does anyone think that the university league tables matter?
i try not to pay much attention to it as i feel a degree is a degree and so forth i wonder though if employers pay any attention to it as even if they did its not like its something most employers would no off by heart

your thoughts please?

Hmmmm. I think the position of a university on the league table might have a bearing on some jobs more than others: like academia for example. Or with funding institutions. I don't think it matters too much. That said, the institution I did my MA (and do my PhD) at is about 30/40 places higher on the league table than my undergraduate. And I would be dishonest if I said that didn't matter to me....

...but then comparing a small rural humantities university with 1,500 students to a large metropolitan university with 36,000 students is like comparing chalk and cheese.

In my opinion, yes, it matters a lot. These rankings usually take into account undergrad-relevant things such as %1st/2:1s, teaching staff:student ratios, and other more postgrad relevant things, such as library spend, research funding etc. However, while there will always be universities which are dire but have a couple of very good depts, and vice versa, I think the general tread is that better universities are higher up. It's no coincidence that Oxbridge and the Russell Group universities are at the top end, while those which are easy to get into, provide more vocational qualifications, and generally have lower entry requirements, are nearer the bottom.

That said, I think the Shanghai-Jiaotong ranking provides a better idea of research-only ranking, maybe more for sciences than arts (it allegedly weights science research above arts research).

When you get to PhD level ... I think it's the (academic) reputation of your supervisor that matters far more than the uni.

Also, some uni's might be ranked low overall ... but specific departments within them might be 5*.

Having said all that ... I think it's probably good to get a combination of both - i.e. good supervisor within a good department!

like any league table, its a comparision based on figures of merit which are not an absolute measure of how good a university is. in an ideal world the reputation of the institution shouldnt matter so much, so long as the department you apply to has a good repution in their respective feild. however in the real world it does matter. i effectively chose my phd position on the basis of the reputation of the univeristy. there are lots of good univeristies in the UK but few that will stand out at an international level. for example having cantab or oxon in brakets after your phd on your cv is likely to enhance your employment chances a lot and ive been told as much be people who should know

How do you determine the academic reputation of the supervisor, obviously you can look at their publishing record for frequency and the quality of the journals. But are there any other things you should look at?

How many funded PhD students they have?

The amount of funding they get would indicate something I think?

Yes, the league table do count. But more than enything else, the efforts/seriuosness of the student while schooling is key.

University League tables matter in some ways but not in others. Firstly it depends which league table you are using. Different league tables use and weight different criteria. So it is more useful to look at a universities scores for each criteria in that rating and consider what that really means and how importnnt they are to you. For example library spend might not be as important to you as research reputation. And library spend might just mean a university repaints and recarpets the library every years to boost it's position rather than buy books or computers, because it can't build another building. Some figures are artifically inflated through various means. And some figures are misleading.

Probably the department for you subject is more important. I know of one university nearby in my hometown. It is an ex poly. It is low in the league table for many subjects. It doesn't attract the best students. However, it is a hidden treasure with top marks for QCA and research ratings for biology and chemistry. However many people would overlook it from the league table which is a real shame.

It depends what you are applying for but checking out your future lecturers, whether they have PhDs, what their research interests are and how many papers they have written is a good measure. Also visiting the university to see what is is like is very important.

At the end of the day wherever you go and whatever you do you will always be judged by your grades not the university you went to (unless it was Oxford or Cambridge, then your grade doesn't really matter). Your grades are much more important than the university you attend. Also they influence which universities you can go to for further study.

The most important thing is finding the right university for you and your research interests. Which universities have lecturers who could inspire you? Is the university in a nice location with goods sports facilities? Forget elitism and focus on finding a university that will meet your needs.

I had a friend with whom I was at university and his father was involved in recruitment. He was told, by his father, to go to a uni at the top of the tables. His father's reasoning was that as a man involved in filing through CVs for jobs he would just look at the Times top 10 and anyone not from one of those unis went to the bottom of the pile. Take from that what you will...... That may not be totally representative of all employers but I'm sure a large portion do work like that.

lol it was an axample like that i was looking for and i wonder how many more people use these tables as a way of helping judge a student

for a start i bet every single student has checked to where there university lies