Y13 son told to cut hair for University interviews......thoughts???

Oh dear. The 'no obscene slogans' reminds me of a postcard that DH (an academic also) has in his office, from back in the day when we worked in Manchester. Promotional materials from a bar/club. Which reads:

"Students! Fuck off down South"

Fortunately he doesn't do too many interviews or visits in his office. Though he does have to explain to the odd timid Fresher.

frogs, did you ever get to interview any of your no.4? Give us a description.

yy, agree re the constant primping/smoothing/flicking.

This is daft.

I've done UCAS interviews (as a lecturer, lol) and we couldn't give a rats arse what an applicant's hair looks like. They will be far more interested in what he has to say for himself than in what he looks like.

The only real no-nos are (1) being seriously filthy (2) BO (3) T-shirts with obviously provocative or obscene slogans and (4) personal appearance that is so unusual, extreme or unkempt that it causes you to wonder about the candidate's mental health.

Yes, I have to admit that flicking around would irritate me.

The flicking, or rather the careful smoothing of the ridiculously long fringe artfully over one eye, is really annoying...

well, yes . More excellent arguments which I also have to agree with.

Arf at 'do I mix with many young men'. What, with my three boy who refuse to go anywhere near a blade, and my many, many students?

Point taken.

But the point is, its what he wants, and not what some school teacher wants that matters.

short neat hair with suit and tie. That would make me really wonder if they had a mind of their own. Its not natural.

Don't make him cut his hair. It looks clean and neat and its his personality. My sons would love to have their hair flopping over their faces, but they've both got curls and it just grows outwards!

LOL at "a bit different". I teach two subjects (one science, one social science) at A level and every boy I teach has the same hair, bar one. So he with the short back and sides is the individual in my classes.

I love it though NAO, although I am constantly offering hairclips...

Completely agree with Penth. Schools often talk a lot of tosh about what admissions tutors do/do not like.

Your DS is well within the range of prospective student 'normal'.

I teach lots of posh boys and they are the scruffiest. Key look: mop of hair, stripy shirt half open, hanging out over tracky bottoms. Grim.

ReducedToThis - glad to hear that DS1 is coming to some decisions. We chatted about this under different names.

I don't think 'cut your hair' is relevant either. But do you mix with many young men, wilf? A heck of a lot of them have that shaggy forward hairstyle these days - I don't think it's wanting to look different

he looks great no way should he have to cut it.

Well, yes. You're right dogon. Not inevitably. And I do try not to judge by appearances alone, lest anyone thinks I'm busy ticking off their DCs for being utterly ordinary looking.

But I do admire people - in general - who are prepared to look different, or not care, or make an effort. In a university, of all places, I don't think the 'wear a suit, cut your hair' advice is relevant. Unless you're going into certain fields.

That's just not necessarily true, wilf. I know a lot of dullards with longish trendy haircuts just as I know some with short neat hair. I was just ponderingthe fact that if you can't see someones's face very well, you might not pick up thier personality very well in 10 minutes.

I think he's lovely as he is.

Natural sciences? Probably will apply to Bristol? Everyone is shaggy round here!

But that's the thing. A bit of long/different hair does show a bit of personality. And independence. And if you did a survey of university tutors, you can predict that about 90% would put independence of mind quite high up their list of priorities, if not top...

Your DS's hair looks fine, looks like most students IMO & I live in Oxford so I've seen plenty.
My DS1 (y11) has elbow length hair, if he bends over a piece of paper they may not be able to see the desk!

I am surprised at the op. I really am.

I suppose people like to see a person's face and so that sort of flopping forward hair can cover up some personality. (Just musing)

OMG , I thought I was going to see some seriously long bad hair, but that photo is great! Not too long, not messy, doesnt make him look at all lazy or messy or anything bad at all. Absolutely no cutting please. Its inasne. Especially for university. Really, he can be perfectly presentable with that hair.

Perhaps it depends on where he's applying? Oxbridge still has a huge number of public schoolboy applicants (and successes) relative to other universities, their message will be neat and smart; as for school. I know Penth is in Cambridge and thinks his haircut looks like her students' but perhaps they grow it like that in the holidays?

Better too smart than too scruffy, possibly?

DS1 has decided he doesn't like the look of the medicine course at Cambridge (they spend 3 years in the lecture theatre) and has therefore decided against it much to the disappointment of his Headmaster and some of his other teachers - though one or two are cheering him on. Also he says he feels like he has lived his life in a privileged bubble and wants to get away from that a bit. He wants a normal university life. I think he's right for him.