The results are out! The Guardian has released the results for their UK university league tables 2016. Where does your uni come in?
The top 3, Cambridge, Oxford and St Andrews are unsurprisingly non-movers, but there have been some dark horses that have moved their way up the ranks in the university league tables for 2016. Contenders such as the Universities of Surrey, Sussex and Coventry have all shot up the table into the top 20, whereas big players such as Imperial College, the London School of Economics and the University of Sheffield have all taken a tumble from where they were last year.
There could be all manner of reasons as to why a university may find themselves moving up and down the league table over the years, but the lesson to be learned is that the ranking is never set in stone.
How important is it when it comes to your job hunt?
The table shows that graduates from the top 30 universities in the list have around a 70-90% chance of securing employment within the first six months of completing their studies, compared to a much less optimistic 50-65% for those from the bottom 20. The correlation is enough to raise questions in your mind over whether or not which university you go to affects your chances of getting a job after uni, but remember there are multiple factors involved that could have contributed to these results.
For instance, let’s consider Oxbridge, who have scores of 80+% for graduates that have either secured employment or a place for further study within six months of graduating. While it’s true that the prestige of Oxford and Cambridge, and how difficult it can be to secure a place at these institutions, may impress a potential employer, it’s also worth bearing in mind other contributors. For example, it could be argued that students at such schools may have a lot of connections, through family or friends, that could be beneficial when seeking employment. Or some may simply believe that if you’re determined and driven enough to get into one of these universities, you’ll be more tenacious during the job hunt.
Conversely, if we take a look at Swansea University, who have been ranked at number 52 in the list, they boast an employment (or further study) success rate of 79% – giving Oxbridge a run for their money! Swansea isn’t seen as an ‘elite’ university and is quite a humble contender, so why are their graduates doing nearly as well as the league leaders? We can only speculate over the reasons behind the success rates of universities in the table, but the fact of the matter is that there appears to be no solid evidence to suggest that simply the name of your university is enough to get you by in the working world.
Are you worried about finding a job because your university ranked lower than you were expecting? Or do you think that securing employment will be a doddle because you went to one of the higher ranked schools?
The big secret is that your career success depends on one thing: you.
Employers are looking for the right person to join their companies, employees are an investment. How hard you work at uni or medical school, and therefore your final grade, will have more of an effect on your success than which university you chose to go to. The rest comes down to your skills and experience, how you come across in an interview and what you can bring to a business. Personality is always an important factor, too, and that’s not something you can learn at uni!
If you want to boost your chances of clinching a graduate job, then the power lies in your hands. Students, make the most of your time at uni: study hard, get involved in societies or volunteering, gain some part-time professional experience and work on developing skills that may help you in the future, such as communication or interpersonal skills.
Graduates – first things first, don’t panic! If you don’t get a job right away, it doesn’t mean all is lost. Use your time wisely; whip your CV into top shape, try some volunteer work or unpaid work experience, brush up on interview techniques, use your hobbies and interests to develop professional skills like leadership and teamwork or even take some time to go travelling.
A key thing to remember is that a job will very rarely come to you. When you’re looking for a job, you have to work hard and keep at it. It’s not easy and, yes, flicking through job websites can be mind-numbingly boring but it’s not enough to be applying for 2-3 jobs a week, or to put your eggs in one basket. And remember, don’t be disheartened by rejections, you’ll get there eventually!
If you invest enough time and effort in developing yourself, your skills and your employability, and if you search hard enough for the right role, you won’t need to worry about where your university ranks in the league table at all. An employer will see your value and you’ll have a job before you know it!
You can find the Guardian’s university league tables full list here.
