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

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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?

It depends what his reasoning is and what the course is tbh.

If he just doesn't like the other (city) universities then that is fair enough, especially if he is outdoorsy and wants good access to coast and countryside. Aber is a beautiful place and has a great reputation in a number of areas.

All you can do is ensure he’s making an informed decision.

And those of us who actually work in a university and deal with stressed-out, miserable undergrads day in, day out would never underestimate the importance (academically, emotionally, physically) of students feeling happy, 'at home' and enjoying their uni experience.

Op I have a relative at Aberystwyth, he loves it. He is trying to stay there as long as possible. 3 years is a long time to be in a city if you want to be somewhere quieter.

I went to a non red brick uni. With bonus I earn 165k. I got a 1st class degree which got me on a graduate scheme. It has crossed my mind that had I gone red brick, maybe I wouldn't have got the 1st class! So there are advantages.

What’s more important, his happiness or your bragging rights? It will be hard to brag if he goes where you force him to and then drops out because he hates it.

Aber is the birthplace of IR as a discipline!!! It is a really well regarded for its subject and a great place to study. I absolutely get why he'd go there, instead of Leeds. I like certain bits of Exeter's IR and Durham has the rep beyond the degree... Really if you want to do IR -Lse, Warwick, Aber, Oxford and Edinburgh are the places to go. I have been teaching IR for a couple of decades.

If he’s going to a B uni but has A grades then surely it’s going to be a bit easier for him to access the course Material and he’ll be happier

AAA unis expect AAA effort. Perhaps he’s wanting a more rounded Uni experience hence the BBB uni instead and having worked his arse off to get those As realises he’d rather have other things going on than just study.

I know what I would choose. B and a life over A and high stress.

My did went to a 'high achieving' university but left as the quality of teaching was so bad. She went to a non RG university and it has been so much better.

I hear of so many people who have had great experiences at Aber. I think that you should let your son decide.

😂 definitely wrong!

OP is it the distance from London to Aber which is a driving factor in your viewpoint?

Aberystwyth is renoun and very well respected for international relations (and politics)

Sounds like sound reasoning to me (sorry!). . I had a swatch at Aberystwyth campus online and it looks beautiful.

What's the uni's reputation like for that course?

I've barely heard of the uni and no doubt it will be the same for many employers.

This says a LOT more about you than the University, in truth.

Aber is very highly regarded for IR and 8th in the Guardian League tables for MFL, if that means anything.

YABU.

I think if parents are paying £1000s they actually do get a say in whether it’s a good investment.

My son got a first class degree from a lower ranking uni. He loved it there. It didn’t stop him getting a distinction in his Astrophysics masters from one of the best unis in the country for its subject. Why does he want to go to Aber? Is it that the course has the content which he likes? Is it the setting? I know you think he’s wasting his talents but maybe he has had enough of always striving to be the best and wants a more nurturing setting.

Forget about league tables and rankings.. look at what career exposure their grads get. Looks like Aber has it covered
https://digital.ucas.com/coursedisplay/courses/3d689ef0-e92f-44f7-9dd4-9bdc4efa9652?SearchText=

Regardless of how good the actual department is I suppose people avoid it because of the 'brand name'. If you're studying a subject like International Relations you're unlikely to get a job in the field and recruiters for 'generic' grad schemes are unlikely to keep track of what every university specialises in for every possible combination of subjects.

Nevertheless, it is still a traditional academic subject in which the content cannot be diluted (unlike, say business, or computer science). Marking may be more lenient, and questions more shallow for the 'lower ranked' but you cannot avoid the academic work at a fundamental level.

I wouldn't worry.

Also, how would he be 'wasting his talent' doing IR at a university that (as a pp said) effectively invented the discipline?

A well-established University with an international reputation for his chosen subject(s), set in beautiful surroundings, with very high student satisfaction scores. I honestly cannot see an issue here, beyond the clichéd forelock-tugging that always arises whenever an RG institution is in the mix.

The OP didn't mention 'RG' though. It's the low acceptance criteria. It's not wrong to assume that if it was that good people would be fighting to get in!
The rest are 'BBB' for contextual offers, but Aber goes as low as BCC.

Another (IR-related) academic adding to the Aber sounds like a great option chorus.

It sounds like he's made a mature, considered, decision that balances prestige and lifestyle really well.

Support him to go where he wants to be; he's more likely to flourish there and that will set him up better for the future than slogging away miserably/dropping out.

I chose Swansea over Leeds. I loved Leeds but then was blown away by Swansea...it was amazing, green, outdoor spaces, the beaches, the Mumbles. We were always at the beach in Spring. I take my family back loads now. I'd have settled there if the right job was there. I moved though to London after uni as got on a v popular graduate program for a well known plc. The impact though of that environment on my well-being cannot be understated. I knew Leeds was more prestigious but I really connected with Swansea. I know it's not Aberystwyth but would imagine it has same kind of vibe.

I have two sisters who both got very similar school results. One went to Durham and ended up with a 2:2. This meant she got screened out of lots of job applications by a computer and it took her ages to get past first base. The other went to Stirling, got a first and walked into a job straightaway.

Why is the acceptance criteria so low though? Genuinely curious.
Is it because of contextual offers, or something else?

Not if that "investment" leads to a young adult being miserable or potentially worse!

I would never dream of dictating or risking my child's mental health for the sake of money!

My dad wanted me to go to St Andrews (was offered a unconditional place) I knew I would hate it after visiting so glad I stuck with my choice and I still have a well paid professional career!

Aber ranks 4th in the Guardian rankings for the Politics subject area, which includes International Relations. Bristol is 11th, Leeds and Durham 19th equal. https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2022/sep/24/best-uk-universities-for-politics-league-table
Course satisfaction and satisfaction with teaching are both over 90%, which is excellent. It sounds like he’s done his research on what the best university for his field is and picked the right one to get good teaching and a new experience.

Also, The Russell Group is a marketing ploy based on research ratings, it’s not a great guide to the undergraduate experience (I went to one!)

Has he actually visited the universities? Does he genuinely want to do a degree?