Universities - Modern Languages

[Tigger71]

Originally Posted by 123

If they stick to Russell group universities it won't matter what their degree is in they will be able to go into loads of careers.

The more "specialised" the uni (so usually the old poly's) the less transferable the skills are seen as.

Note: this is just how many employers see it, I personally haven't seen much difference between a 2:2 student from Hull and one from Nottingham - so it is really just " old world" snobbery

However that view does still pervade some of our more blue-chip companies so it's good to know it is still an issue (whilst all degrees are now created equally, the still aren't seen as equal)

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Thats a really good point - thanks. When you say ”the more specialised the uni is” - whats an example of that ? (forgive me for being a complete novice at this).

He is predicted to get good Alevel grades so no reason why he wouldnt get into a Russell group uni

[123]

Originally Posted by Tigger71

Thats a really good point - thanks. When you say ”the more specialised the uni is” - whats an example of that ? (forgive me for being a complete novice at this).

He is predicted to get good Alevel grades so no reason why he wouldnt get into a Russell group uni

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When the newer universities were setup (mainly as polytechnics) they tended to specialise in certain things, for instance Northumbria was hot on Social Sciences and Technology (nowadays it's a real contender to Newcastle University in almost all courses).

The problem is in many adults over the age of 50 who went to Uni (so essentially all hiring managers) there is still the view of did you go to the real Uni or the local Poly.

On the subject of languages our child is at Oxford doing Iberian languages, great university.

Other really good language universities include Lancaster, Bath, Warwick, Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

Bath is probably the best language research university in the country, it's certainly the most competitive to get into for a master's degree after under graduate years.

If you haven't looked at Newcastle they also have an extensive language offering and if you are looking at translation (live political meeting type translators) as a potential career it is the only Uni in Europe with fully dedicated translation facilities that mirror those in use at the EU parliament

[123]

Originally Posted by Tigger71

Thats a really good point - thanks. When you say ”the more specialised the uni is” - whats an example of that ? (forgive me for being a complete novice at this).

He is predicted to get good Alevel grades so no reason why he wouldnt get into a Russell group uni

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All the Russell groups want at least AAB for language courses usually (except Ox and Camb where AAA or A*AA is required plus a host of other exams and assessments)

Lancaster will generally offer ABB

They all tend to offer a "drop grade" for an A* in an EPQ

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by 123

If they stick to Russell group universities it won't matter what their degree is in they will be able to go into loads of careers.

The more "specialised" the uni (so usually the old poly's) the less transferable the skills are seen as.

Note: this is just how many employers see it,

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Do they?

I think many employers don't really care. I know my employer doesn't really mind which University you go to and is more interested in the course the person has done rather than the university. Many employers won't even know what a "Russell group" university is (the term didn't exist back in my day).

I should note that I come from a science/engineering background and maybe it's different for languages?

[123]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

Do they?

I think many employers don't really care. I know my employer doesn't really mind which University you go to and is more interested in the course the person has done rather than the university. Many employers won't even know what a "Russell group" university is (the term didn't exist back in my day).

I should note that I come from a science/engineering background and maybe it's different for languages?

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I come from a Big-4 consultancy and large finance house background, I can assure you anyone wanting to go into the graduate schemes of Accenture, PWC, KPMG or Deloitte will run smack bang into the "Russell Group" wall very quickly.

I know (from doing it for 7 years) that the Grad School for the one I worked at took in 600+ graduates each year, you could count on one hand the number that were not from Russell Group Uni's

(Now some of that can be explained away, we wouldn't interview anyone with less than 3A's at A level regardless of degree classification, so that pretty much guaranteed you would be at a Russell Group anyway, then we only actively recruited at Russell Group campuses)

Quick Addendum - we did get a lot from Bath, which whilst not actually a Russell Group Uni is generally seen as comparable

[folkie]

Originally Posted by Tigger71

Cherrypie - great idea about visiting the cities 👍- I’ll discuss that with him and my DH.

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Definitely do this, and you can probably walk round the university district or campus even if you can’t go in anywhere.

The atmosphere of the cities made a difference to both my children’s uni choices, very much so in my son’s case.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by 123

I come from a Big-4 consultancy and large finance house background, I can assure you anyone wanting to go into the graduate schemes of Accenture, PWC, KPMG or Deloitte will run smack bang into the "Russell Group" wall very quickly.

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Ah, I guess its different for different jobs. And graduate schemes might be different to other jobs too.

Like you say, they may look at A-level results which, in turn, could be related to the type of University you go to.

It's funny to think that Polytechnics were turned into Universities to remove the perceived gap between the two only for the old Universities to create this "Russell Group" to ensure that perceived gap remained.

(It doesn't seem that long ago that getting 3 As at A-level was fairly rare. I studied at the University of Birmingham and I only needed two Bs and a C to get in, although I did get 3 As and a B in the end because I'm a swot. )

[Lola]

I would recommend visits if possible. It is the older universities that are generally preferred by employers but it can depend on the subject. The ‘University Guides’ that are published can be helpful but don't depend on them. It is the case that the older ones are valued more and it is worth taking into account.

[Cherrypie]

Originally Posted by Lola

I would recommend visits if possible. It is the older universities that are generally preferred by employers but it can depend on the subject. The ‘University Guides’ that are published can be helpful but don't depend on them. It is the case that the older ones are valued more and it is worth taking into account.

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If you want a certain specialised subject then as someone said above sometimes the old polys are the experts - look at the ucas course ratings. I also always think a sandwich type course with a years work experience ( I taught as a language assistant in a school in Madrid ) can go a long way for employers too.

[Tigger71]

So much to think about - thanks everyone! I work at a bluechip company myself and asked around a bit based on the discussion in this thread. It seems our graduates also tend to come from Russell Group unis.

I’ll have a look at their TEF ratings, rankings and what ML courses they offer. He definitely want to do one with a year abroad. Once narrowed down a bit, we will watch virtual tours / websites / prospects and sign up for virtual events. Once further narrowed down I hope to convince my DH that we should visit 3 cities (or just me and DS will go).

So glad I started this thread - immensely helpful Dibbers as always!