University league tables

SmallL

I didn't go to any open days! i based the choice of uni firstly by reputation of the department (biology) , since im not a 'student life' person and by distance from home (ideally not more then 3 hours away!)
Luckily i found out i lived only an hour from a uni with a biology department that rivals most!

Dunroamin

SmallL wrote: »

I didn't go to any open days! i based the choice of uni firstly by reputation of the department (biology) , since im not a 'student life' person and by distance from home (ideally not more then 3 hours away!)
Luckily i found out i lived only an hour from a uni with a biology department that rivals most!

Don't disparage "the student life" unless all you mean by the term is partying.

Employers look for graduates who have been fully involved in the university community and its clubs and activities as well as the opportunities offered for voluntary work.

Dunroamin

Apologies for the DM link but it's so relevant to the current discussion that I thought an exception should be made.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155634/Now-helicopter-parents-land-freshers-week-hover-campus-sleep-childrens-dorms.html

DalePie

Dunroamin wrote: »

Apologies for the DM link but it's so relevant to the current discussion that I thought an exception should be made.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155634/Now-helicopter-parents-land-freshers-week-hover-campus-sleep-childrens-dorms.html

I think this can be filed under Hocum :rotfl:.

SmallL

Dunroamin wrote: »

Don't disparage "the student life" unless all you mean by the term is partying.

Employers look for graduates who have been fully involved in the university community and its clubs and activities as well as the opportunities offered for voluntary work.

I meant the partying, im currently volunteering as a lab assistant actually, 70/100 hours done!
Not really got involved with activities and clubs, but thats due to personal reasons in the first year.

Dunroamin

DalePie wrote: »

I think this can be filed under Hocum :rotfl:.

There's certainly enough examples to fill a filing cabinet.

"Frank Furedi, social commentator and professor of sociology at the University of Kent, says that controlling parents are "destroying the distinction between school and higher education".
"All universities now have to take the parent factor into account. On university open days you can see more parents attending than children," says Professor Furedi.
He says there have been cases of parents who arrive expecting to attend their children's university interviews."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7570127.stm

"Students blame parental pressure for dissatisfaction with university choices. Hannah Fearn reports

A quarter of London students felt pressured by their parents over their choice of university and degree course, leading to dissatisfaction and boredom, a survey suggests."
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=409934&sectioncode=26

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9319571/Helicopter-parents-should-brace-for-impact.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2008/aug/20/parents.schools

Strikes me as more of a phenomenon than hocum.

Person_one

It kills me to agree with a Daily Mail article, but I do think its happening.

Parents in the US have been highly involved in their childrens' higher education for years, largely because of the huge financial investment they make in it, I suspect the fee rises are largely responsible for it starting to happen over here too, as well as the general move towards extending adolescence well into the twenties. (No NMW till 21, no tax credits till 25 etc, the recent housing benefit changes etc.)

Helix

I remember when I went to open days a few years ago, some of the parents could be really annoying whilst on tours. Especially the ones that thought the university they were visting was beneath their child so tried to find faults with everything.

I preferred the open days where the parents were taken on a separate tour. At least it gave you a chance to ask questions without someones parent taking over the whole tour.

PaulW1965

Person_one wrote: »

I'm a mature student at university for the second time.

The first time, all the students were sorting themselves out, a couple of them took parents to open days but most went with friends, there were definitely no visible parents at interviews.

The second time around the mature students were the only ones who didn't have their parents with them at open days, the universities I interviewed at sent 'info packs' specifically for parents and had events planned for parents to attend while their children were being interviewed. I spoke to one of the admin people who told me they had to start arranging things for the parents who turned up because otherwise they hung around outside the interview room or even tried to come in with the student!

There has definitely been a change, and that's within a decade.

That's a big leap you are making right there though isn't it? Parents go to open days now so ergo parents are picking their kids courses and universities.

Parents do go to open days these days - that bit is true (and to be honest, despite everything I read on this board, I found that parents were warmly welcomed and neither I nor my wife experienced any hostility from staff at open days - the exact opposite in fact)

but just because parents go to open days, doesn't mean they are picking their kids uni courses and unis - that bit,.........it's just not true.......it's a made up, piece of fiction....

DalePie

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'm one of the many professionals who work (or have worked) in the field who post on here to help students and their parents.:D