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?

Wow you are getting more angry, maybe have a cup of tea and calm down

🤣🤣 angry .
You are quite amusing . You obviously don't cope well with other people's opinions, resorting to petty put downs . Your opinion isn't any more valid than than other people's you know.

with one of my dc they were unsure which to choose.. so i did a list with them and suggested they mark each university for what they considered was important --- aka course, accommodation, cost, etc get him to look up how the university is marked for the respective course by student feedback
Some redbrick universities are renown for certain subjects. Oceanography at Aber and geography too if I remember rightly amongst others. Accountancy too.

But at the end of the day...its his choice

@Namingchangeagain your update post made me cry!

What a wonderful mum you sound. Took all the opinions onboard, reflected and agreed with your son.

You should be tremendously proud of your son and of yourself for bringing up an intelligent independent young man.

Here's to the update in 3 years time saying he's graduated!

Thinking about it though LSE is a bit of a special case in that it has a lot of alumni in desirable roles. Who are not only willing, but able to come and give talks etc because it's based in London. Which also allows you to do things like part-time work with a lot of employers in a 'subsidiary' role and meet people actually in the business. As opposed to those chosen as 'ambassadors' in outreach talks or whatever.

Internationally it has an excellent reputation. I went straight to the final round of interviews (such as investment bank and other financial institutions) for internships (and jobs) in my home country and a couple of others. From speaking to my peers this doesn't really happen for anybody else except for Oxbridge and Imperial (if we're talking British universities).

Of course there is also the case that it has a lot of well-connected people..

This thread isn't about LSE, and the OP has updated us as to the very happy outcome. But university choice is very interesting.

There are so many variables as to someone's personality, academic ability, type of role etc that it is impossible to give blanket advice. It's not true that 'RG' is the best (in fact can anybody name all 24 members?). It's also not true that the university has no impact on your future career.

Ultimately I think choosing with an understanding of your personality, and goals is important.

@Mirabai Aberystwyth University doesn't interview candidates.
You might as well be imagining a conversation with a Unicorn.

Maybe try and unpick what it is that is influencing his decision, list pros and cons together.

did you say the rural idyll was a part of it and that Exeter was also an option? That might be a happy compromise in los of ways.

I was waiting for the subject. He knows his onions. Aberystwyth for IR.

Oh, I see he's chosen. Good lad.

“Notional” 😂 Are you this pedantic in real life?

Aber is a really decent uni. It just won two coveted awards at the 2023 Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCA).

Aberystwyth picked up awards for Lecturers and Teaching Quality and Student Life. They also came in third overall in the University of the Year category, the highest placed Welsh university.

Next is his halls decision!

The catered accommodation you had to remove your stuff at Xmas and Easter so he might want the self catering and you can get a food card if he's a terrible cook!

I loved living in PJM halls as it was little houses rather then flats and lots of green space to sit out on.

@Scottishskifun he has selected Jane Morgan or something like that? Self-catered. Don’t think he has been allocated yet though

@RockGirl that’s great! My DS has surprised me by his excellent decision-making as it turns out!

@Piggywaspushed he does indeed know his onions! Time for me to well and truly cut the apron strings now - he’s clearly got this!

@MaybeWednesday i am super proud of him now tbh. He knows his own mind and is more well-informed than me. Thank you. I will step back now and just cheer him on from the sidelines!

Ahhh, Pentre Jane Morgan is lovely; I lived there in my 3rd year when it was first built.

Good for you, OP. Honestly, it's a fantastic place. You won't regret supporting him, and I hope he has a wonderful time.

@Namingchangeagain that's PJM Pentre Jane Morgan great accommodation 2 bathrooms shared between 6 and a huge kitchen space

DS is full of surprises - not only did he firm Aber last week but he chose his halls too and signed up for a free Open University course to learn very basic Welsh! He knows Welsh is not required but thought it would be respectful to be able to speak a tiny bit before he goes. My boy has grown up over his gap year and I hadn’t appreciated just how much! He has still got to learn to cook though 😂

Also typically the more traditional unis have better Alumni groups for networking & referrals - Durham certainly does!

My experience has been that whenever I've met anyone in a professional or personal capacity that is also an Aber grad, there is an instant connection that we share something almost secret & very special.

@Cola2534 that brought tears to my eyes. Amazing!

I had excellent A level grades, went to one of the "good" unis you mention and my course was dire. Lecturers were bored, had been there 100 years and lost their verve. The course was dull and up its own arse.

My second choice was a much less prestigious uni but with as much more interesting course and set up. I'm convinced I would have ended up doing a completely different and potentially much more fulfilling career making the most of my academic potential if I'd gone there.

I don't regret coming to my uni, as I had some great experiences in other ways I wouldn't have had at the other one. But academically it definitely wasn't the best choice for me.

@Namingchangeagain I'm glad you're happy. But aren't you bothered by the fact he made this decision without telling you or informing you?

@midlifewhatnow @scottishskifun that’s great - so glad he seems to have picked well there too. More broadly, I am stunned by the love for Aber I have read today. Really opened my eyes and made me confront my elitist attitude (I went to Oxbridge and our eldest is a ‘top’ uni too). I am now extremely proud of my son for choosing Aber off his own bat

No. He’s 19 and on a gap year and currently in Mauritius working for Club Med. It was his decision to make and ours to advise - he didn’t need our permission! I am impressed he’s dealt with it all while working abroad tbh

Yes. Oxbridge might be a nice little brag, in reality we have a graduates from variety of different universities at my work and most often it's how you come across rather than which uni you went to.
Each uni is a different experience though and I don't mean to put down oxbridge. Would have loved the kudos of going there but don't feel it would have made me more employable.

But ‘best’ isn’t just about the academic best. I went to Oxford and I hated every single second, I dropped out after a year and went to Cardiff where I thrived and was so much happier.