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.

I was in this position when I went to uni in the early 2000s. I was applying for MFL and my second language choice was fairly niche so apart from at Oxbridge the entry requirements were relatively low (BBC or BCC I think for where I ended up going and it was similar across the board) and I got 4 As. If your DD is anything like me she will still want to achieve as well as she can at A Level for her own sense of self pride, even if she doesn’t need the grades for her chosen uni. To show she can get those grades. And the lower entry requirements took the pressure off when it came to my exams which probably meant I performed better! Politics at any of the unis you have listed will be very well respected and academically rigorous.

I assume that she’s already applied as the Oxbridge deadline has passed and she has an offer from Warwick.

the best advice to give her is to wait and see where she gets offers from them attend the offer holders days (if they have them) to get a feel of the different places and see which ones sparks her interest. I know she may have already visited but the offer holder days are specific to the subject and my daughter found them
useful at Durham and York.

Decisions on firm/insurance choices don’t have to be made for many months, she has plenty of time.

If she's applied to Cambridge, she must have sent her UCAS form off already, surely?

Nottingham?

She is the kind of child who takes a while to settle and make friends. Which is one of the reasons she wants to live on the campus in a closer student community.
This is really important to consider then, I agree no point sending her to a Uni too far to get home from if she would struggle with that. Uni is a lot more than just the course you do, and if you are miserable you won't thrive or succeed regardless of your academic ability

Lots of people get straight as and they don't all go to Oxford. Lots of other great unis around. There's a high chance she wouldn't get into Oxford based purely on her grades as straight as isn't as rare as you might assume. Plenty of good options for her I'd say 😁

I think paying attention to distance is perfectly reasonable from either party, ds mentioned St Andrews early on and I ended up looming at him saying doomily '9 HOUR DRIVE' until he lost interest in it.

I agree with you completely. That's why I am balancing between "encouraging" and "letting her decide".

Both me and DH are from a big European city, went to Uni there, lived at home and were absolutely fine. But then, that was the only option for us at the time. So choosing among so many different variables in the UK HE system is not straightforward.

Politics and History? Or as part of a PPE course?

I think she is obviously a high achiever but honestly she should go where she will be happy. Ds had 13 A* at gcse and high A level results and chose a former poly over Bath, Exeter and oxbridge. It was where he felt he fit and he had a great time and has just got a distinction in his research masters. His course was ranked in the top ten so it is not always RG that is best for the individual.

She did, with Cambridge as a choice, along with two other unis.

The rest can be added later.

I think it may be shortsighted of her to choose on distance. She will grow up a great deal in three/four years. But one of mine could have done to be nearer home for the inevitable SEN disasters at university, so I appreciate that sometimes a shorter distance is a good thing.

(And I also have one who got into a very decent university with around half your dd's totted-up UCAS points, worked socks off to prove worthy of being there, and got a top first. Different kids, different challenges.)

Sounds like she'll be absolutely fine. Put ox/camb as top choices and populate the rest of the form with South eastern Russell groups which have a campus.
She works hard and is bright so she'll thrive. I'm not sure what you are worried about?

Not PPE. Politics/Politics + IR/Politics and History depending on what the specific unis offer

Honestly?

I am worried about the future and job prospects. And being in "top" uni does open doors (not all employers do blind recruitment). And "top" unis are in the top 7 in all league tables for a reason, no?

DD had same grades. Passed test for Oxford and had interview but got no further. She went to Durham. Full of people from SE. Lovely small city that she loved. We paid for trains home which on the LNER were 2/3 hrs( we are central) so not too bad. She loved the college system. She still has her grades on her CV etc for life so don’t understand your AIBU.

Surely you just want your child to be happy rather than being an oxbridge candidate?! It sounds like you’re over invested in the academic credentials rather than the valuable experience of leaving home and getting independence which you didn’t have at that age. You’ve listed some great unis and lovely places to live.

She is just wondering why did she need to push herself so much if that's her options

Didn't she realise what her options were from the outset? It can hardly have come as a surprise that her choices were littered due to her criteria?

my dds had all 9s and As at A level and didn't go to Oxbridge. They weren't in the minority at all - plenty of people with top grades go to other universities and find it stimulating and stretching.

As to whether she needed to stretch herself - my dds just wanted to get the top grades possible. My ds on the other hand just got the minimum GCSE grades he needed to get into 6th form - he thought there was no point stretching himself! As a former high achiever, I don't get this view at all!

My DS is doing a hard science-based degree at a good RG uni - he got 3 A stars for A level and 10 7-9 grades at GCSE and although he did really well last year he's struggling for his second year as it's so much more work. They're already preparing them for their dissertation etc.
I think you will find it's quite a big jump from A levels to degree level at uni even if you are brain of Britain. My DD found the same with her subject (whcih she subsequently dropped out of to do a much less demanding degree despite being a grade A student as well).

You want perspective? Mine is that you are being very silly. The country is full of excellent higher education establishments suitable for clever, hard-working young people. Many of them will be within a couple of hours’ travel for your child.

Do you actually know that oxbridge candidates currently have better job prospects or have you assumed this? Equality and diversity are far higher on the agenda than they used to be.

This seems an odd worry to have. I went to Oxford baxk in the day but even then the offer was AAB and I had 4As. It didn't cross my mind to view the extra As as wasted effort. Perhaps your daughter is expressing sone dissatisfaction with her life choices, rather than with her uni options? Did she cut back on hobbies or social life and is now wishing she hadn't? If that's the case maybe ste could look into what the clubs and social life are like at the various unis and choose based on that? Though if it's politics that's her passion I would have thought London, or one of the devolved nation capitals, might appeal more. Has she considered options abroad?

You will probably get flamed OP but dd worked her socks off for A levels and got 3 A stars. She's going to Exeter and looking forward to it, but even she says she's not sure why she worked so hard as her friend is also going to the same uni in the same course and got 3 x Bs.

It depends on the course I suppose but I agree there seems to be a big gulf between Oxbridge and the RG.

I know two students who both did 4 alevels, mainly 9s at gcse, predicted A star, AAA and 2x A star, AA for alevel and neither got an offer from Durham.

The most important thing is that your DD does a course she wants to do at a uni she’s comfortable at.