DD attending university in the same town where we live - is this a good idea?

[PaperDoves]

DD is finishing year 12 and considering where to apply next year. Her current first choice of uni is our local one - which, to be fair, is a great university, especially for her preferred course, and the city is vibrant with plenty to do and an active social scene. If we didn't already live here, I'd say it would be a perfect fit! But I'm worried that she won't have the experience of moving to a new city (although she'll still meet lots of new people) and stretching her wings.

What are your views? If she does end up choosing this one and getting a place, should we make sure she lives in halls so she can still have the student experience? Should I just be glad she'll be nearby in case she needs a hot meal or (heaven forbid) finds herself in trouble and needs help? Is it really not a big deal to not move to a new city for university, and I'm just being weird?

I really do not get the need to take a huge student loan to pay for student accommodation a few hundred miles away just for 'the experience'. This is not the norm in other countries and people seem to develop into fully functioning adults. The only people that benefit from this are private equity companies, property funds and landlords. The money they are charging for 'the experience' is eye watering, the debt they will carry for 40 years and we are hoodwinked into thinking this is an essential part of growing up. I can see why it would be beneficial if you live in out in the sticks or small town but otherwise there are still opportunities for young people to move out or travel abroad.

I think as she’s a near adult uou should let her make her own decision and support her. Not try to control her decisions to what you prefer.

@SilverGlitterBaubles
Wd are not other countries though. We have our own history of HE. Most couldn’t access it unless they moved to university. Now, it stops social mobility if DC choose a lower tier university when they could have gone to a top 10 one. And really should have done. If all universities were equal and all students worked in their locality it might not matter but we are not in that position.

I think it’s easy to underestimate how good certain universities are here and how few are they brilliant in many other countries. Look at Italy. Yes, nearly everyone stays at home but these are not, mostly, world leading unis. The USA, by contrast, takes in the very best students from anywhere into its world leading universities. As do we.. That’s why our students move for university. To get the best. Why leave that for others and not take it yourself if you can? The Sutton Trust has worked tirelessly on this. Aim high!

We pay the rent for our DC ,they wanted to go away and we were able and willing to support that

Interestingly though @TizerorFizz some industries are now moving away from graduate schemes, accountancy for example, becoming more common to take on A-level students and apprentice style work placements, even the Big Four firms. I wonder if that will impact social mobility or whether it will simply be transferred to the firm you qualified with

Moving away isn't for everyone. It's not the same experience true but leaving home at that age isn't the right choice for everyone and I don't think there are any rights or wrongs.

Your DD has to make her own choices and decisions.

Fairly common in Scotland, especially Glasgow for some reason (probably that many Glaswegians seem reluctant to leave the Greater Glasgow area if they can avoid it). I think it's fine if a lot of other students do it too, like in Ireland or Europe or Glasgow a bit harder to navigate if you're an outlier.

Surely she's going for the education? It's a very middle class thing to want the experience of moving away but she can do that when she's older. It sounds like you have plenty on your doorstep.

I don’t see the big deal. In Ireland it’s very common to attend a local uni if you can as it’s so much cheaper!! And even those that attend in another county come home every weekend. What is this university experience everyone rants on about? They can still have friends, cook at home etc and go out and have fun whilst living at home can’t they??

Completely agree regarding Glasgow. It's not unusual at all to be a home student at Uni of Glasgow, Strathclyde Uni, Caledonian Uni, or University of West of Scotland.

I had a great time as a home student but maybe wouldn't have if I had been at an institution where that was unusual.

I now teach at a uni in another city and over several years, I'm only aware of one of my students being from that city. So definitely differs by institution.

@TizerorFizz I completely get that moving away to go to a better university is a good decision. However when there is access to a better or equivalent university in their area and they move away just because it's the done thing here it might not be the best decision financially at least. I'm also thinking about the current cost of living crisis and how parents and students will cope with the spiralling costs in the coming year. People may need to consider their options and what is actually affordable and value for money.

DD is going locally in September as it’s the course she wants. She’s going to stay in halls but I suspect she will be back and forth as she is a home body, so hopefully will get the best of both worlds 🤞
tbh on the offer holder day, a lot of the parents I spoke to lives locally and their children were commuting in-probably a result of COVID plus finances.

@SilverGlitterBaubles
So what concessions should be made to country dwelling DC with no first class uni handy? They have to suck it up don’t they? Yes, it’s about education but some will always have to take the loan and parents will have to pay. That’s not altogether fair and stops mobility.How do you suggest country living people cope with spiralling coats that you and your family can dodge?

I also think big companies such as accountants and lawyers will always recruit the best at 21/22. They might of course offer apprenticeships but they would he completely mad to not look at Oxbridge, Imperial, LSe etc grads. Their pool would be too narrow and all have the same degree! Hardly any breadth at all.

When you have amazing universities in our city centre who offer a huge variety of courses there really is no need to move away for the whole uni student experience.

Ds chose Strathclyde as it was in the top 3 universities for his course in the uk whereas dd chose it as it was close to home and offered her the course she wanted.

DH and his school friends also all went to uni in Glasgow. Some of them did go into accommodation for some years but they mostly stayed at home. He probably should have moved out for some of it, however it meant he had lots of spare cash and went travelling instead.
A family member is doing the same but has had accommodation for the full 4 years and honestly I think it’s a waste of money, especially during covid.

TizerorFizz raises some valid points on here about why it is common practice for students in the UK to not go to their local university.

Do other European countries rank universities the way we do?

I have heard that France has a pretty high rate of students dropping out of university. Is this because most students go to university after leaving school?

I did this and stayed in the family home to save money.However it was a language degree so I knew the 3rd year would be living abroad. I did miss out quite a bit as the students living in halls would have impromptu nights out and I did mostly end up mixing with other home based students. But I saved a tonne of money! I also signed up to be a community service volunteer with CSV in the long summer break one year and spent 2 months living in halls at the London school of economics as a volunteer for students with disabilities! Free board and a weekly allowance which was a fab experience so Maybe she could do something like this in the holidays?

Honestly on the continent, everyone who has a local uni to commute to will stay at home, one just moves out when they are ready, perhaps have a job, they don't burden themselves with debt and possibly moving out when they aren't ready yet.
She can do it if she wants to. then later on move out, everyone's experience will be different anyway
trust her !!! it's her life

@RampantIvy
Im excluding Scotland because the fees make it attractive to stay local but when DD studied in Europe it was a mixed bag. In Italy she studied at the University of Bologna. It’s way older than Oxford. Is it ranked anywhere near Oxford in any international league table? No. It’s not in the top 100. It has, when she was there, 88,000 students. Padua, another old university has 66,000 plus students. DD said Bologna offered more resits than British students have hot dinners. She also said it was very disorganised. Yes, students go local but some won’t have access to the best because the best are exclusive. Ditto in France. The Grande Ecoles take the best students. They are small and elite. The other students go local but again not all local universities are good.

DD also went to Switzerland where there was more movement of students and several
International top 100 universities. They seem a bit more like us. Well organised, well taught and the pass mark is 66%.

DD had some friends at Glasgow, and I recall her being told that because Galsgow University attracts so many students from outside of Scotland that anyone living within commuting distance of the university can't stay in any of the university managed halls of residence as they are for students from elsewhere. I don't know how true that still is.

I'd say course first. I had a very specific variation in my subject area that I wanted to do. It turned out most of the places offering that were 100+ miles away, but if local universities were offering what I wanted and others weren't, I would have gone local.

Three years is a long time to be studying a subject that is not quite what you wanted. Most people I have known who dropped out, course was a far larger factor than university. If your day to day 'grind' of study is interesting, you can often cope with the other things the university experience will throw at you. It's harder to cope with those things if you also don't really enjoy your every day 'work'.

I think the majority don’t have precise subject needs though. When I look at the leavers at DN’s school, over 1/3 stay local so it’s doubtful it’s course first. Looks to be home city first.

My DD didn’t rule out or in any area of study. Subject and uni meant more. Not minutiae of subject. studied.

My dd is going to a local uni in September (I so local, it’s still almost a hour away), she will be staying in halls but plans on coming home most weekends, she has ASD and doesn’t want to be too far from home but also wants some independence. There’s a chance she may commute for her 2nd year.

Jeez, my 4 siblings and I all managed to become well adjusted, independent adults even though we all stayed at home for uni/college/apprenticeships. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We were taught and did our own washing well before any thoughts of uni 🤣

We all left home shortly after completing our courses/got jobs, some locally, some much further a field, and were all perfectly capable of running our own homes practically and financially from the day we left with no support.

Your post makes it sound like all parents dont teach their children any life skills or personal responsibility and run after them like servants, tucking them into bed at 9:30pm. Not in our house!