To want my son to go to a higher achieving Uni?

[Namingchangeagain]

My son now has A star AA at A-level and is on his year out. He has four unconditional offers from universities (going this September) and three of those unis are considered ‘top’ - Bristol, Durham and Leeds. However, he wants to go Aberystwyth - who have also offered him a place. We think he is aiming too low (most students on the course will have BBB whereas our son has A star AA). AIBU?

Are you going or your son?

Meh all the people I know who went to Oxbridge bar one have fairly average careers / jobs (if they work at all). One has done well in fintech but you don't need an Oxbridge degree to get into that.

@Mirabai yes, I am literally paid to be pedantic.

Are you this rude in real life?

I had offers from 2 “red brick” universities and 1 from a university that was known for taking on lower achieving students.
When I went for the open days, I preferred the atmosphere of the “lower achieving” university. It seemed a friendlier place and had more in terms of a modern environment and facilities.
Go to as many open days as possible before making any decisions 😊

If he wants to go into the city it wont be popular to say but its RG/ top 20 2:1/1st only really

Ive never met anyone who went to that uni

Show him employment stats and destinations?
Unless he wanfs to be local or public sector its a mistake

I made life long friends at Aber it truly is a unique place to study and live with a fantastic balance of the two and amazing opportunity to get outdoors as well.

I think it is a well kept secret for many with how much graduates enjoy it mainly as its a proper community as very few travel home at weekends so you are always with your friends!

Make sure he goes to the sports fayre so many choices especially if he wants to get outdoors!

Well firstly getting Bs and Cs isn’t the same as ‘only capable of getting’ Bs and Cs. Many people who are more than capable of As don’t get them for many reasons. Secondly, people who are taught in schools and colleges who have different academic ability are taught together, it’s no different at a university.

He has ZERO interest in the city, thanks. Thinking of the civil service which, I have found out tonight, is institution blind when it comes to recruitment 😂

He has ZERO interest in the city, thanks. Thinking of the civil service which, I have found out tonight, is institution blind when it comes to recruitment

And I think I'm correct in saying that Oxbridge grads are now taken on in even bigger numbers since this policy was introduced.

But actually I skipped from the first page to the last on this thread and I was going to ask which subject OP - since IR is a particular case at Aberystwyth :)

The most outstanding school teacher my DC ever had was an Aberystwyth IR grad. One of those teachers who make their mark for a lifetime.

Why is there always some mumsnetters who assume that every young person wants to work in the city/for a magic circle law firm/work in investment banking?

It is as if nothing else is valued. Not all young people are purely motivated by money

You should read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Research would suggest he's actually more likely to do well long term at Aberystwyth.

@RampantIvy i haven’t been on Mumsnet long but it does seem that it is not representative. Even my eldest who is at Cambridge is not motivated by money - wants to join the Met. Many friends there want to work in marketing/journalism/social work/NGOs. My son is not either and is thinking of civil service or public affairs. Law and the City are overly dwelt on here it seems. It is also a shame/unrealistic that people seem to think our YP should have their career mapped out at age 17/18!

@Namingchangeagain
Depends on how good he wants to be, does he want to aim to be potentially the best of the best, or is he more happy being the best of the average ?

Just ordered on Amazon. Fascinating. Why is that? Or if you can’t be arsed to explain, no worries - I look forward to reading. Thank you

"What is Malcolm Gladwell's main point of the book?
Gladwell shows us that the traditional narrative of success – passion + talent + skill = success – is flawed. While these elements help drive success, success also stems from the circumstances in which a person is raised and lives."

I couldn't agree with you more @Namingchangeagain
DD's first class STEM degree is apparently "not worth the paper it is written on" because it isn't from a top 10 university 😕
And she wants to do a healthcare related masters (currently working and taking a gap from education).

@Hawkins0001 got it - missed that @Ratatouillewitheverything posted a video which is explaining it. I look forward to reading the book. But basically, position in the cohort at your uni matters - if you are high in the cohort at a lesser Uni (rather than low in the cohort at a better one), you are going to do better. DS seems to have thought all this through far better than I. So why is all the advice from schools to ‘aim high’? Is it just because they want to be able to brag about Russell Group admissions?

Another 90’s Aber graduate here just to share the love. It really is a fabulous place to live. Your son will have an amazing time. Congratulations.

So many posters saying they attended in the 90’s. A few of us must have danced together in the Bay / Bear / Glen.

Happy days.

Who on earth told you that? I was a bit of an academic snob until this thread made me rethink but I would never, ever in a million years have gone that far. It is patently absurd! I hope your brilliant DD treated such a comment with contempt and is thriving

@IDontFeelLikeCooking thank you. And you have got the username I should have!

Barely head of the uni? This shows your lack of general knowledge or that you're a snob.

Oh well said! It really gets my goat the way some people on here talk as if anyone who doesn't get a full set of 9s at GCSE and all A or A* at A level is stupid.
For starters, it could only be a mark or two that divides an A from a B. Someone with 3 Bs could theoretically at least only have scored 3 marks less in their A levels than someone who has 3 As, but to read some of the comments on here the 3 A student shouldn't have to sit in the same lecture theatre as the 3 B student in case they het contaminated. Being a bit under the weather, sleeping badly, a personal crisis, panicking about the exam, misreading a question, bad luck with the topics that come up - multiple things could make the difference of a small number of marks which alters the grades. It doesn't necessarily mean that the student with the Bs is vastly different to the one with As.
And exams aren't an infallible indicator of intelligence or ability to learn anyway. My DH has pretty mediocre A levels. I'm one of those As for everything types. There isn't a significant difference in our intelligence. I applied myself far better at that age for sure, and I'm good at passing exams. I always have been. I'm reasonably bright of course - not all my results are just down to good exam technique, but it does make a difference. I have a near photographic shortish term memory too, which comes in handy for exams. But I am not some kind of near genius and I certainly didn't marry a half wit, but based on our A level results I am sure that is what quite a few posters here would think. DH has gone on to be recognised as an international expert in his field actually whereas I was a pretty bog standard hospital Consultant!