Any interest in a non-Oxbridge/ non-RG parents chat?

[SockFluffInTheBath]

There are lots of threads about applying to Oxbridge and other ‘top’ unis, anyone interested in a thread for those of us with DC looking elsewhere? Not trying to be divisive, but there’s no ‘drop in centre’ thread for other unis, and I thought it might be good to have a space to chat sometimes.

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

user746016 I think you're probably OK to stay because the kids are supposed to have one or two 'aspirational' choices.

SockFluffInTheBath Don't worry, it's a lovely idea for a thread. Oxbridge/Imperial/UCL/Durham/Warwick/Medicine parents seem to dominate the Higher education board so this is a welcome change.

And Lancaster had loads of courses in clearing asking for BBB so it's actually a realistic prospect for quite a few people.

Because we live in SW and she’s wants to be within 2-3hrs of home and they do the course she wants to do. Plus some extended family not too far away. She has a very clear pathway of what she wants to do but not the straight AAAs that other places want.

Winchester is lovely @Autumn00Storms DS looked at this one too and we know a couple of very happy DC there.

To add to ideas for the thread - between my DS's friends, and the DC of various of my friends, we also know very happy DC at the following non-RGs:

Bath Spa
Brighton
Chichester
City
Edinburgh Napier
Nottingham Trent
Oxford Brookes
Reading
Sussex
York St John

All doing a variety of different courses. None of them are at the 'multiple A star/A' standard required by the top unis, but all are happy and thriving!

As a big RG fan I have been converted. Not least by the realisation that some of the most successful people I know were not educated in RG. And the range of courses is so limited in RG.
I was RG educated but I’m a dentist and 40 yrs ago the schools were only affiliated with the top unis.

DS was offered a place at an RG for a very generic course but eventually chose a much more interesting niche course at a non-RG ( no RG unis offer the course at undergraduate level).
He had Covid when he started in freshers and this was followed by a major family problem ( my DSis, his aunt, has been put on end of life pathway due to cancer, it has been triggering for him since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the September of his lower sixth year) so he has missed lectures early on. His personal tutor has been emailing weekly to check up on him and DS has explained the situation. I’m reassured that they are on the ball and offering support early on.
I do think that the course they choose has to have value though. One of the girls who worked for me had a daughter who studied some sort of child care degree at Wolverhampton. She had a day and a half of lectures a week and then worked in McDonald’s the rest of the time. I’m not sure I would be encouraging DS to build up 40k+ of debt for a few hours a week.

DS will hopefully leave uni with a vocational degree that has transferable skills. Whether he uses it or not is up to him. He’s been offered a job to train as a site manager in the construction industry which after 12-18 mnths of training could see him earning between 50-70k a year. I see uni as not just education but the opportunity to live away from home. I know that once I’d experienced living away from home I never wanted to go back.

DS works for a friends dad labouring, he finds jobs at weekends so they can earn extra cash while at uni. They do one weekend a month. It means missing out on the night life but the rewards are brilliant. It also reinforces their work ethic. They can earn as much in a weekend as they would doing part time bar work in a month.

Thanks @FlyingPandas she prefers a smaller campus feel and thinks Winchester could offer this. Gloucester is also on the long list but think she may not get the grades.

My friend went to Aber loved it many years ago we were just chatting about it as both our DDs are looking at very different options.

Great idea, daughter is looking at Aber (we are only an hour away)or Swansea for Geography. Still waiting for predicted grades but is aiming for ABC/ACC. She wants to sit the Aber exams in February to try and get a bursary and/or unconditional offer.

I am not sure why commenting that the original thread title was ambiguous was seen as offensive (and not by the OP, I might add), but I apologise for being offensive, elitist or whatever.

You don't need to apologize and you were none of those things. There is sometimes a quite officious element on here, I believe due to whatever is ailing that person who is then seeking some kind of outlet for it... Ignore. Carry on.

I’m not sure it was what was said so much as the way it was said. And not by you. It matters not. I have enough stress in my life without looking for it on here 😅 Let’s all just get back to being giddy that our DC are giddy about next steps.

The thing people often overlook with non-RG universities is their uplift. They have years of experience in raising up their students.

Nothing wrong with being an electrician either. One of the cleverest peaple I've ever know was an electrician.

What has your post got to do with mine?

My son is also in the midst of applying. A mixture of RG and non RG. Favourite is Exeter, then Plymouth, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff. He wants to do Mechanical Engineering

Er, your son got poor A levels but a decent degree. Pretty good uplift.

You mentioned being told your son should be am electrician.

Putting that aside, nothing.

My kids loved Aber, but didn't pick it as neither of them wanted the travel.
Has anyone found that their school's attitudes have changed towards RG since Covid?
Our school has very much felt that the pastoral care given to RG students especially during Covid has been really lacking, they've had a few drop out from top unis and restart at lower ranking unis. Plus feedback on low contact hours and large intakes with very little personal support.
They always used to push A grade students towards RG, but now not so much.

Great idea for a thread. I have one dc who sat Oxford entrance exams this week, the other one will be probably looking at BCC on a good day, so totally different sort of places.
does anyone have any feedback on Brighton or Bournemouth? They’re particularly keen on the south coast (not Portsmouth though as not cool enough 🙄)

does anyone have any feedback on Brighton or Bournemouth?

We visited the Falmer campus in Brighton as DD was considering them for a masters. It is quite a way inland and doesn't feel coastal.

Nice thread OP!
Just wanted to share DS1's experience for anyone considering their applications.
He started at Cardiff Metropolitan in Sept. Absolutely loves it!
In halls with such a good bunch & has a pleasant Miss Marple-ish pootle to uni along the river, through the green and past the church.
Campus is great, lots of green spaces, easy to pop into the city and the tutors have been brilliant so far. Nightlife apparently good and absolutely tons of cultural entertainment in Cardiff.
He's doing a design course which involves using the engineering equipment, so that keeps him busy on the premises with a full timetable (bonus!) 😃
Got B,B,C at A level, which we were all chuffed about.
Always find some of the A level results eye-popping on here (the 4 A*s plus a ton of extracurricular stuff 👀😮) so end up avoiding the threads.
When we turned up to drop him off (in our allotted timeslot) they'd set up a big tent, provided sandwiches, drinks etc, registration for doctors, general information, a current student to escort you to accommodation and answer any questions. The whole thing was smoothly done and so welcoming - really reassuring when you drive away after the 'big drop'.
Got DS2 this year and doing visits at the moment. He's a bit more academic but keen to go somewhere that feels 'normal'. Next visit is Brighton University so we'll see how that goes!

Always find some of the A level results eye-popping on here (the 4 As plus a ton of extracurricular stuff 👀😮)*

Same. It does give a skewed impression of the reality when the average point score for all students taking A levels in the 2022 to 2023 academic year was 35.29 – equivalent to grade B- (taken from the government website)

Yes, there is definitely a MN bubble! My DS is very academic and I won't mention him again on this thread. 😀

DD got ABD in her A levels, plus a C in an AS, and we were all very happy with that. She even got a little "achievement award" from her uni for getting over 120 UCAS points, which was a lovely boost.

DD looked at Brighton, she didn't like the feel of it - although that's obviously a personal thing! But we were very much put off by accomodation costs, although this was a few years ago.

Yes it’s still really expensive- I’m not sure Bournemouth is cheap either but think marginally better. She wants coastal - maybe move along to Plymouth then which I know is cheaper!

Great idea for a thread! DC is predicted BBC so it's good to see how well people are doing at some of the non oxbridge and non RG universities.

I've been looking at some of the further education threads and there's not much mention of the places DC is looking at - it's all oxbridge/ Bristol/ Durham Lancaster etc.

Ds got BBC in the summer (on a gap year) and is putting in a UCAS form as a back up (although given he's not finding the time to do apprenticeship applications, I think he'll end up at uni!). His sister is a high achiever at an RG uni, and he went to a grammar school, so he's a bit stuck in the mindset that ex-polys/non RG are rubbish! I'm trying to persuade him out of that way of thinking!

He's looking at Real Estate and so far I've picked out Reading, Oxford Brookes, Northumbria as being good options. I'm not sure about Aberdeen (because of the extra year), Ulster and Salford at the moment... If anyone has any experience of these unis, or Real Estate at any others, please let me know! Ds isn't doing much thinking beyond saying he'll go to Reading if he gets an offer, as it seems to be the best one in league tables.

For what it's worth, I'm not impressed with dd's RG uni, in terms of student support and teaching, or pastoral care, so I'm quite relieved ds hasn't got those options!

For what it's worth, I'm not impressed with dd's RG uni, in terms of student support and teaching, or pastoral care

DD's RG university wasn't great for those either.

Can we join? DD1 wants to study Adult Nursing. Tempted by unis in wales which seem happy to pay her fees if she works two years in their NHS. So we've a motley collection of

Cardiff
Swansea
Nottingham
Manchester
Sheffield

(some RG some not).

Grades needed are on the lower end - BBC - and she has A*AA predictions - but we are aware it isn't really about the grades with nursing. She will have to have an interview at every single uni, and is already panicking as we've got dates for the first two.