Which Uni or degree class

[stubiff]

I don't imagine this is written down anywhere per se, but which industries (their recruiters) would look at which Uni a candidate went to and which would just look for the best (with reason) degree class.

Engineering has been mentioned previously as an example of some Unis being strong in, or well regarded for.
IT, maybe, could be classed as one where which Uni doesn't matter so much?

A 2:1 degree from Oxbridge or Imperial will be higher regarded than a First from an old Polytechnic.

In my field of recruitment (Top end law), a 2.1 from Oxbridge will be viewed higher than a first from any other university. A first in maths from imperial or bristol for example is on a par though.

My field has very specific unis that feed into the London firms. Oxbridge is not viewed higher. UWE and Reading are the main ones and we have strong grad links with them.

It entirely depends on what it is.

@Lilaclavenders and @zeezeeg It wasn't specifically that which I wanted to discuss.

It was more - for Law, say, as you mention it - do you look for certain Unis, or a group of Unis, where you know the course or learning is relevant to you, or are you just bothered about a 1st from a half decent Uni or 2:1+ from Oxbridge.

In Engineering, maybe a 2:1 from Sheffield say is looked on more favourably than a 1st from a similarly overall ranked Uni, that isn't 'known' for engineering.

Also op a huge amount goes on the recruitment days, it's not all about degree class.

@nearlyspringyay That's the kind of thing - care to share the industry please.

@nearlyspringyay Yes, agreed, I'm generalising here but I think it's a valid question.

My op should have said 'within reason', not 'with reason'!

No worries, Building Surveying and Planning.

Ah sorry, I misunderstood. At my firm, we care a lot about university. I do say that with the caveat that it's ultra competitive, and law is trad. We look for Oxbridge and then Russell Group. But not all Russell Group, Cardiff or Liverpool probably a no, Birmingham and Leeds a maybe, Bristol or UCL more likely.

For us, it's Oxbridge before first at another uni.

It's so dependent on sector and the pathway the people in charge of that org took, their background etc. Traditionally oxbridge was king but many orgs now value more diversity of talent so for law they will look favourably on those who did other subjects for undergrad, got a first then went to a "better" university for law conversion. I have 3 friends in law and they all went to Russell group institutions but not oxbridge, they aren't in central London firms though

Also don't forget that many international companies based on the UK will get applicants from all over the world - from excellent candidates from highly ranked Universities abroad, often speaking two languages fluently.

Where does open university fit in these scales?

There are definitely areas of excellence beyond the old trope of 'RG universities are the best', which is out of date in some study areas. For example, the engineering department at Oxford Brookes is very highly thought of by the motorsport industry – lots of racing teams have factories in the Thames Valley area, some have had direct input into the automotive and motorsport engineering courses at Brookes and they recruit heavily graduates from those particular courses. So while Brookes is down at around 50th place in the league tables, it is top 5 for someone who is absolutely certain they want to go into the motorsport industry.

Yes law does rend to recruit from certain unis

See the link below to Chambers Preferred Unis.

www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/law-firms-preferred-universities-2019

Law degree from Reading Uni - trained to be a solicitor in a city firm - they told me at the interview that they only took from Oxbridge or Manchester (as the recruitment partner graduated from there) but I was a mature student having worked for 5 years before Uni (nothing relevant however) and they liked my attitude and that is the only reason I got the interview!

Those whose companies will only consider graduates of certain institutions, does you recruitment material state this?

Where I worked, we had it impressed upon us by HR that if an attribute was essential, or desirable, for the candidate to be considered qualified for the post in question, then it had to be stated in the spec. If an attribute was not required / desirable, then it should not be mentioned. 'Must be a graduate of' was never in any shape or form a requirement for any post, so it wasn't ever mentioned.

Our 'business' was medical research, but one of the best study managers I recall had a masters degree in Criminology from - you know, that bit I seriously have no recollection of at all. We were public sector, though.

@Catcrazy83

Where does open university fit in these scales?

Honesty, it doesn't really unless you are exemplar on a grad day or trying another route in. Again. Depends on the sector / route.

I agree with the comments on law above although some law firms are choosing to shoot themselves in the foot and waste a lot of time by having to recruit "institution blind". Mind you if your A level results and ability to do all th eother tests and pass hard exams are not up to scratch you won't get the job anyway. Eg they just had the first new law exams SQE1 which are centrally set and marked irrespective of institution after your first degree and surprise surprise those with better A levels and those with a first did best, then those with a 2/1 and then 2/2 ie better your academics and university more likely you got higher marks on SQE1 which is designed to be unbiased and indeed is so unbiased they made it 100% multiple choice because people with bad English in testing the new exam were doing badly when there were essay type questions. They have also designed the questions so they are not biased against those from different cultures.

@stubiff
My DH recruits Civil, Structural, Highways and Environmental engineers. He would want 2:1 or above. He’s a Sheffield grad and it’s a brilliant university for his disciplines. However he rates a lot of polytechnics too. Many middle of the road consultancies don’t get huge numbers of applications. What really matters though is engineering ability which they test. Most companies will do this. The degree might open the door but a first or even a degree from Imperial won’t get anyone through it. Oxford isn’t really rated by DH. They need very practical engineers. Universities like Sheffield, Southampton and some polys turn out great engineers.

Also a first doesn’t trump any other degree. The course might not be evaluating ability in the same way DHs company does. There’s far more to being a successful employee than the degree.

It depends very much on the subject.

These threads are always heavily weighted towards law as there are a lot of lawyers on mumsnet, but many universities that offer industry accredited degrees eg IBMS (Institute of Biomedical Sciences) are not Russell Group or high up in university league tables. Many lower ranking universities have medical schools, offer nursing degrees or other vocational degrees. In these cases where you went to university isn’t important.

@Xenia
I expect my solicitor to have good English. It’s non negotiable for law in my view. In fact good English is needed for any public facing professional job.

In fact good English is needed for any public facing professional job.

I agree, and not just public facing. My background is copywriting, proof-reading and website content. Our copywriters absolutely must have good written English skills. I'm in Yorkshire, so it's a good job they don't write how they speak

I don’t know much about industries recruiting (I’m a civil servant and in my experience where you got your degree doesn’t matter) but my son has applied this year for maths and he looked into this and deliberately chose the top uni’s for maths to apply for - so he applied to Oxford / Imperial / St Andrews and then Warwick & Edinburgh as back up. So far he’s got 2 offers though his imperial offer is tough but maybe worth a shot as it’s so highly regarded. I think students do need to consider this when applying but many industries won’t be as strict