Financial support for kids at uni

[salmonandchips]

What's fair when you have two kids at uni but one has bursaries / grants / lower cost living accommodation than the other? Meaning that before parental support, one child is thousands of pounds per year better off?

Give them both the same amount and let them get on with it? The "disadvantaged" one will just have to work more hours in their part time job / and or get an overdraft.

Or try and even it up some how, meaning that one child might get more financial support from parents than the other?

Head that is possible, however I think it would be a shame if she limited herself.

I think your point that most graduates even from really good institutions don't end up in high flying jobs is definitely true. I also think that you only notice the ones that are successful and therefore it's easy to get the impression that (for example) doing Engineering at Imperial will get you a good career. Which is what all Unis sell at open day.

Just out of interest, what did you study? I did Genetics at Manchester Uni.

Grumpy, she's doing a normal degree.

We are trying not to encourage either child to do a gap year as I think we are both a bit nervous they will change their minds completely if they do that and just not bother.

Just on the "good" uni topic.

Dsd told us the other night that nobody worried about the "Russell group thing" nowadays.

We were discussing my ds uni choices.

She also told me that her 3rd A level choice of performing arts is now seen as a facilitating subject.

I've no idea of either is true but I suspect this has come from her performing arts teacher.

I am afraid she is wrong. Performing arts seen as good? She must be joking!
I do accept that some A levels if you look at good universities and what A levels people took which are not officially facilitating subjects are good ones to do - 4 of my children have done economics for example which is not a facilitating subject but it does seem quite well regarded and they love it. Also pick just about any good career and look at what universities people went to - even teaching - go to the websites of the best privtae schools which give the institutions people went to - yes of course you'll find some brilliant teachers who read something at an ex poly but on the whole the better university gets you the better jobs.

I did chemistry, biology and theatre studies. ( back when you did three a-levels). I did a science degree but think the theatre studies a-level made me more rounded. Don't know about performing arts now but mine was actually more like English lit A-level. Studying plays instead of books. It was actually tough, not quite as tough as chemistry but I had to put the time in and it was way tougher than biology which was just regurgitating information.

grumpy I did chemistry at Leeds uni. Got a graduate job off the milk round in industry.

Don't think performing art is facilitating, but agree an RG isn't everything.

I think what you study not where makes more of a difference. There was some interesting research by the Sutton trust that examined outcomes from ex polys, RG etc. On average there Wasn't the difference you imagine regarding the institution, but substantial differences regarding type of degree. Medicine is more lucrative on average than english, engineering than history.
An average return is possibly a good way of looking at it at this stage...what do uni stats give op for the degrees you have in question?
For instance if one is considering an ex poly eg Coventry for engineering and the other a top RG for English you might be surprised who gets the best job afterwards.

I agree that it's just to even things up, and to explain very clearly to both children why this is being done. I think people don't feel that student tuition is a kind of personal 'belonging': you are basically ensuring that neither child emerges from their education in massive debt that will set them back.

However, apart from cases of massive wealth disparity, I think it needs to be fairly even-handed from then on out. Not least because where one child is very 'needy', an emotional disparity can develop. I've never felt able to ask my parents for anything because they have always been absorbed in my sister's welfare (she lives at home out of choice - she's completely functional - has a well-paid job, nice car, nice clothes, horse riding lessons etc). Over the years, if you tot up the cost of all the stuff they do for her (paying tuition, washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, living rent-and-bill-free) it comes to literally hundreds of thousands more than what I've received. But what really hurts isn't the money but the fact that I've never been able to go to them emotionally. I had to sleep in my car when I broke up with my ex-partner because I had nowhere to live and there was no room at the inn back home because my sister was there: but it was the fact that I had no-one to give me a hug and tell me it was going to be OK that has left a really big scar. Ditto for times when I've been living without heating and in poverty while she's been warm and fed!

shove, have you tried asking them, though? My older son currently lives as home (as did his sisters after university). I f any of the others needed a bed we would all have to make space - none is preferred over the others. Mind you I've never ironed for anyone and don't cook for anyone so that probably encourages them to leave.

It can be worth teenagers looking at the linkedin profiles, particularly universities attended, of those whom they would like to be when older. I just did a random search for Martin Sorell, WPP, advertising - who just got pay of £65m for this year. I looked because one of my daughters looked at advertising as a career when at Bristol U. She had one interview but did not get the job. He was Cambridge and then Harvard. Then as someone mentioned teaching above I looked at head of St Paul's Girls - Clarissa Farr - Bristol.

Right, I'd better go and earn a crust as have two children going to university next year at once (if they pass their A levels)- the pleasures of twins.

From uni stats;

DSD course is on the left, Ds on the right.

Average salary six months after the course £19,000 £24,000

Typical salary range . : £16,000 - £22,000 £18,000 - £27,000

Average salary across the UK after taking a similar course
after six months £19,000 £23,000
(salary range) £16,000 - £23,000 £18,000 - £26,000
after 40 months £25,000 £28,000
(salary range) £20,000 - £30,000 £23,000 - £35,000

After the course (Opens/closes new layer)
Go on to work and/or study .: 85% 95%

Now working . : 52% 75%
Doing further study: 27% 20%
Studying and working: 6% 0%
Unemployed: 4% 5%
Other : 11% 0%
Employment six months after the course
In a professional or managerial job: 44% 100%
Not in a professional or managerial job: 54% 0%
In an unknown job type: 2% 0%

Seems to me it's the course that your DSD is choosing that attracts less income not the uni. If the average for all unis comes out similar to that on her preferred course.
Your DS is choosing a better course by the looks of it.
I'd be more concerned by the job stats in that your DS has twice the chance of being employed in a professional job. That gives him chance of career progression. Looks like a large % of graduates end up in non graduate jobs though still earning. That's the ones I expect on the lower end of the scale.

Have you tried showing them what that money will buy in terms of housing etc?

Yes progression is all for many parents. Although my children can make their own choices, including my graduate son who is currently a post man - his choice, I don't force anything on them although his sisters who are lawyers in London will find life financially easier, without question.

I think the general feeling is "I want to be a teacher, so it doesn't matter what degree I have".

We have certainly debated teaching jobs on here before and I posted lists of institutions where the best teachers went to. If you have a look at the qualifications and institutions of teachers at the better schools you can see which universities predominate. Even those wanting to go into Teach First after a general degree often go to the better universities.

My daughter's old school www.habsgirls.org.uk/userfiles/habsmvc/pdf/information/staff-list/Senior%20School%20Teaching%20Staff%202015-16.pdf

I've never seen a list with the best teachers on!

It's certainly good to go to the best place you can...but in my experience the best teachers don't always go to the best schools.

Is there another reason why your DD might want this uni? Location, better feel? Sometimes it's like looking at houses. The one that is the correct choice on paper, for all the right reasons just doesn't feel right.

I'm sure there are lots of qualities that make a good teacher, not just a good degree.

However, she might not become a teacher, she might change her mind, then she will have a degree that isn't as "good" as it could be?

We have asked her why she has chosen her uni. She's mainly saying it's because the unconditional offer takes the exam stress away. She's also mentioned a lecturer who has a you tube channel and I suspect, because it's near to home.

Sometimes you have to make decisions in the round, it may be that there are other reasons, and ones she might not want to admit, like being closer to home.
I for one think close to home has many benefits...uni life is not all what it's made out to be and it does enable greater support to be given, easier, if needed.

There is a good point about whether she actually goes on to teach...but employers now I think accountancy firms etc are doing uni blind applications. Certainly one top pharma company has stated that they aren't interested in the uni you are from at a recent conference.

I think you always are nervous being a mum, but if she's a good student who works hard and has added value on her cv I'm sure she will do well.