University League Tables: Do they matter?

[Grig]

Was thinking of writing a piece about this and it really made me ponder an interesting question, does it matter to you where your university is ranked on the league table- the biggest being the Time Higher Education one, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/.

I've spoken to an expert on this and she blasted off at how narrow the Times ranking was and the fact it wasn't reflective enough due to it not considering a wider array of factors.

Also, when picking Unis, do you guys look at its rank or take into account other factors that make the decision for you?

Would love to hear views on this :).

[Kardan]

It matters slightly. I wouldn't read too much in the difference between, let's say a 14th and a 15th place. But the difference between a 14th and a 63rd place University would influence me.

And I look at rankings for just the UK, not worldwide. If it's of any interest, my Uni is ranked 14th in the UK, and 17th in the UK for my degree.

[AgnesIO]

I look a fair bit a league tables; in fact, I pretty much didn't apply at certain Universities if they didn't features well in certain league tables. This was partially because I looked for prestige in my subject area - something which (whether people like it or not) is important. The two Universities I wanted to go to most featured 13th and 14th I think last year in the "Complete University Guide". The one I eventually chose has somehow ended up as number 6 this year, although the other is really similar at number 8.

Not a fan of the Times Higher Education guide.

[buttons]

i picked my original uni (aberdeen uni) bc it was closer to home and academic and i dont think it does too bad in league tables, certainly better than my new uni (robert gordons). however, my new uni (changed because my first was way too hard) is rated #1 for graduate employment in uk... surely it's more important to get a job out of ur education than have a 'better ranked' degree but no skills for a job? anyway i just wanted a degree n to be able to say that i've achieved one and have enjoyed doing it so i don't regret choosing the one i did, was these 2 or nothing.also we've been shown videos from oxford lecturers etc teaching sociology and their teaching is basically the same as what we learn at uni anyway despite fact they rank near the top lol

[FlyingJesus]

Personally I'd prefer somewhere with actual accreditations and a proven track record of postgrad employment than looking into which uni got quoted the most in newly written papers. 30% of the entire table score is made up of this, and it could literally be due to one extremely useful text from 100 years ago that covers a whole range of topics or even tutor bias rather than the ability of its current teaching staff

[Inseriousity.]

I rarely look at league tables. I could've got a degree from Oxford or Cambridge (well I couldn't I don't have the grades for it but hypothetical argument) but I'd have been bored to tears if the modules were any indicator so that was always my main motivation rather than what rank it was. My uni isn't particularly well ranked but I enjoyed my course immensely.

[Alkaz]

I didn't really look at league tables when choosing my University. I based my judgement from open days and from speaking to current students of their experience of the course before I made my final decision. I ended up at UoWestminster which is ranked 16th in the UK for my degree, which also happens to be ranked 1st in London which just happens to be closest to my home so for me personally it all ended up well but I didn't get too wrapped up in league tables that it swayed my judgement.

[Zelda]

For the universities i've applied to this year, I suppose I paid a little attention to the league tables but that was mainly for my last few choices anyway, just so I chose decent ones instead of rubbish ones since I didn't really care anyway, even though Cambridge and Warwick are pretty much at the top for maths ones in the UK that didn't really effect my decision to apply for them and wasn't the reason why.

[Matthew]

err when applying for my unis this year, I did pay a little attention to rankings

I mainly looked at the league table and picked 4 or 5 unis from that to look around, and it was the open day/speaking to current staff and students etc that I made my final decision on.

For reference, I applied to LSE, Bath, Warwick, Exeter and Newcastle- ranked 3, 8, 9, 10, 22 in the UK overall respectively and 2, 1, 3, 8, 10 overall for my chosen degree.

also applied separately to durham which is 5th overall 14th for my degree.

The rankings were taken from http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings by the way!

[dirrty]

yes. those who are judging your CV are the only opinions that have any true importance (sadly). if they have specific criteria of focusing on certain universities (such as top 20 and nothing below), then yes league tables are incredibly important. but that is why students need to have sufficient amount of (relevant) work experience to ensure they stand out from their peers. that's if their desired career path isn't academia or whatever. having a prior job/internship/work placement that is relevant to a grad's future career makes a heck of a difference.

i know so many people who have graduated from so-so universities, no prior work experience and are surprised that they're still unemployed months after graduating, or working at sainsburys or whatever. the whole ~i don't care about league tables is all good and well, but your potential employer will.

[Rixion]

I look at those but find unistats much more helpful in deciding between two (say they were 14th and 15th).

[Shar]

I'd look at the league tables but wouldn't make a decision solely based on it.

[Daltron]

They matter somewhat here in aus because top tier firms for different sectors will generally only hire from G8 universities and so the ranking of any university outside of the G8 cluster becomes very important in assessing potential employees I suppose, and that's where these rankings come in haha.

Admittedly I did pick a university which was ranked well in league tables and more than often I see university students (and staff) make fun of people at lower ranked universities..

G8 = Similar to Ivy League

[shiver]

i think it's somewhat important to look at rankings but they alone should not completely influence your decision

i applied to russell group universities but i ended up going to a non-russell group (SHOCK HORROR TO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASSES) because i had a better feel for it and my course is a lot more in-depth at my chosen university. more importantly, the graduate employment seems a lot more promising for my university despite not being russell group, and it's somewhat true given how many graduates go into v. good jobs from my uni (myself included ;) xo)

[karter]

i'm pissing myself coz the uni i'm thinking of going to is like #350 why..........