Would it be foolish to not choose a Russell Group uni?

[MollyHuaCha]

DD has 5 uni offers inc. two from RG universities to study history. Mock exams and grade predictions indicate that she is likely to achieve the required grades for all five places.

Common sense tells me she should put the two RG unis as 1st and insurance choices.

But she is now talking of putting one of the other unis as 1st choice simply because she prefers the city it's in.

Ultimately it's her decision not mine, but she's unsure and keeps asking other people that they think of this.

College tutor recommends the RG universities. But DD says this is for their own benefit, not hers.

Any thoughts from anyone about this I could share with her please?

Thank you it did seem very lovely, which accommodation did he go too/
mine is looking at the ziggurats.

Just asked .... he was in Paston but girlfriend was in ziggurats which have amazing views over the lake

He said there are communal fixed BBQs around the lake that are used by lots of students especially on weekends for socialising and chilling

There is a path all the way round the lake with seats dotted around

My sister said when they leave campus accommodation the uni has a scheme of approved landlords with approved flats and house shares for various numbers of students to share.

They register with the uni accommodation office and then get access to a website a bit like rightmove with photos and maps where they are etc

It sets out how many people, what bills are included gas, electric, Internet etc

Loads of people take bikes with them or you can buy 2nd hand one from the bike shed at start of year

find somewhere you would love to live
find a good traditional uni with a course you would love to do
don't overthink it!

Does anyone choose a university based on beauty of the site?

Yes. Sort of.
DD found a course that looked ideal on paper and went to visit the University. It was a hideous mass of concrete blocks. It got struck off the list of potentials.
She didn't choose based on beauty but did dismiss based on ugliness (there were other concerns, too, but the brutal architecture was a definite factor).

There are eleventy billion Universities to choose from (why else did OP start this thread?) so why choose an eyesore?

sorry new to mumsnet- not sure why post is purple!!!

Does anyone choose a university based on beauty of the site?

Absolutely! I chose St Andrews (beautiful historic town in the most breathtaking setting) over York (soulless campus)

not sure why post is purple!!!

You can change settings in your account so that the OP is highlighted and also so that you yourself are highlighted. I see my posts as pink; you must be set to purple.
Don't ask me how to change the settings - I've just spent five fruitless minutes trying to find out (I did know once, they must have changed it).

Surely students do choose a uni based on aesthetics to some degree?

Also choose St Andrews on the basis of the setting. Saw a huge photo looking down Middle Street from the top of St Rule's Tower. You could see the sea, the ruined castle, the beaches. Luckily also found out it was highly regarded but it was the town itself that made me choose it.
Spent the first week walking on air, I physically fell in love with the place. Cried myself to sleep every night for a month when I had to graduate.

Thanks Senua - tried to change settings but can't do it. DD looked long and hard at different unis - went for a campus uni which she loved when we visited. FIrst year nearly over and the overriding factor has been the accommodation. Difficult to sleep / work because of constant noise / drinking etc, hugely stressful. Actual place has faded into insignificance!

Found it!
Customise settings
I'm not pink. I'm "lavender blush".

no colour settings on mine :(

Oh. Isn't it lines 4 & 5: "Highlight posts by thread author" & "Highlight own posts". Have we got different versions?

I have spent my life regretting not going to uni in Sussex - I live in Brighton now and wish I had gone to uni here instead of Nottingham which I hated.

Senua must have different version but thanks anyway

bridget I was born in St Andrews 54 yrs ago and although I now live a 7 hr drive away I always love 'coming home'. Tried to persuade dcs to go to Uni there but failed , although dd did go to Edinburgh, which is a stunning city

I chose St Andrews (beautiful historic town in the most breathtaking setting) over York (soulless campus)

Goodness I'd pick York over St Andrews every time! York is a wonderful city. St Andrews is one street with a golf course and a ruined castle. I don't get the attraction at all.

York is indeed a beautiful city (though far too touristy for my taste) but, unless things have changed since my day, the campus is/was a concrete mass.

I found lectures in the English department at St Andrews overlooking the castle ruins, the sea and the West sands infinitely preferable!

@somerandombird

Snap. I went to a top 5 RG (think Oxbridge rejects).

Had a very mediocre time both socially and academically. Spent my life regretting that too.

Always wish I’d gone to a fun, friendly campus and often wonder somewhat wistfully how my life might’ve turned out differently.

Am now an academic (don’t think this means my life is a success...topic for another thread) and have worked in RGs all my life. Agree with posters above - overrated.

I go to Exeter ( I saw you said she’s had applied for Exeter) but the official definition of Russell group is that the staff is hired for research mainly and teaching is a side job. It is correlated with better universities simply because a lot of research is done in better ranking universities but it isn’t not exclusively Russell group=best universities. I would check out the university rankings from the guardian, that will give you a better idea.

Piglet, but the Guardian table can be plain weird. It may depend on what you want from a University course. Access to further study, good employment prosepcts, a jolly time etc. For example for economics the Guardian ranks Herriot-Watt third, and Coventry fifth. I am sure these are fine courses, but it is unlikely that they will cover the same technical ground that Warwick, LSE or UCL would. Ditto overall Portsmouth and Nottingham Trent rank above KCL, Sheffield and Liverpool.

You pays your money....but I suspect the table would look very different if students were asked how they valued their degree a decade after leaving rather than in their final year.

It’s still a top 30, so that’s fine. I’ve been involved in grad hiring and we’ve specified ‘good degree from a top 20/30’ uni, but not RG. I went to a uni that’s now top 20 but not RG. League tables DO matter for grad jobs, if she was choosing between two RGs and a uni that was say, no.68 in the league tables I’d say no way. But Sussex is a good university high up the tables, if that’s where she’s drawn to let her go, enjoying where you are makes it much easier when you’re killing yourself with study all-nighters!

Meh, I rejected a RG offer. I'm at a uni that won uni of the year. 2017.

I'm told RG are very exam based, exams are not my strength so why choose an RG to get a no doubt lower classification other than what quite frankly, seems to be a bit of snobbery. I'm being taught by a world leading authority on my subject. At a non RG 😉

we’ve specified ‘good degree from a top 20/30’ uni,

Wow really - I hope you're more specific than that - you've just covered 60 institutions!