Accept RG or non RG offer

[KingCatMeowInSpace]

DC been offered a place at an RG uni and a place at non RG Uni - he prefers course content of non RG Uni but likes the prestige/location and course is ok at the RG one. It's much more of a vocational course at the non RG Uni which they don't do at the RG one. An example would be a Film studies course at the RG Uni and a Film making course at the non RG uni. If did the RG course he could then do a 1 year post grad at the non RG uni in film making but would still need to enjoy the 4 year RG degree or it'll be a LONG 4 years. He thinks either option would be ok but he knows he would enjoy the non RG course content better. Any advice?

I wouldn't worry too much about the RG label, and I agree with the posts saying it’s good to do what he enjoys.

But… in the example you give, "film making" is much more specific than "film studies". If after getting a degree in film making he was unable to get a job making films, would he have any transferable skills that could help him get another similar job? "Film studies" sounds broader.

am feeling a little less guilty about diverting my DD into an academic degree. The plan is that she can do summer placements and short courses at UAL and if she is still set on a creative career she can do a Masters in animation or illustration depending where she is at that point. And wll have a good academic degree from an RG uni as her foundation.

@CautiousLurker01 the key to this sort of strategy is that the student (your DD in this case) needs to be really active and proactive in securing summer placements & internships, and getting involved in any & all relevant extra-curricular activities.

For careers in any of the creative industries, this kind of experience & knowledge can be almost as important as one's degree. They'll need both.

I agree with this. I'm too old to have gone to a RG uni for undergrad as they didn't exist. I've always thought that the prestige came from Oxford, Cambridge and UCL being part of RG, but they had the prestige regardless. It was initally set up to lobby the government.

DC2 has got offers from two unis in two cities, one RG and one non RG in both cities.

I'm encouraging them to go with their heart and choose on the basis of module choice/content. They'll be commuting from home to wherever they go so student accommodation isn't an issue.

One of the non RG unis has just been ranked second in England for teaching and student satisfaction in their chosen subject.

As others have said, there's no need to rush into a decision. There's ages yet, and most Universities do hold offer holder days which are more specific than general open days.
We insisted that my younger DS who had a very strong preference for the first place he saw didn't make a decision until he had been the offer holder events everywhere that he had an offer from, and we also went to his number 1 choice on an ordinary working day, in the middle of winter. Obviously we couldn't go inside much but it gave him a bit of insight into what it would be like living there on a day when there was nobody trying to sell the place to us, and the weather was rotten. As the particular city was a big draw to him I wanted him to see it in a more normal context than an open day. He was keen to turn down his offer from what most people would see as the "golden ticket" for his subject and he had good, logical reasons for that but I wanted him to consider every option carefully and be confident he was making the right choice. He did stick to his original plan, and so far so good!
I know multiple visits are expensive and not feasible for everyone, but if you can look more than once I think it helps. Also looking at graduate destinations is a very good idea as if your DS has an idea where he wants to be heading in the longer term that can help. That was another factor for my DS as the course he chose has a particular module on an area of work he's really interested in and he could potentially focus on that in the final year. Of course he might change his mind by the time he gets to that stage but at least the choice is there. Nobody from the more prestigious University goes into that field (as a new graduate anyway) because they don't teach that module.
There's a lot to consider, and the most highly ranked Universities overall are not always top of the tables for particular subjects or the best fit for every student. But they can be, so it's best to take your time over the decision. The quality of the course is obviously very important but a prospective student needs to consider things like lifestyle, costs, pastoral care, provision for their outside interests etc too. I suspect that if you go somewhere with a positive attitude you can have a pretty good experience in a wide variety of places as long as you haven't chosen a totally unsuitable course. But some places definitely suit individual young people's personalities and lifestyles better than others and being happy is conducive to successful study so the bigger picture does matter.

Thanks everyone- sounds like most of you suggest RG not that relevant and he should do the more practical degree- he likes both cities and we've visited on bad weather days - slight preference to the RG location due to it being busier and more independent shops and hustle bustle type area but he said he'd be fine with the non RG location and would be happy enough being there. I think the problem is that he's laid back and adaptable and would very likely be very happy in either location on either course as long as he made a few friends and joined clubs and had lots going on and he'll happily go along with what I think is the best move. Pressure on me! I think it's more difficult because there's always the option to do the academic degree at the RG Uni with the great name then do the practical post grad in the other Uni. Have looked at graduate destinations for the practical undergrad at non RG and it's very good- lots of alumni on LinkedIn and on their social media all successful - obv they're only mentioning the successful graduates but there are a lot which is great. Alumni from the RG degree are all very varied as it's more of an Arts degree rather than specifically focussed.

@Cannotorwillnot Yes good point re transferable skills- I imagine he'd have good ones regardless of course - arts based or more practical degree.

@MsXmasGGMasterTwat What site did you use to check the ranking of your DCs course? Thanks

In my experience people tend to drop out when they don’t enjoy the course. I’m biased though, I was in the same position and chose the non rg uni.

I don’t regret my decision but I would say that there are some professions like law and finance that the uni does make a difference.

I think he should go for the course that interests him most @KingCatMeowInSpace , especially if he would be happy in either place (if we were talking Birmingham versus, for example, Aberystwyth, then there is a big difference in the place you will live for three years; but if it is more Sheffield versus UEA then not so much).

I do think RG/non RG is relatively meaningless as a marker tho. Most people would consider Loughborough, Bath, Lancaster, Leicester, St Andrews to be on a par (whatever that means) with, say, Cardiff and Southampton. Yet that is a list of non RG vs two RG unis. So really the course (and the place, and the distance) is king.

@NotARealWookiie yes totally agree that for certain subjects Uni does matter - if DC was doing something like Law, I would def feel
Strongly about the RG Uni. I guess it's because his preference is a creative industry.

That sounds similar to me to be honest. For what it’s worth I chose the non redgold on the basis I thought the course modules looked really inspiring. It was 20 years ago and I’ve never looked back.

20 years ago, far fewer dc went to uni. There’s more grads competing in the market now.

I still think it matters which course. With non RG, there are some which are now regarded as RG but just not in the Group. These are Bath, St Andrews, Loughborough and Lancaster. Leicester - not really top 20 for much. There are plenty that are not RG but have some great courses, eg Reading, Surrey, and plenty of others. Other RGs are slipping - Liverpool struggles against Lancaster for example. Newcastle is going down in the league tables but none of this matters if they offer the best course for dc.

It’s really important to weigh up what he wants the outcome of the course to be. A job or a springboard for more study? Does he know the best route to getting the career he wants?

Lastky: Sheffield really is not similar to Norwich as asserted earlier. Sheffield is definitely a big fun city and has more going on for huge numbers of students. Sheffield engineering, as an example, is very near the top of any engineering league table. So again, course matters.

Sheffield really is not similar to Norwich as asserted earlier.

That was me. I was not really comparing the two cities nor saying that they are similar – more making the point that there can be a big difference between a university in a very rural, small town like Aber (I would not say Norwich was that) and a big city; but the student experience in two cities may be similar, so not such a point of choice or comparison. I was struggling to come up with a non RG in a big city haha (apart from cities with multiple unis I guess – I suppose I should have said Sheffield uni and Leeds Beckett).

I suspect btw that Loughborough (I have some knowledge) certainly does not regard itself as RG! I think it's very happy to be a fantastic university on many levels while not being in the Russell Group.

Do you know roughly what proportion of “high achievers … what they really wanted was a Primary Teaching degree” are now teaching in primary schools?

I went to a virtual 50th anniversary reunion of my teacher training college. Of the dozen or so people I spoke to I was the only one who had started and ended my career in teaching. Even I had retrained for something else on the way, but gone back to teaching for practical reasons. Most of the others had done something for which their training had been useful, but they hadn’t carried on teaching.

At 17/18 it’s hard to know the realities of the career you think you want, and at least studying Education or Film Studies at an RG university might leave you more open to a different career path if you change your mind after a few years in it.

@clary Ive no doubt St Andrews’s is happy as non RG too but from a prestige point of view the 4 unis I mentioned are RG equivalent. Surrey isn’t far off either.

I do think Sheffield experience will be different to Norwich - Norwich is campus. Difficult to think of a stand alone non RG in a big city! I agree. Leicester?