Do A level results indicate degree results?

[labradoodles]

I have a DD on a gap year at the moment, who will probably take her offer from LSE if she doesn’t get Oxford. (Outcome from interview soon!)

She got AAA at a level, at our local bog standard comprehensive.

She’s scared that as the vast majority will have higher grades than AAA, that she is doomed for failure once there. I’ve tried to tell her not to be silly, but she’s a tad paranoid.

In her eyes she’d be better off going somewhere middling like her Birmingham offer, where she’d be nearer the top of her cohort.

Some job applications by the way want you to put in your UCAS points. I remember having to find the older children's various grade 8 music results and that kind of thing as well as their A level grades - one had loads of UCAS points as he had about 3 or 4 grade 8s etc, although I doubt that would ever be tipping point to get a job but does no harm.

Is Birmingham really a "middling" uni? I know several dcs who have gone there with AAA type grades. It may depend on the course your dd is applying for though which you don't state in your post.
It may be that she felt more comfortable at Birmingham than LSE and has just used grades as a way of expressing this.
However if she is offered a place at Oxford then as she already has her A level results other unis aren't really relevant.

As an employer I'd take a des from Oxbridge above a first from Leeds Beckett so there's your answer. Go to the best university that will take you.

@Johnnycomelately1, do you have a specific policy of not employing Leeds Beckett graduates for well-founded reasons, or is your business just not in any field (e.g. Architecture) where a specifically relevant degree is offered at Leeds Beckett and not at Oxford?

(I am curious, as DS2 will soon be looking at universities offering ARB prescibed courses giving RIBA Part I exemption, which LB does and Oxford doesn't).

marching I think Johnny was making very, broad generalisations. Overall Oxford is better ranked than Leeds Beckett but you're far better off looking at individual courses and the statistics and data related to those. Many universities which are relatively low down on overall League tables may actually have very specialised subject areas - architecture being one of them. Employers tend to be in tune with this - they often provide placements and work with universities on the curriculum.

For architecture the RIBA list of approved part 1 courses is a good starting point. Schools of architecture are somewhat different from, say, a History degree.

Friends who are architects do say there is a vast difference between the calibre of courses and students though. Going for a course with the best links to architecture practices is also a good idea - not too
Head in the Clouds either! Friends like good practical architects who can work effectively with clients and problem solve.

I am not sure I understand the state/private posts.

Well regarded specialist Universities like LSE and Imperial, as well as the maths/economics/science/engineering departments at other similarly regarded Universities, are hugely international. (The LSE's student demographic is roughly 25% UK, 25% EU, 50% international.) Little scope therefore, for the "what school did you go to" Top Trumps.

These Universities/departments will be rejecting qualified applicants. DS received three rejections even though he had a 4A* prediction. They want students who will thrive and who will contribute to University life, including its diversity. They will have data on how students from different backgrounds fare, and will, I assume, use contextualisation when deciding who to accept. DS' four closest British friends at LSE came from state schools, one grammar, three not. All four did just fine. Their international friends also came from a variety of backgrounds, including some on scholarships from their Government and another who had been to a posh UK boarding school. Yes there will be cliques, but equally plenty, from the whole range of backgrounds, who are happy to mix. (Oddly it was the French, rather than Chinese, who were perceived to stick together most, partly because Chinese students come from such a wide variety of backgrounds/places.)

Op's daughter would not have had an offer from LSE if she were not good enough. It is a University that never goes into clearing, it does not need to, not least because unlike oher Universities, they decided not to expand UG numbers. The LSE offers a world class education and she will do well, as long as she works hard, engages with her course, and is happy.

The latter is crucial. DS thrived there. He loved his course and met lots of like minded people. For him, this was the student experience he wanted. But he has little interest in rowing, May Balls, formals or clubbing. However he knew others who would have been happier elsewhere, and who felt that they had missed out. That is the decision she needs to make.

Is Birmingham really a "middling" uni?

If you look at the QS rankings for the U.K., it comes in at 14.

www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/world-university-rankings/top-universities-uk-2019

The Times puts it at the same position in the U.K.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/GB/sortby/rank/sortt_order/asc/cols/stats

Obvious those are overall and courses vary, but not exactly 'middling' in the context of all U.K. universities.