DD is prioritising student satisfaction so ruling out a lot of RG unis

[Satisfiedstudent]

My DD thinks student satisfaction is one of the most important factors in university decision-making so she is ruling out a lot of the top universities. She says most of the Russell Group unis are very poorly rated and whenever I suggest somewhere (Cardiff, Birmingham…. ) she whips out the Sunday Times guide book my mum bought her and promptly dismisses it. My DH thinks this is reasonable as a happy student is more likely to do well but I am not so sure that student satisfaction is the be all and end all and wonder what you all think?

just to add that with DS1, we went to six open days - staying overnight at 4. Cost of train tix for me and him and hotel rooms nearly £1k. Then we did three offer holder days - another £900 as all far from us. We ruled out Bristol coz of accommodation cost - but the £1900 we spent going to offer/open days would have offset that!

I would hate to limit to 2-3 hours away. all the research shows that DC should not come home in first term (we will visit!) so they can adjust.

I have three friends who currently have their university attending dc staying back with them and missing university due to stuff going wrong. A 2/3 hour limit is sensible imo.

of the 3 that are back home in a state, one is 5 hours away, one is almost 3 hours away and one is 1.5 hours away.

I have to disagree about the 2-3 hours away from home thing. I got it during COVID but not now. So limiting! If your DC needs support, you drive to them - hey, it’s a 6 hour drive rather than a 3 hour one

Fascinated by the idea that an 18yo HAS to be driven back and forth from uni. Why can't she get a long distance coach or train?

I went to university way way north and came from way south, my Dad dropped me off on the first day and that was it. When I came home I did it under my own steam.

Anyway you can’t be expected to pay for places that won’t deliver a decent return OP, so point that out, but she should be able to find an option that keeps everyone happy.

I wouldn’t worry about distance, I would be clear she’ll need to sort herself out. Would she really want you visiting in first term anyway?

The two criteria we suggested to DT’s when they were deciding - where is the best place for the course you want to do (doesn’t have to be highest ranked) and where will you be happy? If there’re unhappy they won’t stay or do well.

The potential issue on the distance front is halls of residence ofen need to be emptied over the holidays as unis let the room out. It's not so much about getting to DC in an emergency, probably more the signing up to the tooing and froing required for carting their stuff about as well as any visits after that first term is over- realistically could be at least 9 trips a year if they're in halls (1 visit per term as well as 6 trips carting their possessions), which could feel like a lot if they're the other end of the country.

People are suggesting 2-3 hours because it is quite a nice distance- not close enough to be home with a bag of washing every weekend, but not so far that it's hard to visit.

Though if you're game for longer distances then fantastic- I'd have loved to have been further from home as a student than I actually was (my parents said no to Scotland because of the driving for them... I moved there when I graduated instead!)

OP it is worth looking behind the student satisfaction figures and considering fit. Teaching style, cost of living, type of town or University and so on. There is no one size fits all.

DD did an intercalation and ended up attending two universities. She probably enjoyed Imperial, with a more focussed student body and more focussed teaching, and indeed more hands on tutor/pastoral support, more. But by then she had had three years of University. At 19 she wanted to get out of London.

9 trips a year!!!
I must be parenting wrong.
I reckon 2 trips max first year (to move into halls annd then maybe to help takeover house for 2nd year annd fetch home at end of year) and none the rest unless they have a major (21st) birthday in term time. That I visit for. They don’t want you at uni, they make their own way home to see you. And local storage is easier than lugging lamps and duvets up and down the M1.

She shouldn't be going to uni.

Oh god not this again from people who clearly are thinking of “back in the 1980s when I turned up to Cambridge having never visited before with nothing but a backpack and a chunk of fruitcake from auntie Maureen”.

it isn’t like that now. Most places are self catered and most universities don’t even provide bedding. Many don’t let you leave stuff in your room during holidays since they use the rooms for other things. Dc are not going to be making their start and end of term journeys by train accompanied by duvets, pillows, clothes horses, plates, glasses etc (other than in a very small number of cases since I’m sure someone will come on and talk about their wealthy “adult” 18 year old who went off last year with nothing and bought it all there and pays to put it all into storage at the end of each term)

RG is a very successful marketing scheme. Lots of RG unis are just terrible at the moment - have over-admitted and are seriously screwing w students.
Very important to research courses etc v carefully. I’d suggest DD asks for admitted numbers for each of the last 5 years

9 times a term! For three years! Might as well go with them. God forbid you have 2 (or 3) at uni at once, you would do nothing else 🤣

A year I mean! Sorry still laughing

Don't forgot that RG is a self selecting group. Lots of good universities are not RG, be careful not to rule them out because of the whole perceived RG bias.

And remember in some of the 'best universities' lists a lot of it is based in things like research, which is less likely to be of relevance to many undergrads, aimed more at their post grad and phd courses, and behind.

Student satisfaction is very important but again the lists are biased too for a range of reasons.

Re cost and distance - set a budget that you can't go over for accommodation/living costs and tell her. And ensure she knows that if it's above x miles/time to travel then you won't be able to take her there and back so she needs to research practicalities of public transport each way, with luggage.

And the other unis are not expanding? Of course they are. All groupings of universities natket heavily. It’s a fallacy to just think it’s RG. The cap on student numbers was lifted around 10 years ago. Plenty of them have over recruited. However DC apply, get in, and most are perfectly ok. We could, of course, reduce numbers going to uni overall. That would concentrate quality. As it did 50 years ago. The RG universities do contain the majority of the best universities. RG Plus really does.

@user73 We never had to remove stuff in the holidays. This usually depends on whether the uni lets out the rooms to delegates in the Xmas snd Easter holidays. Most don’t. Maybe a few do. We took DDs stuff on moving in day, and picked it up when they moved out. We did visit once but not several times a year. DDs came home on the train but not much. I don’t know any parents who visited 3 times a term.

If you are dropping off in Oct, collecting in Dec, dropping off in Jan, collecting and dropping in April and collecting again in summer that's 6 return trips. If students are in halls this is ofen needed, as PP said, bedding, clothed horses, sports kit etc etc may well be too much for the train. If they then move into a rental then it's not needed for the full degree, but is not unrealistic for the first year.

Assuming around 1 visit per term all of a sudden its 9 trips.

There are lots of variables like car ownership, whether the halls do require accommodation to be emptied etc. But yes, the feeling that you'd be doing nothing else is why limiting to 2-3 hours away is not a totally daft/unreasonable suggestion for parental sanity.

Mine know how to put stuff in storage and get on a train. They are adults who have generally spent the previous year travelling around the world solo without needing me to ask if they have packed their blankie.

Exactly, it’s mainly the grumpy people who want to share their poor experiences who reply. As with so many of these things!

What halls ask you to move out? Where? It’s surely a tiny minority. I do agree, students can sort themselves out. I think we “baby” students a bit too much. Parents do seem to hover a lot. I’m surprised they don’t turn up after the first day of lectures and ask if DC liked their teacher and did they eat their lunch! (Not serious). However students, by and large, manage.

I think students do need to evaluate why they want to go to university. Loans will be paid over much longer now. Surely what you do and where couldn’t be more important? Unless Dc don’t intend paying back anything. It’s also interesting that where there isn’t a top class local uni, students all go away! No option. No one comes home after uni to work either. Not many opportunities except teaching, NHS and a few minor companies. So where you live definitely influences university options. There’s a big need to get a job!

Bully for you. Some are young people who have just turned 18 and have never been away on their own. Some can't afford to travel around the world solo before going to university. Some don't have that level of self confidence yet.

Not all 18 year olds are the same. Well done for being such a perfect parent.

I'm with @TizerorFizz very few university halls require a complete clear out during the holidays. Isn't it mainly Oxbridge and some halls at Nottingham?

It isn’t a tiny minority TizerorFizz lots of halls are term time only and lots of places don’t really give much choice as to where you stay. Just because the particular halls in Bristol where your DD was didn’t make them move out it doesn’t mean all halls are the same. The point is that particularly with lower income families it can soon be the case that a number of journeys are required each academic year and this costs money and time.

A lot of catered accommodation requires students to move out. Exeter does for example