To not understand people who talk about being the first in their family to go to uni like it’s a badge of honour?

[Kyrgyzstan]

Sorry if this sounds dismissive of their achievements but isn’t it less of a rags to riches tale of personal achievement and more of a generational difference? I mean barely any of our parents generation went to university and now it’s pretty much expected if you want a half way decent job.

Obviously if you were raised by heroin addicts and managed to still get good grades and go off to uni that’s different but the children of ordinary parents who just didn’t go to university talking about it like a huge achievement sounds a little strange to me?

But we're not talking about people who were born in the 50s, are we?

@QuiltPlantCandle said their 50s and 60s not the 50s and 60s.

I'm in my 50s, went to uni in the 90s.

Very interesting!

it's obvious why some people didn't go to uni let's be honest 😂

My parents did go to uni, it was perfectly normal, and their dads at least went to uni too! Less women then, sadly.

I knew that in theory, but wasn’t aware of the actual stats. Gosh, that’s a stark difference!

Sorry trying to do two things at once

there’s still this
In the 1990s, approximately
19% of young people in the UK went to university, a significant increase from the previous two decades. This figure rose from about 8% in 1970, showing a clear social shift towards higher education access during the 1990s.

• By 1990: The percentage of young adults going to university had reached 19%.

Yes, 14% so around 1 in 7.

But most people born in the 1950s don't have uni aged kids in 2025!

FYI you can't rely on AI for your research at uni 😜

Agree!

I am the first person in my family to own their own home. My family were not heroin addicts but could never have afforded to buy.

Im so proud of myself. As our my family. I expect people feel the same about uni.

So you should be!

YABU to still not understand, when 8 pages of posts have been trying to explain, including facts and data and studies. There are clear barriers to university attendance for people who don't come from a background where it is expected, supported, or where there is previous experience of it, and university attendance is far less likely amongst those groups. The fact that you don't consider those barriers problematic doesn't mean that others also mustn't - the data says so, and....so far you have no actual experience of your own to prove even in your individual case whether you are right or not, you're just talking.

A person's upbringing doesn't have to involve drugs and neglect to be disadvantaged in all kinds of ways and it's very narrow-minded to assume that that actual dysfunction is the only factor that can make it harder to get to uni. Your 'normal' might not be everybody else's normal, and yes, a lot of people from disadvantaged backgrounds will find it harder to get to, navigate, and succeed at university.

Back in what day? I was at school in the 70s. It was very much expected in my Grammar school that we went to Uni, whereas in my sister’s secondary modern school it wasn’t an option to consider.
Now it’s expected because people think you’ll get a better job. Reality shows that isn’t the case for the vast majority of students.

Yes, so not "very rare" at all by that time, and that will be the generation than typically have kids of uni age today. And of course, the proportion of people of that generation who at least finished college would have been way higher.

I think you are confused about two things:

1. "our parents" are not all the same age on Mumsnet.
2. as a PP pointed out post second world war post 18 education referred to an array of different options such as Further education colleges (technical and vocational courses; day and evening classes).Technical colleges and apprenticeships tied to industry and manufacturing training.Teacher training colleges and specialist colleges in things like music and nursing Many of the above have degree status now so if you think about it the achievement of accessing post 18 education is the same.

In the 90s it was still only 19%.

For people like me, whose family didn't expect me to stay on to sixth form, getting to uni and making it through the four years was a massive achievement. Not just academically but also financially. I had to self-fund because my family were low waged.
They still tell me it's far from x y z that I was raised and not to get above my station.

And?
It almost doesn't matter what percentage of people went to university. It doesn't take away the challenges experienced by first generation students. Challenges you are refusing to admit exist unless you were raised by drug addicts.

I work at a university that attracts higher than average numbers of first generation students. We are running an event tonight which will involve staff being in full academic dress. A huge number of my first year students have expressed how anxious they are about attending because it is completely alien to them.
Some of then have said they can't attend because parents don't understand why they need to be on campus late at night and while they are technically adults many of them live at home and are heavily influenced by their views.

My daughter will be the first girl in my family to go to uni, if she does indeed go to uni.I am very proud of her.Yes of course it is a generational thing as well, but I was so proud of her A level results, I would have liked her to choose something less female dominated, but it's her life and choice.
I am anyway proud she seems to be getting confident and happy with herself.It's nice to be proud of your family.😁

Considering some kids were abused and neglected I actually find it a little insensitive to act like you had it hard because your parents who were otherwise good parents didn’t go to university

It's not just a generational thing. It's about social mobility.

The reason why uni became more common for more young people is because social mobility was a talking point in the 90s, and addressed directly through grants and admissions policies.

I was the first in my family to go to university, and it's something I occasionally reflect on. Not because I think it makes me a better person, but because it an important part of my background, and it affected the opportunities I had (opportunities that my relatives didn't).

Not understanding something doesn't render in non-existent or unimportant to others.

It's that she understands having a baby was a barrier because that was her barrier. But can't see that others had equally difficult barriers and DID overcome them.

Only seeing the barriers you've personally experienced is a common reason for lack of empathy and understanding

Yep I’m sure in your late 40s you will stop work and put 7 years aside to take your GCSEs, A levels, and go to university.

This whole thread is such transparent sour grapes.

This 👆

Errmmm.....that doesn't make sense at all. My Dad did go to university, and I didn't have it hard it all. It doesn't mean I can't see that others do and have plenty to overcome, even those that don't grow up in abusive or neglectful homes.

What an odd leap you made there.

You’re really embarrassing yourself with this comment.