How to choose a University?

**helen**

This is coming up quite a lot in chat at the moment, put your hand up if you're in the middle of it all...

We've got an article on TS you might find helpful here

but it would be interesting to know how you're approaching it and what kind of factors are really important...

Former Member

A highly underrated criteria.

Look at he course, he department, who does the teaching and how much teaching takes place.

Former Member

I agree with SM.

I personally thought that things like the course content, location, (in terms of how far away from home it is and how accessible it is by public transport) facilities, etc. were important.

Former Member

I chose based on how comfortable I felt in the environment. I spent 5 years there, so it mattered that I liked where I live.

Of course, grown up stuff like what Scary Monster says matters too.

Former Member

I said in chat last night that I know very few people who chose the "wrong" uni (in the sense that they thrived at a different one, I do also know a few for whom uni itself was the wrong choice), whether they chose on course or on environment.

I was lucky, the uni I chose had both.

Think about other things that matter to you - look on the "current student" bits of uni websites and check out their support structures, student unions, advice services, etc. If you have any difficulties once you get there, those things will be your lifeline.

Don't forget The Student Room is a good way to chat with others who might already be at your uni of choice, they might have some additional insight.

Former Member

Oxbridge isn't for everybody. If you're bright don't just aim there because they're the 'best'. Think about the teaching methods and whether they're right for you. For me, the course style and the teaching methods were the opposite to what I wanted, so didn't even bother applying.

Former Member

Look at the campus, the course, the department. Don't scrimp on open days.

If you choose the wrong uni it is an expensive error. You owe 25% of the year's tuition the day you enrol in England. £2400 is a tidy wedge to waste.

As for finance, have a gander at www.NASMA.org.UK before you do much else.

Danny!

My Mum did her degree at quite a depressing place, and so always told me to bear in mind that I would be there for three years, so to pick somewhere that felt good and I wanted to be.

I used that to select my first uni, and had a great three years!

Former Member

Ask to look at the syllabus if at all possible. It's also worth remembering that the staff you see on the open day are going to be acting like salesmen. You need to feel sure that you are choosing the course for the teaching and facilities not all the bells and whistles (even if they come under the guise of support services which never come true like they did at my old uni, if I had look at the other things as well then it would have made up for the support services not being so hot!)

Former Member

One potato, two potato, three potato .....

Former Member

lol, Rubber!

I do agree that location is important. As someone who lives in the south west, somewhere like a uni in the midlands was too far for me to even consider.

Former Member

I'm not sure about location, I guess it depends on your circumstances and how much you let it matter. I'm currently at uni, far away from home. Over 7 hours by public transport, slightly quicker by car. My sister who was at uni 40 mins away from away from my house didn't visit home any more than me. I wouldn't change the location at all - I love being in a completely different area of the country

Former Member

Miss_Riot wrote: »

even if they come under the guise of support services which never come true

*cough*

Former Member

yellowseahorse wrote: »

I'm not sure about location, I guess it depends on your circumstances and how much you let it matter. I'm currently at uni, far away from home. Over 7 hours by public transport, slightly quicker by car. My sister who was at uni 40 mins away from away from my house didn't visit home any more than me. I wouldn't change the location at all - I love being in a completely different area of the country

I lived 4 hours away from home by public transport and that was enough for me. I admit I did love being in a different area of the country though.

Former Member

One very very important thing to check which I wish I had is the student satisfaction table - sod the league tables, these give you a fairly unbiased view because people fill these out once they leave so there's no obligation to be nice about things that were actually crap

plugitin

I think for me a lot of it will have been course specific more than anything. Teaching content - e.g. for modern languages I knew I didn't want to do lots of literature, I wanted to be taught in the foreign langauge etc.

It was actually quite amusing how I ended up at my current Uni (and stayed there even for my Master's...). When we got to the Uni it looked like a dump, and my mum and I both said well now we've driven here, we'll stay for the course talks. So we did and we were sold straight away - the passion of the lecturers, the course content, friendliness etc. And I'm so glad we did stay around because it was the best place.

Former Member

Compare courses not just the overall reputation of the University. I used to work for a Russell Group university: very grand, very high reputation, but some of the courses there were absolutely abysmal. Do pay attention to the wider National Student Survey results, though, as they indicate something of the living experience you'll have.

Also ignore the Key Information Stats that HEFCE force all UK universities to display on their websites: they're utter bollocks.

Former Member

For me the most important things were location and reputation. I know a lot of people who auditioned at the same university as me but turned down the offer because the site wasn't brand new and shiny (despite still having the latest up to date technology, and one of the best reputations in the country for my course). Whereas I looked at things logically:

1) As a musician, doing a music degree, I wanted access to a city centre with plenty of culture and plenty of opportunities to work in the music industry. I've gotten just that, and have already worked regularly on Broadway style musicals as well as performing various gigs with bands. My uni is also literally a 10 minute walk from one of the main streets in the city for live performances.

2) I also wanted to study somewhere that has a great reputation with regards to music graduates, and mine has just that. Music students from all over the country apply to my university for their final year and Masters, especially if they are going for the composition element.

3) The lecturers had to know their stuff. All of the regular lecturers at my Uni are well renowned on the music scene, worldwide as well as national. To put it into some context: we even have Johnny Marr of The Smiths as a guest lecturer from time to time.

So with all of that in mind I was more than happy to accept my placement, despite it being in an old looking building (the building has been there since before the 1st world war).

Former Member

the national student survey is a load of crap. final year students have to give their uni a good review or the reputation of the uni goes down and their degree looks less impressive.

Former Member

The National Student Survey is flawed, deeply flawed, and for many things it measures it is essentially a customer satisfaction survey. Which is why sensible universities issue the NSS questionnaire before results come out.

That said, universities do take it seriously and the departments in a university are measured on it, with poor performing departments and services being grilled about it. I'm sitting pretty right now because my service in my university got a good score

Former Member

Make sure there aren't too many hills if you don't like walking uphill. That's why I wasn't interested in Bristol.