Russell Group does it matter?

patchwork_cat

It very much depends on what subject you are doing. Some ex-polys have become leading lights in some fields, some believe only red brick (basically Russell Group) and avoid plate glass. If you are doing a vocational subject it basically doesn't matter where you go. I would go for a Russell Group number 1 on the whole. What subject is she doing?

Oldernotwiser

Lokolo wrote: »

I've turned out alright

That's why I said "in the main".

From what I've understood, you're doing a vocational course with a university which specialises in this rather than a degree in Media Studies from the University of Bolton. Many ex polys are excellent at vocational courses, particularly if they have good links with specific industries.

The OP's question led me to assume that an academic course was being considered.

melancholly

it's not all about 'the russell group' either - there are plenty of excellent unis with better reputations than some of the russell group ones. i think sussex is very well thought of and a very good uni to get into. it isn't russell group versus all the others. other noticeable unis missing from the russell group are st andrews, royal holloway, surrey, exeter, york, bath, durham, lancaster, loughborough, SOAS, UEA, leicester and aston and i'm sure plenty more that i can't think of right now!! sussex came above at least 6 russell group unis in the last league table. it's a good place to go!

in general, it's sensible to go to uni with the best reputation you can (for the field you want to do) because for all that people like to say all unis are equal, in the world of life after uni, sadly that just isn't the case. unis are big places and there will be plenty of people you like and plenty you don't at any institution.

sussex will certainly be a good name to have on a CV in terms of job applications (although as with any course, getting the best grade possible, with relevant experience and extra curricular activities etc etc are also massively important). plus it's also a lovely campus, in a nice part of the world, very close to brighton with easy links into london if that made a difference!

GeneHunt_2

Thanks for your replies.

My daughter went to an open day at Sussex on Saturday and loved it. (It was her first open day) She went to lectures on English lit, Business Studies and Economics. Does Sussex have a reputation as being a partying sort of Uni, just wondered with it being close to Brighton?

I did engineering at a poly. It was great. Most of my generation have never heard of the Russell Group and certainly couldn't name the Unis in that group, so I do wonder how many employers actually care about such things?

The only reason I ask is that my daughter's school seem to be fixated about the Russell Group!! (Well Oxbridge too but she won't get in to either of them! She's not in a private school.)

melancholly

well all unis have students that party a lot!! some too much! there's no single uni that doesn't have some kind of reputation for that (be it clubbing in the nearest city or drinking excessively in rooms!).

have a look at some of the times or guardian guides about league tables and also reviews of what the unis are like. get your daughter to look out for alternative prospectuses, that are put together by students themselves rather than uni staff.

employers tend to care about whether or not you went to a 'good' uni - but there are few people who would say 'i don't think i'd take someone from durham because it isn't in the russell group' since it has a reputation as one of the best unis in the country! i'd say get onto your own research and see what the guides say. it sounds like your daughter is doing exactly the right things in going to open days and seeing places to get a feel of the campus. the other side to check is that she's researching the content of the course she wants to do just as much, to check that it covers things that she's interested in.

Oldernotwiser

GeneHunt wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

My daughter went to an open day at Sussex on Saturday and loved it. (It was her first open day) She went to lectures on English lit, Business Studies and Economics. Does Sussex have a reputation as being a partying sort of Uni, just wondered with it being close to Brighton?

I did engineering at a poly. It was great. Most of my generation have never heard of the Russell Group and certainly couldn't name the Unis in that group, so I do wonder how many employers actually care about such things?

The only reason I ask is that my daughter's school seem to be fixated about the Russell Group!! (Well Oxbridge too but she won't get in to either of them! She's not in a private school.)

In your day there were universities and polytechnics and people understood that they had different functions and were good at different things.

Even in my day there was a pecking order of universities, with some being more prestigious (and harder to get into) than others. It was a more honest approach, I feel.

(By the way, you don't need to have been educated privately to go to Oxbridge.)

GeneHunt_2

melancholly wrote: »

employers tend to care about whether or not you went to a 'good' uni - but there are few people who would say 'i don't think i'd take someone from durham because it isn't in the russell group' since it has a reputation as one of the best unis in the country! i'd say get onto your own research and see what the guides say. it sounds like your daughter is doing exactly the right things in going to open days and seeing places to get a feel of the campus. the other side to check is that she's researching the content of the course she wants to do just as much, to check that it covers things that she's interested in.

Many of the Unis I seem to remember being regarded as prestigious don't seem to be in the Russell Group. I do find it all a little strange and disorientating. My daughters school go on and on about it...

She liked Sussex a great deal but it's the first she has been to see. She also went with quite a crowd of friends so I'm sure that helped too. The lecturers were really friendly and engaging and the accomodation seemed good too. The journey was also very easy too and from home.... it seems to have a great deal going for it.

She doesn't want to get to get too excited as the grades they want are high.

Lokolo

GeneHunt wrote: »

Many of the Unis I seem to remember being regarded as prestigious don't seem to be in the Russell Group. I do find it all a little strange and disorientating. My daughters school go on and on about it...

She liked Sussex a great deal but it's the first she has been to see. She also went with quite a crowd of friends so I'm sure that helped too. The lecturers were really friendly and engaging and the accomodation seemed good too. The journey was also very easy too and from home.... it seems to have a great deal going for it.

She doesn't want to get to get too excited as the grades they want are high.

The first I saw was Wolverhampton.... and I thought it was awesome... I then looked at others and realise what a s***hole it was.

Voyager2002

The two posts by Melancholly absolutely hit the nail on the head! I think that what the school are trying to say is that not all universities are equal, and that well-resourced universities with an established reputation for research as well as teaching generally offer a more rewarding experience than do their rivals. However, using the term "Russell Group" to denote this is a misleading form of shorthand.

Person_one

The Russell Group isn't really relevant to undergraduate study, its about the research carried out at that uni.

If she wants to go on to Masters/PhD study it might be useful but belonging to the Russell group does not mean that the quality of teaching at undergrad level will be any better. In fact some people believe its worse, as the staff are focused on their own work and the more advanced students rather than the 'beginners'!