Don’t necessarily aim high with uni choices!

[Operafanatic]

My DC had four RG offers and got Astar AA at A-level. They knew they didn’t want to go into law (where uni status still matters) so chose their uni based purely on the course and lifestyle they liked the most. We supported that - despite their prestigious private school's objections (they advocated RG unis only - mainly, I think, because that was/is a performance measure for schools). DC graduated from Swansea last year with a First and is now working in civil service fast stream. If they had gone to another uni, I am not at all convinced they would have got a first - being top of the pack (rather than middling as at school) gave them confidence. More importantly, had the time of their life at Swansea - such a super uni with very high student satisfaction! So question the advice to aim high - sometimes it is better to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond! Am mentioning this because my DD in year 13 (predicted all A stars) is about to do the same - Exeter rather than Imperial or Warwick in her case. Eldest DC found that every grad scheme he applied to was university blind anyway!

But uni-blind schemes somehow end up recruiting more middle class kids from RG unis!

The OP is saying that Exeter is regarded as a “lesser” university than Imperial and Warwick for the specific subject her daughter wants to study. Which is true. Not that Exeter is a lesser university overall.

I think that all this pressure from
parents and schools to choose for league tables and prestige does not do the young person any favours. A young person should choose based on their own perceptions and needs. My son went to Hull, poor a levels, foundation year, got confidence, got a first then onto a prestige university where he got a distinction in his research masters.He's now doing extremely well on his career. He loved his time at Hull. More importantly, it was his choice not someone else’s.

In which subject is Exeter better than Imperial? Generally interested. In my area they are not even close.

When compared to UK universities overall, Exeter cannot be regarded as a lesser university.

Perhaps you disagree?

OP is exhibiting considerable snobbery in suggesting Exeter is lesser choice.

It’s ridiculous isn’t it? For me, and the significant proportion of people like me, who were the first in the family to go to university, my parents would have been extremely happy if I’d gone to Exeter. I seriously doubt my parents even knew the term ‘Russell Group’.

The fact that OP describes Exeter as a ‘lesser choice’ tells me all I need to know about the expectations, social capital, financial background etc of her family.

As it happens I went to Edinburgh and spent much of the first year bemused by the large amount of private school students who went skiing in holidays and whose photos were sometimes in a strange magazine called Tatler.

need to have an RG uni on your cv to get an admin job…

‘Better’ qualifications do not always make the best candidates. I remember interviewing a few years ago and going for the least qualified interviewee (who turned up an hour late as her train was delayed). It was a trainee position and we felt she was the one who would benefit most and, crucially, stay on once training was completed - which she has. Likewise, I know someone who recruits trainee lawyers for a provincial firm who preferred the local (non RG) university as they were also more likely to stay once qualified (if offered a job). Ambition and flexibility in graduates are great but not all employers want to have to keep recruiting to certain roles as people constantly move on.

It is a fact that the universities are not all equal. That is why it is important to find the right university which is not the same university for everyone. Academically, there are different "tiers" and Exeter is not in the first. Some Universities are really strong in particular subjects so it is difficult to give a general picture and it is also true that if one struggles socially or academically and has a miserable time but graduates with a 2.2 then perhaps this is not the best choice.

She was saying Imperial is better than Exeter not the other way round…

Uni blind doesn’t make sense to me. Not all degrees are equal. It’s considerably harder to get a first at oxbridge than other unis. Also all Oxbridge exams are in person and I assume most RG unis the same, while some non RG unis allow remote exams, so lots of use made of ChatGPT.

Russel Group only started in 1994 so depending on the age of your parents it probably wasn’t a thing. Also in your parents day far fewer people went to uni and being the first in your family to go was normal. Ditto being the only one in a friendship group going. Ditto doing a gap year or travel year.

An average student will graduate with a 2:1.

At high-tariff universities, average students tend to a lot more capable than those at low tariff universities. Consequently it is harder to get a first.

Not all firsts are equal.

The fact that OP describes Exeter as a ‘lesser choice’ tells me all I need to know about the expectations, social capital, financial background etc of her family.

It is unquestionably a lesser choice than the other two options mentioned if you specifically want to study maths, for example.

Threads like these really stress me out! My DS is 15 and I have very little idea about uni choices-I’m hoping he knows more than me! How do you all know this stuff? I when to uni in Scotland so maybe that’s why I’m clueless.
Not expecting a reply-just in awe about how much you all know.

Your school should advise you?
Also www.thestudentroom.co.uk is useful.
And this very board has many very knowledgeable posters. Start a new thread perhaps or do a search.

I don't agree that employers are uni blind. DS has just got his first job in a consultancy, and his uni has made a great difference.

Thanks so much @Holluschickie

This is the real problem: Some people know and others don't and that gives an advantage. If you like a challenge and have the marks then you cannot go wrong with Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, and to a slighly lesser degree Imperial, UCL and Warwick. Then it becomes less clear and it depends what you are after but King's, Durham, St.Andrews, Edingburgh will appear in most lists followed by Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, and many more and then it becomes more of a question whether you prefer a smaller university, a campus university, how far you want to be away from home, the course etc. But it is true that if you look at people who stay in academia, or who go to the big consultancy firms then there are not many who have not been to the top 6 and most are from the top 2 (or did a PhD, MSc there). The best thing is to go to lots of open days and look and listen carefully. It is as important what is said and what is not said and one only realises what is not said if one knows it or hears it at other universities. That said every university has a story of someone who blossomed at their university and went on to do fantastic things.

This is what I said in my previous post: What one takes away from this thread is that a 2.1 in Cambridge is better than a 1st in Swansea (and I am not surprised) but a "happy" first in Swansea is worth a lot compared to an "unhappy" 2.1 from Cambridge. Of course, there will be a lot of "happy" 2.1 in Cambridge.

Like most MN boards, posters are self selected - in general if you ask a question here you will find posters who’ve had kids go through the process who are happy to share what they’ve learned, and also quite a few very helpful people from within academia including some admissions tutors.
However, although IME most genuinely want to be helpful, bear in mind that what you read here may be inaccurate - out of date, or sometimes very opinionated (i don’t mean this thread). There is loads of info on uni websites etc.

Complete Uni Guide and Times have uni rankings per subject (Guardian is very odd I’d ignore)
Aim for best gcse grades possible - some competitive courses look at these.
When choosing A levels check they are accepted for courses interested in. Some people find out too late they needed biology and chemistry or further maths. Some universities explain what are strong subjects for applications eg Cambridge talks about facilitating subjects.
Aim for subjects they can get best grades in. There’s a strong link between gcse maths result and A level result for example.
Some schools offer an additional qualification called EPQ which some universities will reduce a grade for.
In yr12 go to university open days.
Yp needs to work hard to get as good as possible predicted grades, this catches some yp out that grades can be based on end yr12 mocks in some schools.
Check if any additional tests required and when to register or prep. Eg ucat for medicine or lnat for law.
Check if eligible for any contextual offers - Bristol has lots of state schools on list for example.
Some practical courses eg medicine need work experience or volunteering for application.
Personally I wouldn’t rely on school for info.

Wiwikau is a facebook group for parents which can be useful to ask questions. This board also has posters who are knowledgeable.

Thanks for answering my question. I haven't looked deeply at modern languages programs in particular so I was unaware of the specifics. Not sure what the snark was for.

Very good advice. Looking at open days early the year before helps with choosing courses particularly if YP is not sure what course they want to do.

Clearly it does not tell you everything you need to know about the expectations, social capital or financial background of the OP’s family, given Exeter’s strong reputation as a finishing school for rich, privately-educated people 🤣.

OP, make sure your children excel in areas where AI can’t compete or outperform humans. Think far ahead into the future, not just the present. It won’t matter where your children went to university or school if AI surpasses them.

These heated arguments will fade once AI advances enough to take the lead.

As expected, some state school parents often criticize private schools, along with their students and families. For many, it seems to be a regular pastime. State school parents can come across as frustrated with those who choose private education, appearing to feel entitled to the money of private school families. Since private school parents already contribute to state schools through taxes, it feels unfair to expect even more from them, especially when met with negativity. Ironically, some state school parents view private school families as potential saviors, hoping they’ll transfer their children to state schools to somehow make improvements. Credit to private school parents for handling that attitude.