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Original poster

To think university snobbery must stop

708 replies

Staceystace · 30/08/2018 19:22

I was telling a friend about my nephew who is off to University. I said to her he is off to x uni to study English, she said oh I didn’t even realise that was even a uni. She then went on to emphasise how her daughter is off to a top 20 uni, she went on to say how she wouldn’t have gone if it was not a Russell or 1994 group as she does not think it is worth the debt. I just got the vibe she was looking down on my nephews uni. Aibu to think this sort of snobbery about unis is terrible and needs to stop. My nephew is not the most academic, but surely not everyone is capable of going to a russell group.

OP posts:
onetimeposter · 31/08/2018 18:43

But they are worth it in the long run. Unlike doing media studies at grimsby university

LoniceraJaponica · 31/08/2018 18:44

I know

onetimeposter · 31/08/2018 18:46

Which is apparently comparable with statistics at LSE

mathanxiety · 31/08/2018 18:47

Yes it is all skewed, Bellinsurge, and I suspect the loans really do put off large numbers of very bright young people.

CherryPavlova · 31/08/2018 18:48

There’s a world of difference between degrees. Medicine/Vets is always going to impress more than say leisure and tourism from an ex poly/new university. English from Oxford is going to impress more than English from Oxford Brooks. It’s not snobbishness it’s recognition of the hard work and high achievement needed to get a place.
The research base at most sought after universities will be stronger too.
The answer if people are upset about going to lower ranking universities or doing less impressive degrees is to work hard at school or just afterwards, get the grades and get a place at a more prestigious university.

JayDot500 · 31/08/2018 18:51

Yes! fontofnoknowledge

Totally agree.

A child who hasn't had any push/encouragement to try their best at GCSE level is already at a disadvantage and has little chance of being offered of a top university unless they are absolutely outstanding.

It's not untrue that most of these top performing kids come from a background of hot housing/hand holding by parents and/or schools... But at university level it's suddenly not okay because they should be left to study by themselves. If you people didn't push your own kids, maybe 11+ or GCSE successes would look completely different and better reflect natural ability and innate inclination to succeed at those young ages. Dont hate the player...

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 31/08/2018 18:53

@math there is no evidence that loans have deterred people from applying to university. Quite the opposite

glintandglide · 31/08/2018 18:55

I find it strange people always talk negatively about oxford Brooke’s. It’s a brilliant uni Grin in fact when I was applying to uni it was very hard to get into some courses- English literature required an AAB, and I had 2 friends accepted to oxford uni on those grades

LoniceraJaponica · 31/08/2018 18:56

"The research base at most sought after universities will be stronger too."

Are prospective students really interested in this?

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 31/08/2018 18:58

@loni nope. And not necessarily true

onetimeposter · 31/08/2018 18:58

Pmsl at the ads for nottingham college Grin

ErrolTheDragon · 31/08/2018 18:59

University snobbery isn't nice.

University elitism, on the other hand ... internationally highly ranked universities, surely do represent an academic (not social) elite.

jewel1968 · 31/08/2018 19:00

Font - that is so funny 😁.

WhirlyGigWhirlyGig · 31/08/2018 19:04

glint we live near Oxford Brookes and my daughter may be being a bit of a snob but she has stated that OB is a non entity in her's and her peers view. There's been absolutely no input on that view from me whatsoever. She decided not to apply to Oxbridge, it wasn't what she wanted from the university experience (two of her friends are off there) but she was adamant that OB or anywhere like that was not a 'proper' university, she must have got that idea from somewhere but it certainly wasn't me.

pastaandpestoagain · 31/08/2018 19:10

There are some really great specific courses at lower ranked universities that are likely to lead to good career options. Very generic arts courses such as English are not going to fall into that category. As a parent I would be happy to fund an arts course but I would think it was a waste of money to pay for one at a really low ranked university.

LoniceraJaponica · 31/08/2018 19:12

I read on another MN thread that students from the University of Oxford call Oxford Brookes the Early Learning Centre Hmm

glintandglide · 31/08/2018 19:13

What is she 18 whirly? I wouldn’t hold too much weight on her strange opinion on OB. We all had strange ideas at that age Grin

pastaandpestoagain · 31/08/2018 19:14

I think the real problem is that the OP's nephew is going to university when he isn't the most academic in her own words. Universities really should all be academically rigorous so that degrees keep their value.

LoniceraJaponica · 31/08/2018 19:15

"Universities really should all be academically rigorous so that degrees keep their value."

I agree.
Basically it isn't a level playing field is it.

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 19:21

Oxford Brookes is ace. I can understand not wanting to go to a university near where you live, but it's a good university in a fun city. Some random teens snobby uniformed opinion isn't going to change my mind on that.

No, an English degree from Oxford brookes isn't going to have the same cachet as an English degree from the university of Oxford. But it's not a 'mickey mouse' course and the university itself is well run and popular.

pastaandpestoagain · 31/08/2018 19:28

No I don't think it is and that contributes to the problem of only valuing Russell group universities or similar, it is an easy handle for people trying to evaluate the worth of a degree.

I remember 20 odd years ago talking to another student on the train who went to a much lower ranked university than mine was. She asked me when we were chatting if I would get a first, I said no, my marks were around 85% so currently I was at 5% off and I didn't think I could make up that difference. I explained that it wasn't unsual for only one person or nobody to get one. She replied that she would because she got over 70% and at they were pretty common on her course. We were both really surprised at the difference.

mathanxiety · 31/08/2018 19:35

pastaandpestoagain - couldn't agree more.

The polys should have stayed polys and they would be immensely useful for those seeking technical qualifications.

You only have to look as far as the experience of Ireland to see that the UK made a wrong turn in the 60s - Ireland set up the Regional Technical Colleges back then and during the 70s, offering courses like lab tech, quantity surveying, various engineering subspecialties, quality control, etc. They gradually expanded to areas like marketing with European languages, various other business sub specialties, HR, supply chain management, various IT specialties and other niche courses, and courses at postgrad level. Now they are 'Institutes of Technology' and some are about to merge to become a Technical University. The result of this development in education was massively positive both for individuals and for the economy as a whole.

www.itcarlow.ie/courses/type/undergraduate-cao-courses.htm
Undergrad courses in one IT.

www.itcarlow.ie/public/userfiles/Files/ITCarlow-Postgrad-Prospectus-2018.pdf
Postgrad offerings.

Plutonium · 31/08/2018 19:38

Any university in Oxford or Cambridge is doomed and always going to have the unfortunate position of being compared with the Oxford or Cambridge universities. They will always be the lesser university especially in the eyes of locals who are used to the prestige of being a hosting town to the most elite unis in the country.

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 31/08/2018 19:42

@math 🙄

JillCrewesmum · 31/08/2018 19:51

Any university in Oxford or Cambridge is doomed

I think Oxford brookes is doing rather well.