ucl vs sussex

for physics but based on social life, student experience and how easy to get a job after degree etc

thanks for the advice. its nice to have some people who have experience of the universities to help. i think i will firm ucl now. i do really like it as a university i am just a bit worried that ucl could be a lonely experience being a city university, with less chance of meeting people outside lectures/halls. are people at ucl generally quite sociable then. just worried because ive heard that quite alot of people have a really strong work ethic and also some people have said that the international students tend to stay with eachother and not be very sociable. do these have any truth to them? thanks for the help people

okay thanks for the help. would you say that having gone ucl you would have prefered a campus uni or having gone sussex you would have rather gone to a city uni. i think im leaning towards ucl but am just worried as im doing a four year course so is a long time if i dont like the place, want it to be an enjoyable experience

It's difficult to say.

I did not apply for UCL as I hated it's location; despite being in London, it's a long journey on the tube and the surrounding area is noisy with not much going on. I personally wanted city life on my doorstep, whereas you get a big busy road and a few little expensive shops.

I applied to Sussex as it's nearer home and in Brighton which is a lovely place. However, it is 4 miles out of Brighton, and after talking with a student at Sussex found out that the buses aren't as regular as I thought and that most students end up staying on campus instead of going out, whereas I don't want to be tied to the campus the whole time. I also thought Sussex's facilities weren't very modern and the buildings were very industrial-looking which put me off. UCL is modern, but being in London means higher living costs. UCL accommodation is more expensive but some of Sussex's accommodation left little to be desired; definitely avoid East Slope at all costs. Students rated the social side of it well, but inside it was pretty sub-standard.

What facilities at sussex are you refering to i have applied for engieering.

I am the opposite as someone on here in that I haven't applied to UCL but I live in London and have applied to Sussex. I haven't actually ever been to Brighton so can't give you an opinion on that yet, but can give you an insight on London.

While London is exciting and the nightlife is amazing, it's something I would advise AFTER university. I think university life should involve crazy student nights, a campus and little money. There are student nights in London (but not many and even then it's still expensive), but taxis and travel (the tube at night can be pretty scary) can be a nightmare and expensive. Even living in London I have found it hard to make lots of friends my own age because everything is so spread out and there's much less of a community, because the place is so big. Yes, it is an amazing city and I do love living here but I don't want to enjoy this experience when I have a job after university and can actually afford things. Accommodation is also a staggering amount of money, especially for a student. I don't think you would get the same 'university experience' going to a university in central London.

However, being in a university in London does mean you'll have more contacts with people within the top jobs as most are based in London and I believe UCL probably has a better reputation than Sussex, although I don't think there's much in it.

I think it depends on what you want out of the university experience. If you want a
typical student life, good social life and to come out with the least debt possible, then go to Sussex. If all you're after is the top job and don't care much about the money, then go to UCL.

is ucl terrible for student experience then? or is it just much better at sussex. would you say its easy to make friends at ucl because of the lack of student nights etc?