch her enough but she’s concerned it will stretch her too much.

I’m not convinced by the travel argument against Durham and Edinburgh - that’s what trains are for - I wonder if she’s actually concerned about being too far from home emotionally? I can’t say that getting back home from uni was a factor in my choice - I didn’t even consider it.

She sounds a good candidate for taking a year out and applying when she’s decided what she wants and where. Potentially another year of life will make her more sure about choices and less concerned about cutting ties with home.

AFAIK many if not all the Russell Group universities have pretty high entrance requirements - AAB is common, though it will probably depend to some extent on the popularity of the subject.

😂 Just about sums it up

I went to Cambridge and my second choice was Bristol, which at the time was very good for politics (20 years ago). I really wanted to go to LSE but felt I wouldn’t be able to afford the accommodation costs and cost of living in London at the time. Birmingham and Warwick were also considered good choices for politics back then. As others have said put some down and then when the offers roll in go and see them with your daughter, you can get a feel for the campus and city better that way!

So basically it's not fair that there aren't more elite campus universities in the southeast that suit kids from the south east that don't want to travel too far - yes?

If she was that bothered she wouldn't have dismissed universities which are 5 hours away. We lived abroad and our children all came to university in the UK. They all survived. They weren't running home to Mummy every five minutes. It took a plane or a long car ride to get them there and back and would have been much more convenient to have gone locally. But it was what they wanted. You are also being unreasonable and snobbish by casually dismissing good universities like Warwick. Many pick that university over Oxbridge.

Depending on where you live in the South East, Oxbridge Universities might still not be that convenient or quick to get to by train. Durham is very well connected and only 2.5 hour train ride from London...

I went there, we used to joke we were the ones Oxbridge didn't want! But it's a bloody good university and the campus is amazing.

At this stage though she just needs to stick 6 choices down. Then decide nearer the time. But like most things in life there's rarely one right path. You weigh up various options, take a leap of faith and then make the most of it.

Working hard and getting great grades will stand her in good stead for LIFE, not just for university entry. Your attitude is odd. You're treating it like collecting badges for achievement, like the GirlGuides or swimming awards.

Other universities in the UK are not consolation prizes for the non-Oxbridge lot.

She’s applying for a subject that is only really top at oxbridge or some London places. It’s subject specific. If she was applying for
medicine or law she’d be very lucky to get any of the unis you’ve listed. I had top grades (4 a levels and an extended award) and went to Warwick. Some of my flatmates in year one had Bs etc but going to Warwick has not held me back in my career …

Durham would be a good choice.

Look forward, not back. Make the decision based on where she wants to go, not based on the time she spent revising for an A Level. There are plenty of other fantastic things about those other unis you've listed which could mean she'll thrive there more than at Oxbridge.

Might be wrong but I think parents in the South East tend to perceive southern universities as mire prestigious than they possibly are. Where I grew up the aspirational universities were the "red brick" universities like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle. I'm not sure people looked past Oxbridge and Bristol in the South, and generally not London due to cost of living. A lot of this prestige is of marginal benefit anyway surely? If she's interested in politics she needs cultural capital and relevant work experience to get on. Does the have political leanings as she's likely to need to join a party, unless she's thinking of civil service, which does institution blind recruitment

My friend's son got a lower offer from Oxford than from Warwick.

There is an 'H' in Edinburgh.

DT’s had all A’s for their 4 A levels. The advice we gave them was to choose where they would be happiest for 3 years. We were in central London and DS went to Warwick (did his Masters there as well) and DD to York (she rejected an offer from St Andrews on location). Both got 1st and are now in successful graduate roles - DS in engineering in Amsterdam and DD with the EU in Brussels.

Neither applied to Oxford, Cambridge or Durham - wasn’t the Uni experience they wanted.

Your DD needs to decide what she wants from her Uni experience and narrow down her options.

She could do Politics and IR, they also offer a language alongside so 'Politics and IR with eg Mandarin' is an option.

Better to go abroad, lots more options and even Oxbridge is in decline in comparison to a lot of them out there.

I went to what was considered one of the most prestigious Russell Group universities at the time, and now you don't even see it outperforming mets (although it's still in the RC). Things can change.

Base it on the specific course, not the uni. Many courses are awful in reality.

I also have a friend who rejected a lecturer role at Oxford in favour of a "lesser" university because it was just better for her in terms of what it involved. She doesn't regret it.

She is the kind of child who takes a while to settle and make friends.
Child? She must be 17 or 18, so a young adult, right?

What careers is she interested in if she wants to read politics? How about a gap year to allow her to learn more life skills and really know what she wants? Often the A* students who haven't socialised or done any extra curricular activities are a little young and inflexible.

And we're in the far SE. All the girls have chosen universities a long way away. They used to get the train. OK, it was/is a bit of a drive at the beginning of term but I love a hotel stay and a day out in an exciting city.

Apply for Cambridge and see how it goes. She may not pass the interview as I've had friends with 4A* but were rejected. The colleges all have very beautiful campuses and I can see why she'd prefer a campus experience.

Oxbridge terms are 8 weeks. How often does she expect to go home?

If she's studying properly and making full use of the experience she won't want to be home more than once a term, if that.

(I agree with PP that if she's had to slog her guts out so far to get these grades then she may struggle at Oxbridge).