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bournemouth vs sussex vs napier

Hi,

I've applied in these unis for digital media and every one of them has their pros and cons. I'm completely torn between bournemouth and sussex as they seem the best choices, but i've also been thinking about edinburgh napier and leeds. I have offers from all of them. Please I need any kind of input,opinion,information about the unis and courses as I'm an international student and can't go to open days.

So here are my thoughts:

Sussex- Computing for Digital Media
- more technical course- that's the main turn off for me because I wanted more design and practical stuff
- great area-Brighton and London near
- big uni- lots of people- I like that
- more reputable
- uni campus-everything is in one place

Bournemouth- Digital Media Design
- lots of practical projects- that's great, because I'll have a bigger portfolio of work=better chances for job later
- in a very small town, seems to me lots of old people live there- biggest turn off
- The Media school- good
- campus is spread around town- not good
- seems as people who go there are not very interested in studying rather than partying
- accommodation looks bad


Leeds- New Media
- campus is good
- course more concentrated on media studies- not good
- people seem to love Leeds generally

Edinburgh Napier- Digital Media
only reason I would choose this uni would be because it's free for EU students( as opposed to 9000 pounds in England) and because it's in Edinburgh- lovely city


So there, I really have no idea which one would be better, I guess they all have their pros and cons but I'm really scared of making a wrong choice. Please help, I would really appreciate it:smile:
I live in Bournemouth myself and know people who are go to Bournemouth uni, I myself am going to Sussex university this year to study Media or Media and Cultural studies. Lots of old people don't live in Bournemouth, it's a young people city, however some areas are rougher than others but where the campuses are, it's all safe and you have the train station, supermarkets, clubs, gardens, the beach and the high street all together. It's hard to get bored in Bournemouth and it's a lovely place. There's a lot of young people there, as well as international students.

I think you need to weigh up your options not with the surrounding area, but with what will interest you the most. Bournemouth is okay for clubbing, it depends what kind of person you are, plus you have the beach which is great and a big town to explore. Sussex is great because it's in a beautiful place and you have Brighton and London and Leeds is very vibrant too, so you've chosen good places to go. Edinburgh is amazing too.

However, you need to ask yourself which course would be better. Usually the universities will send you a little booklet which tells you what you will study throughout your time there, if they haven't done that, request one? Sussex sent me one today that tells me what's on the media course and I'm not keen on any of the electives or anything, so will probably change to Media and Cultural studies as soon as I get there. So you never know. However, Sussex allows you have to electives, as in, you can study stuff like languages among other things. You're not restricted to the one topic, if you want to take electives in other subjects, you're allowed too even though they're not listed, you just speak to your lecturer or email the university beforehand and they stick you on the other courses. Which I think is great because university is about learning new things, especially for thousands and thousands of pounds a year.

The Edinburgh one sounds good, it depends how worried you will be about the debt. Remember you don't start paying it back until you start earning 21 grand a year and only then do you pay about 8 pounds back a week. If you're really not keen on the debt or even want to go travelling after university, then maybe Edinburgh is best for you. I want to go travelling after university despite the debt, it really doesn't make a huge difference, it won't always mean you're out of pocket, it's a whole separate thing that just starts taking your money once you're ready too financially.

I think deep down you know which one you will go to. Bournemouth is great for new students, but does get boring. Not all of them are interested in just partying, a lot of intelligent people go there. Sussex you get a HUGE mix of people. Leeds as well is good for both. Don't go for the people though, or the area, go for the course. Try listing the pros and cons for the course first, before everything else.

I hope this helps. Message me if you want more information. :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by SugarPuddle
I live in Bournemouth myself and know people who are go to Bournemouth uni, I myself am going to Sussex university this year to study Media or Media and Cultural studies. Lots of old people don't live in Bournemouth, it's a young people city, however some areas are rougher than others but where the campuses are, it's all safe and you have the train station, supermarkets, clubs, gardens, the beach and the high street all together. It's hard to get bored in Bournemouth and it's a lovely place. There's a lot of young people there, as well as international students.

I think you need to weigh up your options not with the surrounding area, but with what will interest you the most. Bournemouth is okay for clubbing, it depends what kind of person you are, plus you have the beach which is great and a big town to explore. Sussex is great because it's in a beautiful place and you have Brighton and London and Leeds is very vibrant too, so you've chosen good places to go. Edinburgh is amazing too.

However, you need to ask yourself which course would be better. Usually the universities will send you a little booklet which tells you what you will study throughout your time there, if they haven't done that, request one? Sussex sent me one today that tells me what's on the media course and I'm not keen on any of the electives or anything, so will probably change to Media and Cultural studies as soon as I get there. So you never know. However, Sussex allows you have to electives, as in, you can study stuff like languages among other things. You're not restricted to the one topic, if you want to take electives in other subjects, you're allowed too even though they're not listed, you just speak to your lecturer or email the university beforehand and they stick you on the other courses. Which I think is great because university is about learning new things, especially for thousands and thousands of pounds a year.

The Edinburgh one sounds good, it depends how worried you will be about the debt. Remember you don't start paying it back until you start earning 21 grand a year and only then do you pay about 8 pounds back a week. If you're really not keen on the debt or even want to go travelling after university, then maybe Edinburgh is best for you. I want to go travelling after university despite the debt, it really doesn't make a huge difference, it won't always mean you're out of pocket, it's a whole separate thing that just starts taking your money once you're ready too financially.

I think deep down you know which one you will go to. Bournemouth is great for new students, but does get boring. Not all of them are interested in just partying, a lot of intelligent people go there. Sussex you get a HUGE mix of people. Leeds as well is good for both. Don't go for the people though, or the area, go for the course. Try listing the pros and cons for the course first, before everything else.

I hope this helps. Message me if you want more information. :smile:




thanks for the info, i guess.
yes they all gave me leaflets with course description. Bournemouth said I'll have no electives and can't learn languages if I wanted and there's no year abroad option between years 2 and 3. Leeds made it seem as though it will be really fun to study new media, but the modules all concentrate on learning about how media affects society and not actually doing something- at least that's my impression. Sussex seems to have electives, the course seems to be focused mainly on video and special effects, which isn't bad but I expected more animation and web-design.

Also on a purely visual basis, Sussex seems horribly ugly, the buildings I mean, can't they at least paint those old red-brick buildings to make them more pleasant and welcoming, it would make my choice at least a bit easier. Really awful architecture, can't believe they haven't changed it for so long.
Sussex focuses mainly on theory, you can do practicals that concern photography, sound, web design and video making. You do get electives which allow you to focus on film and anything else you wish, as long as you can tackle it (so global studies, cultural studies, philosophy, maths, english, history, anything you like)

& regarding the architecture, I don't think anyone has the patience for people who are concerned about what the university looks like on the outside. They have had construction work throughout 2011 to prepare the 2012 students coming, the library, the accommodation, the lecture halls have all been updated. But that's not what it's about, the location is what attracts Sussex uni students such as how the accommodation is in the middle of a nature park and you have the forests too, then on the front side you have the buses and trains which take 2 minutes to get into Brighton city centre which has the beach and all the clubs, bars and theatres you could ask for. Don't judge a book by its cover, it won't get you anywhere.

I judged my college by its cover, hated it on the opening day, thought it looked like a school and run down inside. Ended up taking my chances and going there anyway and I loved it, despite having to travel for 45 minutes to get in but it was so worth it. So I learnt my lesson there.

If you're concerned about the way a university looks on the outside then you need a reality check, or to aim higher and go for the ones situated in London or somewhere else. I can tell you Bournemouth university looks like a block of flats. The architecture won't bother you when you've settled in, made friends and are having the time of your life going out to parties whilst getting your degree.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by SugarPuddle
Sussex focuses mainly on theory, you can do practicals that concern photography, sound, web design and video making. You do get electives which allow you to focus on film and anything else you wish, as long as you can tackle it (so global studies, cultural studies, philosophy, maths, english, history, anything you like)

& regarding the architecture, I don't think anyone has the patience for people who are concerned about what the university looks like on the outside. They have had construction work throughout 2011 to prepare the 2012 students coming, the library, the accommodation, the lecture halls have all been updated. But that's not what it's about, the location is what attracts Sussex uni students such as how the accommodation is in the middle of a nature park and you have the forests too, then on the front side you have the buses and trains which take 2 minutes to get into Brighton city centre which has the beach and all the clubs, bars and theatres you could ask for. Don't judge a book by its cover, it won't get you anywhere.

I judged my college by its cover, hated it on the opening day, thought it looked like a school and run down inside. Ended up taking my chances and going there anyway and I loved it, despite having to travel for 45 minutes to get in but it was so worth it. So I learnt my lesson there.

If you're concerned about the way a university looks on the outside then you need a reality check, or to aim higher and go for the ones situated in London or somewhere else. I can tell you Bournemouth university looks like a block of flats. The architecture won't bother you when you've settled in, made friends and are having the time of your life going out to parties whilst getting your degree.


No,of course I understand that I shouldn't judge a university solely on its looks, I'm just saying that they could have made it better,that's all:smile:
Am a little worried about to much theory and not enough practice at Sussex. I think I'm leaning more to Bournemouth now. They have that Media School and its skillset accredited, so I guess that's a pretty big deal,no? And I've been told that media related courses are great in Bournemouth, is that true?
I am starting to think about reapplying next year (this year) for a different course at places I would more certainly like to go. Have you any information about people reapplying after 1st year, and how does that effect the student loan?
That's fair enough if you are leaning towards Bournemouth. I don't know much about the media school there but I think it's known to be very good, a lot of journalists go to Bournemouth university. For work experience etc. though it's not great as there's very little opportunities (hence me going to Sussex as I'll be close to London to do work experience placements). But yes, Bournemouth is known to be good at anything media related.

I think if you haven't begun university and you have a student loan coming to you, you merely cancel it and redo the ucas and student finance forms next year for 2013. However if you're beginning in 2012 but under other places and have applied for student finance, you have to notify the course and uni change to them so they can pay the right tuition fee to the right university. Do you mean reapplying for your second student loan to come in on your second year? If so you reapply at university through student finance. I suggest phoning ucas or student finance for more information.
Reply 6
Bournemouth's media school is very well respected and has won tonnes of awards not just the skillset, applying for jobs I have found that its a very big deal. I'm in my final year studying there and I love it. I've learnt so much, made so many friends and had such a great time I never want to leave.

Although they don't offer electives your education will be pretty broad as it is and you could always choose to put some of your spare time to studying other subjects (languages) in the library if you wanted. I studied Leadership, NLP and counseling in my first year which has helped me with my studies and made me more employable. Many courses have a year long professional placement as part of the course but if yours doesn't they are usually supportive of you taking a year out. A lot of courses encourage/require you to do at least a summer of relevant industry work anyway so don't think you'll miss out. A lot of people go to London to work for major companies, others I know have ended up in New York and LA. Slotting back in afterwards is weird at first but as so many people are going through the same thing the weirdness doesn't last long, and you find it's a great experience to get the change.

As for your concerns about the spread out campus, Media students are based at Talbot Campus (in Fern Barrow near Winton) which is where the main campus is, I don't think there's much chance of you having to go to Lansdowne or Poole campuses so don't let the split campus concern you, everything you need will be at hand. Most halls are in Lansdowne so close to town with a regular bus link to Talbot (it's walkable distance).

The accommodation you see on open day (Student Villiage) is not the nicest. A lot of the halls are provided by Unite and are pretty standardised up and down the country. BU have opened Chesil House this year and they are opening up a new block by the station next year.

BU gets it reputation as the uni for the people who just want to party from a couple of big but less intellectually demanding courses. On the most part its "work hard play hard". I can tell you will definitely find people who study hard in the media school, it's not uncommon for Weymouth House (The media school building) to be as busy at 2 in the morning as it is during the day.

Also, yes Weymouth House is ugly as anything from the outside but is superbly well equipped and in my experience the support staff and lecturers are fantastic.
Reply 7
Thanks Fi_Edwards for the feedback, I think you just made me even more sure that I should choose Bournemouth. It's good to hear that you're pleased with lectures and staff, that they're supportive of you getting a job later and work experience.

So on topic accommodation, which one should I choose, I still haven't searched topics about that but I'm pretty sure there's lots of information on the internet about that. Just wanted to ask you too, which place would be better for an international student to "fit in" and not too expensive a place.
Reply 8
There's lots of international students in Corfe but it's out in the middle of nowhere (Poole) so I wouldn't recommend it. Personally I'd go for Purbeck or Cranborne. Although they're not as nice as Chesil or Lyme IMHO they're the best halls for general friendliness and experience.
Reply 9
Just one more question- is Bournemouth a really small town? I'm used to big cities and I don't know how a small town change will affect me. Is Brighton much much bigger or close the same?
Brighton is much bigger than Bournemouth, but Bournemouth is of considerable size. There's lots to do there, it's all packed together.
And Bournemouth is near to many other cities!
I used to live round there and now live near Brighton, so yeah :cool:
Original post by Alexandra's Box
And Bournemouth is near to many other cities!
I used to live round there and now live near Brighton, so yeah :cool:


Bournemouth is a city, but not near any other cities that I know of? There's Poole, Christchurch, Boscombe, but there's nothing to do there, they're just towns and have only houses and shopping malls/high streets.
Original post by SugarPuddle
Bournemouth is a city, but not near any other cities that I know of? There's Poole, Christchurch, Boscombe, but there's nothing to do there, they're just towns and have only houses and shopping malls/high streets.


There is rather a lot to do in Poole :wink: Brownsea Island is lovely. Near to the New Forest, day trips to Weymouth are possible, international travel opportunities... You're right in that I should have not really put 'cities,' but there are lots of places to go!
Original post by Alexandra's Box
There is rather a lot to do in Poole :wink: Brownsea Island is lovely. Near to the New Forest, day trips to Weymouth are possible, international travel opportunities... You're right in that I should have not really put 'cities,' but there are lots of places to go!


I guess there is a lot to do, but there's not much to do for young people in Poole. It's all in Bournemouth. Brownsea Island is just a massive nature park. And the New Forest is much further up the country (about 45/50 minutes via train). But I guess there's more to do here than other places I suppose. To be honest, I spent a lot of my time when I was younger hanging around in Bournemouth and it took me at least 4-5 years to get bored of it. There's lots of different types of people and there's so many shops, pubs and clubs to go to. As well as the gardens, the beach, the hot air balloon, the parks and everything else. It's a good place to be if you're a student.
Reply 15
Thanks guys for the help, really appreciate it.
In the end I chose to firm Sussex and put Bournemouth as insurance. As everyone said Sussex is a bigger uni in a bigger city, the courses are not that much different so I'll probably like both, I like the more electives in Sussex.

Well yeah, that's it. Finally figured it out, indecisiveness and worry has been killing me for the past few months, I can now rest peacefully and worry about other things:biggrin:

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