Young working class lad from Barnsley. Had his share of ups and downs. Arrived at Durham uni a few years ago and he didn’t think he’d stick it. There was a lot of pressure, and he felt his lower class standing among his peers. He graduated, then graduated again with a Masters in biology, helping research on Parkinson’s disease in the process. He’s just been offered a full time job. At Oxford University. Not bad for a Barnsley lad.
That's a great achievement mate, congrats to your brother. And well done you for being proud of your brother, credit where it's due
Excellent achievement, your pride is not misplaced. Both me and my sister went to Polytechnics back in the 70s, we both felt that being from South Yorkshire mining stock we wouldn't fit in at University. Now of course, all the Polys have become Universities so that option has gone.
With respect most universities are full of kids from working class backgrounds. So there isn't the stigma that there used to be. Just the debts they accrue. Private schools. Now that's another thing. Congrats to your brother btw, Gravy.
To be fair it's much harder to get into Russell Group universities and i imagine the demographic is much more swayed towards middle and upper class kids - interestingly Gravy points out that his brother 'felt his lower class standing among his peers'. To then go on and get a job at Oxford University - an elitist and somewhat exclusive institution - is a great achievement for a working class kid. There is something to be said for people who are self made and are there on merit, rather than those who are bankrolled by mummy and daddy, from private schools, and there because of who they know rather than their hard work and developed abilities.
Cheers. I just thought that just missing out on the previous year you'd be more intelligent for being at School longer.
My eldest son went to Lancaster Uni because they offered him a £1000 bursary if he got straight As (2010 just before the tuition fees went up, he could easily have got into one of the very top Universities). Now he's got a PhD in Chemistry and works at Swansea Uni doing research. His wife (who he met at Lancaster) has just got her PhD in Chemistry too. I'm justifiably proud of the pair of them - she's from Neath and he's from Swadlincote, 2 typical working class areas and neither from rich families and both from Comprehensive schools.
My sister has a degree in art and her fella has a PhD in Chemistry. I see a pattern emerging. Like minded people getting it on. I haven't really encountered any brain boxes going out with numpties.
There are routes other than the Academic one in life. My wife left school at 15 and worked in Robirch's in Burton (meat processing factory). She worked her way up through different jobs till she became company secretary of a small vehicle hire company for the last 30 years before retirement. The owner was quite ill for the last 10 years so Anne basically ran the business herself. All this at the same time as being primary carer for her then husband who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic and latterly with Alzheimer's.