Oxford Brookes?

[bournevilleismyfavourite]

Anyone got any experience?

I know this forum tends to be higher tariff universities.

My son is holding an offer for business management. We went to the open day today and liked it despite the weather. He’s a sociable, sports mad boy and really liked the hockey set up.

I was impressed with the business talk - it seemed forward thinking, lots of options for hands on experience with modules and industry experience/placements.

Would love to hear actual experience. Also does it empty out at weekends? He won’t be coming home that often as we’re quite a long way away.

Thanks.

It does have a reputation for being rather full of not-very bright private school kids. I don't know how true this is, but it's true to say it doesn't rank highly for diversity and is probably the post-92 with the highest proportion of privately educated students. But Oxford is lovely - a city made for students, and conveniently located for travel to much of the country.

I think the “not so bright” is harsh and exactly the comment I was hoping not to get, typical mumsnet . My son is dyslexic and struggles with exams but I wouldn’t say he wasn’t bright just not a natural at exams. I think he will go on and do well in the real world. Anyway, thanks for the rest of your post. I did get quite a private school vibe today but not in a bad way. I was a bit disappointed with Oxford as a city, but maybe it was the weather. He loved it though.

My son has a offer there for September and it was the best open day we went to. Friendly staff, nice vibe, forward looking, career focused and a flexible course with strong links to industry. It was also the only uni out of the 5 offers he received that sent him an invite to the offer day by post which actually referenced his individual personal statement and wasn't just a generic automated email.
There are proportionally a higher than average percentage of private school students there, but it's certainly not the university with the highest percentage and although it's a higher percentage it's less than a quarter of the student body. 3 out of 4 students there aren't from a private school and the students we met seemed very down to earth.
As for the not very bright comment, it is probably my son's first choice at this stage for the reasons above, but he also has an offer for UCL so make of that what you will.

My ds has studied a different course but has had an amazing time. It's a great manageable size - so quite a close community of students. My understanding of the BM course like lots at OB is that it's pretty vocational will suit students who may not be great exam takers but are smart. I don't get the impressions it's a massively challenging course but his friends who are doing g it have and are enjoying it.
Sport is great - so it's been a massive thumbs up for us. Do be aware it's one of the more expensive unis for living and renting outside of London if that's a factor !

If your son is dyslexic he will be eligible for a Study Skills tutor through Disabled Students’ Allowance. My DC went to Oxford - it’s a lovely place to visit.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the supportive posts. It is hard hearing the comments about intelligence. It’s hard when it’s your kids. Just really pisses me off, to be honest! Anyway, thanks to the rest of you, I have done a bit more googling and opinions of the business school seem really pretty positive. At the end of the day, he needs to be employable with good skills and have had work experience. He is also keen to do a year abroad. He is super sociable and very sporty so I think it will suit him well.

It is ds insurance choice. Mainly as they have a good reputation for the sport he does. However i really liked it. The campus was great, friendly staff and Oxford a nice place to be. It felt very welcoming.

I’ve been a dyslexia specialist for over 25 years and met so many dyslexic students who are far more intelligent than me!

Sorry if I upset you about the "posh but not so bright" reputation. I did mean reputation, ie what people think of when they hear it mentioned. it's not necessarily fact.
I don't know many Oxford Brookes students apart from my DD's friend who went there. He's pretty bright and chose it for reputation in his subject and did very well.

Probably not at all relevant to your current situation, but I graduated from there in 1995. Had the time of my life and even now thoughts of being there still 'feel like home'.

Hi and thanks for your apology - I appreciate it. I do still think you’re not getting my point. I don’t like to think of anywhere to be for “less intelligent” kids as I don’t like to categorise people in that way. I assume you mean book smart. Intelligence takes many forms. I’m a teacher and prefer not to stick people in boxes. Unfortunately lots of people do although I think we’re moving away from that now and appreciating neuro diversity and richness of the world. The other thing that annoys me is that it’s seen as socially acceptable to be rude about rich/posh kids’ intelligence. No one would ever say “for poor not very intelligent kids”

I know, teacher here too and yes! (Although I think I may be one of them 😂)

Has a very good rep for SEND support.

I went there, albeit 30 years ago! Great city, made lifelong friends, met my husband there! Oxford is such a lovely student city. Took my kids back at New Year.

I've been to both an RG top ten Uni and Brookes. I much preferred my degree at Brookes, teaching far better as not up their arses about research. Amazing degree, so interesting and it's good for sport. Nice students.

Personally not a fan of Oxford itself but the Uni I did love. Obv time has passed and I'm old now but I did not do badly post-Uni with my vocational degree, unlike my academic degree.

Yes! I went there and did business at the Wheatley campus. Loved it. It was a few years ago but I know their reputation is definitely up there for the ex-poly unis and improving. I studied at a different uni for my postgrad and they were a lot more relaxed than Brookes around work, attendance etc. For example if a deadline was 9am, you’d lose 10% for every 10 mins it was late (without a very very good excuse). I needed that at undergrad because it was far too easy to socialise! I wasn’t super sporty but I know they have a good reputation for sports. Not like say Loughborough but decent level and a lot of sports clubs….

The downsides: Oxford is expensive, super expensive and with 2 universities, student housing (once out of halls) was a bit of a Wild West - for example we were putting down deposits for Sept for housing in like Dec the previous year. You didn’t even know if everyone was going to pass the year and be there in Sept. Also, I’m the centre, there was a lot of homeless people who could be pushy. Generally they were ok, but when you’re a single woman at a cash point, it can be intimidating. There’s always people around so I never felt unsafe

Brookes's reputation suffers only because it shares a city with Oxford.

Judged on its own merits, it has a great sports scene and ranks in the top 100 globally for business and accounting, architecture, education and automotive engineering.

the housing situation is ridiculous in Oxford now. I’ve seen students sitting outside agents all night to get houses. It’s ridiculously expensive. The uni it'self is great. I’ve worked there on and off over the years.
As a city that is essentially a student city there isn’t much for students to do. I guess it depends what your DS likes doing but over the years the scene has definitely changed,

My friend did a masters there as an adult and her family lived on site and we visited a few times and stayed over. I love the feel, but I love a small campus uni.

I know Oxford well and went to OB when it was a poly. Part time day release. The notion that Oxford has nothing for students to do is beyond ludicrous. Try some very quiet towns with universities and compare them with Oxford!

Pros for Oxford: great transport links, theatres, rowing, championship football team (hopefully next season!), great pubs, lots of sport and open spaces, punting, lovely architecture, great restaurants, and no doubt OB have lots of societies and sports teams. It has an energy because there are so many young people there.

Cons: cost. However many uni cities will see students getting y2 accommodation before Christmas.

Who really does care where dc are educated @bournevilleismyfavourite? I get fed up with the “rich and thick” description too! It’s utterly irrelevant. So is % of privately educated dc. This is huge on some courses in London, and because students are paying international fees, they are definitely rich! But does that matter?

However do push OB on placements. So many universities have “a year in industry” they promote but the universities don’t have a bank of placements. Students need to find them and apply and, in many instances, they are hugely competitive. DC can end up being disappointed. I would suggest anyone thinking of doing business should definitely try and do an internship or work in the vacations so cv is built up. Be proactive. I’d go for OB and it’s one of the best former polys with a long history of business courses.

The campus at Wheatley is small but some buildings are in Headington. Buses run all the time.

The Wheatley campus has closed now. They have moved those courses to the Headington campus: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brookes/contacts-maps-and-campuses/wheatley-campus#:~:text=Announcement%20Oxford%20Brookes%20has%20now,facilities%20on%20the%20Headington%20Campus.

Teaching at Harcourt Hill is winding up too. Basically they are consolidating on the main site.

Most Brookes students live in East Oxford after their first year, where there are a lot of restaurants, bars, etc

I thought the buses were still running! Wasn’t that long ago I saw them! Better for students to be in Oxford though.

It's popular with normal, social and intelligent private school students who aren't highly motivated academically to get the A stars required for other universities.

Motivation does not get pupils A stars. That’s pretty offensive towards hard working pupils who have done their best. We have a spread of intelligence in 6th forms and motivation is not lacking in students at OB.

Plus the majority of students there are state educated. Why anyone gets worked up about a minority group from private education is beyond me. What reasonable person cares?!! Would we have the same conversation about other universities with a higher than average number of ethnic minority students and draw attention, negatively, to them? Maybe they haven’t been sufficiently motivated to get A stars either? Or maybe we accept not everyone can get an A star and celebrate what they can get?