AIBU to think going to an RG university means absolutely nothing

[Butchyrestingface]

Never one to shy away from a challenge (even if it's a challenge to someone else).

So I went to a RG uni. I didn't even KNOW I'd been to a RG uni until about 15 years after the fact when I joined MN.

Thereafter I referred to it as having gone to a 'Russell Grant' university (bit confused).

AIBU in thinking RG unis are not the be all and end all?

I would not say it means 'absolutely nothing' nor would I say it is the 'end all or be all'.

There is a big middle ground inhabited by careers for which RG does not matter as much as for certain elite careers or for vocational courses for which RG are not strong. Even within RG it is a broad church.

I would and have encouraged ds to go for best RG within his capabilities for his traditional/academic course, all things being equal.

They really don’t. Half the unis in the Complete over all top 10 unis aren’t even Russel Group. Then you get individual courses which unis can score high in for some and not for others.

I went to a RG and it was great but not because it had the RG label. The RG universities literally self selected. It's not a marker of quality as assessed by any external criteria. Bloody good marketing though.

From a job perspective it doesn’t matter as much as it used to, but culturally/socially it still does - I know people who reject an OLD match for going to the wrong type of university. After all, what could they possibly have in common (apparently)?

Depends on the employer and field. My graduate employer was very fussy about the universities they were willing to take people from

I went to one and it would have made no difference at all to my career path if I hadn’t.
HOWEVER, I did meet my very high earning now xH there and would probably not have met someone like him at a non RG (came from abroad to do his PhD there). I am very grateful for his high earnings which have meant I could leave the arsehole and the kids and I are well housed etc

It's a very persuasive marketing tool but that's all, for the reasons people have given here. MN is a bit fixated by it, unfortunately. And I'd love to know what professional and external examining experience posters have to be able to state 'there are definitely differences in quality and standards'. Some of the RG places can be the biggest let downs on that score.

Oxford or die?

I'm not sure that you can say nobody cares or knows based just on what your husband says 😂. There will be employers who don't care and there are some who do. There will be fields where it doesn't matter and others where it does.

Such as?

This! And some of them are in serious financial
shit.

I deliberately didn't say that standards and quality are higher at RG than non-RG, but that there are variations between universities. That's why there are rankings!

I moved from overseas to attend uni in the UK at a RG university. Like you, OP, I had never even heard of "Russell Group" until a few years after I graduated so it was not a factor in selecting where to study.

I think it did make a difference when I was applying for graduate jobs. However, I still don't quite understand the hype.

And there are non Russel group unis that score higher than Russel group unis so it’s clearly meaningless .

It isn’t, though. If you are recruiting people then it is a helpful guide. like Oxbridge or exam results. Why is this even a question

No it isn’t. Most recruiters don’t know or care what a Russel group uni is or where unis are in current rating lists.

Recruiters look at your work experience. They don’t ignore experience and previous jobs in order to pick somebody from a self appointed uni
list. That’s deluded.

I heard when I was working in HE research about a decade ago that there were quite a few that seemed to be 'coasting' on their RG status while the outcomes and quality of delivery was getting worse.
If that's continued now then I'd imagine the value isn't fantastic. If you've got a first from any University you'd hope that would stand you in good stead though?

I went to an RG uni just below Oxbridge in the league tables and honestly all my uni friends have v high paying jobs in our early 30s.

The max salary of my friends is about 300k and min about 70k. Most on six figures.

I don't know if that appeals to everyone because obviously money isn't everything - but my friends from non RG unis generally earn on average less and are less in professional roles.

So anecdotally I think it does matter for job prospects

All the graduate recruiters know EXACTLY what a Russell Group University is. It is part of their literal job to know.

But not all recruiters are graduates recruiters and the job market is not all about graduates.And even if they do know it is going to make very little difference. Other qualities and experience counts which RG unis don’t have the monopoly on.

It makes no difference whatsoever unless it’s Oxford or Cambridge.

What even those from unis that are higher in league tables than Russel group unis for individual subjects- that’s ridiculous.
.

RG unis dont mean fuck all in the real world, only on mn where bored women are obsessed with class

Exactly this - and maybe Imperial. But the rest, no and it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise.