Parents, brothers, sisters, friends
Accurate:
Comparative:
Comprehensive:
Detailed: **
Independent: *
Understanding: ***
Problems: Your family and friends, unless they happen to have specialist knowledge, probably don’t know what they’re talking about on this one. Or at least, not when it comes to knowing the differences between individual universities.
Parents, in particular, probably haven’t been to a university in the last two decades — a period that’s seen some of the biggest changes ever to the whole system.
Even friends, brothers and sisters probably only know one university at most (the one they go to or went to, if they went at all) and their experience of even that one is a very personal one.
What they’re good for: The above is also, however, their strength.
They have a good insight into what it was or is really like to be a student. They can answer questions in more detail than most other sources because they’ll take their time — although don’t rely on the detail to be anything other than vague impressions rather than specifics.
They can also say what became important to them during their studies and what they would like to have known beforehand.
They also know you pretty well and, let’s hope, care about you and want to try to give good advice.
Verdict: Okay on student life in general and on their university experience in particular but take what they say with a wheelbarrow of salt.
Last updated on: 21 May 2008