Exeter uni reassurance please!

[seymour]

Hi there, my daughter just got into Exeter uni through clearing but while she liked it when she visited ahead of the application process, she didn’t plump for it as her first choice as she felt it was quite “posh” and wasn’t sure if she would fit in. We are from a big city and she went to a comprehensive. Not trying to cause offence to anyone from a privileged background btw, we very much take every person as we find them, as does my daughter but just wondered if anyone could share their kids’ experiences? Thanks so much.

I went to one of the unis on the top 10 list posted.

I think I would have been better off elsewhere. Not because the people I met weren't lovely, but I often felt excluded from things because I just couldn't afford to do them. Admittedly also not helped by the fact that I was the first year of student fees and a good number of students were deferred entry who were going through uni with no tuition fees and grants.

Again you are extrapolating information that just isn’t there. Where did I say that people from those areas weren’t worth knowing?!

But yes as much as DD might like to be within a few hours travel for security/peace of mind I suspect she will end up Midlands or North, so she can broaden her horizons.

Wow how do you get that from what I have said?! This thread is hilarious.

I was explaining that my DD would like to go to a uni with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Partly geographical. So a uni where the students are only from one area of the country is less appealing.

Ok I've had a look - I can't drill down to individual departments, but undergrads who started last year in that subject area - just over half are international, about 12% from London or south east. 20% from the East of England (lots of students remain at home these days so that number is to be expected anywhere).

Perhaps the subject area and the dept area vary.

does your data separate UG from PG?

As said, it is a dept you would expect to be heavily populated by international students which is why it was so surprising.

The dept head said any international students were PG only.

I can’t think why she would lie about it.

And was adamant there was only one student that wasn’t from E Anglia/Kent/Surrey/Sussex/Essex/London!!!

Weird isn’t it and I don’t recognise it especially in London where we are a melting pot of ethnicities, schooling, wealth.

I’ll tell DD (private school from 11-18) who is cockney, working class family (most of our family live on council estates), that she is now a posho and to be avoided.

Why? Do you really expect academic staff members to know the background of all students in their dept? I'd hope they'd be very familiar with the proportion of overseas as this is probably a target, also the proportion coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, but why would they be familiar with data on which counties they recruit from? It's not something that is measured by the regulator, or affects any sort of internal KPI so no one will be providing stats.

1. yes I would expect a head of dept to know about the demographics and regional representation on their course, if for no other reason than to figure out where to focus their recruitment efforts

2. if a head of dept said this to me I would assume it was true - I don't think academics are prone to making things up with no evidence, or lying

3. in any case my amusement was at the idea that a random on mn with no idea of uni or course would know better. A bit like how some with no experience of Exeter know better than those reporting the experiences of DC actually studying there

Yes I did split out UG and PG @Notreallythatbad As expected lots of international PGs, but also a lot of international UGs. I don't know why the dept head would think otherwise - the school that dept would sit in is certainly very mixed though so I hope she isn't put off by what could very well be wrong information.

Heads of depts wouldn't focus particularly on recruitment (there are professional service staff have that expertise), and certainly there'd be no special focus on recruiting from the north, or not recruiting locally so I wouldn't expect them to have or be given any regional data about their intakes.

3) in any case my amusement was at the idea that a random on mn with no idea of uni or course would know better.

Some random MNers have access to a lot of HE data though

I went there. It’s always been a mix. I met lots of posh people but the biggest proportion were state educated . I went to state school, my best friend who I met there was privately educated. We are close years later. You just can’t know who will click. The very poshest ‘Sloanes’ were giggled about. All had been to Radley, St Paul’s , Eton etc. and read Law .most were really nice though, if a little tone deaf regarding privilege. If very wealthy, They tended to rent in the rural areas after a year in halls, leaving the student areas nearer town to the rest of us. A great campus, town is walkable, I recommend it.

OK. I do find it quite odd that a random off the internet would know better than the head of dept but as you say you’re looking at the subject not the dept so guess that explains the difference in info.

Some random MNers have access to a lot of HE data though

Some do - not the one I was amused at tho

We are like you @seymour take people as we find them. My 3 best friends have all privately educated some or all of their children for some or all of their education (mine have not). They are still my friends and their children are lovely – or at least the ones that aren't, it's nothing to do with their schooling 😀

My DCs' cohorts were put off Exeter not because of the make up of the student body there, but because if you play competitive sport it's a heck of a long way to get to the other universities to play against them! Every away match is a trek, and a fair few involve travelling times which might entail missing lectures or tutorials. That can be a difficult circle to square these days when getting a good class of degree is important. I'm sure your DD will have a great time, though, best of luck to her.

@Notreallythatbad your general observation about UEA is not that far out. One of my DCs has been there for the last four years. One of the 15% of UK undergrads at UEA not from London, South East or East of England. Norwich, a bit like Exeter, is something of a geographic outlier. Not the easiest or quickest place to get to particularly if not coming up from London, South East. Although a lovely place, Uni and (small) city, much like Exeter, once you’re there.

its regionalisation is a bit more extreme than some. Although Exeter pulls 70% of its undergrads from London, South East and South West. And less than 5% from the combined North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber and Scotland. the latter still approach 1000 undergrads though.

ironically perhaps Durham has arguably the greatest geographic mix of any UK uni, albeit probably not accompanied by the greatest societal mix.

The latter grouping that should read.

Well she neednt worry then as there clearly aren't any.

And if you factor in the de facto privately educated in terms of those who attended state grammars in affluent parts the south, then it’s nearer 50%.

Yes, it’s possible to make friends with all sorts of people, but personally I would be wary of places such as Exeter that are so heavily unrepresentative of the general population and lacking in the diversity of other universities. They aren’t great preparations for the world beyond university in this respect either.

Except you do not need prep in that way. Most people are kind, decent and tolerant. They don’t need uni to be diverse to understand diversity and fairness at work. It’s just a good idea to go to uni where the best course is. All this asking about others is very naval gazing and insular.

yes I would expect a head of dept to know about the demographics and regional representation on their course, if for no other reason than to figure out where to focus their recruitment efforts

That decision is not made at departmental level. Marketing directors outrank heads of department in most university hierarchies. Marketing is a central function and academic schools/faculties/departments focus recruitment efforts where marketing tell them to, not vice versa. I can't think of a single head of department who would know anything about the geographical background of the department's students unless it is part of the university's access & participation plan and there are targets connected to it.

Nothing “navel gazing” about it all and, it’s naive or disingenuous to claim otherwise.

People make decisions about what social environments to participate in, or not, in many walks of life.

”People don’t need university to be diverse to understand diversity at work”. I suggest you read up on what influences encourage diversity and real understanding across different contexts in adult life. It’s no coincidence “high earning” careers you often mention, plus lower earning ones with high cultural capital (eg arts, publishing), a) have diversity issues and b) are stuffed full of grads from private schools and posho-skewed universities such as Exeter. The more diversity one experiences in one’s formative years, and these most certainly include university years, the better.

That’s just what you think but it’s not really borne out by what young people think. I’m all for the people who are right for a job doing that job. Many people are able to aim for a high earning career if they get the right degree and work experience. It’s people who continually blame others that actually do not see the way forward and limit themselves.

That’s just what you think but it’s not really borne out by what "young people" think.

So you know what young people think @TizerorFizz ? But no-one else on this thread does? You really throw about some very inaccurate statements as if they're truth, when you actually know very little about how universities work.

The plural of anecdote is not data, you know.

Thanks @HedgehogB more positive feedback, thanks!

Thanks so much @thing47 agree and good point about sports clubs. Wouldn’t have even crossed my mind!

Thanks @GodessOfThunder I take your pint but given her where her permanent home is, her school friends etc, I’m not particularly concerned about her getting a skewed view of the world (although will keep a close eye on any change of attitude!)