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what made you chose your university?

2

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I guess it depends on what is most important. I mean this is a decision that won't just affect tomorrow but maybe a large portion of your life. Accrediatation of the university is important. I did an economics course and so bodies that accredite business school wre important to me like AMBA etc. There's lots of information on that at www.wiwi-online.co.uk if you are interested
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    olaola wrote: »
    It would normally be cheaper and nearly as quick to get the train down to Peterborugh.

    Saying that, i got a special offer at christmas for that flight for £25, or something ridiclously cheap
    That would require, of course, living anywhere near Peterborough. As it happens I'm not on a mainline from there, so I'd have to go into London and back out again. Which adds to the expense a little.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I chose my university (University of Bedfordshire) because it had lots more pro's than any other uni that was doing the course I wanted.

    Firstly, it's 40 minutes down the road.

    Secondly, there's on-site parking, so I can commute without problems.

    Thirdly, the facilities in the campus are fab, as at the moment I'm sharing a 'hair salon' with the hairdressers at college, whereas in the building at Uni, we have our own dedicated Makeup Room.

    Fourthly (if that's even a word!) The staff are lovely, and having met the tutors they seem really good and well connected. Plus, at Bedford, I'll be spending part of my time at Pinewood Studios... whereas at any other Uni, this wouldn't happen!

    And finally, it's cheap. Instead of paying 3K+ a year I'll be paying £1200 a year as they're one of the few uni's that charge a different rate for foundation degrees.

    I've read a lot of TSR about how people go to a uni purely based on its reputation, which I personally think is ridiculous. If you go to an open day, speak to the tutors and have a wander around, you'll know where you want to study. The people who apply to 6 random uni's to study 'law' without even considering whether or not they really want it, are really silly imo.
    Spending 3 or more years in a uni you're not happy with or comfortable at must be horrendous and a complete waste of time and money.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Uni of Chichester: It's only 20mins away, so I can drive. It has onsite parking. The course is only three years, and I can the specialism I want to (early years).
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    Violette wrote: »
    i do english lit rach! and i did 'english lit with creative writing' in 1st year but absolutely hated it, my tutor was an arty farty dickhead who tried to make me write poems all the sodding time. hated it. but it'd probably be well ace if you had a good tutor. i go huddersfield. looked at canterbury, but it was for a boy. and luckily we broke up, so i didn't go. too far for a little ole northerner. hehe. huddersfield also had a good english dept, and was far enough away from the parentals to feel independent.
    plus Huddersfield is just cool.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I picked Leeds for 2 reasons.

    1. Cause it was one of only a handful of unis offering the course I wanted (Creative Writing without Eng Lit), and most of the others either had questionable reputations for the subject, or wanted an English A Level, which I don't have.

    2. Cause it was commutable, and I wasn't really able to leave home in my 1st year.

    Plus it's a red brick uni (even if you're thinking I did a Mickey Mouse subject, you'd be surprised how many people ask where you went and not what you did) so can't go far wrong :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I chose the course I wanted first and foremost, and then checked that the uni's weren't a dive.

    I was applying to do an engineering degree, so on a half decent course I would spend a lot of time in my department and on the course. I found out whether the course was accredited and by which institutions, and I looked for courses and universities that were well respected by industry. I wanted somewhere that had good links to industry and a reasonable amount of industrial involvement in the course.

    I got my dream and wouldn't change it for the world, but do occasionally wonder what life would be like at a 'normal' uni.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I got my dream and wouldn't change it for the world, but do occasionally wonder what life would be like at a 'normal' uni.
    Significantly less stressful I imagine!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I suspect so!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote: »

    Plus it's a red brick uni (even if you're thinking I did a Mickey Mouse subject, you'd be surprised how many people ask where you went and not what you did) so can't go far wrong :)

    I would second that - i think that increasingly as everyone and their dog seems to now go to university - people look much more at which one you actually went to. I've heard people say stuff like - oh well she went to the university of manchester so we know she will be intelligent and able to do the job.

    I chose my university because it had a good reputation in the field I wanted to work in - but I was quite suprised to find out it was in the top 10 whilst I was there (it might have slipped a bit now). I didn't even get that stunning A-Levels I think they just let you in if you were enthusiastic.

    I also went becuase it was in london and I decided I didn't want to live anywhere else - so i rejected all my other offers.

    And lastly becuase they served amazingly tastly Jamaican food at the open day - which a) was realllly yummy and b) just really lovely - when i went to Sussex for example they wouldnt' even let you into the shop on campus in case you tried to god forbid buy some alcohol! It also was amazingly multicultural and very political and I loved it. Plus you could get stoned in the bar and noone cared.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the sole reason why i chose my uni (glamorgan) over any other was because of the course. im doing film and tv set design, and as far as i know, only my uni and one other (Hull) did it!!
    .. and i didnt much fancy the prospect of moving to hull!

    now that im here though ive come to realise that it is actually a really nice area. albeit quite boring at times!!!
    my whole department is moving into cardiff next year though which is exciting!! :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    going to lincoln uni, near by, kinda nice city, loads of new stuff for students...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im currently studying to become a teacher, i dunno i like children, not a paedofile. n plus we have teacher shortages over here so im doing something good as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    I got my dream and wouldn't change it for the world, but do occasionally wonder what life would be like at a 'normal' uni.

    Care to elaborate...?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I went to two different unis. The first time I faffed about for months, visiting all the unis, weighing up where I should go. Went to Cardiff and was miserable and left after about 2 semesters.

    In the end I went where I went because the department had a good reputation for getting students jobs in the media, and I wanted to stay in Birmingham.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    silverhalo wrote: »
    Care to elaborate...?

    Pretty certain she's at Cambridge.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    edinburgh university, because it's one of the best universities in the country and is the finest city in the united kingdom. it's sexy - you should come visit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    silverhalo wrote: »
    Care to elaborate...?

    Sorry, I got in to do Engineering at Cambridge, which was the uni I'd always dreamt of going to and the course is somewhat different to other Engineering courses.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Last year, I chose to study at the University of the West of England, based in Bristol. At the time, it seemed to have something that my other choices didn't. How wrong I was. I was utterly disappointed in the university. Also, to be charitable, I did not think much of Bristol as a city. That's all I will say on the subject. I decided to quit, and I'm so glad that I did.

    This time round, I had two choices. Study in Manchester or Lincoln. I'm not entirely sure why I chose Lincoln. I think because it's a city that's not too small or not too big. However, my second choice last year came first this time. In September, God willing, I'll be starting at Manchester Metropolitan University. I chose this one for several reasons. Partly, I'd heard much good about it, not least of all from our own girl_gunner, currently a student there. As she said earlier, she loves the place. One visit to Manchester, and I can see why. Unlike UWE, it actually looked like a university. The location, ten minutes from the city centre, was top-notch, and all the halls of residence are relatively nearby. Other reasons include the course itself, and also the fact that - hey, it's Manchester. I have several friends from the area, and I've got to admit I like Mancunians. Admittedly, Bristol was too far from home for my liking, whereas Manchester is a few hours away, but I can still visit home. We shall see if I am right this time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fell in love with the town and the uni is in the top 10 and my brother gave me some advice:

    You want to pick a place where you're going to be happy spending three years of your life.

    So I did :)

    I also put down Warwick and not meaning to knock it but personally wouldn't have been as happy there because I didn't get the same chemistry from it. I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean?
    I certainly do. My sister and I will both be off to university this year, and she hates the idea of studying in Manchester. Having visited, she thinks the place is a rip-off. I don't get the same impression.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This time round I wanted to be within an hour of home. So I applied to all the localish uni's. I was torn between Liverpool and Manchester Met, but with Man met I had the choice of transfering between any of the computing courses after the 1st year, and although I was convinced I'd chosen the right course (how wrong was I since I have changed) that seemed like a good selling point. Oh there was also the fact that my fella at the time lived in Manchester and not Liverpool, but that was only a minor draw.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    Fell in love with the town and the uni is in the top 10 and my brother gave me some advice:

    You want to pick a place where you're going to be happy spending three years of your life.

    So I did :)

    I also put down Warwick and not meaning to knock it but personally wouldn't have been as happy there because I didn't get the same chemistry from it. I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean?

    We drove past york uni last weekend on our travels. Really wanted to go and have a look but i couldn't :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kazbo wrote: »
    I had the choice of transfering between any of the computing courses after the 1st year, and although I was convinced I'd chosen the right course (how wrong was I since I have changed) that seemed like a good selling point.

    This was a big thing for me too, and something well worth considering is the flexibility once you get there.

    I was dead set on doing Mechanical Engineering, but wanted the broad base to start with. A year and a placement in, I've realised that while it seemed great at the time, I'm far happier doing Chemical Engineering which is very different and handily my choice of uni made it easy to change.

    Look at the flexibilty when you pick, you may well find you want it later!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I choose my university for different reasons :

    a) Rennes has a huge student life (more than 60 000 students), and so a lot of parties everyday thursday evening

    b) I wanted a city far but not too far from my parents so that they couldn't visit me every week, and so that I could visit them once a month.

    c) Rennes 2 is one of the best university for English literature studies

    d) Rennes is just the perfect city, beautiful, lots of parks, not too big but not too small, lots of shops, not expensive, 1 hour away from the sea, and a good bus/metro service
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wsb-nlu

    I started out trying to go to the university in Germany, and I was all set up on which Uni I wanted to go to,. but then I found my University in Poland. I wanted to go abroad and study in English. The University in Poland is an american business university that gives an American Bachelors upon graduation, as well as a Polish diploma. And of course you didn't even need to know a word of Polish.

    The tuition was super cheap, and living costs are ridiculously small. I study with people from all over the world, and have professors from the States, UK and other parts of Europe.

    It was the best choice I've ever made. I'm finishing this year, and got into an awesome Masters program.. I accredited it to studying in Poland.
    :cool:
    If you want some info about it you can go to their website www.wsb-nlu.edu.pl ; or ask me :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i got into 2, one in london, the other in cardiff. I chose cardiff because
    a) it is cheaper to live in
    b) courses were of similar quiality
    c) cardiff gave me a £12,000 scholarship to go there! :D:D:D

    I would personally choose the better course/teaching/reputation unless the place is a dump! any city is liveable in right - and the reason your goin there is to learn......:thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I choose my college as it had a very good reputation for the courses I wanted to do and the only other place that does it locally had a not-so-good reputation at the time I started studying.

    I was never intrested in going to uni when I was at school and still dont now. I just dont see the appeal,the lifestyle would drive me nuts, and its been a lot more beneifical for me to work and train on the job.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I chose York over Reading because I went to the Reading open day and hated it - it was just far too big a place than I felt I could cope with at the time. I actually accepted York before I'd been to look round it because at the time it was ranked 6th in the UK and that made me feel a bit proud for getting into a good one. Reading was about 37th I think.

    I went to look round it with my cousin, who was in the 2nd year at the time. The city was so good I had made up my mine as soon as I saw it, which was useful as we never actually made it to look round the campus! :o

    What English are you planning to do there? I do English Language and Linguistics and it's a pretty damn good course and department. The Linguistics dept is one of the best, and the Phonetics department within that is one of the top in the world, on a par with one in Canada I think.

    I can't comment on the nightlife in York really as I don't like clubbing, but I think there are 3 or 4 clubs that people tend to go to all the time in the first year, and then a bit in the second year but then mostly go to Leeds, which is really close by train and cheap to get to. There are lots more clubs there. The city has lots of other stuff though that is good.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I chose York over Reading because I went to the Reading open day and hated it - it was just far too big a place than I felt I could cope with at the time. I actually accepted York before I'd been to look round it because at the time it was ranked 6th in the UK and that made me feel a bit proud for getting into a good one. Reading was about 37th I think.
    Regretfully, I haven't got the qualifications (or the brain) needed to get to somewhere like York, but I must admit that, when I was researching into universities, I looked into such statistics. I never thought I would read The Sunday Times University Guide so thoroughly!
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