To wonder if it really matters what university you go to?

[yappydappydoo]

Part of me says yes, part of me says no.

I do think there's more to it than what university you go to as to whether you get the job or not. I think experience is also important (more so these days when it seems pretty much everyone has a degree) and the people themselves and how they come across and how they will fit into the team, etc. However I can't help thinking if there was no difference between two candidates other than one went to a good Russell Group university and the other went to a bottom of the league table ex-poly then it might become important iyswim?

Also I'm not an employer but I can't help thinking that because so many people these days go to university that employers do have to differentiate between candidates somehow to choose who to invite in for an interview and one of the easiest ways to do that would be by what university they went to. I actually know someone who does interview for graduate jobs and to narrow applications down he immediately disregards any that went to universities that he hasn't heard of and then works from there.

The whole university snobbery thing seems to be worse on the internet.

But why is it unthinkingly mean to state something that is fact and is no doubt known by anybody who isn't in a permanent state of unconsciousness?

Are people aware that certain universities are more highly regarded for certain subjects?
I think the vast majority of people are well aware.
Are people aware that a first is a better grade and harder to achieve than a 2:1?
They must be on another planet if they haven't realised that.

Why do we have to tread on eggshells when discussing things that are already well known?

Well this thread has really worried me. I never went to university, nor my husband. I am not completely sure how it works.

My eldest son ( just about to be 22 ) is going off to uni this year. He didn't do too brilliantly in his A levels,getting a U in one of them, but after a year of shutting himself away,he got a job in a supermarket and signed on to do a course at college for 2 years.

He's done this for, and by, himself. The Uni he is going to...I haven't a clue if it is " a good one" or not. But it is worrying that in 3 years time,when he will be getting on for 25, someone somewhere might dismiss his degree just because of the name of the institution.

My daughter,about to start year 13, is more clued up on these things...but is more interested in the right course than the institution. She was amongst a contingent of pupils chosen to go and visit Oxford last year,but she came back saying she didn't think she would ever want to go there as it felt too ( in her words) "snobby".

It is her choice. It's not my decision to make. I feel sorry for one of her friends, whose parents insist that she goes to a " top" university,even though the courses aren't quite what she wants.

YABU. Standards differ hugely amongst universities. Older, more prestigious universities should be more likely to produce less graduates whose literacy is an embarrassment and who have skills in producing what is asked for, rather than what they think is asked for.

I have taught at postgraduate level and it is horrifying how many graduates have never had their spelling corrected, who cannot construct an argument (but instead produce a report when asked for an essay), who do not know how to list sources in a bibliography or research a topic, etc.. Some universities clearly let their students away with such things, as possibly the students are of such a standard that their pass rate would be very low if they didn't.

jam, he will be fine and so will your DD!

My brother felt exactly the same about Oxbridge - he insisted he didn't want to go. And he loved where he went instead, did really well, made friends. It was perfect for him. This is why I think it is so important you like the place. What good would it have done for him to be miserable (and likely working badly) somewhere else?

chelsy - you realize there's a law on MN, where if you make snarky comments about other people's SPAG, your own mysteriously becomes a bit shit? I think you've fallen foul of it, haven't you ...

miss - I don't think people are saying quite what you think they're saying, though. There's a difference between the statements you make, and more specific claims, such as that Queen's Belfast is awful, or that really it's getting a first that matters.

Feministdragon: I guess you are right and I am not understanding some posters fully and am misinterpreting things. It won't be the first time that I have misunderstood things. I appear to have a frazzled brain.

There are lots of people here who know more about universities generally than I do.
Do any of you knowledgeable bunch know anything about studying medicine at University?
My friends two children have got their heart set on studying medicine (one about to start A levels and one about to start final GCSE year). They are good students and will probably get A's and Bs at GCSE across the board. Would they need to be getting all A's and A*s in both GCSE and A levels to stand a chance of studying medicine? I feel that they need a back up plan given the rumoured competitiveness of getting into a medicine course but I don't want to suggest that if it makes me sound like I am putting them on a downer. At the same time I would hate them to put all of their hopes on a course that they are not likely to get a place on and then end up going through clearing for whatever courses are left.
When I went to uni we could only put down a maximum of four courses on our UCAS form; is that still the case?

Oh, no, don't worry! I just get concerned about how people feel. I know people who got 2.2s and they worked their arses off for it, and went on to get jobs they were really proud to get. I don't particularly like that for a lot of jobs you need a degree, any degree (when perhaps an apprenticeship would be more practical), but it is the case. And that means some people who are not wildly academic are going to be just as deservingly proud of a 2.2 from somewhere perhaps not very highly ranked, as someone extremely academic might be of a 1st from Oxford.

I bet someone will know about medicine, but that someone isn't me. Best of luck to your friend's children. I'm fairly sure you don't need all A's and A*s, but obviously it'd help ... that's all I know ...

MissUnreasonable this might help: www.liv.ac.uk/media/livacuk/schoolofmedicine/A,level.pdf. It's the admissions guidance for Liverpool which is an excellent medical school and probably quite a good representation of requirements for the redbricks. In addition to their minimum points score for GCSEs I would say that realistically to be in with a chance (and frankly, to cope with the course) they would need at least As in the sciences and maths at GCSE. remember too that universities routinely interview for medicine (and that there is therefore an earlier UCAS deadline of Oct 15, same as Oxbridge) so it's important also to consider this, as a well-rounded, confident candidate will generally do better under interview conditions.

MissUnreasonable- you need to get started on your research pronto! A level choices are VERY important, so that may need re-thinking. Different medical schools select in various ways, so read up all you can.
The Student Room is a good source to start with, and go online to the websites for the medical schools. You will soon become an expert!

No one IRL uses the term 'Oxbridge' certainly no one who went to any of the Oxford or Cambridge colleges.

I do on MN most of the time.

This is because saying "I have a BA from Oxbridge" is much less identifying than "I have a 2:1 in History from St John's" (of whichever shade of blue) given that the intake for each subject in each college is tiny in each year: in my actual college, the 'big' subjects were Medicine and the sciences, about 15 students per year in each. In some subjects there were only 2 or 3 students in each year. With all the other information I've posted about my age, children etc, I would be, in effect, posting my name to my contemporaries.

I also have a Masters and two different post-grad professional qualifications from a former polytechnic and technical college. In terms of autonomy, quality of teaching, access to resources (this was prior to online databases of books, journals, reports etc) I honestly think that Oxbridge expected a great deal more of me than the other institutions. I spent my first post-grad year quite confused by how little seemed to be expected of us regarding independent study.

I think it matters. I am a very mediocre person who got lucky and went to a top university. I then went on to get a series of very good jobs despite being quite average. I know people who are brighter, more intelligent, more interesting .... who have not done as well - they don't have an Oxbridge degree.

I live in Oxford.

People definitely use the term Oxbridge in real life.

I use Oxbridge on here because it is less identify

Identifying. In fact sometimes I switch between the two.

Thanks indigo18. It's my friends children that want to do medicine. My own children are far too squeamish to consider any medical related course, although that could change as they are not even old enough to be looking at GCSE options yet.
I will try and point my friend towards the student room and suggest that she looks into things with her children.
I suppose I am just a bit worried that my friend thinks medicine is as easy as other courses to get a place on and won't discuss any potential hurdles with her children. I watched a student programme that was recently on and one of the students was taking bio medical science because he couldn't get on medicine. All of the other students on his course were there because they had failed to get on a medical course. Most of the students were on track to get a first class degree but still couldn't get into medical school. It just made me a bit worried for my friends children if they limit their options.

It matters in some industries/careers. At the end of the day for certain jobs is better to have got a first from a top university in an academic course and have great A levels. I still have to answer questions as to why i didn't go to Oxbridge and why I chose the A levels I did - and I am in my 40s with professional qualifications.
I do wonder whether a first from one insitution is the same as a first from another - if the average intake had lower academic ability/qualifications in uni B than uni A then the fact that the same percentage got firsts in both wouldn't seem right to me and would imply either different standards or teaching levels