Uni of Leeds for Civil Engineering - reassurance

[Buckleymumma]

My son missed out on his firm at Bristol and fortunately, got offers from Uni of Leeds, Sheffield and Southampton through clearing on lower grades than typical offers which was a massive relief. We loved Leeds and it’s ranked 6th/7th in league tables for Civil Eng so he’s accepted that offer. I’m now worrying that Leeds doesnt have the same reputation as Sheffield, Southampton, and the likes of Birmingham, Loughborough, Manchester all of which he is eligible for through clearing. He visited Sheff, Southampton, Loughborough and Birmingham and much preferred Leeds over them all - I think lovely campus in a lively city appealed to him. If Leeds is ranked higher for Civils than the others, why does it not seem to have the same reputation as the others listed? Please can someone reassure me that he hasn’t been totally foolish turning down higher ranked unis overall and that it will still be a desirable and respected degree for future employers? Thank you.

Well Sir Keir Starmer went to Leeds and he's done OK for himself .

You are hugely over thinking.

He's picked somewhere he likes that's decent, end of.

Step away from league tables, they are simply a rough guide.

Your child is excited, be excited too!

Southampton is not more highly rated than Leeds. Out of all of the various rankings there is only one that ranks it highly. The rest put it towards the bottom of the pack of Russell group + universities (Russell group plus St Andrews, Lancaster Loughborough and bath)

Honestly, don't read so much into league tables (I say that as an academic at one of the unis you mention). The most important thing is that the course is what your son wants, and that he feels it's a place he will be happy living.

I've heard really positive things about Leeds both as a city and uni. And a relative's child from an Asian country who was doing an engineering degree in his home country chose to send his year abroad at Leeds Uni and loved it (he also had the choice of several UK unis).

For engineering?

Engineering aside as a factor, Leeds is rated very highly. In fact, of all you name, its the one that gets most fee paying school students which is often a sign of cachet ( rightly or wrongly!) so I am not sure where you get this idea from. It is beloved Russell Group and also very good.

On MN you'd get far less love for Southampton or Birmingham which don't get mentioned anything like as often.

My only other contribution is a belief that Sheffield is really well regarded for Engineering specifically and I thought also Loughborough and Southampton. But it'll be shades of difference.

It's good for engineering, very highly rated for some if not all fields.
Likewise Sheffield.

But Leeds is fine too. It was on my DDs pretty comprehensive list of unis to look at. She struck it off because she really disliked the place - fortunately students have different likes and dislikes, loads from her school went there for other subjects.

@Buckleymumma

As all the courses he has looked at have the required accreditation, there is a lot to be said for him choosing the one where he felt most comfortable during his visit, which is Leeds.

He might be interested in Student Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

https://www.ice.org.uk/membership/membership-grades/student-member

Civils at Leeds is a good option - all the courses you’re looking at are accredited, so they will all meet the ICE requirements to work towards Chartered status (is your DS looking at the MEng?).

It’s important to be somewhere you really like for 3 or 4 years of study, rather than picking somewhere because you think it might (and that’s a might) be viewed more favourably in terms of rankings. IME, getting the degree is just a first step and he’ll learn many more skills on the job.

To add, I almost did a civils MSc at Leeds many years ago - there weren’t many of those courses offered at the time, it still offers a similar course.

And as @TheSquareMile suggests, join the ICE as a student member.

Thanks all. He seems happy with his choice whereas I was having a bit of a wobble thinking he’d turned down more reputable/respected courses. Now to secure the accommodation…

My daughter picked Leeds based largely on the vibe and hasn't regretted it. It's a fantastic city to be a student in.

My son was at Leeds and absolutely loved it. Great city and vibe .Got a first (not engineering ) and now living the dream in Vancouver before heading back to London office later this year.