Eton College – should he go there?

[d2001]

Hi Friends,
My son has been offered a bursary to go to Eton College. He is very keen but we can only just about afford to send him there. We wouldn’t be able to pay for additional activities like school trips etc. My wife is a doctor and I’m an engineer.

Please could you help me with some info:

What professions do must boys from Eton follow? Is there great pressure for them to go into business and make money after leaving Eton/University? My son currently wants to pursue a career in science.

As my son is from a normal working family, will he fit in with very affluent children or will he feel left out and be treated differently?

Instead of him going to Eton in year 9, what are the chances of him getting a place at year 12 to do his A-levels only? We can afford the fees for 2 years.

Apart from the main fees, what other expenses are there?

At the moment he goes to a good grammar school which is free. As we can just about afford to send him to Eton College we would have financial burdens when looking at university living costs. I’m considering not sending him to Eton College and help him at university instead. I’m sure he’ll get good exams results and will probably go a top university anyway.

Is going to Eton College more beneficial than going to somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge?

Any advice is much appreciated.

DP

[moved]

I'm PMing you.

[WindowGlass]

Gosh that sounds difficult, like the leap we had to make last year with our own DS at a leading independent. People might think it's a chance in a lifetime, but it's also massive responibility to make that decision.

I couldn't advise really, but I suppose, after considering practicalities, how much do YOU, your son AND the school want him to go there? As the experienced adjult, is it really going to help achieve what he could want and his character?

Are there other DC to go there and university?

No need to answer here publicly, but maybe at least a tiny little help !?!?!

[kenyancowgirl]

Have you spoken to the school? If they are offering him a bursary then the chances are that they have a pot of money that is there to support bursary students access all school trips/uniform etc. I would ask to have a frank discussion with the Bursar as, in my experience, they are very good at telling you exactly what you have to commit to and how much you can access through school support funds.

[Peridot]

If it was me, and if he's already at a good grammar school, I'd save the money and stress and keep him at the grammar. Unless he's unhappy and really wants to change school I can't see that going to Eton is going to make much difference to his attainment now or in the future.

I have to admit that I am slightly biased in that at university I did know a few old Etonians and they were, universally, condescending snobs who felt they were superior to everyone else because they'd been to Eton. That's very unfair of me to maintain that opinion, I know, but I may not be the only one who does!

[IronMikeTyson]

Having Eton on your cv will potentially open up a lot more opportunities ,both socially and academically.
imo getting into the best Universities and the best jobs will be easier.

[southbucks3]

Has he won a kings scholarship? If he has, it's an amazing opportunity that would potentially open up a huge network for him. I did quite a lot of work in Eton, really it is just superb facility wise, the boys were always helpful and polite, no arrogance directed towards me as a lowly sales engineer ensuring a contract was installed correctly.....unlike in some schools I visited.
He will doubtless move to an Oxbridge uni if you sincerely believe he is capable, but by then he will be an adult and in charge of his own finances and decisions, he can take the debt if he wishes, or opt out all together. Right here right now he is a child who has been given a big break.

Have you ever read this from earlier this year? I like the way the boy admits he does not believe selective education is good for the country. Very clever lad.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... hak-ayiris" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[salsa]

It seems as a brilliant opportunity. Would you regret it if you don't take it?
Listen to what the Tony Little headmaster has to say in the BBC program The Educators.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/educators" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It talks about the confidence Etonians develop.

Good luck and well done to your son!

[Amber]

He will doubtless move to an Oxbridge uni if you sincerely believe he is capable, but by then he will be an adult and in charge of his own finances and decisions, he can take the debt if he wishes, or opt out all together.

And if he wants to. I have a child who is definitely capable of Oxbridge - and has the grades to prove it- but did not like it one tiny bit and absolutely did not want to go. Please (not you SB3, just generally) don't assume that bright, high attainers will necessarily want to go to Oxbridge. Not all of them do and it is a shame if that is always considered the 'gold standard' for children to aim for.

[southbucks3]

Absolutely....I should have said take the debt, opt out completely or go to a different place entirely to further his education, sorry I omitted the third option.

The crux is though that we can make decisions for children and are financially responsible for them, but by the time they are eighteen they should be sorting out their own life, gone are the days of grants based on parent salary, which I resented totally as it meant I had to apply to have my father's salary disregarded each year as he wouldn't pay my maintenance grant....I didn't see why he should have either...didn't blame him at all, I took a student loan and paid it off within a few years of leaving uni.
Help him now if you can, whilst he needs your cash to grab this opportunity, not at a possible future date when he may not need any financial help at all.