Daughter about to start Uni, having a wobble and thinking she should have gone to a higher Ranked Russell Group Uni!

[WhatsTheStoryRory]

My daughter did her A levels in the summer and got all A*s in 4 STEM subjects.
She accepted an offer to study a STEM subject in a non Russell group uni because that's the one she liked the best when we visited.
The Uni she liked is very well rated and is a couple of hours drive from the city we live in.
She's gone through the whole process of applying for Student loan and choosing accomodation.

She's now having a wobble and thinking she should have accepted an offer she had from a Russell Group Uni in the city we live in.
The main reason seems to be, that she thinks future employers will give preference to those who went to higher ranked Uni's.

She's even mentioned taking a year out and re-applying for next year.
We've said we'll support her whatever she decides.

Is it even possible to change Uni's at this late stage?

Could you drive to the e uni and have a look around, once more, before deciding? Maybe the wobble us actually a wobble about uni, rather than rankings, as the Russell group ovens in tge city she knows (ie safe) , rather than the further away city.

Could she start at the accepted one, maybe carry on Until Christmas, and then if she doesn’t like it, reapply to the other one (or transfer)?

I think she’d have to pull out, take a year out and start again.

It’s worth checking the employment rate for her course, vs whatever the other option is, to see if it’s a real concern., uni is so expensive now, degrees have to be worth it, but it seems unlikely you and she didn’t consider this before?

I know university in your home town is cheaper, but it negates a lot of the experience, so if she does pull out of the currrent one, I’d look at a few options.

What is the uni she has accepted?

Blind recruitment is becoming increasingly common, where the name of the university is redacted in job applications in an effort to be more inclusive. Helps to stop the old boys' club mentality of favoured universities...might be useful for your daughter to know.

What’s her degree course and what is the ranking of the potential Unis for that course?

My DC goes to a non Russell Group Uni, but it outranks almost all the Russell Group Unis for the degree course….(6th in U.K.)

it's worth looking at what university she is going to.

some non Russell group unis are just as good if
not better. Loughborough gets mentioned a lot for this - top 10 uni but not RG

I went to a non Russell group Uni. It was 3rd in its field. Hasn’t made any difference to my career

Son went to Lancaster and daughter to University of Sussex . No regrets.

Is it possible that she wants to stay in your home town because she’s fallen for someone local rather than because of the university?

Given she's pulled off such grades and is wobbling, I do wonder if it woupd be wise to take a year out to rethink her future, to reapply with known grades for 2025.

She can work or volunteer in the gap period

Bath

She should call the department for the one she wants to go to this week and see if there have been any last minute drop outs. I know other posters will pooh pooh it but I personally know two people that have swapped unis this way.

Bath is highly rated, if she liked it i'd stick with it. Are you sure that the RG in your home town preference now isn't just an expression of nerves about moving away, which is pretty usual?

Bath is superb though. Russell group neither here nor there. It has a great reputation and great employability stats.
Her decision in the end though. Would involve withdrawing and reapplying in coming months via ucas, with grades in hand.

Going straight into research, is she?

Bath is very well regarded and just as competitive to get into (if not more so) than several RG universities. I’ve had lots of very bright students go there and do well.

Bath is a brilliant and highly rated university. She will not disadvantage herself at ALL by going to Bath.

Bath is a highly prestigious uni.

If she liked it when she visited, and it is doing the course she wants, then she is probably going to have a great time.

It is not worth taking a year out unless there is a specific reason that she wants to change. Once she starts working, her last job reference will be more relevant that which uni

In my experience, Bath is seeing as being on a par with Russell Group. Being RG is all about their research, not about the degree, hence why a good non-RG is just as good (if not better) as RG.

I suspect the wobble is more worry about moving away to uni? Quite understandable at this stage.

Bath is a highly regarded university.

A lot of employers do blind recruitment with universities now and more are following to prevent bias in recruitment.

I would say to her that enjoying where you live, what you study and feeling like it's a good fit is part of the uni experience and enjoying her course and herself. It is not only about the name on the piece of paper.
If she doesn't like where it is and it's purely based on a name then the next few years are likely to be tough going. There's a reason she fell in love with Bath.

Oh blimey - Bath is definitely RG equivalent. Just sensible enough not to pay millions to join. Tell her not to be so daft and enjoy!

If she’s doing engineering, Bath outranks most RG universities. Amazing industry links.

DBro went to Imperial, and often thinks he’d have had a better time at Bath.

Bath is a superb university. Don’t give it another thought.

Nothing to worry about at all. Bath, St Andrews Lancaster and Loughborough are in the + part of “Russell group +” and are more highly ranked than most russell group universities.

Bath is an excellent choice.

Bath’s better than the Russell Group university I went to!