~Sauron~:

Lemme tell you the Universities i rate higher than Manchester Uni:

University of Oxford
Imperial College
University College London
University of Cambridge
University of Edinburgh.

Don't joke with Manchester(They have produced 23 Nobel prize winners)!!!!

That's not what the league tables are saying Although, some of these league tables aren't the most reliable, have you seen the Guardian's one? Sho-cker, honestly

Ok, so what's you're top 20 then if we're going by personal opinion.

ibkaye:

That's not what the league tables are saying Although, some of these league tables aren't the most reliable, have you seen the Guardian's one? Sho-cker, honestly

Ok, so what's you're top 20 then if we're going by personal opinion.

Add the other list to this:

Uni of Bristol
Uni of Birmingham
Uni of Warwick
London School Of Economics and Political Science
Uni of Glasgow
Uni of Leeds
Uni of St. Andrews

Uni of Nothingham
Uni of Southampton
Uni of Sheffield
Uni of Bath
Uni of York
Uni of Durham
Uni of Lancaster.

~Sauron~:

Add the other list to this:

Uni of Bristol
Uni of Birmingham
Uni of Warwick
London School Of Economics and Political Science
Uni of Glasgow
Uni of Leeds
Uni of St. Andrews

Uni of Nothingham
Uni of Southampton
Uni of Sheffield
Uni of Bath
Uni of York
Uni of Durham
Uni of Lancaster.

As long as you're not mentioning Salford of Manc Met, I see nothing particularly wrong with your list

ibkaye:

As long as you're not mentioning Salford of Manc Met, I see nothing particularly wrong with your list

It's a shit school!!!
Their babes are ugly too.

~Sauron~:

It's a shit school!!!
Their babes are ugly too.

Men, sigh.

~Sauron~:

Manchester 15th in the UK? This must be a joke.
This Uni must be among the top 6 in the UK.

Chairman, 15th in regards to recruitment for front office roles in IB. I ranked it 14th in regards to reputation. 

Well, as the title says, it is a rough guide.

But let me give you a brief oversight based on the criteria of why I think Manchester is at that position.

International ratings and reputation:
Consistent high ratings in league tables
Manchester has a mix of ratings which inevitably affects the perception of it is reputation.
- Internationally, it is ranked consistently high in the top 50 in the world and top 6 in the UK
- Nationally, the ranking is a bit unfair as it is frequently ranked outside the top 20, even outside top 25

Hence on this criterium, it ranks very good

Historical reputation
Historically, Manchester is one of the top universities especially when you take into consideration the Nobel Awards and other achievers that attended the Uni.

So top notch.

Strong reputation of certain departments internationally
Manchester has good departments and is one of the best multi-faculty universities in the UK. But I can't think of any department that is undeniably the top-5 in the UK and world renowned, no matter what metrics used, although they produce top research. So here it is a top Jack of all trades.

Hence very good.

Government special funding
Manchester is one of the top 5 in the UK for Research grant* and Endowments.

Hence Excellent

* Take this with a pinch of salt, research grant would be high for unis offering science and tech courses and far far less for social theory-focused unis like LSE and is also correlated with size of Uni, hence huge multi-faculty unis get far more for their wide span of courses.



Difficulty of entry
Average entry standards
I would put Manchester as a ABB university, where the likes of Oxbridge are AAAA and Imperial AAAa and UCL AAA. No doubt the esteemedness is affected by the student volume which is one of the top 3 in the UK. A university cannot have that much student without diluting the exclusivity and entry standard.

Note: Entry standard might be affected by having to provide socially important or historically-linked courses (like Nursing, Social Work, Education, Gaelic/Celtic studies) that Universities can not demand high grades for, as careers in these courses are not illustrious or intellectually rigorous hence the prospective students are not high achievers and universities (like Manchester) cannot demand high grades like AAA but are encouraged by government to provide these courses. Hence when the grade requirements for these courses are factored into "entry standards" it drags the overall standard down. Manchester entry standard score suffers from this because it offers a few Nursing courses. More so than Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham that offer just one Nursing course, and less so than universities like Southhampton, KCL, York and Nottingham that have huge nursing schools and offer a wide variety of Nursing courses that they can only request CCC/BBCs grades as entry requirement, hence dragging their average overall entry standard scores down.

Hence top notch

Scientific reputation (especially in research and thought leadership)
Simply Excellent

Strong alumni list
Manchester have some strong alumni, some are the peak of it but the list is not expansive especially considering the volume of students churned out. The thing there is that the few that are notable are some of the best in the fields ever.

Hence very good




Success of alumni in industry
Universities visited by top firms for recruitment and self-promotion
Manchester register well in the milkrounds of recruitment with the top firms (ala Big 4 accountancy, conglomerates, big 5 banks, FTSE 100) visiting every year looking for talent, but I don't think the most esteemed firms (ala Bulge Bracket, MBB, Magic Circle, Barrister Chambers) frequently put it on the radar for recruitment.

Hence very good

People met working in high profile roles at top firms and public sector
I have seen some, definitely impressive, but not as much as some of the other universities in the peer group despite the others having less student volumes.

Hence good

Fellow interviewees for top and exclusive jobs
Can't recall any really despite size of graduates but out of benefit of doubt and the fact that Finance and consultancy might not be their strength (they do well in Engineering and even law), I would say a handful.

Hence good.

Profiles of employees at top firms' websites
Some Manchester grads are visibly in top firms (FTSE 100).

Hence very good.

Overall, I think generally the feel I get for the Manchester brand is that it is a "Very Good" university, I don't think I get the "Top notch" feel like a place like St Andrews might generate and seen as more exclusive. This might be due to the student volumes (easier access than other prestigious unis) and weak national rankings (which are used by UK-focused HR staff for grad schemes) diluting the brand because the academic teaching and research quality is higher than St Andrews.

Sagamite:

Overall, I think generally the feel I get for the Manchester brand is that it is a "Very Good" university, I don't think I get the "Top notch" feel like a place like St Andrews might generate and seen as more exclusive. This might be due to the student volumes (easy access) and weak national rankings (which are used by UK-focused HR staff for grad schemes) diluting the brand because the academic teaching and research quality is higher than St Andrews.

It is not that easy to get in there and the success of alumni in the industry is quite high.
The Presidents of Belize, Iceland and T & T are all associated with the Uni.
U can still find the apparatus of John Dalton(founder of atomic theory) in the Science Lab. . . .

Moreover, huge engineering companies hover around session in session out.
Names like KBR Halliburton, WorleyParsons, Petrofac, Baker Hughes, Oceaneering, etc.

~Sauron~:

It is not that easy to get in there and the success of alumni in the industry is quite high.
The Presidents of Belize, Iceland and T & T are all associated with the Uni.
U can still find the apparatus of John Dalton(founder of atomic theory) in the Science Lab. . . .

Moreover, huge engineering companies hover around session in session out.
Names like KBR Halliburton, WorleyParsons, Petrofac, Baker Hughes, Oceaneering, etc.

I think most of the stuff you just said is in concurment with my post.

- ABB is not an easy grade to achieve in A-levels. And anyone achieving this grade is kind of a brilliant student.
- Some of the alumni stars are some of the best ever seen in their fields. You forgot Alan Turing the man that laid the foundation for computers.
- Even though it might not be the best in High Finance, it is very strong in others like Engineering and FTSE 100 firms/international conglomerates see it as a meat market for talent.

Sagamite:

I think most of the stuff you just said is in concurment with my post.

- AAB is not an easy grade to achieve in A-levels. And anyone achieving this grade is a brilliant student.
- Some of the alumni stars are some of the best ever seen in their fields. You forgot Alan Turing the man that laid the foundation for computers.
- Even though it might not be the best in High Finance, it is very strong in others like Engineering and FTSE 100 firms and international conglomerates see it as a meat market for talent.

It became that way when UMIST joined Manchester University in 2004 to become University of Manchester.
UMIST was basically a Science and Technology Institute.
This is why we have more bobos than chics and the chics are tom-boys.

~Sauron~:

It became that way when UMIST joined Manchester University in 2004 to become University of Manchester.
UMIST was basically a Science and Technology Institute.
This is why we have more bobos than chics and the chics are tom-boys.

That was why I was wondering what rubbish you were chatting when you said Salford and Manc Met babes were ugly. 

Girls there would have time for make-up, cleavage and short skirts and would probably be studying Diploma in Beauty therapy. I would not even look at the stiff Uni of Manchester girls, I would head straight across town (but clutching my Luger incase there is a gun fight in Salford). 

Alright gentlemen, what are your views on Exeter Uni? I often get mixed reviews about this one.

ibkaye:

Alright gentlemen, what are your views on Exeter Uni? I often get mixed reviews about this one.

Exeter, not particularly a brain-box university but it has a large amount of posh kids for some reason hence some of their students are well connected so they can get some top jobs, that is why I put it above Glasgow which is an academically more rigourous uni.

I think it is the school posh kids that cannot get into Oxbridge, LSE, Bristol, KCL, St Andrews and Durham go and congregate. And it normally does well in the national ratings by hitting the top 20 sometimes. So I will say it is a BBB uni and a "Quite Good" uni.

Sagamite:

Exeter, not particularly a brain-box university but it has a large amount of posh kids for some reason hence some of their students are well connected so they can get some top jobs, that is why I put it above Glasgow which is an academically more rigourous uni.

I think it is where the school posh kids that cannot get into Oxbridge, LSE, Bristol, KCL, St Andrews and Durham go and congregate. And it normally does well in the national ratings by hitting the top 20 sometimes. So I will say it is a BBB uni and a "Quite Good" uni.

Lol, Oxford Rejects

Ok, what of the Uni of Sheffield?

ibkaye:

Lol, Oxford Rejects

Ok, what of the Uni of Sheffield?

Almost the same as Manchester, strong multi-faculty all-rounder but not with as strong as the academic flair Manchester has that churns out quality research and academics/alumni that lead in their field.

Entry standard I would say is AAB/ABB and would also attract the blue chips bar the esteemed but like Manchester has some guys represented in top firms.

Sagamite,

You quite passionate about this and I have gained alot from ur analysis.
But again, do u mean someone's future is bleak without a REDBRICK pali?
My target is IFC not the usually HF.

NobiGod:

Sagamite,

You quite passionate about this and I have gained alot from your analysis.
But again, do u mean someone's future is bleak without a REDBRICK pali?
My target is IFC not the usually HF.

The redbricks to me, based on esteem of the universities, are the Top 19 and 24 (Glasgow) in the First Division. The remaining from 20 to 23 (and even the top 5 in Second Division) are "sought-of" redbricks.

And no, one's future is not bleak if one does not attend these redbricks. It all boils down to the individual's ability, tactics and how they sell themselves. In some of the top roles, I have seen just too frequently people from University of West England and University of Northumbria taking up roles that you would think only an Oxbridge person is entitled to. I really don't know how they do it, although they were inch sharp. The French guy that trained me and thought me all my core strategy skills at work was a LBS MBA guy that I respected alot, and he used to tell me that one senior guy in the company that attended the University of Northumbria was the smartest guy he ever met in his life. And the man was really a super star in the firm.

All redbrick gives you is "first-mover" advantage, if someone is good and did not attend a redbrick uni, they will eventually catch up. Roughly 10 years down the line, all those that are good would be on level playing field. The non-redbrick that is good would catch up and the redbrick fakers would have been found out by the commercial world where things are real, not theory.

IFC like most other international organisations would prefer (and have a biase) for Top Unis but are required to treat all applications equally. So if you have excelled (usually, a masters is required) in non-redbrick you have a good chance, just make sure you impress at the interview to turn the interviewers biase.

No one here could have explain it better. I know IFC is also bias toward the elite schools
but I have no choice as those schools are out of my reach financially. I just hope I don't
end up flipping burgers

NobiGod:

No one here could have explain it better. I know IFC is also bias toward the elite schools
but I have no choice as those schools are out of my reach financially. I just hope I don't
end up flipping burgers

Where do you plan to go to?

In north of europe going to Met or any afordable school around London.
Almost certain Met ,I can't live outside London otherwise I remain here.

NobiGod:

No one here could have explain it better. I know IFC is also bias toward the elite schools
but I have no choice as those schools are out of my reach financially. I just hope I don't
end up flipping burgers 

You can save up then go to a 'top university' for your masters etc
and you can take the MacDegree and experience with you 

Dis Guy:

You can save up then go to a 'top university' for your masters etc
and you can take the MacDegree and experience with you 

Guy u rub am on my face big time, anyhow I go check u advice, 'save up' which is novel
indeed.

NobiGod:

In north of europe going to Met or any afordable school around London.
Almost certain Met ,I can't live outside London otherwise I remain here.

What course and why can't you live outside London?

;

I intend studying Finance have always been interested in development finance, doesn't have stomach for
cut-throat IB. I have a good and reliable relative in London, and besides London is a mecca of finance only
second to NY.

hacker777:

Hi guys, i've really gained alot from your conversations.
But to my surprise you haven't mentioned anything about uni sunderland. Does it mean it isnt a good school? Also your comments about RGU have gotten me pretty confused. Shell Nigerial does its training in affliation with the school, so what's up?

Neither Sunderland or RGU are in the list of reputable unis.

RGU's management have done a good job in building a reputation in a particular industry (Oil and Gas) and have built a close relationship with firms that are in this industry doing their best to provide for industry's specific needs. This is, by and large, the only area/subject it has an esteemed reputation. Despite this, I think it is even mainly at postgrad level people will benefit by going there to specialise. Engineering students are better off going to the engineering schools of all the redbrick unis in the first division for undergrad.

Sunderland, I can't think of anything they are particularly good at, and it is a university full of poor people in the north. All I can say to that, in regards to academic rigour, is that "Life aint fair" and "All men are not equal, abeg chin animal farm". Also remember that in UK there is a North/South divide where the Southerners look down on the Northerners as common people without style and brain, and Northerners think the Southerners are pansies that can not do a day of real man's physical work.

Northerners are a far smaller percentage in the Redbricks especially Oxbridge and a significant number of these few that attend are frequently the first to attend uni in their family's lineage. And we are in 2009 ^{almost 2010 now}.

NobiGod:

I intend studying Finance have always been interested in development finance, doesn't have stomach for
cut-throat IB. I have a good and reliable relative in London, and besides London is a mecca of finance only
second to NY.

I think you have 2 options:

1) Be patient and save up to go to one of the universities in the First Division or one in the Second Division (preferably City, Aston, Bradford, Reading, Strathclyde or Heroit Watt).

2) Go to LondonMET as you planned. It is right in the City, so close to financial institutions, and it is not unheard of (although rare) for someone from there to get to top jobs after a while. You would have to be very tactical, make sure you already have a good first degree, preferably a 1st, and if a 2.1 then be in the top 5% of the postgrad class by the time you finish. If already you have a 2.2, please I strongly recommend you refer back to option (1) above, and focus on the first half of the sentence (top 5 + Warwick especially will do you a world of good). Then use this as a gloss to target the less competitive but highly desirable jobs like in

[list]
[li]Finance in a big third world focused charity (like Oxfam, Save the Children) [/li]
[li]the Top 4 retail banks' finance or capital markets division[/li]
[li]the Top 4 accountancy firms' Corporate Finance arms[/li]
[li]a FTSE 100 finance division[/li]
[/list]
Get 3 years good experience there and you use this to move, i.e. if you are not already enjoying yourself in the role.

9ice 1 Sagamite,did u @ anytime lived in Sagamu?

9ice 1 Sagamite,did u @ anytime lived in Sagamu?

m

lasunray:

9ice 1 Sagamite,did u @ anytime lived in Sagamu?

No, I am a Lagos guy.

hacker777:

@sagamite:
Thanks for the reponse.
I'm intending getting into either sunderland, Thames Valley, or Kent for a top-up in electrical engineering. I'm not a super-rich but i want the very best. I plan developing a career in the oil & gas sector. Please, what do you advice.

Out of the 3, Kent is by far the best without a slight competition.

But if you are focused on this oil & gas thing, also consider RGU and Aberdeen to see if you can afford it as the companies will come on campus to recruit or might be few blocks away to go and meet.

@Sagamite

Thanks very much for the detailed reply. Before I become renown I will tell my wife about you.
I think I will wait another year (age is not on my side tho)  to save up and can't afford to do latter
u made it seem what it is, Kalokalo. And I'm usually not the lucky type.

BTW, I know Warwick to be ambitious but didn't know their placement is tight.