University life for freshers (2019/20) - Christmas backpacking (or not) and festive homecomings with all the tinseltastic trimmings!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread.

I've never used my degree subject - I'm a web designer and there was no such thing as the Web when I was at university.

But it was during one of my university internships that I was given an Apple Mac and a desktop publishing program and asked to put together the company newsletter. That led to me looking for a job working in publishing after I graduated. That led to me branching out sideways into web design. That led to me becoming the freelancer I am today.

I met my husband through university friends, and 30 years later many of my best friends are the people I met at university. Their doors are open to me and my children, and my doors are open to them.

TBH for me university was priceless. I came from a shitty town, went to a shitty sink school, and only really knew a tiny range of the population. Going to university was completely life changing for me.

It's looking equally valuable for DD so far. I certainly don't regret sending her - and that's despite the fact that I'm contributing a good amount of money towards it so that she doesn't come out in massive debt. She could have had a totally free ride at a couple of other places, but she's so happy and challenged where she is.

It's a shame if we just think of university as something you do to get a job - it can be much more than that.

Absolutely @holdmylobster!

I agree, too. I have always been of the opinion that going to university is not about getting a job per se. It never even occurred to me when I went, even though I did get a job through the Milk Round. I think I would have felt under enormous pressure and enjoyed it less if I had been worrying about what came after. The opportunity to make friends for life and to network in future is priceless.

I have always been of the opinion that going to university is not about getting a job per se

You mean, something to do with it being called Higher Education?

Although it has to be said that (many, many, moons ago) my dad wasn't best pleased when an academic at DB's Cambridge college convinced him to switch from Law to History because gentlemen don't come up to university to learn a trade.

I view university as both an experience and a stepping stone to getting a job. For what DD wants to do she needs a degree in the right subject.

I didn't go to a uni. I stayed at home and went to the local teacher training poly. It was what I wanted and what suited me and my parent's budget at the time. But looking back I do think I missed out on the whole living away from home experience. I even got married halfway through my 4 year course!

I'm glad DD is having the experience that I never had.

My degree is a BEd so I have obviously used it in my career as I'm a teacher.

Your post resonates with me DrMadelineMaxwell. I am also glad that DD is having abetter experience than I had as a student.

I was in Leeds during the Yorkshire Ripper days

Oh dear. That would have been a worry. :(

Gin I was in Bradford at the same time .... terrible times.

I did a vocational degree at a “lesser” uni - taxpayers definitely got false for money from my full grant etc as I have been using it in my job for over 30years

I also had a ball and made many close friends from both my “lesser” uni and the RG uni who are still good friends now. And escaped from home!

Value for money not false!

But "lesser" universities are better for vocational degrees. No-one is judging them for that. Some of the very low ranking universities have medical schools. And nursing, medicine and IBMS accredited biomedical science degrees follow a pretty similar syllabus so it doesn't matter if you do that degree at Lancaster or UCLAN for example.

Some employers in very competitive fields look at the university for some subjects, largely based on the A level grades required to get into that university, but not everyone wants to work in a big city/law/accountancy firm, and that's perfectly OK.

And I suspect that there are far fewer out of work graduate doctors, nurses, radiographer, physiotherapists than history/English lit graduates.

@Ginfordinner
I agree. Some of the "new" universities can be very highly rated. I think Oxford Brookes, for example, is considered pretty much top in nursing.
I can't help feeling that in making everything was a degree it devalued practical/vocational courses. Because suddenly they were being compared to degrees. People could say "that can't be as good because you're only required to get CCD rather than AAB".
Whereas before they were valued in their own right. I couldn't possibly have done nursing/plumbing, I would have been frankly dangerous as an electrician, and if my FIL had become a gas engineer England would have exploded in a huge gas leak 30 years ago We were more suited to degrees.
It doesn't mean that my uncle, who is brilliant with his hands, but has 2 CSEs to his name is less valuable to society than us. It means that his skills are different-and I admire them, and I think what he can do is more valuable to society.

I think A-levels to get in for some subjects is perhaps more of a measure than the name of the university. For example a friend of mine went to do a Chemistry degree. She had a U in Chemistry, N in Biology, E in General Studies and E in something like Art. She got a 2:2-and admitted she tried an A-level paper in her 3rd (out of 4) year and still only got a C.
She feels now that she was hoodwinked into going to university because "everyone does" and would have been better doing an apprenticeship. Thankfully for her, it was still in the grant era, otherwise she would have had a huge debt to pay as well.

What does make me laugh is all the people (my stepdad especially) who use 'Media Studies' as an example of a modern-day, pointless degree that leads to nothing.

It's one of the few degrees that really helps people get into the job I do - web design, social media marketing, web content management - which BTW makes me a very nice amount of money, working from home, choosing my own hours.

Just taking the discussion off-track a bit to note that we delivered DS back to Oxford yesterday with none of the problems of the trip home. We got a train into Victoria and a coach from outside the station to central Oxford. He took back only half the stuff we dragged home so the luggage was much more bearable.

He settled back in easily and texted today to say that he's sorted the people he'll be sharing a college flat with next year: the people (two girls) he was waiting with some trepidation to ask had been planning to ask him too.

He has one college exam ('collections') tomorrow and then a considerably easier term work-wise than last (a very uneven load because of his joint course). So I'm feeling pretty positive. (DH's health continues OK too).

As an academic (in a non-Russell Group institution which often scores very highly in the league tables in my and a number of other subjects) I do have lot of thoughts on the issues currently being discussed, but I am resisting entering the fray at this point!

@ShrodingersKitty great to hear that you and your DS had a much smoother return journey to Oxford. It will probably get easier every time you do it.

That's a great update SchrodingersKitty
I would be interested in your thoughts though. I would like to think that I take a more realistic view of university education and think that choosing the right university for the course is so very important.

I agree with you Witchend. A lot of people are comparing apples with pears.

I think A-levels to get in for some subjects is perhaps more of a measure than the name of the university

I think this is true of some employers.

I don't for one minute think that a medical student at UCLAN or Sunderland will find it any harder to get a job after graduating than a student from Oxford or Imperial.

Popular opinion on mumsnet is that a humanities graduate with a degree in a popular subject from Oxbridge or other high ranking universities are more likely to find well paid work than one from a lesser establishment.

I don't actually know if this is true. I admit that I get irritated by posters who go on about finding employment at a London city firm, because most students don't want to work in London or go into law (the usual example cited on here)

@Ginfordinner, DS is currently thinking of trying to do a law conversion after his degree, and we live in London.... sadly we don’t have any connections to help him get an in at any big city firms

Just had a long chat with my DS at the end of his first week back at Uni. He is really enjoying his lessons and having a great time . I think he needed to take some time away, back at home with family and friends to make him realise that Uni is actually quite good fun, his new mates are ok and his course is actually interesting. He had a good time at home but was definitely ready to return. Let's hope this new found enthusiasm lasts

Called in briefly to see DD today en route to visit family, and apart from relentless revision for exams she is glad to be back. She said she felt sad that all of her uni friends were partying like mad over the holidays and she had no-one to party with.

Her uni friends are far more on her wavelength and far less flaky than her friends from home.

We’re home from hospital. Dd2 will be recovering and on meds for months but we are sleeping at home for the first time this year. Dd1 is travelling back from university after her exams to be with us. It’s going to be so wonderful. At last I can say Happy New Year everyone x

Oh, that's fantastic Zanda. I hope your daughter makes a speedy recovery. What a fright you have all had.

Happy new year to you as well

@ZandathePanda that is really wonderful news. Enjoy.