Another path to greatness - part III

[chopc]

Here is the new thread

So the LSE rep on TSR wasn't accurate when he said no offers will come between 2nd 9th

Feeling sad about Prince Phillip ........ end of an era

Hmmm. Yes. Perhaps the era needed to end?

Hi everyone. I hadn’t looked at TSR since last week as I thought LSE were closed (according to that so-called rep person). But it does look like they’ve made some Geog offers today. Not to DS though. Does this mean he’s going to get rejected? To be honest, I’m so exhausted with the whole thing and so is DS. This is getting like Durham. Weeks and weeks went by of people getting offers, so that by the time his offer came, he was over the excitement or interest of actually going there. You just feel kind of flat about the whole process.

I am sorry your DS has not heard from LSE today. It certainly does not mean he has been rejected. LSE give out offers in small batches. Out of 26,000 applicants it seems like fewer than half have heard whether their applications have been successful or not.

It must be so stressful for your DS. My DD was overseas when waiting for her LSE offer last year, so I was feeling the stress on her behalf!

Yes we have had half through today and half still waiting for that subject

Thanks. I suppose they’ve had over 6 months to reject him (!), but still not feeling that hopeful anymore. Looks like it will be UCL or Durham or a gap year...

@quest1on don't worry - it will come through

Quest1on it is such a slog waiting this long isn't it, particularly as they had to get the applications in so early in the first place. You do wonder what they've been doing over the last six months they've had the application and I completely understand what you mean about the length of time waiting sucking all the joy out of the process. Really keeping fingers crossed for your DS.

Hi everyone

I've been reading all your posts but rushed off my feet so haven't been able to contribute.

We had a lovely Easter weekend with two social garden gatherings which really lifted the spirits.

@ChimneyPot belated congrats on the Brown offer - that is very exciting news. DD's friend was offered Brown some weeks ago and will be accepting the place, it's a small world.

@quest1on Two of DD's friends got LSE Geography offers yesterday and I immediately thought of you. I rushed onto MN last night and was very disappointed to hear you're still in limbo. I completely understand the waiting and waiting strips away any excitement when an offer eventually comes through. This year's process has been relatively straight forward for DD but 2019 for DS was traumatic so I completely how horrible this is for you all.

@bendmeoverbackwards So sorry to hear your DD didn't warm to Exeter, we loved it at the 2019 open day. It was buzzing with live music, street food (which I understand happens every Friday on campus) and happy looking students. I can imagine it has a very feel when it's quiet and empty. I know your DD liked the idea of old beautiful buildings in Durham, if it's any consolation, the majority of Durham colleges are now modern blocks (or tired modern blocks). DS's college looked more like a holiday camp which wasn't really the dream...

@quest1on such a long wait for your DS. I hope he gets a positive answer soon.

@jano69 is your DDs friend in the U.K.? If so DD might meet her at the international students orientation in Brown. They start before the other students and are put in mentor groups that continue to meet all year.
I think DD will accept Brown.

@ChimneyPot yes a UK friend so likely their paths will cross! She's very excited as I'm sure your DD is too...

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Something my brother said got me thinking. When people talk about target universities for graduate recruitment, what is meant by that? As in are the applications not open to everyone irrespective of where they are at university?

And apparently now a lot of graduate schemes take on people who come for their internships. Aren't applications for this open to everyone as well?

So I don't understand what the significance of target universities is?

Basically some graduate employers will attend various unis to actively recruit the undergrads at career fair's but the internships and graduate trainee programmes are open to all. They simply take a view on where they consider there to be a good selection of higher achievers to "target" their marketing. From memory all of your DS's choices are likely to be target unis.

I would like to mention that bloody autocorrect added in inappropriate apostrophes before I noticed!

Thanks @SeasonFinale . Bear with my ignorance - what do you mean they go to target Unis to recruit students? There is an application process open to all so are students actually recruited at the careers fairs etc or just encouraged to apply for the schemes?

chop - I think it’s just various companies will show up at uni careers fairs and give out info / answer questions. They’ll be all over the country doing the same.

Also, I would imagine most of our DC will do a Master’s anyway which could be anywhere, if not overseas, so they won’t be seriously applying for jobs until this later stage anyway. DS is already saying he’d like to study in the US after his BA, or there is an MSc in something like “sustainablity enterprise” at Oxford (nooo... not again).

There are vast vast numbers of applicants for jobs in some sectors and recruiters just need some kind of filter which might be AAB at A level and a 2/1 for starters. There will be some students who are top of the top of the tree which people will be fighting over (not my children) and employers in a sense are bidding to have the privilege of taking those perfect ones on and those ones are likely to go to the harder to get into universities. My daughter (lawyer) used to go out with her firm to some to fly the flag for her City firm and entice these people in.

However no matter who much you smile or get on with people at these events which usually involve some free food and drink it will not make any difference at all to getting a job in those firms as the applications are handled centrally and later. It is more of a marketing exercise for the firms concerned.

It also gives students the chance to ask questions about the companies/firms and speak to people who work there and perhaps listen to a talk in person (or did before covid).

Some firms are trying to recruit people with high enough grades without knowing where they went to be fairer although the civil service tried this and got more not fewer Oxbridge people when recruiting "institution blind".

It wasn’t long ago that (I think) the Bar went to 4 university careers fairs per annum. Lots of large firms will have many strands to grad recruitment and will think various universities will have suitable students. It gives the students an opportunity to find out about what is involved.

There are some grad recruitment schemes where the majority recruited are former interns. Intern recruitment seems to be a starting point for the full recruitment process. A filter. Others might have gone to other intern schemes and not to that one. They are still top class candidates though so of course the door is open for them too.

It is really not true to say all decent grads do masters. Plenty do one degree (eg engineering) and then become accountants. Or bankers. They do not need a masters. Ditto very many lawyers. It is pointless for many. Getting the qualifications for professions is often time consuming enough without that MA in Medieval English.

I am not sure most of ours will do masters unless you include some form of post grad qualification within that. Mine has no plans to at all and is more likely to she seeking graduate trainee schemes and would only probably end up doing a masters if nothing better was on offer at the time.

what is with autocorrect today? she = be

I must admit to being totally clueless about all this internship business and graduate recruitment. Sounds like a nightmare, tbh. Mind you, I doubt DS is headed for the corporate life. I can’t really visualise that. DH has been self-employed since he was about 28 (he did BA Geog too, then a masters in international relations and also an MBA).

We are finding with friends’ DC’s that Masters are being sought by those with no grad jobs and little idea about what to do next. It is a very good option for those with a clear career path where a masters helps define your usp, but with so many getting them, they are not always having the desired outcome.

Obviously some degrees are undergrad masters and I am excluding them.

@SeasonFinale

I am not sure most of ours will do masters unless you include some form of post grad qualification within that. Mine has no plans to at all and is more likely to she seeking graduate trainee schemes and would only probably end up doing a masters if nothing better was on offer at the time.

Agreed. DD1 was read to get to work after her three years, and was so glad she did. The friends of hers who couldn't decide what to do, so did masters instead, or those who have chosen to do masters to access certain stem careers, haven't got going yet, and it has opened up an interesting gap between those who have "moved on" and those who are up and running.

Horses for courses of course, and for some careers you need a masters, but with so many of DD's friends it seemed an excuse to extend their uni experience, and hasn't really got them any further. It's a tricky one to decide.

My first degree (humanities) got me nowhere even though I got a first, so I’ve done two masters since that (one fairly recently).