Is there real difference between uni ranked 45 and 69?

Hi guys,
I have got offers from RBU, Sheffiel Hallam, Napier, Coventry, Hertfordshire. I would like to study Marketing. But i do not know, if i can just rely on rankings. You know, different research methods, different rank.

I can not make a decision. :confused:

Do You think that studying university below top "20" could have real impact on your employability. I mean, i am not going to study this "fancy ,shininy, super prestigous universities". Because i do not have enough money. What is your opionion, is there real difference between "middle ranked universities" for example: rank 56 and rank 70 ?

Do You have any experience to share?

Reply 1

Jack22031994

Volunteer Team

Original post by colldi

It depends

Eg my uni is 40 something overall but is 12th for employability and 40ish for my course and was one point 8th for something so it depends hiw high it's ranked for your course and employability

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Reply 2

G-man89

I would take league tables with a pinch of salt. Do more research on which place is right for you. Are there high standards for the subject area you intend to study? Have you been to some open days, what did you think? If you could speak to current students, that might help. You might consider the area as well.

Reply 3

kf289

Have a look at ranking for your subject, rather than overall rankings. I would also suggest going on open day visits if you can - sometimes a university will just feel right. Look at the course content, choice of modules, methods of assessment (e.g. is there the option to take more coursework / dissertation modules if that is what you are good at, or is it all reliant on final exams?) Your choices are also quite spread out over the UK, what about transport links for getting home at holidays? Is it possible to get in contact with current students (perhaps on TSR) and ask what their perspective is. All in all, get as much information as you can before you make a decision. Good luck!

Reply 4

Politics Student

The university rankings are meaningless for postgraduate study. I would even go as far as saying that it is completely meaningless for undergraduate study as well.

For example I did my BA in Politics and International relations in Portsmouth (rank 78) and my MSc at the University of Southampton (rank 22). I would fully recommend Portsmouth over Southampton to study the BA just because I found the department to be better, the department was far more organised, nearly every student facility was better (gym, library... etc), and academic support was overall better.

At the end of the day the student services are key to your well being and the department is where you are based which makes the overall ranking meaningless. Put it another way a degree classification is a degree classification and you could study at a rank 100 uni and do your post graduate at a uni ranked in the top ten if you get a 2.1 or 1st.

Your best looking at which university has the strongest department or which is more research focused if a PhD is a future consideration.

Essentially you need to choose somewhere with the course that will cover the topics you want to do and have a supervisor that could cover the topic you wish to do the dissertation in.

Ultimately, ignore the rankings and focus on what the course offers and the quality of the student services.
*Guardian 2013 uni rankings

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

colldi

Thanks for feedback.
Yop, i forgot say i am international. And i know the "best way" are open days. Unfortunately it is really difficult to travel to UK just for open days. Well, i tried to focus on subject tables, of course. But i could not find a website with " just marketing" ranking. All official uni webs contains "why to choose us". We have a bronze medail.. and so on. If you have a tip where i can find some realiable information about mentioned schools, i really appreciate that. If you have a experience, reply please.

Reply 6

Politics Student

Original post by colldi

What are you interested in studying? I would examine each of the courses you have found to see which covers your research interest. Enjoying what you are studying is the most important part.