State school kids at Edinburgh university- how bad is it for them?

[StartingAgainFGS]

I keep hearing reports of state school kids not fitting in at Edinburgh uni (at best) and at worst some real bullying going on. Heard it described on here as "pony club bullying". We are very far away from the private school demographic and I wonder how my DD would cope. We would be scraping by to send her there in the first place and I would not like her to feel so out of place that she's uncomfortable/unhappy.
Are these reports exaggerated? Does anyone have a state school DC there?
Thanks!

When my Scottish DD went to the open day at Durham and asked a question of the lecturer about her Advanced Higher combination, the lecturer didn't have a clue what qualifications she was talking about. DD chose another supposedly posh Scottish uni and had a fantastic time.

Yes it is hard to begin with. I was a Scottish state school kid who ended up allocated Chancellor's Court at Pollock and it was an eye opener to say the least.

I had my accent mocked on many occasions, even by teaching staff and was also shamed for having to work during the summer. I didn't understand why I was always being asked what school I went to. It was quite isolating in first year especially, when large groups of students referred to others as 'povos.' There was active resentment that Scottish students weren't paying fees.

This was 15 years ago, things may have changed but given recent press I doubt they have.

I got an excellent degree did make some good friends but sadly I'm not in touch with any of them now. If I was to choose again I would go for a different Scottish uni.

The thing is you don't get to choose, you can put a preference but you might not be offered it and you have to take what your given from the uni or sort out your own accommodation.

I was Edinburgh Uni in the 1990s and it was fine. The Pony Club stick together and are a minority. I can’t imagine that’s any different now and, indeed, it should be better now.

Most are from state.
It's not all private schooled kids.

State comp friend of DDs there and she loves it, arts subject, very quiet girl, not sporty.

DS is in his 3rd year and has loads of friends, he started off in Salisbury halls but didn't fit in as all the students in his flat were from overseas and mostly stayed in their rooms.
He moved to Kincaid in 2nd semester, which is known as the party halls and one of the cheapest. He is still good friends with those flatmates and hoping to get a flat with them for 4th year.
He has met posh students (relatives of Boris Johnson etc) but it hasn't caused any issues and DS has been anxious and quiet all his life.

It's a real range of experiences, which is the reality I guess! And she could go elsewhere and have a rotten time for other reasons. Maybe I'm being over protective!

My private school ds is at Uni (not Edinburgh but similar) and all his closest friends bar one, and his girlfriend, are state school educated. I really don’t understand the issue, state/private are not personality types?!

@Vargas I know, you're absolutely right. I've been spooked by the news reports and I know they are based in fact. As I said previously, state v private is not so much the issue i guess as monied vs not monied.

I really don’t understand the issue, state/private are not personality types?!

This is true, but the make-up of the student body does have an impact. As a state school student in Edinburgh fifteen years ago, studying an arts subject with a high % of private school pupils, it did affect me.

The sheer confidence drummed into private school kids, and the ££££ spent on making them as articulate as possible meant they could dominate lectures and seminars and sound intelligent. I spent my first year panicking they were so much cleverer than me.

I also remember random things which made me feel like an outsider like the first seminar after the Easter holidays when they all turned up tanned and well-rested as they’d been skiing or to somewhere exotic. While I’d been working full time in a shop!

And, as someone mentioned above, the questions about what school I’d been to, which completely baffled me at first. Until it slowly dawned on me that their world consisted of fifteen or so private schools, and either you’d been to one of them, or you were irrelevant.

Exactly, all of these things add up to a sense of 'this place isn't for the likes of me.'

Thank you, this is the type of experience I can absolutely imagine. Did this wear off a bit eventually?

@TartanMammyi know. She just doesn’t have to list Pollock at all on her form. They have to put 5 down, there are more than 5 to choose from to list.

I went to Edinburgh and was state school educated (and one of the worst if league tables are anything to go by). Never had a problem.

I can't comment on Edinburgh as DD is not there. However, she is at another uni, and in her shared flat at halls there are a good range. One private school, two grammar school, two local comp, one overseas student. She is definitely the "poorest" out of all of them, but the money / lack of money is more evident in food and transport choices. DD does all her own cooking and walks everywhere. Those who have more disposable funds have more takeaways and take more Ubers. They all go out to clubs together etc - and all of them are respectful of her having less disposable income.

Thank you! I would hope she'd find her way. I know there have already been some small niggles when she can't do the things more affluent friends can do. Just didn't want this to become even more magnified at uni!

@Kneidlach this mirrors my state school DD’s current experience in humanity subject - she felt everyone was cleverer or at least more confident. Did really well in essays/exams but felt on back foot in seminars. As others say, hall allocation is a lottery. DD didn’t get any of her cheaper choices and ended up in more expensive en suite. Not Pollack though. All that said, she’s enjoying it in the whole and doesn’t wish she’d gone elsewhere. Although envies friends at eg Manchester for more interesting clubs etc. she says there is a bit of a divide between super rich private school / international students and the rest. Also Scottish student she shared with last year tended to hang out with out her Scottish students in the city. She has made good friends, and the flexibility of 4 year course has been a real advantage - switched to entirely different course after first year.

None of mine went to Edinburgh but it is a very good university and lots of state school pupils also go there so I think she should go. One of my children took her horse to Bristol university I think year 2 and used to drive out to much it out at all hours - up early etc. I don't think that shovelling of the waste of the animal made her particularly posh just an early riser! (but yet my children did go to private day schools as indeed did I).

DC is at Edinburgh and was initially bullied by a bunch of students for being in Pollock and therefore "posh" (they chose to go there because they can't cook and had no idea of its connotations and aren't posh unless posh means middle class) - so it works both ways. They found it pretty upsetting but also got over it pretty fast by avoiding the mean girls. Their friends were/are a mixture of state and private but not "posh" private and everyone laughs at the rahs, wjo are a tiny harmless minority. Pollock ime is completely normal with a mix of all sorts, it's Chancellors, which is one house in Pollock that's posh because it's the most expensive - even there I'm sure there are lovely people. Honestly, OP don't worry, Edinburgh is a fantastic uni and a gorgeous city with a vast mix of people and she'll have a great time.

Sorry to hear that @Umbilicat I'm glad your DC was able to move past it. Such a stressful time, worrying about how to pay for it all and just hoping she ends up in a place that's going to work for her

Thank you all

Not an expert in Edinburgh but have two at other unis atm, one in Scotland. Wanted to provide a couple of anecdotes from each about the privileged students they come into contact with, advised to me in the last week:

Overheard on field trip “Oh! You’ve never been skiing? Bless you” accompanied by head tilt

One has an allowance of £2.5k a month (no loans) and pays friends to do her washing/washing up and orders all food in

I wouldn’t fancy being surrounded by people like this.

Pays her friends to do washing up?! 😱

@RestitutionGranted oh lordy
How are your kids dealing with it?
When i was a student we just all revelled in the studenty-ness of it all! Shared grotty flats, lots of cheap pasta meals, charity shop clothes.