Lancaster for a party boy?

[manlyago]

He liked the University at the recent open day but it was very quiet/lacking in atmosphere (obviously as it was the summer holidays!) so it was difficult to gauge its usual feel. He is worried it would be too full of quiet studious types.

He originally wanted a city university but we went for a look anyway as it’s got a good reputation for his course (Business) and he really liked that aspect of it. It’s just the social side he was concerned about.

Anyone got a son or daughter there? Thanks.

Yes I said obviously non of the grammars are on. Great Marlow isn’t on (Upper).

my old 6th form in Hampshire also isn’t on. I agree it’s a wide ranging list with some surprising additions eg Henley College.

Waddesdon is not on it either. I’m not surprised about that. The list is meant to be the lowest 40% of schools in terms of performance. Non selective schools in Amersham, Chalfonts, Marlow and Wendover are all on the list. All fairly affluent areas by most standards!

Regarding parents: lots of Bristol parents are pretty high flying themselves. They have children who understand how to get that good career. They really want it. Research has shown working class Dc are less driven by money.

What Marlow school is on the list? I can’t see either Borlase or GMS?

Tizer it’s fantastic you’re so passionate bout Bristol but the point I was trying (obv badly) to make is that there are a lot of children with high flying parents at the northern redbricks! I’m sure it’s just the problems with forum posts but your post reads like Bristol students have nice middle class high flying parents in super jobs who have impressed upon their children the importance of getting equally high flying jobs whereas students attending Manchester, Leeds et al are the offspring of unaspirational, poor, working class thickos who couldn’t give advice to their children if they tried. Aside from playing into some unpleasant stereotypes it is of course also nonsense 😀

TBH all the Russell Group have an over representation of middle class southerners. Bristols contextual list is presumably an attempt to balance the very large numbers of private school students who go there.

(Meant to add I know a number of people who have children at both Manchester and Bristol - how does the high flying parent equation work in that case?)

@Tizer how many prejudices can you fit in one post? Profession-wise I fit the mould of the SE parent you are describing (Investment Banker) although my views are the polar opposite of yours. My children opted to go to northern universities (rejecting Bristol offers, I might add) There are plenty of excellent and aspirational students in excellent northern universities.

How has our Lancaster thread turned into a Bristol thread?

But don’t mind me I’m just a thicko working class Lancaster grad (who only earns a mere quarter of a million with my non aspirational northern degree)

@User952539 exactly. And comments about working class DC being less financially motivated is just not true. The wealthiest (old money) friends I have 'earn' the least money. They do interesting jobs like restoring antiquarian books, curating and working for Sotheby's, Christie's and such like. They don't need to earn money. My own DC find the idea of their career choices being driven by money quite distasteful and we have the type of aspirational careers that the poster mentioned.

I think it just highlights the problem with stereotypes people have and possibly should make us question our own internal bias.

Our family probably tick the right boxes for aspirational southerners (although full disclosure I’m originally a northerner).

My children are doing / hoping to do subjects at Uni which interest them and both are keen to have careers which work at reducing inequality. But the most important thing is that they find their studies interesting and enjoy the Uni experience. I don’t think my children have considered income with their career choices which could stem from
them coming from a background of relative privilege where they haven’t had to worry about money.

it’s interesting / amusing / whatever that in the employability link I posted up thread Bristol didn’t feature whereas several northern universities did.

Anyway it takes all sorts and I’m currently enjoying the long school holiday courtesy of my unaspiratuonal job 😀

Grizedale 'til i die

Them’s fightin’ words

yours,
A Furnessian

Erm going against the grain here, but I live local to Lancaster and never chose to go on a night out there as the nightlife has drastically gone down hill over the last few years. Quite a few nice new restaurants popping up, but a lack of decent bars and no clubs anymore.

Interesting how some PP rehearse the same old, same old southern ignorance about the North.

We have culture up here, we have good jobs. We have a substantial middle class and, indeed, an upper middle class. We also have affordable housing and cost of living.

It’s also interesting to note that many people who move north to go to university end up staying north.

@GoodThinkingMax ssshhh, keep it secret! 😂

cough …. County …..cough
will fight all the other colleges

I did Business Studies at Lancaster - the degree really was excellent I loved that I could specialise or generalise, and it has really set me up well for my career. The management school itself is great and a lovely atmosphere for studying. In 3 years I had two lecturers who were shit, the rest were fantastic, and to be fair I think learning to communicate with the shit ones is a good life lesson.

The college system is good as you can choose one that suits you. I remember Lonsdale in particular was quite a party college, with a great bar. Vs say Cartmel which was quieter and calmer.

I’d recommend going back for a visit during term time. There is a hotel on campus so possibly visit on a Friday day and then go around on the Friday night too to get a feel for the bars etc.

…and we will win. We’re the most northerly on campus, so obviously a bunch of northern savages.

Isn't Manchester the university most targeted by employers?

I do get a little exasperated by posters who assume that all graduates want to work in London and become lawyers / thieves investment bankers, and that the only university to get into those jobs is Bristol.

DD hated Bristol BTW. She also hated Manchester though.

My DS has an offer from Lancaster, everything crossed he gets there. We don't live toooo far away (his choice to stay localish) and it's an excellent uni on the fringes of the Lake District, two hours from Glasgow/Edinburgh and 2.5 from London by train. What's not to love?
Can't comment on nightlife but it has an excellent park, castle and theatre.
I went to Hull Uni a couple of decades ago. Spiders on a Friday anyone?! Now that's a club.

You don’t really need millions of bars in town when there are so many on campus.

Always County
Do it for the Oak

Was Spiders painted completely black ?

You don't no, but the majority of the bars that hosted the designated student nights pre covid (with buses from campus) have now all closed with no replacements so the posters commenting that years ago it was great.... it was actually for a small city... but since covid it's very different. I cant comment on nightlife at campus, but in the town centre it is very different to what it was even a couple of years ago. There is probably only one student place now, whereas a few years ago it was very student focused. Now it's more just full of student accommodation!

This, every university has a party scene.