Does going to a top 30 uni really affect employability?

Title says it all

No, in this day and age there are many variables that different companies consider. In some of the top 'prestigious' companies, they will literally use your degree first and foremost to be considered to get in. They will then perform a whole raft of tests, exams and interviews etc. to basically whittle down the numbers until they are left with the 'best' of what is left. If candidates are still tied after this, then that is when they start to look at which university they went to and this is what could be the difference between getting the job or not - sometimes its the only way they can separate candidates.

For smaller companies, they may prefer personality more than the degree itself - so where you got your degree is irrelevant. It really is down to the ethos of the company and the people who are recruiting. What I will say is more important (behind a degree if one is required for the job), is experience. It does not matter how you get it, whether it is part-time, voluntary or full-time - most employers will value this highly. If you can volunteer or work part-time in your relevant field whilst studying, you will find you will have a strong advantage over those that don't.

Reply 2

pereira325

Top 30 universities is quite a large enclosure of intelligent students.
Yes, these students are likely to have better employability (it's all probability). It's to do with the name/reputation of the university and also their contacts. Better ranked unis tend to have "more useful" students so they can get better contacts in industry if that makes sense.

Reply 3

The Scotfather

Original post by d0nkey_dude

Title says it all

Depends what area or trade your aiming to get into.

Reply 4

d0nkey_dude

Original post by The Scotfather

Depends what area or trade your aiming to get into.

Science, pharmacology or biochemistry

Reply 5

username1221160

The biggest factors is obtaining employment are not the reputation or league to position of your university.

It is your own personal qualities. Your future employer is not hiring the university, they are hiring you. There are plenty of numpties that go to good universities and struggle with employment. Going to a Russell Group university won't make up for the fact that someone is lazy, a bit thick, has zero social skills, etc.

Reply 6

Realitysreflexx

it had better, why else work my arse off for decent A levels, coulda bombed got CCC and pulled a first at a fluff university.

Self interested, it better lmao

Reply 7

random_matt

Time and time again employers have said they do not give a hoot where you study, obviously there are exceptions like law etc.

Reply 8

yt7777

It really should do. More employers should recognise that the standards differ hugely between going to a top 30 vs. one of the many poor standard universities where people get in with low requirements and seem to get a first with little effort.

Reply 9

nulli tertius

Original post by d0nkey_dude

Title says it all

Look at this data for degree performance controlled for social background and prior educational performance.

https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13036

If you look at females reading law you will see an exceptionally strong correlation between increased earnings and attending a Russell Group university.

Then look at males reading English. Reading English at UWE will impair your employability far, far less than reading English at Bristol. Loughborough isn't a name one immediately thinks of for English (although there is a publishing industry in and around the town), but it produces the second best return on an English degree.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 10

username738914

Original post by d0nkey_dude

Title says it all

Going to a good university ultimately puts you ahead in terms of access to better employers coming on campus/partnering with the university, access to better facilities, access to better academics (with better networks), access to a cohort of stronger and higher potential students, access to a well funded and resourced career services program, access to better funded and varied extra curricular organisations etc etc.

On top of that, you have the fact that some employers will actively look fondly upon your university because of the relationships they have built with it. That, you probably will be more challenged, pushed harder and have the opportunity to realise your full personal development potential in order to reach your goals.

So.. in short, yes. It matters.. A lot. But it's not the only thing that matters and as you can see from the above list it only matters because of the opportunities you have available rather than the direct result of going to a good uni. Which means that someone able to find opportunities to fulfil their potential at a *worse* university is still much better than someone who went to a good one and did nothing.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 11

username738914