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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Sociology?

44 replies

testingtesting · 24/01/2024 21:39

Has anyone else's DC applied for sociology and had any offers back yet? Have had a look at the google doc which is linked in the offers coming in threads, but there appear to be very few applying for sociology+/- other subject.
College have finally submitted to UCAS so we are just waiting to hear back,

OP posts:
KittyMcKitty · 26/01/2024 17:51

Alwaysanotherwine · 26/01/2024 17:48

honestly go look around the heat group of one of your dc

you won’t see anyone ‘clever’ doing sociology

it’s looked down on everywhere

What is the purpose of your post? It’s factually incorrect and to post this on a thread where someone is asking about sociology offers I am struggling to see what you are looking to achieve other then to cause hurt?

Piggywaspushed · 26/01/2024 17:52

I'd refer you to kittyMckitty junior upthread and my DS - three A*s.

Cambridge offer sociology.

I don't know what a heat group is , but I have no intention of nosing at it.

If young people sneer at other young people's choices, that is emphatically their problem.

KittyMcKitty · 26/01/2024 17:59

Sadly once again a thread about sociology proves why the world needs more sociologists!

Contrary to the somewhat bigoted view shared by factions on mumsnet that all one needs to get on a sociology degree and then ace it is a hearty breakfast and some pretty pens it is a rigorous academic subject.

OP I will keep my fingers crossed that your dc gets all the offers back v soon but MMU is a great one to have in the bag.

redheadsaregreat · 26/01/2024 18:01

TizerorFizz · 26/01/2024 16:56

The grades required for sociology are usually lower than History or Law. Like Arch and Anth it’s used strategically. That doesn’t mean by everyone. Obviously.

Not really sure what you are intended with your comments? They don't respond to the OPs question. They don't even elaborate on sociology as a subject. You seem to just want to spread an opinion on how it is a lesser/easier to get into/attracts losers

What's your beef? Are you excited at trying to make people feel bad? Are you just bored? What's your problem?

redheadsaregreat · 26/01/2024 18:08

Alwaysanotherwine · 26/01/2024 17:33

sociology has and always will be looked down on like general studies

my dd is doing A levels and i’ve got another at uni

sofiology was and even now, is the subject kids have chosen who just about passed gcses and have no interest in anything specific

it’s highly regarded - (amongst almost everyone) as an easy subject

You are displaying your ignorance. Like psychology, international relations and geography, sociology has become an increasingly popular and understood subject. Social sciences used to struggle with credibility in the days of classics and pure science. Today with issues of population, mass urbanisation, climate etc, the skills and knowledge gained from social sciences have made them highly desirable.
In the past geography was considered a duffer subject. Now it is the basis of many climate scientists education. Sociology is sought after in corporate HR, media, civil service and organisations like the NHS.
Basically you are a dinosaur.

redheadsaregreat · 26/01/2024 18:12

@Alwaysanotherwine honestly go look around the heat group of one of your dc

you won’t see anyone ‘clever’ doing sociology

it’s looked down on everywhere

You mean all those thickos studying it at these unis?

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/sociology

Honestly just stop. You are embarrassing yourself

rooftopbird · 26/01/2024 19:28

Alwaysanotherwine · 26/01/2024 17:33

sociology has and always will be looked down on like general studies

my dd is doing A levels and i’ve got another at uni

sofiology was and even now, is the subject kids have chosen who just about passed gcses and have no interest in anything specific

it’s highly regarded - (amongst almost everyone) as an easy subject

Bullshit. Sofiology is it Hmm

mondaytosunday · 26/01/2024 20:07

To be an actual sociologist often requires at least a Masters in a particular field, and universities seem to be major employers looking at recent job listings (that 'research quality' league tables love so much). Many sociology majors also go in to social work or teaching.
You don't just go in green and start writing policy. But someone has to write the surveys, conduct them, tabulate and interpret the data. Knowing how society reacts to things is essential - and helping those pushed to the margins of society is becoming more important. Just look at access to healthcare and education in this country. Some of that is self determined, and why is that?
A livable wage is of course necessary . And by @TizerorFizz's table there's not much in it between a Sociology graduate (high £20s) and a History one (low £30s as far as I can tell). Is it maybe because more History graduates become lawyers (do we need more of them) and more sociology majors become social workers (which we are desperate for)?
An undergraduate degree in Sociology is too broad for sure. But it gives the basics in quantitative and qualitative research methods. Interesting that Politics is higher than Technology in earnings on that table.
And perhaps Obama's undergraduate Sociology degree gave her a better all round understanding of the needs and workings of society which helped with her advocacy for poverty, education and health while First Lady? It also probably informed her more than her experience as an lawyer when she worked for non profit Public Allies working with young people and social issues - just the invaluable kind of work a sociologist might do!

faithforgottenland · 26/01/2024 23:50

Interesting to read this thread as DD keen to apply for Sociology (potentially!) next year. Hope those applying now hear back soon- exciting times! I am so pleased my DD thinking of Sociology- good to go for something different and can you imagine if every DC applied for medicine or economics or psychology? Thank goodness for their range of interests and let's just hold on the judgement - so unnecessary and totally not the spirit of this thread as it was set out. Honestly can't imagine spending time poking holes in people's dreams the way some (few! But prolific!) posters do here. It sort of boggles my mind. Anyway- best of luck to all the Sociology applicants (and all of the DC of course!!)

questionoflust · 27/01/2024 15:37

Threads about sociology always bring out the snobs. It's tiresome. It's not some new fangled made up subject that some people seem to think it is. All excellent universities have a sociology programme. I have a sociology degree from a RG uni. I have a masters degree in a vocational subject which my first degree was an excellent foundation for. At uni I had a lots of friends who did sociology, politics and history. They pretty much all entered into graduate programmes which required a good first degree from a good university. No one was discriminated against for being a sociologist rather than an historian etc.
I absolutely agree that we need need more sociologists to help us understand and guide us as the world and its populations are changing rapidly.

I also highly recommend Thinking Allowed on R4, a sociology programme presented by the wonderful Laurie Taylor who is a sociologist and who taught me many moons ago.

WriterOfWrongs · 27/01/2024 15:47

Piggywaspushed · 26/01/2024 16:23

The OP has a child who applied for sociology and has asked a straightforward question.

Grin

But this is MN Higher Ed Boards, you surely don’t expect a straightforward answer do you? 😂

TizerorFizz · 27/01/2024 19:46

Just because a university offers a subject it doesn’t make it the best subject to study.

testingtesting · 27/01/2024 19:56

After years of being on Mumsnet, I can't begin to describe the delight of coming back to find a bunfight has erupted in my absence!
Congratulations to your daughter @mondaytosunday on her offers from Glasgow and Durham - you must be delighted.
@KittyMcKitty please to hear your DD is loving Manchester - DC is desperate to go there, hence applying to both unis. They have had an offer from UoM so I think that will be firm and insurance offers, Cardiff has also offered, and we are still waiting on Leeds and Birmingham.

I wouldn't worry too much about the attitudes of some posters towards those studying sociology- Their ignorance on the subject and its role in modern society is clear and therefore renders their opinion irrelevant.

OP posts:
KittyMcKitty · 27/01/2024 20:18

@testingtesting haha yes the delight of causing a bunfight! It’s my ds at Manchester- he’s not the sociologist (that’s my dd who’s at Durham) but is doing the equally derided philosophy and politics which is part of the UoM BASS program so he has taken a couple of sociology modules - one of his flatmates is doing sociology and loves it. The UoM BASS degrees offer such flexibility they’re great!

we went to the Birmingham open day for dd and thought the Uni was fab but sadly the guy doing the sociology talk was one of the least engaging / interesting people ever ☹️. Dd also loved York Sociology which was her insurance.

Januarydontbecool · 27/01/2024 20:18

The University of Oxford appears to have a whole department of Sociology.

Without it how would we know that, from research looking at longitudinal data in the UK between 1992 and 2019,

“Even seven years after childbirth, a mother will spend 14 hours less per week on paid work, compared to a childless woman.
For men, the change in how they spend their time is only modestly affected by parenthood. A childless man will spend only 1.6 more hours in paid work per week, compared to a father of two.”

Home

https://www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/

WriterOfWrongs · 27/01/2024 20:42

we went to the Birmingham open day for dd and thought the Uni was fab but sadly the guy doing the sociology talk was one of the least engaging / interesting people ever ☹️

@KittyMcKitty we had that same scenario with a different uni and subject (also social sciences, will involve some indirect sociology so also probably on the derided list..) Namely, loved the university, really didn't like the course talk. Put DD right off.

Jeannie88 · 27/01/2024 20:53

In my day sociology was very easy to get into. Maybe it has become more popular? Sciences, Maths, psychology and modern languages were the toughest to be offered places for but arts subjects such as history, geography, politics and sociology used to have more availability. So much has changed, the choice of degree, if not one viewed as being able to go on and get a subject related career, seems more challenging to subscribe to.

Really hope all goes well and your DC gets on a good course. Xx

marthasmum · 27/01/2024 21:00

All the best OP, I have a child a UoM loving it and also MMet is a great uni. For the snobs on the thread, I have an MPhil in a health subject and a first degree in a traditonal academic subject, and a DS doing sociology A level. I still wish I’d studied sociology, I teach material at HE that is allied to it and it’s a fascinating area.

To answer your origins question, my DD got some offers early and others right at the last minute. I think it depends how popular the course is, there will be an amount of juggling going on behind the scenes and sometimes they have a tranche of people in a kind of ‘not no, but not definitely yes’ category while they wait to see how their numbers pan out.

mondaytosunday · 27/01/2024 22:47

@Jeannie88 like any course it depends on the university. There are universities with BCC requirements for Economics, so I'm sure there are some offering Sociology with those grades or lower. And why not? For some students a C or B or D even might be the best they can achieve, so not 'easy' for them.

It shouldn't stop them from studying something they are interested in.
I don't think anyone should embark on a degree because they think it's 'easy', unless they love the subject too. And if they have higher grades then there are more rigorous courses out there.

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