Employers views of different unis for humanities

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quasimodo
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Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by quasimodo »

My views on the Universities are based on World league tables which in my view are better indications of reputation.

http://www.topuniversities.com/universi ... se+search=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln
KB
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Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by KB »

All of the Unis in your list are good 'solid' choices so I strongly agree that the choice should be made on personal preference.
Looking at the course content is important but remember that over the 4 years one's interests may change.
Amount and nature of contact time is another factor.

Being happy while studying is hugely important so think about accommodation, mix of students and other lifestyle issues.
A really independent 18 year old may be OK living as far away as possible but for others being only a couple of hours away may be reassuring.

For the type of career being considered a year abroad seems highly relevant but I would look closely at how this works in practice.
quasimodo
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Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by quasimodo »

http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/20 ... port16.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Universities Targeted by the Largest Number of Top Employers in 2015-2016

1. Manchester
2. Nottingham
3 Warwick
4. Bristol
5. Cambridge
6. Oxford
7. London University College
8. Durham
9. Bath
10. Leeds
11. Birmingham
12. London Imperial College
13. Edinburgh
14. London School of Economics
15. Loughborough
16. Sheffield
17. Southampton
18. Exeter
19. Newcastle
20. London King’s College
21. York
22. Cardiff
23. Liverpool
24. Lancaster
25. Glasgow

It is appreciated it doesn't include small and medium sized employers.It is the most recent survey.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln
Amoda
Posts: 132
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:01 pm

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by Amoda »

@quasimodo - thanks very much for the links. Very useful data (along with other criteria) for my DS to decide which unis to go for (he's currently in year 12).

Seems to be the usual suspects - not much has changed since I applied many years ago!

But as we all know, it's the course which ought to determine which university (along with many other factors). But we cannot ignore rankings either. I work for one of the top 100 graduate recruiters listed and we still target the Russell group unis only.

That, unfortunately is the reality of the situation.
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by ToadMum »

http://www.un.org/en/sections/resources ... index.html

I don't know whether the UN targets particular UK universities as well, but its job seekers info seems to imply that you appoaching them proactively is a perfectly normal way to go about trying to get a job.

Amoda, does the organisation state publicly that only graduates of certain universities are considered suitable, regardless of the actual field / degree?
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Amoda
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Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:01 pm

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by Amoda »

My organisation states quite clearly which unis they visit during the milk rounds - they are all Russell group universities.

However, they still welcome applications from applicants attending other universities but those won't be the ones they'll be targetting to be honest. But if you're a standout candidate, then it won't matter.

Many of the graduate management schemes require the graduates to work in many different roles from marketing to operations so the actual field/ degree is not as relevant. Where you studied it and gaining a 2:1 minimum carries more weight.

The competition for these graduate schemes is very competitive so they can pick and choose who they want.

The flexibility comes in if you're being recruited as an experienced hire - then the university one went to is less of an issue.
hermanmunster
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Location: The Seaside

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by hermanmunster »

I heard of people getting internships at the UN in Bonn ( they have taken over some of the old government buildings there)
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by Guest55 »

The League tables quoted are just as flawed as school ones - don't base ANY choice on them.

Newer subjects and subjects offered in a few unis aren't reflected in the League tables anyway.

RG is not the 'be all and end all' - there are some great unis like Bath and Loughborough which aren't RG!

For example, F1 teams and car manufacturers don't target RG unis for their engineers ...

Some of the recruitment methods mentioned here must be illegal as they aren't treating all applicants equally unless their recruitment literature spells out these criteria.
mad?
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Location: london

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by mad? »

Amoda wrote: I work for one of the top 100 graduate recruiters listed and we still target the Russell group unis only.
That's interesting. I have worked closely in this field for several years and note that of the 'top 10' UK graduate recruiters ('so called' because of course if they are not recruiting in your field of choice they are irrelevant) 9 now are uni institution and A level grade blind on the first three rounds of recruitment. In short, the recruiters have no access to details about which school/university attended or in 7 cases A level grades candidates gained. Moreover, I have not, in the past 10 years, come across a major employer whose recruitment strategy would still use the term 'targeting' a university, not least because of the diversity and widening participation agenda and changes in discrimination legislation but also because those employers who take recruitment seriously have recognised the disadvantages of so doing. Of course big employers will always attend the traditional fairs which have historically been hosted by the Russell Group in regional hubs and will also host/sponsor events and activities at those universities whose careers departments and extra curricular societies and built strong relationships with them but those tend to draw regional students rather than those at specific universities.There are of course exceptions with specific courses, shipbuilders and the navy focusing on Newcastle and Southampton, Automotive industry being particularly interested in Oxford Brookes graduates, Architecture on London Met, Bath and Brookes again etc but this is a market that is changing rapidly and beyond ensuring the a university is not a 'noddy' one I would encourage anyone to focus very strongly on the qualities/suitability of course available coupled with the prospects of living somewhere for 3-4 years. The student satisfaction survey data, available on the open days website is a good place to get this detail.
mad?
Minesatea
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Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:08 am

Re: Employers views of different unis for humanities

Post by Minesatea »

As a recruiter of graduates from a very specific course I would agree that the reputation of the university overall is not as important as that of the course itself. I do not have many Russell group options so wouldn't target them specifically but there are certainly unis I am wary of, as we have repeatedly had poor experiences with their students and graduates in the past. However just because a uni is poor for that course, it would not necessarily be for all courses and vice versa ( for example - ARU, not on most peoples top list, is a good choice if you want to be an optometrist!)
However in the OPs case, liberal arts is mostly offered by Russell Group unis so the choice is not wide. My DS also has 2 liberal arts and science offers, but from UCL and Birmingham so we cant really help on your specific choices.
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