Are russell group unis really better ?

[Greekdream]

Thinking about potential clearing back up options etc

So just wondering about your experiences with RG unis and thoughts ?

It depends:

• Some excellent universities - iirc, St Andrew’s; Bath - are not signed up to the Russell Group, and those are equal to or better than some of the RG unis.
• Many non-RG universities have areas of particular expertise or excellence even if other courses are of ‘lower than RG’ standards - so to take an example, Birmingham City is world-rated as housing a music conservatoire and in specific courses related to Birmingham’s jewellery trades, but its History or English courses are not similarly ranked.
• Some courses are not offered at RG universities, and if that is your child’s ambition, then RG is not the right place.
• Some courses eg medicine are standardised so the RG / non-RG institutions are equal.
• Some graduate recruitment processes are now ‘institution blind’, and if one of those areas is your child’s ambition, not going to an RG uni is not necessarily a disadvantage.

That said, given uni is so expensive, your child should aim for the best course they can access in their specific field of interest - but whether the best course for them is technically RG or not will depend on many factors.

In my experience yes you want the specialist university that’s at the top of the tree for its specialism.

I hate the not know the knowing the a level results part
it’s so long to wait

would you think RG are more internationally renowned?

RG universities are a self selected group of research intensive institutions. It is one of many mission groups and arguably the one that has had the most successful marketing campaign!

University applicants should look at more than whether a university is RG or not.
Subject rankings should be the first port of call.
Most UG students are not necessarily interested in research so should look at teaching quality, student satisfaction and employability.

Any particular rankings you recommend ? There seems to be a few

I was a lecturer for a RG uni. Yes, generally speaking they are better regarded, more respected (some more than others, especially internationally), and usually have better facilities and attract academics with more expertise.

Are they ‘better’ for your individual child? That entirely depends on their longer term goals, the course they are applying for, where they want to live and would thrive, and the sort of lifestyle they want. I think there are many young people who would thrive in a uni that is a better fit for them rather than going for RG just because it’s more prestigious.

For your first job after university RG can be more beneficial. I know a FT100 company that screens for its graduate scheme by RG.

However after your first job and work experience you can’t tell who went to RG vs non RG….unless they like to tell you.

But I wouldn’t let it put you off a non-RG. It’s got to be right fit. Some people will flourish more at a none RG than if they went to RG.

There’s a few old polys that have very sort after courses as they became specialist in that area and are very well regarded.

What kind of person do you think would flourish more at a non RG uni

unis seem more desperate than ever before for bums on seats

For me it’s was about fitting in/ location / gut feel.

I decided and went non RG but my husband was RG. I wanted a campus feel that wasn’t in
the city centre. Im not a fan of cities and having buildings spread across a city felt off to me. I liked the idea of campus, self contained and more of a community.

While I am reasonably academic I have never been top of the class and always struggled with confidence. I knew being in a room with top scoring students might affect my confidence so a non RG was better, still all intelligent people but it seemed less competitive….i might me making this up as it’s just my perspective.

Could you let us know the course? There is a world of difference between (say) medicine at Exeter and maths at Cambridge. Many courses will never go into clearing from some unis

Thanks for all giving me your thoughts
my dc has already selected firm
and insurance choices so fingers crossed
but just thinking about back up plans

its nit medicine it’s social sciences

In that case, I would look very critically at graduate employment rates from each university under consideration, rather than other factors. It us likely that ‘higher prestige’ universities (like RG but sone others) will have the highest rate for non-vocational, relatively general courses like these, but you may find some specific gems amongst other institutions.

Tbh, unless the firm and insurance are both very competitive-entry unis, I suspect for social sciences a dropped grade or two on results day isn’t going to be critical as these are courses that universities may be finding it harder to fill. If looking fir reassurance, look at the typical grades obtained by those currently doing the course: you nay find it lower than the offer your DC is holding.

If worried about international standings looked at the QS Rankings.

If you want to see where the Top 100 graduate employers target then look at the most recent rankings from High Flyer.

Only my experience (or rather DP) but he did his masters as a "new" uni (former polytechnic) and it was great, but now is doing his Medical Doctorate at a RG uni and is finding it hard work. Not the academic part, the way they run things. I'm trying to help him with his admin and organisation, and it's very bad. I thought he was maybe just a bit disorganised, but it seems the staff can't organise their lectures or rotations very well. He wishes he'd gone elsewhere

I work at a RG Uni, highly regarded for research and for teaching, Of course no UG will ever be taught or supervised by a leading research academic - which gives them their status - they will never even see them! For UG they need to look at the course they want to do and employment after that - those are the stats that matter. That said, I don’t employ in the private sector where these things matter and they always will. The previous email about Bath is a great example of a non RG but highly respected Uni.

I think yes if you're academic. You have to show you can study independently and think critically.

I think people sometimes use RG as a shorthand for what would probably have been called red brick Universities in my day. Yes, they are on the whole very good, well regarded Universities but RG vs non RG is a very blunt instrument for lots of reasons.

1. Not all the Universities that lots of people probably think are RG are actually in that group, presumably because they don't want to be. 2) RG membership is based on research prowess and that does not necessarily translate into excellent undergraduate teaching. (I was initially really taken aback by just how disinterested many of my tutors were.) 3) Not all Universities rank highly for everything and some institutions that are not particularly highly regarded in general are superb for some subjects. 4) Some people respond better to different teaching styles and different environments so the "best" University for a given subject is not necessarily the best place for an individual student. Of course it can make a difference where you study, more in some fields than others, and it makes sense to aim for the best course you can get. Just look carefully as it might not be as obvious as many people think and there's a lot more to consider than membership of the Russell Group. It's also not the end of the world if you don't get into your first choice. Lots of people will go on to have very happy, successful and fulfilled lives after attending "lesser" Universities. My DH is internationally recognised as an expert in his field and he went to a polytechnic. I don't think anyone has asked him where he studied for decades, as they're only interested in his professional experience and expertise. Life is not set in stone by the time you graduate.