Oxford Brookes University

Oxford

Is Oxforf Brookes a rubbish uni?

I know it's nothing compared to Oxford, Durham, Exeter Bristol, etc, and it is a poly, however if you gained a 2:1 degree from Brookes, would you find it hard to get a job compared to someone who went to Oxford? Also, someone from an average uni might have amazing interview skills, teamwork skills etc compared to someone with all A*'s at A level and a degree from Oxford,...so if I do end up at somewhere like Oxford Brookes, am I set for a really bad life?

Reply 1

Zara0526

You are most certainly not 'set for a really bad life' if you go somewhere like Oxford Brookes. It can be seen as a mediocre university but the skills that you learn will be the same as other university's. Many employment opportuintes such as that in the Civil services are working to eliminate the 'elitist' stigma surrounding them and thus employers will not be told what university you attened throughout the application process - instead they will only be told what you achieved.
However, what universitie's such as Oxford offer is connections (thus there graduates can get into jobs faster) and the tips and tricks into acing interviews ect as well as a diverse range of internship/work experience opportunities.

Oxford Brookes University

Oxford

Reply 2

gdunne42

Original post by ambermariemorgan

No it's not a rubbish uni
It's really good for certain things
Do your research on the subject you want to study and the employment stats of Brooke's and other unis for that subject.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 3

The Empire Odyssey

Original post by ambermariemorgan

It's ranked in the best 400 unis in the world. And considering there's 23,000+ universities in the world, that's pretty damn good!

It's main specialism I do believe is Architecture, Motorsport Engineering (students do apprenticeships/placement years with F1, etc) and I think Publishing Media too where they have a partnership with Oxford University Press (i think). But they have a Booker's Prize Archive which is famous within its own right.

It's a good uni. But focus on what subject you want to do, and five unis of your choice will benefit you regardless of ranking or whatnot.

Reply 4

TheConfusedMedic

I guess you could fool people into saying you went to Oxford :colone:

Reply 5

username2125137

I'm looking at Motorsport technology at Oxford brookes because it has good connections with the f1 teams. Plus I don't have much choice, the best unis don't offer that type of specialist course so I can't pick Warwick or York etc. Anyone do that course now?

Reply 6

username2130115

its an ex-poly.
do mechanical engineering at a decent university.

Reply 7

username2125137

What actually is a poly? I'm 17, they've never existed to me :wink:

So your saying don't do something that interests me more but instead do a slightly different course that is better recognised and at a better uni? Because I don't like engineering ahah

Reply 8

Kevin De Bruyne

Original post by rndmtngr99

What actually is a poly? I'm 17, they've never existed to me :wink:

So your saying don't do something that interests me more but instead do a slightly different course that is better recognised and at a better uni? Because I don't like engineering ahah

Don't study something that you have little to no interest in.

Reply 9

Themini

Original post by ambermariemorgan

Its ranked 65th in the 2017 leagues. Its dropped from last year quite significantly. But the general rule of thumb for unis is to remain in the top 50 in the league tables. You're spending 9k p/a to secure a job - one which will hopefully cover the costs of the debt and years loss of income. Think it through- there are plenty of other universities which want similar entry grades but are higher up the league tables.

Reply 10

username2125137

Original post by SeanFM

Don't study something that you have little to no interest in.

Even if it's a better course at a better uni? So stick with what I'm passionate about even if it's like 60th in the rankings?

Reply 11

Kevin De Bruyne

Original post by rndmtngr99

Even if it's a better course at a better uni? So stick with what I'm passionate about even if it's like 60th in the rankings?

If you're going from something that is ranked 60th in one year in one league table to something that is consistently ranked highly then personally, that's when I would have started to reconsider it.

But there is more to universities than just a number in a particular year. If you really want to succeed at uni, you need to find the right one for you, in terms of anything that you can measure that by. If it's something that is generally a 'good' univesity (and rankings look good, but take those with a sackful of salt) then great, but if it's something that's kind of mid-table and you can't really aim for the top unis then.. :dontknow:

it's then more up to you and what you achieve as an individual rather than the name of the uni.

Reply 12

username2125137

Original post by SeanFM

it's then more up to you and what you achieve as an individual rather than the name of the uni.

From what Ive looked at on Which? Universities and other sites it looks generally quite decent compared to others in that area of the rankings. Just so annoying that better universities don't offer the same amount of variety. Guess I'll just look for the feel on the open day!

Reply 13

username2130115

Original post by rndmtngr99

What actually is a poly? I'm 17, they've never existed to me :wink:

So your saying don't do something that interests me more but instead do a slightly different course that is better recognised and at a better uni? Because I don't like engineering ahah

if you don't like engineering then why do you want to do motorsport technology? :s-smilie:

Reply 14

username2125137

Because it looks better than general mechanical engineering, idk don't confuse me :biggrin:

Reply 15

username2130115

Original post by rndmtngr99

Because it looks better than general mechanical engineering, idk don't confuse me :biggrin:

you should do a broader degree to keep your options open. what if you don't want to work in motorsport when you graduate?

Reply 16

Pasta Lord

Original post by ambermariemorgan

Short answer:

No. So long as you make sure you get at least a 2:1, a good internship (or two) and make the most of meeting people and getting a grip on good soft skills like CV writing and Interviewing you will be fine.

Long answer:

University prestige matters, but less than you think. Awkward responses to "oh Oxford - which college are you at?" aside what is really going to be affected is things like who comes to your careers fairs, how up to date and broad the course is and to a certain degree the advice the department will be able to give you.

While it's a blunt fact that a 2:1 from Oxford is going to be more employable as a standalone bit of your CV than a 2:1 from Brookes it's unlikely that you will actually be rejected from anywhere just because of your university.

To elaborate centrally what you will miss out on at an ex-poly compared to an RG is exposure to talks/networking/CV workshops etc. big name companies (Google, Microsoft, Apple etc.) as it's unlikely they will come to careers fairs or to give talks. This is partly perception of student calibre, partly lack of connections from research partnerships.

Course-wise if you have the top people in your field at your university and they are the ones designing the courses then what is on offer will inevitably be up-to-date as well as broad in scope (RGs tend to have big departments as they can fund them).

The above being said - you are not going to be rejected just by having Brookes on your CV. The difference is that you might not be as well prepared for finding jobs at these big names than if you were at Oxford - same goes for finding internships. I'm probably repeating old advice here but honestly when you apply for graduate jobs they will care about 4 things:

1. Do you have academic ability? (are you on a 2:1 or 1st)
2. Did you manage to get a good internship? (an internship with actual responsibility for work of consequence to the company)
3. Do you have social skills? (are you articulate, do you come across well in an interview)
4. Do you have self-motivation? (do you do any projects related to your field or are have any hobbies you are quite accomplished with)

This is what I meant by the short answer.

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 17

Pasta Lord

Original post by rndmtngr99

What actually is a poly?

Before 1992, there were two options for getting a degree: University or Polytechnic.

The difference was firstly that Universities awarded their own degrees whereas Polytechnics offered degrees from the 'Council for National Academic Awards'. In addition to this, Universities to a certain point were more focused on traditional theory-based subjects (although this isn't strictly true - the first higher education establishment to teach computer science was Cambridge in the 1950s). Polytechnics on the other hand taught more vocational/applied courses - 'business studies' is perhaps the most famous one.

The reason they were abolished was in part due to the whole 'classless society' aim of John Major's government - the University/Polytechnic setup was seen as a prominent example of the rich/poor divide (you can guess who went to what) as well as the fact that Polytechnics were awarding degrees anyway (just from the CNAA) so why not let them award their own.

There was also change in degree courses and a blurring of the lines between 'vocational' and 'academic' - you can see this today. Most RG universities have engineering departments and business schools (two things that originated with polytechnics) not to mention the prevalence of sandwich degrees - another ex-poly innovation. The concept of coursework instead of just sitting an exam is another example of this. As such the distinction between the education offered at a university vs. a polytechnic started to become less apparent.