Is it becoming more common to stay closer to home for uni?

[ClementinePancakes]

DS is year 12 and just starting to research some uni courses. He particularly likes (on paper) Southampton and Swansea, so we have started planning to visit in the summer. They are both pretty far from us, about 6 hours at least.
Everyone we have told this to has reacted with horror, because they are so far away.

I accept if he does end up at one of them, the drive at the beginning and end of term will probably be a two day undertaking with overnight stay, yes, a bit of a pain but not that horrifying.

Both my brother and sister were at uni a similar distance away, they didn’t really come home during term time (but then I didn’t either and I was nearer home - I didn’t really know anyone who went home at weekends). Is this the difference? Are students more likely to come home at weekends than they were 30 years ago? I suppose it could be for weekend jobs etc. Or are there other reasons if there is a trend to stay closer -are there cultural differences across the UK?
I get staying at home and commuting for cost reasons, but I’m talking more about moving away, but not far.

I love that @arduous , I often count the pairs of shoes as an indication when I get up!

Sometimes I think I am mad (DC2 has the same rule), my parents would never have allowed this, but I think it is great that they love having their friends here and everyone knows they are very welcome.

The cost of renting somewhere in London puts a lot of clever students off. We are an hr commute so if DC want to stay at home and travel in it would save them thousands but they wouldn't be having the "typical uni experience" of surviving away from home; doing their cooking, paying bills, going to wild parties and realising studying the next day isn't easy etc... I'm not sure the 'youth of today' do that so much anyway.

DC is 4 hrs away ish at Swansea.. although has had a particularly bad 7hr coach once when accident on m4 ... We/they didn't set distance criteria but were very aware of transport options..

1st yr he came back a bit more... But mainly to go to gigs...(Washing also appeared:))... But other terms not..we stay a few days at beginning of term .. but would do that anywhere really..

Their course was only at a few unis and he didn't like the 2 closest ones... So was course/vibe led...

They really enjoying Swansea , accommodation is plentiful and good value in later years . People are friendly.... Although friends at Southampton also enjoying it so 2 good choices.... Their alternative was UEA which had a similar vibe apparently.....

Although DD was 3 hours by train away she very rarely came home in term time. University was more fun than home, also eighteen months of it was pretty much under lockdown conditions. Her last year was pretty much back to normal so she made the most of it.

Interesting thread. I had to pick up my DD from school this week because she was ill. While I was waiting in reception I was studying a poster that showed destinations for 2023 sixth form leavers. This is one of the biggest sixth forms in our city.

The largest single group seemed to go to our local unis, especially the lower tariff uni in our city. But this was still a relatively small percentage of the total number of students - about 10%. Outside that, it was a case of small numbers going to lots of different unis/next steps. My year 13 DS has chosen unis he thinks will be good for his subject - nearest is 2.5 hours away by train, furthest is 5 hours.

We're in S London. My two actively avoided London unis - mainly because they didn't want to live at home, and the cost of living out was too much.
Mine went exactly the same distance away, one west one east. They west could be driven in 2.5 hours in low traffic, the east usually takes 3.5 minimum. Although I did a middle of the night emergency run in 3hrs!
Of all their friends I think only 1 went to London as they got a place on one of the best architecture schools, and could afford to live out.
The rest of their friends mainly headed north - Manchester, Leeds, York, Warwick, Bristol. One med school in Southampton for the sailing 😁

I think far fewer northern students go south or west. My DNs would not consider south of Nottingham. No intention of studying or living anywhere but north. Also very driven by “people like us” who they didn’t perceive to be at London unis, or places like Bristol or Exeter. I think south based students just see where the trains go and are far more open to going to Scotland or the north of England. I think many northern people are a tight knit group and some won’t even consider Durham. So culture plays a role and family ties. 50 years ago people wanted to break free. Now they don’t. They like who they are and what they have and stick with it.

When my dd came up with her list of unis, proximity to home was a consideration. She’s at a uni which is about 2 hours away as was her insurance uni. The furthest one is about 6 hours but it was low on her final list.

She’s not a fan of travelling on public transport and as not all unis allow students to bring cars, she picked a place that’s far enough not to bump into people she knows but close enough that she’s not on public transport for ages.

Possibly a combination with cost as well

Also Scottish degrees are 4 years, rather than 3, so fits better with students who have studied in Scotland (done the one year higher rather than 2 yr A-levels).

This was me (north-east girl) 35 years ago. I had no interest in Oxbridge (though I had the right grade profile), and Durham uni students had always been the butt of local jokes about Oxbridge rejects and hoorah-henries (unfair, I know - don't shoot the messenger!). Everyone living south of about Middlesbrough was a bit of an alien species in my limited world view.

Distance wasn't really part of my decision. I went to Liverpool, which meant I had a cross-pennine journey via Manchester to navigate - and found it difficult and expensive to go home for weekends.

After graduating, my first job was inevitably in London, because that was where all the jobs were. I never went back to live in the north. These days I think (hope) graduate jobs are distributed a little more widely.

It's natural for birds of a feather to flock together, especially when they are fledglings. I sometimes hear my sons' London-born friends making disparaging remarks about northerners - no better or worse than my remarks about southerners back in the day, though I have always encouraged my sons to call them out on it. Conclusion: movement in both directions is healthy for cross-cultural understanding! 😁

I read some article about how in the high cost of living / rent areas such as London, Bristol, Bath more students are staying at home due to costs, makes sense I guess.

Yes. Where people believe costs are higher, they stay away if they are worried about this. It inevitably leads to state educated being over represented at some unis and private school dc being over represented at others. Also overseas students being over represented at some too. What I dislike intensely is the “not for the likes of us” that is still a feature in some households. It can hold young people back. Unless you desperately want a job that is London based, there’s no great need to be there. I think people thought all the best jobs were there 50 years ago. Times have changed.

Dd said it was very apparent how few northerners went to her uni (Bristol) and how many Londoners there are. That backs up those statistics. From here there is very much a north south divide. So many people we're really shocked when I days where she was going.
The other factor is the cost of public transport. DS really likes the look of Southampton but it would be about £150 on the train as a return ticket !!

Personally, I think the whole "going away to uni" thing is very upper-middle class, and not really something you did unless you (or I suppose your parents) had money. I stayed at home & commuted to uni each day because there was never, ever any expectation (from either side) that my parents would pay for accommodation etc. I had a part time job at weekends that funded my social life, but my parents support extended to allowing me to live with them rent free until I graduated and found a job. This wasn't even a discussion or something I realised was something other people had til I got there, even then, in my mind it was the privileged that got any more than that, not the majority or the norm.

Saying that, if i can afford it when my two DS are uni age (and want to go to uni), I will definitely support them as much as possible, and encourage them to go away for uni. I suppose that's the whole idea of social mobility

My ds came home frequently his 1st year at weekends, 3 hour ish journey on the bus usually. He gets free bus travel with his young scot card so that was a factor in coming back so often and had various 18th celebrations to attend!
He doesn't come back so often now, from 2nd year I think he feels more settled when out of the halls and in a shared flat. He also has a job now also so is more limited.

Depends exactly how old you are, maybe. Zero fees plus grants plus cheap digs plus cheap rail/coach fares made moving for university easier for the non "upper middle class" in the 80s, for example. (Of course, a lot fewer people actually went to university.)

NCTDN posted Dd said it was very apparent how few northerners went to her uni (Bristol) and how many Londoners there are.

TizerorFizz posted What I dislike intensely is the “not for the likes of us” that is still a feature in some households.

So, the southerners stay south and the northerners stay north

Also very driven by “people like us” who they didn’t perceive to be at London unis, or places like Bristol or Exeter. I think south based students just see where the trains go and are far more open to going to Scotland or the north of England. I think many northern people are a tight knit group and some won’t even consider Durham.

I don't know whether this is based on fact or whether TizerorFizz is being offensive

I think many northern people are a tight knit group

Northern people 😂

Said by a Londoner?
(ex Londoner who is now "Northern" 😁)

DD (Yorkshire) is at a Midlands Uni.
Most people she has met are Southern and posh, including her Boyfriend.
Her BF and his (post Southern) mates were talking about how there was someone in their halls who was very scary.
DD met him and apparently he was very nice, the problem was he was from Liverpool!
DD says she feels like she's living in a Catherine Tate "posh family" skit half of the time - feels like offering them an Elderflower and Gooseberry yoghurt.

Best advice would be to go to open days using public transport. Focussed the decision making!

The trouble is people from midlands down sound "posh" to anyone further North it seems. It's really strange watching people on TV calling someone who lives in a council house in London "posh" because of their accent. If everyone down here called all people from Midlands up "common" there would be outrage. I don't think it is helpful for anyone if you judge on the sounds that come out of someone's mouth. Actions, not words.

I know it's a typo, but "post Southern" works.