Does the university you go to really matter?

I'm currently in year 13 and am about to take my A2 exams. My firm choice is Kent and my insurance is Oxford Brookes. Kent seems to be a fairly respectable uni but my worry is if I mess up (I did so last year in my AS exams) and end up at Oxford Brookes, will this really matter if I end up graduating with a 2:1, for example?

I'm planning on doing further study after my bachelors degree, so my question is, if you do further/postgraduate study, will employers mainly take into account the university you studied postgrad at, or if you went to a lower uni to study bachelors will this greatly affect your chances of getting a good job? (So if I'm unfortunate in my exams and end up at Oxford brookes, manage to graduate with a 2:1 and study postgrad at somewhere like King's college london or UCL, will employers look at Oxford brookes and I'll be at a disadvantage or will they not care if I studied somewhere better at postgrad level?)

Btw I'm planning to study biomedical science at bachelors, then study law at postgrad to enter a career as a patent attorney.

(I know this post may sound negative as I haven't taken my exams yet, but after what happened in my exams last year I'm just preparing for the worst)

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Oxford Brookes is a good uni! Don't worry about it :nah:

Getting a 2.1 or above is what counts :yes:

Reply 2

willbee

Oxford Brookes is generally considered a good university. Only snobs would say it isn't. I'd actually think it better than Kent, but that's personal opinion. I think because it's not "Oxford Oxford" a lot of people think it's akin to a crappy polytechnic but I think most people who know anything about universities would respect you if you went to either your firm or insurance.

Edit: I always get negged for the posts that I wouldn't think could upset anybody, and then where I expect negs I don't get them. :rolleyes:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Jackso

It can give you a slight advantage but work experience is what really counts.

Reply 4

tdkr

doesn't really matter, BUT FOR LAW YES and doesn't matter what anyone wants to say Law Firms WILL LOOK at uni prestigiousness; you're gonna have to do a GDL as a post grad but apply to a top 20 uni (top 20 as in the ESTABLISHED 100 year old unis in the Russell Group/Red Brick such as Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham, UCL etc etc; not unis that have suddenly jumped up 20 places in the online uni rankings on the internet and now everybody is jumping on the wagon saying that the uni jumping up 20 places has now tranformed into being prestigious)

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

M4LLY

I'd imagine so, a 2.1 from Cambridge is definetly going to look better than than a 2.1 from London Met for example

Reply 6

Vian

It really depends on the course but in general it's work experience that counts.

EDIT: I get a feeling I'm going to regret this, but why the neg?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 7

Aeschylus

I just finished some work in a solicitor's office who specialises in IP law so partially similar to what you want to specialise in. Most of the trainees went to a university that many on here would turn their nose up at and laugh. They all had experience. I was explicitly told that while certain universities have better reputations than others, it is experience and networking that is by far the most important. Good luck!

Reply 8

Etreble

If you're doing the best you can, then it doesn't matter where you attend, you'll find a way to push yourself and come out on top!

Reply 9

Jeester

Depends what you want to do.
If you want to be a banker... Yes.
If you want to be a teacher or docter... No.

Reply 10

username445084

If you're going for the bog standard graduate job in management or whatever, your experience will count more than where you got your degree from - they'd take someone with 3 years work experience in the certain sector with a degree from ex-poly over someone that's just got qualifications, but has a 'better' degree.

Law's (etc.) different, they will go for the best graduates from the top 20 uni's - its so fierce in that sector they will go for the best. A degree from Brookes and a post grad at a Russell and you'll be fine though, just make sure you get a lot of experience on your side to stand out from competition.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 11

Origami Bullets

It's not the be-all and end-all, but going to a better uni can open up more doors - often because they're more targeted by employers during the milk round.

Law's a bit of a funny one, and prestige can have more of an effect in that sector than in others. However, Kent is a good uni, and Oxford Brookes is one of the best ex-polys, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Reply 12

poony

Getting into good uni. for law is the easy part, getting accepted into law school & finding a firm to take you on as an article clerk are difficult. So, go for your bioscience, you might not want to do law when you graduate.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 13

alexkol

Well, it matters.
That's way there are too many good and bad Unis.
But remember that you can always transfer to another Uni in 2nd year if you don't like it, or you think this is not for u. :biggrin: