Mumsnet University League Tables 2021

[Aslockton]

Just as a bit of fun, but also because Mumsnet has a wealth of knowledge and experience, would you be able to compile your own university league table. This is on the back of people saying Durham is better than Manchester.

This can be for all universities, or for a specific subject or area (top 10 Northern universities). I would love to see Xenia's top 10 law universities, or the best universities for engineering or marine biology etc.

I'll start...

My top non-Russell Group universities:

1 St Andrews
2 Bath
3 Loughborough
4 Lancaster
5 City
6 SOAS
7 Surrey
8 Sussex
9 Reading
10 Dundee

Top 10 London Universities

1. Imperial
2. LSE
3. UCL
4. Kings College
5. Queen Mary
6. City
7. SOAS
8. Royal Holloway
9. UoA

10. Brunel

Many students in Liverpool are local and lots attend John Moores University which I suppose fewer moneyed people go to. The JMU home students definitely dress a bit differently. Many of the girls put a lot of effort into their appearance eg Lots of Scouse brows and full make up. I guess they look a bit more “glam” but not necessarily in very high quality clothes, just more “on trend” stuff. They would have stuck out a mile in Durham. So different to the Liverpool student of the 90s who were strictly grunge. (Proper students if you ask me )

Lol.. Dd probably part of the flare brigade tbh 😁

Yes, how come Warwick University was awarded a prestigious, historic town name (even thought it's not located there), and yet UEA ended up named for the whole area (covering several counties!)?

Wikipedia tells me the former was founded as a university for Warwickshire and that there was debate about what to call it. Many of the other unis founded in the 60s were named for counties rather than cities. UEA makes sense in that context as covering Norfolk and Suffolk - and Cambridgeshire, as Cambridge doesn't serve as a local uni.

DD (16) was wearing flares a year ago but now seems to be onto the next trend, and has totally ditched the expensive pair of jeans from last year, much to my chagrin.

I reckon though, even with designer or branded clothing, what's 'in' for one school/in one area, won't be somewhere else! So it's kind of 'off' to judge people thus!

Yes, agree that in times gone by it was much easier to tell young people's socio-economic background by their clothes and general 'look'.

I used to be horrified that one of my primary school mum friends who was educated and reasonably well-to-do, used to dress her boys just in Gap tracksuits (I have always had a dislike of such casual clothing). But I've had to totally get over my dislike of them as the DC have got older.

@ErrolTheDragon that does make sense. From what DS tells me, UEA does still seem to be a more 'local' (in its intake) university than possibly Warwick now is.

This thread is hilariously snobbish 🤣

What, even the bursary info?

I've never been keen on the tracksuit look. It's more a lack of style thing for me and nothing to do with snobbery! But on the other hand, if tracksuits help break down class barriers and give young people uniformity, is that such a bad thing?

@ErgonomicallyUnsound

This thread is hilariously snobbish 🤣

You seem to be a bit obsessed with snobbery. I like this part of MN because you meet all sorts of people who are happy to give their advice and help to all and sundry. Obviously some will have DC at state schools, some at private. And our DC will meet all sorts at uni. It’s better for them all to try and get on, isn’t it, rather than obsessing about negative stereotypes? My DC went to fairly average comps. I spend time on MN to get advice that their schools might be inexperienced with. This thread was just a lighthearted look at some MN tropes. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My son's clothing style changed when going to a Hall with boarding school pupils - moved more from Jack Wills to track suit bottoms and the £1 shop! You could write a dissertation about what students where and when and why. It would be fascinating.

Xenia might enjoy this,if you ever go to Eton at the weekend youll see virtually all the boys slouching around in hoodies and tracksuit bottoms,when I asked dc if he would like to take some other clothes back to wear he replied "of course not,we wear a morning suit all week,give us a break..."

The Jack Wills in Eton High Street closed through lack of trade some time ago

Ah but they bring better quality booze to the local parties 😊😊

Surely Jack Wills is kind of a 'wannabe' aspirant brand? Etonians don't need to wear the brand because they are already the type that others may be trying to emulate?

Jack Wills is so 2011 - no one shops there any more do they?? It’s all BooHoo for the girls and Urban for the boys now

Wasn't there a uni recently making the 'news' for its induction training including something about various types of privilege, a notable one being the privilege of being able to buy second hand clothes from choice not necessity?

Students apart, the head of research groups can often be easily identified by the threadbare woolly.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 😂😂 am assuming that was a joke. Not sure I know anyone that aspires to wear a frock coat all day. Or have any connection to Johnson and his pals.

Top 5 student clothes shops

1. ASOS
2. PLT
3. Pull n Bear
4. Primark (especially for random coloured t shirts for pub crawls)
5. Hollister (when bought by someone else and no logos on it)

Mine won't use BooHoo anymore as owner bit dodgy (no idea what he's done to annoy them).

I probably phrased it badly. Possibly the 'preppy' look that people would think Etonians wear out of school (but isn't actually the case).

Although a decade ago, I did go to a much sought-after state secondary school open day to find one of the newbie sixth formers who was showing us around (who'd attended a well-known public school previously – he was quick to tell us!) was wearing a frock coat! It seemed strangely inappropriate.

@mumsneedwine

Mine won't use BooHoo anymore as owner bit dodgy (no idea what he's done to annoy them).

Running sweatshops in Leicester? 'A bit dodgy' is an understatement.

(Sorry it's probably paywalled, I don't know how to get a sharetoken for an old story. But if you Google boohoo Leicester I expect you'll be able to find out more)
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/leicester-sweatshops-face-criminal-inquiry-on-slaves-ltmncts9z

@ErrolTheDragon my kids are more clued up than me 😊.
@NewModelArmyMayhem18 my brother wore a cravat to our v v bog comp - he ended up at Oxford (one of 3 to actually go to Uni that year). Was obviously getting ready with his weird dress sense. Was known to also wear a flat cap. And yes, I wanted to murder him I was that mortified !

I dont recognise any of that list, bar Hollister which was Yr8 and trips to Westfield, whilst BooHoo and Primark are too fast fashion.

Its mainly Uni sports team hoodies and tops mixed with Uniqlo.

That said Bristol students seem to have quite a distictive style. Though more flares than logos.

My Bristol child seems to live in jeans and v small crop tops (that or she's shrunk all her clothes). Still, they cover more than her handkerchief sized festival clothes. That or she's in some kind of sports stuff as she's constantly on a sports field.
To be fair she's in overalls when sticking her arm up a cow bum or wrestling a chicken, or v unsexy wellies when cutting up some dead animal part so suppose looking a bit girlie in her down time is to be expected. But I do think she needs a pulley so she doesn't get cold 😊.

Top 5 Unis for local breweries

1. Cardiff - Brains (the smell of brewing day will be with me forever)
2. Reading - Brakespeare
3. Newcastle - Only brown ale I could afford as a student
4. Dublin - Guinness does not taste the same anywhere else
5. Surrey - Silent Pool Gin (ok not beer but lovely stuff)