importance of uni reputation

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It sounds like you have already chosen Lancaster - they have everything that you want and you talk about Lancaster and seem to look forward to going there. You should go to Lancaster - you'll likely get better grades, no what ifs and enjoy the experience more.

Reply 21

AW_1983

I think this topic is still fresh enough to step in. You will have noticed that there is not broad agreement on whether university reputation does or does not matter on this forum. It demonstrates quite neatly how real life works as well.

University snobbery is definitely 'a thing' not just in legal occupations but more generally. I'm an Open University graduate and there are people in the UK who will insist I don't have a real degree. That I completed my degree full time whilst working and got a First means absolutely nothing to these people because I did not go to a bricks and mortar university. Equally, there are people in this world who prize the Open University above other degrees because of the level of commitment it requires to be successful.

There are also people in the world who don't respect degrees from universities that were polytechnics before 1992. They genuinely believe that the course content is materially different between these institutions and "old" universities even though they're all accredited in the same way. Equally again there are people who don't care what university you went to as long as you studied hard when you got there and might respect your decision for preferring the course or wanting to save money by studying closer to home.

A more recent trend is an obsession with the Russell Group, a snobbery that didn't really exist when I went to university in 2001. Back then, there were two groups, the Russell Group and the 1994 Group and membership largely depended on research within the organisations and was more relevant to PhD students. Today, the Russell Group seems to have morphed into some kind of marketing gimmick and protectionist racket where those inside pretend to be superior to those outside (which makes no sense whatsoever once you consider that Bath, Lancaster, Loughborough and St. Andrews are not in there, all of which traditionally ranked higher than universities like Cardiff or Liverpool). Some people will truly believe the Russell Group provides a more thorough course of education but there is no substantive evidence to back this up.

Unfortunately, though, as I've said, university snobbery is 'a thing' and it will matter to some recruiters. Therefore you essentially face a choice. Go to the university with the best marketing that most people think is "prestigious" and leave all your doors open, or go to the university you like and have several doors slammed on you by the snobs and leaving you competing for fewer opportunities. For example, I've been looking at solicitors' firms to apply for a 2024 TC and found a regional one I really liked, but although I easily have enough UCAS points they want someone who went to a "top-30 university" whatever that is. It puts me off working for them a little as in my current employer we are very wary of university snobbery because it can detrimentally impact fair access to employees from minority backgrounds.

To go back then to your question directly about pupillage. My understanding is that around 20% of people who take the BPTC will become barristers, pretty slim odds. I just don't think you can afford to close yourself off to opportunities and you will have to appease the snobs to maximise your chances of success.

importance of uni reputation

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