To want DS to go to the best university?

[Oilrigger]

DS now has five offers from universities: three Russell Group, one a well-regarded uni but not RG and one a newer university (former poly years ago) offering him BBC (he is predicted AAB). The courses are pretty similar at all five unis (can't go into more detail because he would be furious if he found out I was posting on MN!).

He is adamant that he wants to go to the former poly because he likes it the most. He also reasons that he will have a more enjoyable and less pressurised time there and that he is more likely to get a good class of degree (2.1 or 1st) from the ex-poly - rather than a 2.2 from a Russell Group uni that he just scrapes into. So he is going to firm the ex-poly (he won't have/need an insurance as it is his lowest offer).

AIBU to want him to firm one of the more prestigious Russell Group unis and insure the former poly? DH says I am as it is DS' decision and he's the one who will be going to uni.

I have degrees from Oxbridge and RG in an academic subject. I was happy (although I had to work very hard).

DD is studying at a Post-'92 for a vocational subject. She is happy (although she has to work very hard).

DD has far more contact hours than I had anywhere, but much the same amount of work to do. As many PPs have said, it depends on all sorts of things. Horses for courses! (Or courses for horses?)

Isn't Southampton an RG uni?

Yes, I want to change careers to optometry and the closest one is Salford. There are no RG or even red bricks in the area.

Manchester?!

The fact that you think Swiss kids grow up learning Dutch clearly shows you have no idea what you're talking about.

Can we post this on all the multiple threads about uni choice?

Obviously earning a living wage is important, but...

FWIW, what I mostly enjoyed about each of the four degrees I have (currently working on a fifth) was the academic content. I'm a teacher. DD's dream life would be scraping a living as a freelancer doing the creative career she loves, in a little place somewhere in the Highlands, maybe with a dog. Fingers crossed for her.

“MFL is mostly a joke degree for not very bright students.”

@jfl this is just not true. The language learning aspects of most MFL degrees is a small component. They are basically history/literature degrees with added language skills.

The course options at Cambridge don’t exactly look like a doss for example- eg this is history module with core texts in Russian. https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/sl11

I missed that @Alaimo

And he done a maths degree and all!

Your posts are deliberately goady and ignorant @jfl
Not everyone wants to live in London. Southampton is RG, and £50k is a pretty good salary where I live.

I done a maths degree from one of the above places

Your command of English grammar is wanting and you are a crashing snob.

Well you just lost any credibility you might have had with that post.

I love this!

Dd is in lower sixth and says she'll "go somewhere and do something". She's got a fantastic work ethic, working at Bs currently with the hope of maybe one or two As. She'd really be happy mucking out in a stable yard and riding horses all day and tbh I'm more than happy for her to pick a nice place to study and have fun for three years. My older dd was obsessed with RG, flogged herself to the brink of MH problems, got into an excellent uni and cries regularly about workload and pressure. It's just not worth it IMO.

I think living in a little place in the highlands with a dog and doing creative things sounds idyllic

I think some people have such a narrow view about work. DD has a biological sciences degree and is working in a healthcare setting and has applied to do a healthcare related masters.

This won't bring her a 6 figure salary in London, but she would absolutely hate an office job, and does not want to live in London.

Yet the assumption from highly paid London based lawyers/bankers and other city career driven posters is that everyone wants to do that. These people then look down their noses at anyone who doesn't have aspirations to go to a top 10 university. They should have their own threads.

DD - all A’s at GCSE and A level has done a MFL degree. She got a first. In part helped by growing up trilingual but she has also added several other languages. Now works as a conference translator for the EU.
Not bad for someone obviously not bright! You haven’t a clue what you’re talking about!

btw - Swiss children don’t grow up learning Dutch!

That was my experience in graduate recruitment - for ex poly they wanted a 1st, for RG a 2:1 and Oxbridge a 2:2. But that was years ago. And would depend on what graduate job, that was for accountancy at big firm.

But not all lawyers want to work for large/magic circle law firms anyway. I couldn’t imagine anything worse!

Most of the Big 4 accountancy firms and some of the mid tier now recruit cv blind as do some of the law firms. They have done their own research and determined that exam success doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be the best employee.

Going to an RG Uni doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to make spelling and grammar errors on an application form.

Let him go where he wants to go, it’s his life and he’ll be living there/experiencing it not yours. Push him into going somewhere he doesn’t want to he’s more likely to quit.

Controversial and probably going against the grain, but I agree with you and would push for the RG. He is probably failing to understand the consequences of choosing a former poly. There will be consequences (which may be career limiting, depending on course/career) down the line, and he needs to be aware of them. As an employer in the city (financial services) I can tell you that we do view them differently.

YANBU.

The people he meets, their ambitions, their opportunities, the contacts, the prestige… all way better at RG. Complete nonsense about going to a BBC uni when he has AAB predicted!!!

His whole life will be affected by this decision.

With aab he could be looking at a first from a Russel group - sounds like he lacks self confidence?

Luckily my dcs couldn't think of anything worse than working for a financial services company in the City. It's not everyone's raison d'etre.

I’m currently doing my second degree, having done my first straight from school at an RG uni. My current uni is an ex poly and honestly there’s no difference in the standards. If anything, I prefer it as it’s less snobby and they seem to see their students as whole people rather than a number that has to perform (it’s been 20 yrs since my last degree so it could be societal changes as much as uni differences).
It very much depends on the subject your DS is looking to study, but many of the ex polys have amazing reputations for some of the more vocational courses such as business and their degrees are seen as good in the workplace. I’ve been in management for a while and wouldn’t turn my nose down at a degree from our local poly as I know their students do work placements and liaise with local businesses and are therefore often more work ready than the local prestigious uni. Personally, my mum was disappointed I turned down an opportunity (twice) to study at a uni that would give me extra letters after my name but I knew I wouldn’t have enjoyed the pomp and circumstance that came with it and thoroughly enjoyed my degree.

There's more to "best" than rankings

My dd is at a Russell group and she's had a miserable experience and wishes she had gone to the ex poly.

I went to an ex poly as a mature student with young children (because it was my closest uni and they were strong on widening access) and it hasn't hindered my career in the slightest.