Leicester uni - top choice for DS but school pushing back

[Backflips]

DS (year 13) and I went to open day at Leicester earlier this month and he loved the campus and exploring the city. We were both smitten after spending two days there. The course is perfect.

Leicester now top choice of DS over other unis he’s also applying to (Birmingham, Nottingham etc). School saying he can apply but should regard Leicester as insurance choice not first choice (grades the same ABB as at other unis). We disagree but don’t know enough to challenge. DS really loved Leicester! My DH says that schools are judged on how many students go to Russell Group unis and, as Leicester isn’t one, that’s why they are not being v supportive. Is that a thing?

Also, assuming you do get offers, Leicester could/would only be the insurance if you applied for and got an offer from an AAB Uni. I.e. that was aspirational, or AAB is really the predicted grades/safe.

Read recently that a reasonable percentage went through clearing because they rejected their firmed choice, so just because they like something now doesn't mean it's fixed.

I agree.
There are several non RG universities that are more highly regarded than the RG university DD went to. Leicester is still a top 40 university in the CUG and Times university league tables.

DD liked Leicester and interviewed there for medicine. She was unsuccessful and decided that she wasn't passionate enough about medicine to reapply for medicine after a gap year, so she went elsewhere for a different subject.

My son is very happy at Leicester. It’s a smaller department than most of the RG and the staff really know all the students.
That aside, I would think getting good work experience, placements or the like - alongside a good degree - is going to make you most attractive to future employers.
But it’s true - schools are obsessed with RG for the sake of their own scores.

As well as what others have said (it's HIS decision!), do bear in mind that school staff are not infallible and their opinions are not always best.

My niece (just starting at University of Birmingham, her first choice) kept getting her personal statement heavily criticised by her tutor. He sent her several examples written by other students by way of "good practice". As I'm not without experience in these matters (former secondary head) she sent hers and these others to me for advice. I told her that hers was excellent and the examples were not very good.

She used her own (tutor kept saying it wasn't good enough). She got all 5 offers and Birmingham made an offer several grades below what the subject says is "usual".

The OP's son should stick to his guns.

It is definitely true that some schools are fixated on getting students into the RG. I think the RG/non RG demarcation is vastly overblown, and I write that as a former RG admissions tutor. Your DS should find his personal best fit.

But @MintJulia and @MidnightOnceMore make excellent points. It is always possible that the school have information you would find useful, and it would be good to find out what it could be.
For example, employment statistics by subject are readily available online and DS should be aware of them. The extent to which these and other issues will inform his thinking is a personal matter.

My daughter really liked Leicester too. And not that it matters to you but apparently it is applying to join the Russell Group.

Oh yes OP love only for RG is a thing. I think I had it actually as Leicester, tho ticking so many of DD’s boxes, was not even on our radar – until she missed her three As at A level and was offered a place there on clearing.

Great uni, underrated IMO (maybe bc of the RG thing). It’s not really a campus, true, and most students get the bus in, but the Oadby village has a real campus feel with things going on there and good local facilities (Asda very local!) as well as a lovely park nearby.

The city is busy and lively without being overwhelming. It was close to home for us which was also a plus (obv this may not apply to you! But it easily accessible by train or road from eg London or the Midlands). And the uni population is amazingly diverse – maybe as a reflection of the city, I don’t know; walk down uni road and you will be able to count the white faces as there are so few. I know that might sound silly (and we are white British) but I found that a real plus.

Anyway – Leics does have AAB type offers, but tbf it often has those courses in clearing for a lot less, while more popular unis like Sheffield or Notts may not drop offers in clearing. DD’s course (Eng lit) was AAB in prospectus, but she got in with BCC.

She felt the atmosphere and attitude was a bit more relaxed than eg Warwick would have been which suited her. Not saying people didn’t work hard and there was a great spirit of interest and enquiry among her peers.

IMHO Your DS should stick to his guns and put it down if he wants to go there – and firm it if it is his choice. It’s him that will study there for three years, not school after all. I’m quite shocked at their attitude tbh.

My DD got a first btw with the top mark for Eng lit for her year, which was frankly amazing after her disappointing A levels (BCC is fine but way under her PG) and various issues and illnesses. A good part of that degree success is down to the amazing support of her department in general and her wonderful PT in particular – I do realise that this is very department specific but still worthy of note.

My ds btw is a Loughborough – also not an RG uni but a highly rated one nonetheless! I do think any recruitment screening that uses “RG uni” as a tool is missing a trick. See also St Andrew’s, Lancaster, Bath, Swansea and more.

I do agree in a way with PPs who say that Birmingham and Nottingham in general are more highly regarded. But really, that is so general. And if he would rather be in Leicester then I suspect he is likely to do better there. What is the course OP? What are his PGs? Is AAB likely to be well below what he may achieve? There may be specific reasons why Notts and Brum are advised in relation to these factors.

I also would caution against Nottingham as the campus accomm is ALL catered halls – so £8k or so a year – not for those who don’t have lots of cash behind them. Accomm in Leics is easy to find and not expensive. That’s not a major factor but I do think it is a consideration.

Apols for essay!

I'm a Leicester graduate and revisited recently. I had a very positive experience there. Campus feel but near to a city. The Oadby halls set up was perfect.
Leicester is very well regarded for many subjects despite it's none RG status.

@Backflips

www.whatuni.com/university-course-reviews/university-of-leicester/3746/

No need to push back as such because it's actually none of the school's business where he applies to much less what offer he accepts. While it is fine for them to offer advice as part of their curriculum, it doesn't have to be accepted.

I would say that they need to justify their reasoning and then if asked to by parents, who still have parental responsibility until the child's 18th birthday albeit should be discouraged from interfering too much themselves - not saying you are just in general, need to desist going on about it any further, and certainly if asked to by the student! !

The school can't dictate when the form is sent in (e.g. earlier or later than the student wants to within the time frame) or what is written on it. What is this nonsense? Is this a recent thing?

Might need to push back with them on "mind your own business" though. I would encourage you to support your son to do this himself in the first instance, but if necessary a meeting with him and parent(s) or a sternly worded letter should probably sort it.

Leicester is a great Uni and a lovely city to be a student in - from personal experience! Nottingham is also great. I went to both.

Leicester is highly regarded in certain areas, afterall which other university has been involved in finding a king! It suits many students and there is a story about why it's not in the Russell group - they actually turned it down at the outset.

It has rankings that are slightly skewed by demographics, i could explain in full but in summary graduate jobs, one of the factors that rankings go on, don't include working for your family business which quite a few students do, mostly Leicester based student's who stayed living at home, I know several!

Leicester's VC is currently agitating for Russell Group membership for the university. I have to say that seeing that headline in the THE this week did push the university down rather in my estimation, but it might cheer the school up a bit?

I also agree that it is none of the school's business where the OP's DS applies - I would suggest that if they want to dictate which universities ate acceptable, then the school shoukd pay the UCAS fees for every student.

Uni isn't just about the best course. For the school it is more bragging rights but for your child it is their life for the next 3-4 years and location does matter.
Nothing wrong with Leicester. It is a fabulous city, lots to do for students, reasonably priced accommodation and cheap travel costs as everything is within walking distance.
As for the whole RG uni debate, it depends on the career your dc is aiming for but if they put the effort in, they will get a graduate job and after a couple years of real world experience, the degree classification matters more than what uni they went to.

There are some harsh replies on here.

For example, I really doubt that the school are dictating anything.

A member of staff has responsibility for advising pupils, and is consequently giving the best advice as they see it.^^ Where op's kid goes to uni has no impact on this teacher's life at all - he's just trying to help, offer alternative viewpoints, make sure the pupil has considered all angles.

I think a lot of people would be surprised that someone would prioritise Leicester over the other choices. Most people aim as high as their grades allow. It would be remiss not to make him aware of the fact that it's an unusual choice.

It goes without saying that people are free to ignore advice.

"My DH says that schools are judged on how many students go to Russell Group unis and, as Leicester isn’t one, that’s why they are not being v supportive. Is that a thing?"

This isn't a thing at any school I've worked at or any of the schools my children have attended.

Does your school advertise and promote this in their literature or on their website? Do you know how many people went off to RG unis from your son's school last year? If so, this could be a factor at your school. If not, it isn't.

Does your school advertise and promote this in their literature or on their website?

DD's old school did. When she told them she was taking a gap year they weren't very impressed.

@electriclight my dc’s school also includes ‘how many went to RG unis’ in their 6th form info - they’re a ‘normal’ non-selective academy.

Published Government performance statistics for each school or college report 'student destinations'; these breakdown university destinations by all unis, RG unis and Oxbridge. I also see college and sixth form prospectuses lifting out and reporting those statistics; so, even if at the margins, school interest in and approval of the RG badge will definitely be there.

The problem is that the RG delineation is not a terribly good proxy for a 'good' uni or course, but can be treated as such by some parents and teachers. Obviously, colleges and sixth form want to make sure their students are realising their full potential but they need to be careful to focus on understanding a student's logic for uni and course selection rather than simply applying a broad brush RG v non-RG.

School don't have any involvement in selecting firm or insurance choices.

That decision is solely the applicants, based upon what offers they receive.

I'd just nod along politely with the school at this point and then ignore them come spring when final decisions are made.

I’m from near Leicester: it’s usually an insurance choice because except for Medicine it will nearly always give kids a place even if they don’t quite get their grades. Birmingham and other RG don’t do this. I personally wouldn’t be encouraging my DS to make such an important choice based on him loving Leicester. Plenty of kids live in Leicester while going to unis in Nottingham and Loughborough and Northampton! Even Warwick / Birmingham Uni is commutable.

Which course is it? That can make a lot of difference.

I would somewhat dispute these, tho of course all my evidence is anecdata.

Friend's lad did not get the grades for Leicester and ended up at his insurance choice - for history, so not perhaps the most competitive.

And DD when at Leicester with her clearing place (not disputing that this was a lower clearing offer than the same course at York, or Birmingham, or even Lboro!) found that most of her peers on her course had had Leicester as first choice.

I do see the RG thing, believe me I do. But I think in the long term you should go where you sense you will be happy. Of course that depends to some extent on projected career - if that is some of the very high-flying graduate roles discussed so much on MN then maybe an RG uni is the best option. Most DC that I know have not gone that way on graduation tho - they have gone into teaching, or the NHS, or an admin role, or further study, or marketing. Again, a smallish sample obvs.

With many employers who recruit for graduate roles using blind recruitment processes, where you go to Uni is irrelevant. We recommended to DT’s to choose the course they liked best and at somewhere they would be happiest living for three years.

FWIW Leicester was my clearing choice.
It’s well regarded for lots of subjects. Makes list of Unis top law recruit from. The 2 lads my dh shared a flat with 3rd year who did Physics/Space Science are Drs with prestigious jobs here and abroad.
The Oadby halls set up was such a beautiful safe environment. My old hall has changed to self catering. The botanic garden and sports complex are there. The freedom to be able to safely walk between halls and visit different friends was such a positive experience for a first year.
My dc is year 13 and looking at open days, I’ve been to 8 unis this year and Leicester has compared very favourably.