University for Middling Achievers

[goosebumps]

Please tell me you plans/or experiences for university for your year 12 kids (either now or in the past) who are not all A star grades and 9's at gcses. But rather 5's and 6's with maybe a single 7 and A level predictions of C's and B's (on a good day). MN is so full of the high achievers (which is obviously great) so it would be nice to hear about the
dc's who still work (reasonably) hard and want/had the uni experience. What are the best places to apply and can they get just as much out of uni as the high flyers?

Sorry about the weird bold type! I typed asterisks but it has changed to bold shouty text

My older was super academic, the younger less so - bright but not as academic as their sibling. They chose mental health nursing as they decided they wanted to train to do an actual job rather than study for the sake of it. So maybe look at more vocational routes? I know they chose a tough field, but at least they will always be able to get a job!

I would guess the higher the pay the more likely employers look at grades. City law firms ask for your marks also on every modeul in each year of your degree (not just if you got a 2/1 or not) when you apply (and A level and GCSE grades). Some ask for UCAS points too. However as people say there are loads of jobs in the UK. My Reading child has a job where the only qualification he ever did that is needed is his driving licence which he got aged 17 (as did all my children and as did I at 17). So you can never quite tell which skill children have that will be most useful for careers in due course. He was the one at Reading.

Most art-schools have turned themselves into universities (or been absorbed by them), and academic grade requirements aren't typically stellar there. They're mostly the sort of places that don't get discussed much on MN. Earning potential is incredibly variable, but if you want to be an artist or designer, it's the standard way in. (DD, who has just finished first year at Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge School of Art, will probably never be a high earner, but couldn't really imagine a life without doing art many hours each day.)

There are other several other active threads to discuss this, though (look for "art and design" on a search), if anyone has DC wanting to follow that path.

It really depends on the sector. Dp does some recruitment and they do not care at all what degree a person has or what uni they went to. They want to see an interest and aptitude in software development and that’s it. Doesn’t matter where you learnt it.

City law firms ask for your marks also on every modeul in each year of your degree (not just if you got a 2/1 or not)

As do universities when applying for a post-graduate degree. In detail, such as why you chose them, and what relevance they have for the post-grad for which you are applying. And they will also do a deep dive into your dissertation, and will ask a lot about your placement year (if you did one).

What they won't ask is your A level grades – presumably because they know how irrelevant they are. Only City law firms and, it seems, investment bankers do that.

It tends to correlate to high pay and it is simply because of the vast vast numbers of graduates who want the very highest paid jobs. I think it is just a reflection of market forces and intense competition for those who want a lot of money.

IT and more specifically IT Sales is one career path where this actually isn't true. Good IT salespeople earn circa half a million a year where I work in their late twenties/early thirties and much, much more if they're any good/as they get more experienced. Most of them have degrees from ex polys and the only recruitment criteria was a 2:1 (and recent experience with numbers and a pitch if not grad/entry level).

Law and investment banking aren't the only well paying jobs.

And the reason these so-called middling kids can do that job (I couldn't, same way I couldn't be a recruiter or an estate agent) is because they have a certain personality type, confidence, attitude, whatever you call it that is different from the highly academic, driven, aces all exams personality type that gets you to Oxbridge and into Law firms.

Contrary to what you'd belief as an alien landing on earth and reading the MN education boards, there's always more than one way to skin a cat. There are also lots of people whose primary motivation is not earn as much money as possible. Otherwise we wouldnt have kids doing medicine, nursing or teaching.

She is such a great artist from what I've seen @PhotoDad the world needs her talent.

Honestly quite baffled by some of these posts. I got straight As (before A*s were a thing) at both GCSE and A-level and chose to go to Aston because I liked the course (arts subject) and campus. Got a first and have done very well in terms of career and financial payoff. Really surprised people are so swayed by what others might think instead of just doing what they fancy and what is most convenient. I suspect my degree grade and also more specialised course at an earlier stage (rather than degree + master's) have actually stood me in very good stead.

When did you do this? The world has changed.

Graduated 2008. Yes, maybe, fair point, but there were still people obsessing over unis at that point too. Not sure it's really necessary. Once you start gaining work experience that's what employers are mainly going to be interested in (and I talk also as someone who recruits) - along with soft skills.

Of the unis mentioned I think reading is seriously and inexplicably underrated, ditto Swansea. I have a DS at Plymouth who loves everything about the place, uni and course (doing marine-related degree which is a particular specialism). I would say check the uni for financial viability - I’m not sure if I would be signing up to bishop grossteste at the moment.

I agree - also insurance, commercial property, have very good earning potential and school grades are really not important