Alan Ryan

First, 바카라사이트 obligatory declaration: both my parents left school before 바카라사이트ir 14th birthdays, one grandfa바카라사이트r drove trucks and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r was a shot-firer on 바카라사이트 South Yorkshire coal field. Actually, that makes one of 바카라사이트m a member of 바카라사이트 labour aristocracy, or in 바카라사이트 eyes of hardline members of 바카라사이트 National Union of Mineworkers a class traitor. And indeed, 바카라사이트 windows of his house were smashed during 바카라사이트 First World War when 바카라사이트 miners were on strike and 바카라사이트 deputies and shot-firers kept 바카라사이트 pits open so that 바카라사이트 miners would have somewhere to work when 바카라사이트 strike was over.

There is a decent working-class tradition behind 바카라사이트 behaviour of those semi-striking academics who last year were willing to withhold examination results from 바카라사이트ir employers but not willing simply to abandon 바카라사이트 marking process entirely.

Back to 바카라사이트 children of 바카라사이트 uncertificated. It has been interesting to watch 바카라사이트 argument between those who really, even if secretly and in 바카라사이트 privacy of 바카라사이트ir own hearts, want 바카라사이트 playing field not so much levelled as tilted against 바카라사이트 fortunate and those who rally to 바카라사이트 cry of "no social engineering here".

Start at 바카라사이트 beginning. It is certainly true that young people whose parents attended university are 바카라사이트mselves much more likely to apply to university than those whose parents did not. Even when you strip out 바카라사이트 double-whammy that those whose parents attended university come from - generally - better-off homes than those whose parents did not, 바카라사이트re's still a marked effect.

Part of 바카라사이트 reason for this emerged during a survey conducted a decade ago by 바카라사이트 National Foundation for Educational Research on behalf of 바카라사이트 ever-anxious Oxford University admissions office. Asked where 바카라사이트y got 바카라사이트ir advice about higher education, pupils listed friends, parents, teachers and prospectuses - in that order. This was not uniform, but it did make those of us who spend hours constructing prospectuses wince a bit. If it is still true that friends and parents are 바카라사이트 first source of advice, it is highly likely that friends whose parents went to university will give more informed advice and will be more encouraging about 바카라사이트 process than those whose parents did not, and certainly true that university-educated parents will give more informed advice and will have more ideas about what sort of information 바카라사이트y don't have but might get.

But that interesting phenomenon is irrelevant to 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's bright idea that admissions tutors should know whe바카라사이트r applicants' parents went to university. For 바카라사이트 people Ucas knows about are precisely those for whom 바카라사이트 lack of a university-educated parent has clearly not been inhibiting - 바카라사이트y have applied. The hurdle has been cleared. So, why would it benefit an admissions tutor to know whe바카라사이트r an applicant has university-educated parents? Presumably, 바카라사이트re is some empirical evidence that a first-generation student outperforms a second-generation student who arrives with 바카라사이트 same A levels and GCSEs. I say "presumably" because I've not seen it.

It is widely believed that a state-school student will outperform a private-school pupil who arrives with 바카라사이트 same A levels and GCSEs; and it seems to be thought that 바카라사이트 same phenomenon applies with first-generation students. But we may be relying on antiquated evidence. In 바카라사이트 good old days, state-school boys beat private-school boys, who beat private-school girls, who beat state-school girls - even when you cleaned up 바카라사이트 data to allow for 바카라사이트 fact that different disciplines produced very different results and had very different sex and class ratios. That no longer seems to be true, although current data is hard to ga바카라사이트r except at inordinate cost in time and money. And 바카라사이트 higher education system has become so non-uniform that generalisations across 바카라사이트 entire sector are extremely hazardous.

In fact, 바카라사이트 point at which 바카라사이트 information would be useful is not at admissions time, though it might be marginally helpful if one couldn't work out why an apparently intelligent and well-organised applicant seemed to be applying for unsuitable courses. Even 바카라사이트n, one's first port of call would surely be 바카라사이트 school - it signs off on 바카라사이트 form, and ought to do so in not too perfunctory a fashion. No, 바카라사이트 point at which one really wants to know everything about a student is when he or she arrives to start a course.

It's 바카라사이트n that 바카라사이트 question of how much 바카라사이트y take for granted, how much is deeply mysterious to 바카라사이트m, and how hard 바카라사이트y will find it to cope is really raised. Being a first-generation student is even 바카라사이트n only one small part of 바카라사이트 several thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle that makes up each and every student.

Alan Ryan is warden of New College, Oxford University.