Warwick vs UCL Economics

Hey Guys!

So I have received conditional offers from Warwick and UCL to pursue Economics. I am confused between these 2. I am an international student so visiting the campuses is out of question.

I have heard that since Warwick is a campus university, the school/community spirit is high but the location feels like you're in nowhere. Does this affect your internship/job opportunities? I mean, do you have a disadvantage that you're 1.5hours away from London? Lastly, what do you think about the Economics course?

If there's anyone who's rejected UCL and went ahead with Warwick, please help me by telling me what made you do that. I'd love to hear from all of you.

Thank you so much!

Re: internships/jobs. Firms based in London will reimburse any travel costs for face to face interviews. Internships are normally applied for online, so distance is not a consideration. Despite being further away, all the same firms come down to Warwick for networking events, workshops, careers fairs etc, as they do with UCL. The only advantage I guess of being in London is you can work for free at some boutique firm alongside uni, but I don't think most people could either afford or be bothered to do that.

I'll defer the other Qs to someone else.

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You appear to be leaning towards Warwick and want to be convinced that UCL will be a better choice.

UCL is a top university. This is both in the UK and in the World. On the other hand, Warwick is also a top university, especially for Economics. I doubt that the location will stop you from getting jobs/internships in London. Oxford and Cambridge are also outside London and their kids get internships in London.

I think Warwick, to me, will be a better choice. The standard of teaching at both universities are pretty much the same. So you will not lose in anyway. The big gap is that London is expensive and UCL will, in turn, become expensive for you. If you are wealthy, then you may not feel the pinch of how ridiculously expensive London can be, especially for students on very low budgets.

Warwick having a campus will help you to make great friendships and feel part of a community. Although UCL has Bloomsbury Campus, the campus life is very decentralised, which has positives and negatives depending on how you see it.

The only positive that has been mentioned above, is the chance to get and do unpaid internships during your uni time. This is not even guaranteed; besides, you can still apply and hopefully get summer work experiences and other internships.

Good luck in your decision.

Hi!

I am actually not leaning towards any school. I am equally interested in both and since both the schools have their own pros and cons, I am facing a tough time making a decision.

Thanks a ton for giving me a detailed explanation of why you think Warwick is better. Being city bred, I do prefer London. In fact, I am not sure if I will be able to survive without the hustle and bustle of the city. But again, I do not want to feel left out or lonely in such a big city because UCL doesn't have a proper campus and most of the socials might mainly occur in pubs/bars (and I don't drink).

If possible, could you please tell me more about the drinking scene in Warwick? Is it equivalent to that in London or is it less intense? Do most of the socials include drinking?

Hope to hear from you soon! Thanks again

You are welcome.

UCL is a great university, but the cost of living in London and the lack of a proper campus turns me of the university. UCL, being in London, provides numerous opportunities for you with regard to academic, social and personal development. I think UCL is like Manchester, a top University in a City environment. Yes, you can still feel part of a "campus life", but it does not fall in nicely like other campus environments.

Warwick has a vast campus and there are loads to do. I understand that you are more familiar with a City life, but sometimes you need to give yourself a break from the hustle and bustle of City life. Even if it is for 3 years. You can always return to London, but I doubt that you can return to a campus undergraduate experience. Besides, if you really want a London-centric education, you can pursue one at UCL or LSE, as a postgraduate course.

Campus life is varied, there are sports clubs, different cultural, academic plus other societies. Just because you will live in a Campus system does not mean that you will be non-existent. The campus spirit, as you previously wrote, will be high.

I do not want to influence your decision, but I suggest that you visit Warwick (if you have not do so yet).

Good luck

Definitely, cost is an issue. However, while comparing the overall annual costs for both unis, it's almost equal because UCL charges a lower tuition fee than Warwick (for international students) but that gap gets covered up, thanks to London's cost of living. So a slight variation in the cost isn't much of an issue while deciding among the two.

You're absolutely right about not being able to return to a campus undergraduate experience, and that's the key reason why I am attracted to Warwick. I don't want to miss out on the whole 'campus spirit' thing. And I anyway plan on pursuing a postgraduate degree from the UK, and like you said, I could probably think of making that London-centric rather than my undergraduate life.

Unfortunately, living on the other side of the globe and only one month for my A Level, I won't be able to visit the UK for a university tour. In fact, not knowing what the 2 campuses are exactly like is adding to my confusion, which is why I thought I will use this forum to know more about the 2 unis. So more suggestions/advice are welcome!

But thank you so much for all your inputs!

You can use Google to browse through photos and Youtube is your friend.

If I may ask, where are you from? Your cultural background may play a good role in keeping you happy during your programme. London and UCL are very international places, so you will be sure to find your place.

I agree that the costs, when you put both universities together, are marginally the same. The truth about this comparison is that my experience will be different to yours.

You may go to UCL and love the life there or you may go to Warwick and enjoy your days there. I am not a big fan of London (I guess you have noticed), but I don't want to dissuade you from it. Some people say that living in London makes you more mature and aware of your responsibilities.

I know people, who have studied at UCL or Imperial and will not trade it for the world. I also know other people, who have been to non-London universities like Cambridge, Southampton, Manchester and Surrey, that will hate to spend a day in London.

I think with these universities having significant advantages. I suggest that you think about your personal goals plus discuss them with your most trusted friends/family. Then, you should make a decision.

Good luck.

UCL has a more international rep. Many in my school choose it over Warwick because of this, and is best to look into that if you are looking to go back to wherever you live.

That's true. Even if people don't have much knowledge on unis, they think they know UCL because of the word 'London' in it. Hahaha! Thanks for the reply tho

Not only that, but because UCL is higher in the world rankings too. There could be a chance that employers think UCL is better and more respectable (not true), especially if you work abroad.

Oh yes, that too. Rankings certainly add to international rep, even if they don't aptly portray the school.

Exactly. I dont think there are many who chose Warwick over UCL for economics, i certainly dont know of any and have a relative who chose UCL simply because of rep

Hahaha! I have actually gone through Google Images and Youtube and I believe there's no other pic/video left of Warwick and UCL for me to see

I am from Southeast Asia but I've been exposed to diverse cultures. And there are lot of cultural/regional societies in both unis. So hopefully, fitting in and adapting would not be an issue.

I have been talking to people about this but everyone has such contrasting opinions that it's just adding to my confusion. Let's hope that I will make the right decision soon! Thanks again!

Persistence is key eh?

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Im too young to apply myself to give you proper information but my brother applied for UCL and Warwick to do economics and even though he got rejected by UCL he wanted UCL because it is acknowledged to be the best for economics even though Warrick is good also. The thing about Warwick he said is that the campus is quite secluded and theres not alot around if you want atmosphere, In terms of a name though UCL is the better choice