Are the top 3 universities actually really different than the top 20 or even top 40 ones?
Posted by Straight-Order2818@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 26 comments
I applied this year and unfortunately managed to mess up my final tests results so much that I won’t be able to go to any unis I got offers from. So I plan on correcting them and applying next year. I was thinking of applying to a uni that was top 15 ish in most rankings, but then I saw the requirements for even the better ones are similar, yet they require additional tests and meetings to prove the skills. I’m not from the UK so the material required there is already new to me, but I’m willing to try. Is it even worth it to consider unis such as Cambridge or Oxford? Or should I just stick to some “worse” ones like Liverpool or even Lincoln? So far I’ve gathered only the IELTS (7,5 avg) but I don’t know if it’s worth it to try the more difficult tests etc
Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit
The top 3 well 5 really, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, King's, and Durham (throw in Edinburgh for good measure) are World Class Universities.
After that is Russell Group and it's really what is that Uni good at. Sheffield Uni is THE best for Engineering. But it's English is ranked like 40th in UK. So your course makes a huge difference.
Most of these are just middling and not good at anything. Some are decent at a lot of things but not exceptional at any.
The other classic Universities are pretty middling.
Post 92s, surpsingly good in a lot of areas. Think your nursing and teacher training type courses. They'll often have better IT courses as they docussed away from the traditional (and sadly now useless) courses like History and Geography.
ninjomat@reddit
The first 3 you mentioned definitely are but kings should be swapped out for imperial. That’s the London uni for the global elite and tech/finance brainboxes nowadays.
Kings may have an illustrious history (though so does their rival UCL) but it’s alongside UCL and Queen Mary nowadays in the next tier of Russell group unis within London rather than globally renowned nowadays.
Durham has a reputation as a place very much for posh Tim nice but thicks. People not smart enough to get into oxbridge. So there’s a decent number of ex-private school kids at Durham which means they have something of a leg-up anyway already, but I don’t think going there suggests a top tier education like the first 4 do. Having Durham on your cv is no better than Bristol, Manchester, etc any of the other top Russell group unis. Ditto for Edinburgh
Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit
Aye Durham is same as Bristol in that it's the "not good enough for Oxbridge. I'd say both of those are better than the rest of the Russell Group but could be my bias experience in White Rose/Red Rose Unis.
I honestly forget Kings, UCL, and Imperial exist as I've never dealt with them in any way.
bateau_du_gateau@reddit
The three great universities are Oxford, Cambridge and Hull, everyone knows that
Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit
Nah, I had a job interview at Hull. I turned up 2 hours late and they didn't give me the job. Was 100% my fault, misread invitation that said interview at 10, tour of campus at 12. I rocked up at 12.
Ok-Albatross-1508@reddit
For OPs benefit, the designation of “top” universities is incredibly subjective. For example, that list of six Unis just above could easily be Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, St Andrews, Imperial and Durham.
Even the engineering example is very arguable, I’d say Imperial > Sheffield for engineering, and real engineers (ie mechanical and variations thereof) would throw Cranfield into the mix. Most people in the UK have never heard of it but IYKYK. Similarly if you’re talking the design end of engineering then Loughborough is top of the tree.
I’m not saying the other poster is wrong, but I’m saying it’s not cut and dried and is subjective.
I think the main question OP has should also be looked at socially. If you are not wonderfully eloquent and articulate in English with a thorough knowledge of English literature then you might struggle to fit in to friendship groups etc at Oxbridge.
ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit
It’s going to end up with people arguing the toss about what counts as ‘world class’!!
My starting point would be COWI
Ok_Chipmunk_7066@reddit
Of course some of it is subjective. But the league tables give a good broad picture. But again, Sheffield is word class at Engineering, it's frankly bad at a lot of things. Same with Liverpool/Manchester/Southampton/Nottingham.
Oxbridge et all are widely considered good at everything but from teaching, to ressaech and research impact.
After the 9k fees all the Universities started lowering their entry requirements just to hit numbers. Some AAB courses were accepting BBC or CCD, as the uni had to just recruit what it could. The "better" Universities who could recruit unlimited AAA-AAB didn't have that problem.
Mental_Body_5496@reddit
r/uniuk might be a better place to ask
Expert-Wolverine-482@reddit
I think it depends on your course and desired career. I went to a top university in my field, graduated with an honours degree, first class, the works. However, when it came down to job hunting, in my specific field the university doesn’t matter too much at all, only what you bring to the table as a result of that education.
It’s probably different in other fields like medicine or legal fields, but that’s my experience with my field (design)
beseeingyou18@reddit
This is what it's like in most fields. It may be different in extremely cloistered industries but for 95% of people, degrees don't really matter anymore.
I recently commented in another thread that I'd be unlikely to recommend someone to do one these days unless they were 100% sure about it.
cragwatcher@reddit
University doesn't matter for medicine. The person who finishes last in their class at the worst med school is still a doctor, it's what they do from there that matters
fyonn@reddit
Well, assuming they didn’t fail…
Lammtarra95@reddit
In terms of status, which is not the same as the quality of the course or student facilities, the city in which it is located, or whatever rankings you have been looking at, we have Oxbridge (ie Oxford and Cambridge) then the Russell Group universities. When you come to look for a job after graduating, some hiring managers will care about this, and others will not.
fyonn@reddit
In my own limited experience, I’m never come across anyone who cared..
Normal-Height-8577@reddit
A friend of mine messed up her exams and went through Clearing. She wound up at the University of East Anglia, and although she was deeply ashamed at the time, she quickly realised it was the best thing that could have happened.
She'd struggled all her life with not being as naturally clever as her sister, and with never getting a chance to try new things because all the opportunities and awards at her school went to the same high-flyers every year.
Going to a university with people who much like her had always been somewhere in the middle of the results tables...it was a fresh start. It was an opportunity to try new things and dare to volunteer for clubs she'd never have thought of trying before. She joined the student newspaper. She enjoyed herself. And twenty years later she's made a good, solid career out of journalism.
So yeah, the top tier of universities are in some ways different. But different doesn't mean good or bad. Sometimes what you need out of a degree isn't the degree knowledge itself, but the social opportunities and the practice of self-discipline that you gained alongside it.
Normal-Height-8577@reddit
A friend of mine messed up her exams and went through Clearing. She wound up at the University of East Anglia, and although she was deeply ashamed at the time, she quickly realised it was the best thing that could have happened.
She'd struggled all her life with not being as naturally clever as her sister, and with never getting a chance to try new things because all the opportunities and awards at her school went to the same high-flyers every year.
Going to a university with people who much like her had always been somewhere in the middle of the results tables...it was a fresh start. It was an opportunity to try new things and dare to volunteer for clubs she'd never have thought of trying before. She joined the student newspaper. She enjoyed herself. And twenty years later she's made a good, solid career out of journalism.
So yeah, the top tier of universities are in some ways different. But different doesn't mean good or bad. Sometimes what you need out of a degree isn't the degree knowledge itself, but the social opportunities and the practice of self-discipline that you gained alongside it.
MixGroundbreaking622@reddit
It entirely depends on your career... In some careers it matters, in others it doesn't, and in some university itself is a waste of time and you'd be better off starting in the field and getting practical experience over theoretical.
idontlikepeas_@reddit
Something that’s often not considered is the quality of the students - your peers - in the poorly ranked universities. They’ll also be “lower ranked” and therefore you’re going to be subject to group work with people who might not be that motivated.
So yes getting into a better university is important but not just because of prestige.
Russel Group would be the lowest id go.
LeoScipio@reddit
No. Not even the top 100 or 200. Maybe when it comes to research but when it comes to undergrad and graduate studies it makes no sense whatsoever. Only morons actually believe there's an actual difference, outside of research. And university rankings are BS for the most part.
One_Loquat_3737@reddit
Unless you plan on a career in academic research the specific course and university are not the main things that hiring managers tend to care about. However, if you do have the right level of academic ability to get through the course without having to spend 24x7 studying (apart from sleeping), one key reason for going to 'top' universities is the other students you meet there. For 10 years, maybe longer, after you graduate, the contacts you made whilst studying can be an important resource for hearing about jobs and opportunities. University life is a mixture of studying and networking and you need to be able to do both.
Agitated_One845@reddit
I'm glad you asked. The answer is no.
ukhamlet@reddit
I've studied at a variety of universities: an Oxford university college, a Russell Group university, and a Metropolitan university. In terms of standards, the Russell Group uni was the toughest. In terms of prestige, the Oxford university college is always the one that catches a recruiter's eye. The Met is barely considered, even though I benefited from studying there.
Rumple-Wank-Skin@reddit
In certain fields the universitys matter because they will be at the cutting edge of research and because of the network of people associated with them.
In other areas it's less important if you are planning on just doing your undergraduate then leaving for work.
Aspirational1@reddit
Whenever I was interviewing, the last thing I was interested in was what University they went to.
Instead, it was about how you approach the role, what your priorities are and how you're going to fit with the rest of the team.
After your first job, and that could be anything, nobody really cares.
qualityvote2@reddit
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