The Student Room Group

Do university rankings really matter?

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Original post by Mathematicus65
As a former poster said, other than the top 10 or so universities, the others are on equal ground when it comes to job applications... So other than the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, Bristol, Exeter, Warwick, Durham, LSE, Southampton and possibly Nottingham, there isn't too much distinction between the others


What exactly are you basing this statement on - 'I've heard', 'I've been told' or just 'I assume'?

Do you actually have any experience of the graduate job market?
Original post by Kaeden
Because you can speak for everyone, right?

Please.


I'm not speaking for anyone. It's my opinion. What's hard to understand about that?
Original post by Snufkin
That might be your opinion but it isn't shared by most employers.



Are you an employer?

Exactly what personal experience are you basing this statement on?
Original post by returnmigrant
What exactly are you basing this statement on - 'I've heard', 'I've been told' or just 'I assume'?

Do you actually have any experience of the graduate job market?


Half and half really. Partly from what my father has told me about how finance, banks and insurance companies operate in his companies and mosts selection process' and from what various speakers have said during lecture period at school.
Original post by Duncan2012
I'm not speaking for anyone. It's my opinion. What's hard to understand about that?


When you get to University, you will learn that opinions have to be backed up by sustainable evidence.

So far you have not presented any.
Original post by Mathematicus65
Half and half really. Partly from what my father has told me about how finance, banks and insurance companies operate in his companies and mosts selection process' and from what various speakers have said during lecture period at school.


So, no personal experience at all then. Just 'I've heard'.
Original post by Snufkin
That might be your opinion but it isn't shared by most employers.


If you'd care to back up your statement with some data I might give your opinion a little more consideration. Having been involved in hiring both graduates and experienced workers I do have more than a little knowledge of what employers look for. Do you have any experience of the workplace/recruitment?
Original post by returnmigrant
So, no personal experience at all then. Just 'I've heard'.


Yes. Apologies if this doesn't conform with your opinion. I was just stating my opinion to help the OP, and since they are from extremely good sources, I'd like to believe this information is valid and trustworthy. I guess it depends what sort of industry you want to enter and what sort of wage packet you expect to receive. For my career path, Petroleum Geology, what university you attend is extremely important to what opportunities I can access in my future career
Original post by returnmigrant
When you get to University, you will learn that opinions have to be backed up by sustainable evidence.

So far you have not presented any.


After 3 degrees I think I know a little bit about what happens at university. Let's call it a hypothesis if that makes you feel better.
I know for a fact that at some finance companies, insurance companies and banks that only applications from Russell group universities are considered seriously. If you look at the statistics of university and salary correlation you will see evidently that as salary rises the prestige of the university one attended also rises. It follows from common sense that if such correlation exists then employers must differentiate candidates based on which university they attended as a major factor.
I've never heard anyone refer to the Russell Group, university rankings, 'red bricks', 'prestige' etc in the 'real world'. It just seems to be a term used on here by 17 year olds who haven't even been to university yet and know nothing about the job market.

At my job we've got graduates from LSE, Warwick and Durham but we've also got people from places like Sheffield Hallam, Kingston and UWE. What university they went to has precisely zero impact on how they perform in the role.

Employers don't give a **** where you went to university. If it's something incredibly exclusive like magic circle law firms or investment banking then maybe, but 99.9% of university students won't be going for those sort of roles.
Original post by returnmigrant
Are you an employer?

Exactly what personal experience are you basing this statement on?


My dad, uncle and aunt are all employers and have all told me they care what university job applicants went to. I'm afraid their word has more weight with me than some random TSR user.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by returnmigrant
The majority of mainstream employers haven't got a clue what 'Russell Group' even means.

For those that do, they know its a meaningless criteria - because its just highly contrived and over-hyped 'brand marketing', nothing more.


So far from the truth! A Russell Group university is one which produces outstanding research, teaching, learning environment and links to business (RG website: http://russellgroup.ac.uk/). It isn't brand marketing, really they're the kind of universities one should attend if you plan to go into research as a career. For some reason TSR seems to think they're the Holy Grail, but that isn't necessarily the case, and most people don't understand the purpose of the Russell Group. Much like the term 'red brick' used to describe a good university, all it actually describes is a university built in the Victorian era using RED BRICKS; it just so happens that Birmingham and Newcastle (for example) are very good universities, also on the Russell Group list.
Original post by SuperCat007
A Russell Group university is one which produces outstanding research, teaching, learning environment and links to business (RG website: http://russellgroup.ac.uk/). .


OF COURSE the RG itself will try and justify its artificial elite positioning. It was only when the Polys got Uni status that the 'old' Unis got scared and tried to re-brand themselves as something exceptional that RG was invented. It simply didn't exist before that. This is what marketing IS. Its no difference from calling a supermarket line 'Premier/Tasty/Posh' - its the invented myth that somehow the RG Unis are 'better' and 'the others' aren't.

Since companies like Deloitte have now realised that its utter bunkum and are regarding all graduate applications 'Uni blind' it really is time that students - and their out-of-date parents and teachers - started actually looking at the 2015 commercial reality rather than clinging to some sort of 1950s dream of ivory towers.
Original post by Snufkin
My dad, uncle and aunt are all employers and have all told me they care what university job applicants went to. I'm afraid their word has more weight with me than some random TSR user.


Ask them what objective criteria they use to assess an applicant's university. Which ranking list? When does a university stop being 'good' and become 'bad'? 10th on a list? 11th? What weighting do they give an applicant's university? 2x? 10x?

I know they won't be able to answer those questions. Your dad, aunt and uncle all have unfair and backward HR practices. Not that I care about the opinions of some relatives of an internet stranger.
Original post by Duncan2012
Ask them what objective criteria they use to assess an applicant's university. Which ranking list? When does a university stop being 'good' and become 'bad'? 10th on a list? 11th? What weighting do they give an applicant's university? 2x? 10x?

I know they won't be able to answer those questions. Your dad, aunt and uncle all have unfair and backward HR practices. Not that I care about the opinions of some relatives of an internet stranger.


Not sure about the others, but I know my dad doesn't use ranking lists to determine if a uni is good or not. He has in his mind a list of "solid universities which have always been good". The big grad schemes might not be so fussed about where you studied but it is plain silly to pretend no employers care.
I had the option of doing a PhD at a very prestigious university, or a funded collaborative PhD at a university from the other end of the scale. I went for the funded one, as I knew I wanted to be a practitioner rather than an academic, and the 4 years of staff status with the collaborating partner made all the difference to my career prospects (and no tuition fees plus annual salary whilst studying).

Think about your long-term goals, and whether RG status is essential.

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