"A prestigious university'- how important?

[Orangesandlemons77]

I just wondered what your views are on this. Inspired by another thread.

There are two universities close by and it would save money for DS to live here. Especially with the cost of living / rent going up etc. I know they can get loans but it still would save money.

One of the universities required very high grades - three A*s for example for most courses. The other one was a former college of higher education and only requires three Cs for most courses.

DS is probably a B student. Quite a homebody and seems keen to stay close to home, we live in a city and would be on a bus route to university.

So, what do you think about how important it is to go to the 'right' university?

I read these days, some employers are not allowed to screen out candidates for e.g. grad schemes due to their place of study.

How much would this influence you with your DC and choice of university? Thanks

How old is he? He might easily change between now and 18 months time.

@LizziesTwin

How old is he? He might easily change between now and 18 months time.

He's 17 and in the Lower Sixth.

It will very much depend on the unis, the subjects and intended careers. As an example Nottingham for Law would be a far better option than Nottingham Trent.

I would guess that it partly depends on the course that he's intending to take and also the universities as to whether it will make much difference in the long run.

For some degrees I think the institution does make a difference. Whether that's right or wrong is another debate.

Are there any other options?

Different unis offer different experiences. Some are more sporty, some more academic. The wealthier ones will offer way more extra curricular value to their students. It's not all about career outcomes.

Meanwhile, I stayed at home to save money, and I wish I'd moved out, I'd honestly think it would have changed my life more and given me friends for life. As it was, it was just a bit like going to school.

I think which University you go to will be increasingly important as grade inflation is recognised.

Grad programs do look at which uni someone has studied at. My recommendation would be the better uni 100%

It really depends on the course. Eg there is a university at the end of my street that requires Bs and Cs for most courses. However it is one of the top in the country for two very specific subjects.

I don't really see the point in going to university unless it is a good one. Better off getting a job and doing some extra study as part of that.

Depends if the focus is status and network or education and enrichment?

Choose the university that offers the educational outcomes for his subject that he is happy with, the environment that will most suit him, and any other opportunities that are best for him in terms of life fulfilment during his degree and personal growth.

Those areas are what's important to the years he spends on the course and his future life.

"Prestige" isn't very useful unless it does all those things. Plus it's a pretty nebulous thing anyway - what value does "prestige" bring his life if its only value is that people covet it because they think other people covet it?

Also consider the impact and stress of chasing a place somewhere with excessive applicants vs spaces and pressure during exams of meeting exceptionally high grade offers.

Apprenticeships are definitely worth a look these days

You know the whole "prestige" thing with universities is essentially marketing, right?

You can get a very good education at lots of universities.

It's sad and ignorant to claim that a good degree is only one with the well-marketed institutions' branding on it.

Depends very much on the course, but in general I would say no. Where you do your post grad might be more important as there will be huge differences in research experience or support fir getting published.

@DrDetriment

I don't really see the point in going to university unless it is a good one. Better off getting a job and doing some extra study as part of that.

Exactly this.

No point at all getting into huge debt just to get some sort of 'ology' from a university that is basically an old further ed place.

If you're doing medicine/law/architecture - that type of degree, yes it matters. Even to some extent the likes of History/Geography/English.

But given how many kids get top grades now, the only way you will distinguish yourself is how you perform at a top university alongside the best. The best unis haven't dropped their standards to get a 2.1 and I think most employers recognise this.

I'm telling my kids to get an apprenticeship and get into work!

I think in a world where so many jobs (unnecessarily IMO) require degrees, even if employers aren't supposed to, they will give more weight to a top-tier university in applications.

It would possibly be Psychology, both uni's courses are endorsed with the appropriate body...

If your son wants to study medicine or law then i suppose the Uni does matter. I have 2 boys at Uni right now and they are both at what were the old Poly's (Bristol UWE and Leeds Becket) and have gone to study Business and Sport Science. They chose their Unis based on which friends were also going there, the nightlife in the City, could they take their cars, and how far from home they would be! The courses were almost an afterthought..... But they are happy.

Out of interest does anyone know if the Civil Service screens based on university?

@SweetNcrunchy

If your son wants to study medicine or law then i suppose the Uni does matter. I have 2 boys at Uni right now and they are both at what were the old Poly's (Bristol UWE and Leeds Becket) and have gone to study Business and Sport Science. They chose their Unis based on which friends were also going there, the nightlife in the City, could they take their cars, and how far from home they would be! The courses were almost an afterthought..... But they are happy.

DH went to UWE as well, did elecronic engineering...he liked it

The civil service doesn’t care where you attend.

For psychology the main thing is the accreditation, what does he want to do with his psychology degree?

It's also important to remember that although courses may have the same name, the modules offered by different unis can be very different. This can make a difference - a student doing modules in areas that they enjoy is likely to do better. It really isn't a case of just picking the nearest course.

The Civil Service recruitment process deliberately asks candidates to remove all info that could identify what school or uni people went to. It's a blind recruitment process.

Bit off-topic, but has he thought about having a gap year? I was a homebody and in retrospect I really wish I'd had one. As it happens I went to a uni a long way away from home, but the people who'd had gap years were noticeably confident and grown up in a way that I wasn't.

It wouldn't solve the finance difficulty of living away from home but it might give him the confidence to explore options further afield - not necessarily more 'prestigious' unis, but courses/unis that he's really excited by and has a realistic chance of attaining. (Gap years also mean you apply with grades in hand so you have a measure of certainty.)

I have two DC university educated. One went to a modern uni, ex poly in a deprived part of the country. The other to a Russell Group, great city, sought after uni full of privately educated students as well as state grammar school students.

The first graduated with a First, the second with a 2:1. Both have good jobs with prospects although the first is likely to achieve a higher income than the second.

I work for a very large corporate, for Grad entry the university counts for nothing, only the final grade, 2:1 or above.

@SometimesRavenSometimesParrot

The civil service doesn’t care where you attend.

For psychology the main thing is the accreditation, what does he want to do with his psychology degree?

Not quite sure yet. Keeping options open, enjoying it at A level..