University Choice

[WineMerchant]

Hello, I don’t post very often, so apologies if I don’t follow any conventions correctly 🙂.
My ds has had an array of offers for Uni. One is a top 10 ranked Uni and highly ranked course , the others are all average-ranked or worse. He has decided he wants to go to the most lowly-ranked because he liked the lecturers and the atmosphere of the uni’s location, which is London-based.

I understand his preferences, but the main offer is better in every other respect - and was his favourite before he visited for interviews (he particularly liked the course). His job prospects would seem to be materially different between the two courses he is considering.

What should I do? I know that it is his choice but fear he is about to make an expensive mistake. However, he is very sociable and I can see the attraction of London over the quieter location. I know he thinks he will be happiest there, but surely the social side isn’t everything?

He's an adult, you can only advise him. Personally I'd say university is a stressful time and happiness is important so encourage him to look at what the pastoral care is like. My lower ranking university work place is appalling at it but the high ranking university I worked at before was fantastic at it.

Don't go by the course ranking - instead jsut tell us here the two places and we can say what he sohould do eg London Met (ex polytechnic) v Durham University and Durham would be the one whereas LSE v Nottingham then the LSE would be good not that Nottingham is bad but he prefers London and LSE is a very good one.

I agree, depends where they are but he is an adult (technically) but he has to feel comfortable where he's living.

Is it top 10 for the subject , or overall? Some "lesser" Unis are strong in specialisms. Unless you live in London and he lives at home it could be very expensive.

My DS is the same. Has 5 offers, 4 RG and 1 highly ranked but not RG. He prefers the non RG for numerous reasons - campus, feel of the place, friendliness, etc - still high in various league tables - above many other RG unis. But he is worried whether it being non RG will put off future employers. It's the old heart verus head. Head says one of the RGs (inc Durham), but heart says the non RG one. Very difficult for him and he's petrified of making the wrong decision.

What’s the career service like and are there internships advertised throughout the course

If it helps, many job applications do not request details of the institution just the title and grade of degree at initial stage.

My ds was in the same situation and in the end chose the RG uni. As a family we were clueless about it all and whether it matters. He is now working in a fantastic job related to his degree that he would not have been shortlisted for if he'd gone to a non-RG university. Obviously he found this out later and the company don't publish it.

One thing worth doing is look at the on line profiles eg LinkedIn of new graduates at jobs you might want (or for barristers the CVs are often on the chambers' websites). That will show you where people tended to be hired from in the career he wants. Eg for solicitors here is a list of most popular universities where people get jobs from www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/law-firms-preferred-universities-2019 That would not be a bad list for other higher paid jobs too like banking etc.

Maybe encourage him to visit the top ranked university again? His impression may be different second time around. Could he put this university as first choice and the other as insurance?

He will be much better off financially over a life time going to a highly ranked course at a highly ranked university.

Also London is hugely expensive if you do not have a home there.

I chose my university purely by the criteria of where I fancied living for 3 years.
Had a wonderful time living on Anglesey on the doorstep of Snowdonia.
Absolutely marvellous - I have never lived anywhere so beautiful since, and have never once regretted my choice.

He could go 'better' uni but would you want him to be miserable for 3/4 years if he doesn't like it? And maybe even blame you for forcing him to go somewhere when he may have been happier at the 'lower' uni. The course matters too - some industries care about where your degree is from more than others. Remember tables aren't everything.

I think you need to unpick his preferences a bit more and give us more to go on. For example Snowdonia may be lovely, however one of DS' friends in London was from the only Chinese family in a village in mid-Wales (yes they ran the take-away) and could not wait to hot foot it to a more multi-ethnic environment.

What is it about London that attracts him? What does he want from the course? How are the courses ranked? (For example for photography University of Westminster could be a good choice.)

Thanks for the replies. I’d rather not mention the universities concerned . But I’ve done loads of research and both the course and the university of the higher-ranked course are are better by every measure, be it student satisfaction, employment , guardian, times etc ranking. Even pastoral care, accommodation, placements etc are judged to be better - everything top ten, some measures, top five and above,
He knows this, but as one other responses pointed out, it’s a choice between heart and head and a choice between a vibrant city and an out of town campus. I know what I’d choose, but I don’t want to force him into something he won’t enjoy and that he’d resent me for. I wish there was a way of persuading him to make the ‘right’ decision on his own.

Could parental funding (which you have no obligation to provide) only be provided if he goes on the better course then? Eg I have told my children I would fund a Knitting degree at an ex poly etc although of course they are free to get student loans and holiday and term time jobs to enable them to study knitting to their heart's content but not at my cost.

@Xenia a parent is perfectly at liberty to do this but the risk is damaging your relationship with them. I would imagine that approach could cause someone to be very resentful if the uni he wanted is shut off from them as an option.
I think choosing a University is horses for courses and league tables can be misleading. I always have had the view that the best university is the right one for the individual, not the highest ranking one they can possibly get into.

My DS had offers from RG universities: Leeds, Birmingham and Edinburgh, but he has chosen Reading university both for the course and location (near the best training facility for his chosen sport). I completely support his decision. He had no interest in the RG university courses but school insisted he put more than one choice on his UCAS form!

Remind him that if he goes to London, it's more than likely he will end up living in the suburbs in years 2 and 3 due to high costs.
London is a wonderful city but it's much more fun when you're working and can afford to enjoy it.

Totally understand your reservations, but he's the one whose got to do the course and live in the location.

DD received all five offers, four from top 10 unis, the other from a lower ranked. The lower ranked was her insurance and where she ended up - she's having the time of her life there, loves the city (even saying she'd like to live there in the future), enjoying her course - what more could I want for her?

Why the confidentiality over unis?

We wouldn't be funding knitting courses either tbh and made that perfectly clear.

However, he is very sociable and I can see the attraction of London over the quieter location..

London is exciting of course with its huge possibilities of activities as well as a buzz just from being there. However when starting off as a student university locations outside London may be far more social even if in quiet places like Durham.
London is most sociable when your friends aggregate there. That seems to be most commonly the case for university students who are Londoners with a network of school friends also in London or at the next phase of life when people come to London to work.

Does he do sports? London university students I have spoken to complain about journey times to university grounds.

He is now working in a fantastic job related to his degree that he would not have been shortlisted for if he'd gone to a non-RG university. Obviously he found this out later and the company don't publish it.

So, a requirement for the post is that the incumbent be a graduate of one of a specified group of universities (or was it that s/he should not have attended one of another specified group of universities?), but nowhere was this actually mentioned in the job or person spec?

Not a legal firm specialising in employment law, by any chance?

Honestly though what would you define as a 'knitting course'? I think I would support my children to do almost any course they wanted to and am struggling to think of anything I wouldn't. People and their interests are all so different.

I remember a while back my nephew looking through a uni prospectus and reading about a degree in Circus skills or something, that's all well and dandy but I wouldn't pay nearly £700 a month for my ds to join the circus. We made it clear if we were investing in his education there needed to be the likelihood of a decent job at the end of it.