Please, help to choose uni in Scotland:)

Hi, I'm from Lithuania and applying for Scotland universities (psychology MA). I have not decided which unis to choose yet and I'm a little bit confused about that. I'm thinking about St.Andews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Stirling. Do you have any other ideas or an opinion which is the best of them for psychology? Maybe you can number from the best to the worst how you think?

I really need help, thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Albertine

Original post by krices

I know that psychology at Glasgow is VERY hard to get into, they've just raised their entry standards by alot.

From being a scottish resident Edinburgh is gorgeous, but there are 4 unis so it's an expensive city to live in! There is so much going on there and it is a great city for night life and culture. :smile:

In terms of which uni is best St Andrews, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and then Stirling.

I've applied to Stirling because it looks like a beautiful campus, but I would've applied to Edinburgh if they did my course! :frown:

Stirling isn't far from Edinburgh so you could visit lots :smile:

Reply 2

Pheebs1201

St.Andrews is probably the best, but the league tables also rate stirling very highly for psychology.

Reply 3

Leahcar

STIRLINGGGGGGGGGGGGG

It is an absolutely awesome uni. I know a few people who do psychology and they really enjoy it, but obviously do your own research about prestige and what your course involves!

I'm a fresher at Stirling at the minute. I can advise you on my experiences as a first year so just ask away if you have any questions!!

The uni is VERY accommodating, it'll bend over backwards to help you if you have any problems, and generally everyone is lovely! There's also boatloads of student support services and people you can talk to if you ever feel down for whatever reason. They're brilliant at soting out accommodation, I left it very late (QUB's fault, not mine :frown:

) in applying for accommodation so there were no places left in Halls, so they sorted out a place for me in off campus accommodation. My friend applied even later and there were no places left for her at all, so they tried really hard to help her find private accommodation :smile:

It's definitely a good uni for student satisfaction :smile:

Reply 4

krices

Original post by Albertine

Stirling isn't far from Edinburgh so you could visit lots :smile:

Yes, I've heard about Glasgow's entry requirements and now I'm thinking not to choose it at all, it's not too attractive to me anyway...

And thanks for unis rating, it really helped me :wink:

Reply 5

krices

[Pheebs1201]-->> thank you :smile:

) I was almost sure that St.Andrews will be my first choise, but now I will find out more about Stirling :smile:

[Leahcar]-->> cool, Your message is perfect;D I heard about Stirling, when looked into entry requirements and thought that it can't be one of the best uni, because requirements were lower than, for example, St.Andrews or Edinburgh, but then I saw it in a high place in ratings I was really surprised(so that the truth is?) and I really wanted to know more about this and after your message I started to believe that it would not be the last choise in my list...so all in all, what were requirements to you?? :smile:

Reply 6

RamocitoMorales

Glasgow is the most reputable for psychology, from what I gather.

Reply 7

ch0llima

I know from friends studying there that the St Andrews psychology department is apparently excellent, but it's oversubscribed and therefore it's dog-eat-dog to get to the Honours stage.

I can tell you a little bit about the St Andrews grading system. Everything is graded on a 20 point scale and, in second year, you'll do two modules related to the degree you originally signed up for (e.g. psychology) and two others which will be for another degree you might choose to transfer into (e.g. philosophy).

In the core modules, you need to attain a grade of 11.0 in each in order to gain entry to the Honours program. Some departments choose to ignore this within reason, so you could get into Honours Physics (for example) with a 9.5 in one module and 10.3 in the other if they're happy you'd survive Honours. However, psychology always seemed to stick to the rule rigidly - if you don't have >11.0 in both then you're out.

In other words, it's great if you get there but if you find yourself struggling then you don't have a leg to stand on. Getting basically kicked out is difficult enough to deal with for everyone, but especially difficult if you've come over from Lithuania.

Hope that helps. For the record, all the choices you've picked are excellent but I hope I've clarified a few things for you here.

Reply 8

krices

Yeah u really helped a lot, thanks, all this information ir very very helpful for me as I'm from Lithuania as you've mentioned and don't really know the system of teching and everything, so it's great to hear someone's experience... :smile:

Reply 9

SergioMZ

I'd choose St Andrews, Glasgow, Stirling, Aberdeen, and... I don't really know.
I did not like Edinburgh.

And don't apply only to Scottish unis on the basis of free fees: living expenses in Edinburgh and St Andrews are really expensive, and remember it's 4 years long, not 3.

Reply 10

krices

yes I remember, but would it be more expensive than living in England and paying fees?;o

is expensive life the only reason why you don't like Edinburgh?

Reply 11

Albertine

Original post by krices

Yes, I've heard about Glasgow's entry requirements and now I'm thinking not to choose it at all, it's not too attractive to me anyway...

And thanks for unis rating, it really helped me :wink:

Haha no problem, do you live in Scotland? :smile:

Reply 12

SergioMZ

Original post by krices

yes I remember, but would it be more expensive than living in England and paying fees?;o

is expensive life the only reason why you don't like Edinburgh?

Depending on where you go in England, yes. London and the South are obviously more expensive, but the North and the North East are probably cheaper.
For me, it is way cheaper to go to Durham than to St Andrews.

And no, I did not like the uni and I did not like the city. It's nice, but I would not really like to live there. And it's nothing to do with the money.

I would advise you to visit the unis and cities you think you love the most beforehand. Edinburgh would have been my first option, I was so in love with it, then I went there, hated in, and haven't even applied.

Reply 13

krices

Original post by Albertine

Haha no problem, do you live in Scotland? :smile:

Well no as u can see from my first message, but probably I will if my application will be successful :rolleyes:

Reply 14

krices

Original post by SergioMZ

Of course it would be great to visit all cities I want to try to live in, but I live far away at the moment and I'm not sure I will get an opportunity to go there, but thanks for your advice and experience (and all the information given as well) :smile:

Reply 15

SergioMZ

Original post by krices

You don't need to visit them all. But you do need to check up your first choices. I live in Barcelona, it's not like I live that near.
Try to get the opportunity... even if it is an early flight in the morning with Ryanair and then back on the evening, to check at least Edinburgh (or whatever your first choice is). The good thing is your choices are geographically close, so in three days you might get to visit them all.
I have visited six unis/cities along the summer: Cambridge, Southampton, Bristol, Durham, St Andrews and Edinburgh. As you can see, it's not really convenient geographically, but using trains and EasyJet flights (£35 for a flight from Bristol to Newcastle, for example) you can do it quite cheaply.

It is important to do it... you don't want to arrive in a city which will be your own during four years and find out you don't like it. It took me five minutes since I got out from Waverley Station to Princes Street to realise Edinburgh wasn't my place. It took me ten minutes in Durham to fall in love with it.

Good luck. :smile: