Doubting my uni choice for employment prospects? :(

apologies if this isnt the right place :smile:

hey, so im doing a software engineering degree in uni of leicester , and tbh, i chose it because its close to home, and also i think it is still seen as a good / respected uni? (despite being ranked in the mid 30s but idk how much this matters)

i was just having some doubts about..well..everything tbh, i couldve gone to a better uni because i got ABB in a levels but i was comfortable here and hey i enjoyed first year..but suddenly i feel so uncertain idk what changed..

so i was wondering if for grad schemes in audit/accounting or data analytics which are the areas im trying to get into: will they care what uni i go to? like is leicester still seen as good or is it seen as not that good by employers? i heard online that some only recruit from certain unis or russel groups?

i was thinking of schemes such as the nhs management scheme, barclays tech schemes and lloyds bank data schemes for example, as well as big 4 - and obviously entry level roles too :smile:

in terms of experience, im part of a few socieities, (dont have leadership with them yet tho), and play some sports and do private tutoring , and i was thinking of looking for placements / internships for next year or if i cant do that, then id do some virtual internships and volunteering through the year - would this be okay for graduate applications or am i not going to be competitive?

so yea ..idk i just saw a lot of things online about how 11th - top30 isnt much difference but now leicester is like 35 or 36 im a bit worried - probably unnecessarily lol - so idk how it is seen by employers or if it will be seen as a mid tier uni..im just so uncertain about everything rn :frown:

Reply 1

JF ZAK

Original post by Al3x235

apologies if this isnt the right place :smile:

hey, so im doing a software engineering degree in uni of leicester , and tbh, i chose it because its close to home, and also i think it is still seen as a good / respected uni? (despite being ranked in the mid 30s but idk how much this matters)
i was just having some doubts about..well..everything tbh, i couldve gone to a better uni because i got ABB in a levels but i was comfortable here and hey i enjoyed first year..but suddenly i feel so uncertain idk what changed..
so i was wondering if for grad schemes in audit/accounting or data analytics which are the areas im trying to get into: will they care what uni i go to? like is leicester still seen as good or is it seen as not that good by employers? i heard online that some only recruit from certain unis or russel groups?
i was thinking of schemes such as the nhs management scheme, barclays tech schemes and lloyds bank data schemes for example, as well as big 4 - and obviously entry level roles too :smile:

in terms of experience, im part of a few socieities, (dont have leadership with them yet tho), and play some sports and do private tutoring , and i was thinking of looking for placements / internships for next year or if i cant do that, then id do some virtual internships and volunteering through the year - would this be okay for graduate applications or am i not going to be competitive?
so yea ..idk i just saw a lot of things online about how 11th - top30 isnt much difference but now leicester is like 35 or 36 im a bit worried - probably unnecessarily lol - so idk how it is seen by employers or if it will be seen as a mid tier uni..im just so uncertain about everything rn :frown:

Leicester is still a respected university, and most employers focus on your skills, experience, and degree rather than just university rankings. Your involvement in societies, sports, and tutoring is great, and internships will boost your competitiveness. The difference between universities ranked in the top 30 and mid-30s is minimal, so don’t stress too much. Keep gaining experience and developing your skills—you’ll be well-prepared for the graduate schemes you’re targeting.

Reply 2

Helpmeedu

Honestly, don't worry too much about rankings. I’ve seen plenty of people land good roles in audit and data analytics without coming from top-tier unis. It's all about the experience you get—internships, societies, side projects—those matter way more. Leicester will be fine as long as you put yourself out there and build up your skills. Plus, most employers care more about what you can do than where you studied.

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Pretty sure accoutancy grad schemes don't care where (or what) you studied - I know someone who went into a big 4 after going to Cardiff (which I think is probably similar to Leicester reputation-wise, although I think that's not an important factor regardless). I think for stuff in the computing sector or data science/analytics, it's even less important as what matters more is your technical ability and how well you can showcase that through various assessment centre exercises/leetcode/interviews.

Employers really don't look at league table rankings. The employers/jobs that really care about where you studied (investment banking roles/investment banks and management consulting roles at consulting firms) also don't go off league table rankings, they have their own lists of target universities and recruit preferentially from those (based on past experiences with grads from the unis). Since those as a very small number of roles/employers relative to all the others, I wouldn't worry about it.

Reply 4

Al3x235

Original post by Helpmeedu

hey thanks so much!

on internships, i heard they were competiive to get so my plan was to apply to as many as i can (i didnt see much open just yet), and if i dont get it, to do the shorter like 10hr virtual internships or something..would this still be good / worth putting on a cv compared to an actual placement? and will potentially not having one screw me over?

thanks so much!! :smile: