Top Unis - am I missing something?

[OnTheRoll]

DD is in Year 13, predicted 3 A, already has an A from a language A Level she did last year, and 11 GCSEs all 8/9. Got a great work experience in her chosen field, lots of academic reading, etc., etc. Has been working very hard and aiming for a top uni.

The problem is, it seems that unless she gets into Oxbridge, there isn't a suitable option for her?

We are in SE so decided not to go for Durham/Edinburg as the travel is just too much, 5+ hours, and she would not be able to come home more than once a term. She would very much prefer a campus experience rather than a city uni which rules out LSE/UCL in London.

There are of course great options like Warwick, Bristol, Bath, Exeter. We visited and DD loved them and so did I.

But I cannot help thinking that if she were to go to one of those unis she didn't really need to spend that much time working, studying and sacrificing her free time. Does it make sense? Entry requirements in those unis in her subject are all quite lower than her current and predicted grades.

Would appreciate some perspective.

Shouldn’t it ultimately be your DD’s decision? Does she even want to go to Oxbridge or is that just something that’s expected of her because she’s academic? When I was doing my A Levels my English teacher tried to pressurise me into applying but I knew it wasn’t for me - not for fear of not getting in, but because of the snobbishness- and I’m glad I stuck to my guns and went to Sussex. She should do what feels right for her.

Absolutely! I think you're assuming your daughter is a dead cert for all the unis she applies to... no such thing. I got rejected from Durham despite being predicted top grades in everything at A Level, taking 5 A Levels, top of my county at GCSE, and eventually getting 100% in my A Levels in the subject I took at uni. I have a PhD now and am very smart, but you can't assume a uni will snap you up just because you're above their entry requirements!

Nope. It’s not. Often A+AA … u can check their typical offers by degree online

Their offers are often exactly same as Bristol, LSE, Edin, Warwick
Which often means that if student missed Oxbridge offer, they miss their Safe schools too.

So why she did push herself so much then? Where did you think she’d be applying for?

Have you thought about going up to Durham or Edinburgh for a weekend by train or plane to have a look at the city / university, and to see if the journey is doable?

We are also in the south east, DS used to fly between Edinburgh and Gatwick - with a bit of planning you can get flights from £25 each way (but then depends how far away you are from an airport).

There's more to education at university than just the course they study. I'd encourage you DD to think about moving outside a SE England bubble.

I got rejected from Cambridge many moons ago

Went to UCL instead and loved it
everyone had top grades. So many people rejected from UCL too so the idea anyone can get into top unis besides Oxbridge is highly misguided.

I would recommend UCL as an option if not on her list.

LSE PPE is 4 years

It depends what she wants to study. I work at one of the Unis you went to see, high grade entry requirements is much more about balancing our admissions process than being anything to do with the quality of academic experience.
Medicine and Dentistry will need 4 A* at my
uni.

I don't know much about the specific subject your daughter is interested in studying. But you need to look at the courses she wants and not the university as a whole. You can't really say "Loughborough is this, Bath is that". It will depend on the course. Some of the non prestigious post 1996 universities for example can be excellent for particular subjects. You can look at graduate outcomes for each course.

Secondly the campus uni thing is a bit of a red herring. In most universities first year students will live in halls together whether they are city or campus based. Often there are halls options close to the teaching facilities so no commute needed or it may be a short bus or bike or half hour walk- perfectly manageable for a teenager. Campuses to me seem mind numbingly characterless and isolating - at least in a city you have options if you aren't loving the student social life.

I agree it's an odd post, not quite sure what the issue is. I have been a university admissions tutor for many years... strange dismissal by OP of anywhere but Oxbridge. Many students with these A level grades choose not to go to Oxbridge because they don't like the course as taught, or maybe the ethos. It is horses for courses and some universities suit some students better than others.
As other pp have said 5 hours travel is nothing for university students...please don't limit her options in that way. She can always be proud of her A level results whatever she does, where ever she chooses to study

one child went to Durham. Still at home applying for jobs constantly, no joy. Other one went to a former polytechnic doing extremely well in a major national organisation. Up to them and circumstances in the long run:

She got a reduced offer from Warwick already
That's because she's doing so well. Universities make lower offers to the students they want.

No it isn’t. No one needs 4 A-levels.

Going to the best university doesn’t give you a pass to a happy life
you are over focussed on the wrong thing

Explore what makes your child happy, secure and resilient

It isn’t as simplistic as going to Oxbridge

Can you fly to Edinburgh from where you are? Or get to London to fly? Then it’s not so far. Have you taken her to visit the further away unis and also the London ones? A campus uni is not all it’s cracked up to be in my experience. Nice to be in a big city and feel more like an adult rather than inside the campus bubble (I’ve been to both kinds).

You can't really say "Loughborough is this, Bath is that". It will depend on the course. Some of the non prestigious post 1996 universities for example can be excellent for particular subjects. You can look at graduate outcomes for each course.

I agree, but some posters have blinkers on about a university's overall prestige without drilling down into how good a university is for a specific subject.

Another vote here for Loughborough - one of the best single-site campus in the UK. Its politics course rates much higher than Bath, Exeter, Bristol in the league tables. The university itself is in the top 10 of all league tables for good reason - and while it is more known for sport, there are many other reasons why it is so successful for students.

Lots of students at St.Andrews have 4As at A-Level. I don't know Exeter Uni, but think it's probably similar.

Top of my head. For Physical Natural Sciences at Cambridge most candidates have 4 A-levels and do Maths, Futher Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

My DD got AAAA* and went to Exeter. She’s doing Marine Biology. She wanted to get the best grades she could.

They may have them but they don’t need them.

I think you're mad to rule out Durham / Edinburgh just cos of the five hours travel.

I was 5.5 hours away from uni, rarely went home midterm.

I was 5.5 hours away from uni, rarely went home midterm.

But the OP's daughter isn't you. Some young people just want the safety net of being able to nip home for the weekend, even if they don't do so.

OP, I think you're making a number of assumptions. First, that predicted grades are accurate (IME they can be wildly optimistic). Second, that course minimum grades are the same level as those achieved by the students on that course (often they are a minimum exceeded by the majority). And that the best course for your dd is at the most prestigious uni.

My dd has just started doing international history and politics at a northern uni. From memory, there were some very good options for that course in the South, including Bristol and Exeter. It does sound as though she could benefit from a gap year, and thinking seriously about whether she would thrive in a high pressure environment like Oxbridge.