The Student Room Group

Best Scottish University?

Scroll to see replies

Original post by JodiePeepShow
I thought Glasgow had bad reputation due to the city sometimes getting a bad name ..
but the uni might still be good


Glasgow gets a bad name, unfairly. Glasgow Uni itself is in the affluent West End of Glasgow, so all these stereotypes English folk believe of being jibbed twice on the way to uni are, fortunately, not true! It is a UNESCO city of culture, so plenty to do and see :smile:

Glasgow Uni is also beautiful (4th oldest in the UK IIRC, being established in 1453) and generally has a good reputation for most things. Steer clear of league tables would be my advice. They give little indication of what it is like to study there, since a lot of the weighting is due to factors like the RAE, which has little or zero impact on undergraduate study.
Reply 21
Original post by alexs2602
That's disgraceful quite frankly.

And that's subjective. I don't believe that any Scottish uni makes an appearance in the maths top 10, for example. So someone who's v intelligent but perhaps not Oxbridge intelligent will miss out on the likes of Warwick, Imp, Bristol, Bath, UCL, Durham etc because of stubbornness?


I think it's more the no fees than stubbornness.
Edinburgh, St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen are all good unis and there are few other unis that make paying £9,000 (now £27,000) justifiable.

Regardless of this, it's pretty ridiculous for you to attributing wanting to stay in your on country as stubborn.
Original post by JodiePeepShow
i would prefer a more lively atmosphere but i know it's not the most important thing


Glasgow has a great atmosphere.
Reply 23
Original post by GingerGoat
Glasgow gets a bad name, unfairly. Glasgow Uni itself is in the affluent West End of Glasgow, so all these stereotypes English folk believe of being jibbed twice on the way to uni are, fortunately, not true! It is a UNESCO city of culture, so plenty to do and see :smile:

Glasgow Uni is also beautiful (4th oldest in the UK IIRC, being established in 1453) and generally has a good reputation for most things. Steer clear of league tables would be my advice. They give little indication of what it is like to study there, since a lot of the weighting is due to factors like the RAE, which has little or zero impact on undergraduate study.


There are a few bits of Glasgow that are rough, but the rest can be amazing.

As for league tables and especially the RAE, a high ranking could even mean a worse education (in theory), as some professors spend rather too much of their time on research and some treat students as an inconvenience :angry:.
Original post by Ruducus
I think it's more the no fees than stubbornness.
Edinburgh, St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen are all good unis and there are few other unis that make paying £9,000 (now £27,000) justifiable.

Regardless of this, it's pretty ridiculous for you to attributing wanting to stay in your on country as stubborn.

Excuse me? I can understand £27k being hard to justify but £10k~ is well worth paying for a top 20 easily, I'd even go as far as top 30 or 40. £10k was a bargain and still is for current undergrads.

It is stubborn for last year's fees. For this year's I can't really answer.
Well I would say it's entirely on the subject rather than the university, for example some courses are only offered in certain scottish universities (eg. Pharmacy is offered in very few) and my course (PPE) is only offered in Stirling. St Andrews is very good for traditional subjects such as english etc but strathclyde or glasgow is probably better for sciences. As for medicine, St Andrews medicine degrees take a year longer than other scottish universities for whatever reason (possibly the lack of a practising hospital), so Edinburgh is quicker for that degree. I wouldn't really pay attention to rankings all that much, but rather go and see the universities and see which ones you prefer. If I hadn't gone to Stirling I would have taken my offer from Edinburgh over St Andrews, but that's just me.
Original post by DontWantYourBloodMoney
Well I would say it's entirely on the subject rather than the university, for example some courses are only offered in certain scottish universities (eg. Pharmacy is offered in very few) and my course (PPE) is only offered in Stirling. St Andrews is very good for traditional subjects such as english etc but strathclyde or glasgow is probably better for sciences. As for medicine, St Andrews medicine degrees take a year longer than other scottish universities for whatever reason (possibly the lack of a practising hospital), so Edinburgh is quicker for that degree. I wouldn't really pay attention to rankings all that much, but rather go and see the universities and see which ones you prefer. If I hadn't gone to Stirling I would have taken my offer from Edinburgh over St Andrews, but that's just me.


Did I read too much into this, because it seems to had offers from St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Stirling... and you chose Stirling?
Original post by alexs2602
Excuse me? I can understand £27k being hard to justify but £10k~ is well worth paying for a top 20 easily, I'd even go as far as top 30 or 40. £10k was a bargain and still is for current undergrads.

It is stubborn for last year's fees. For this year's I can't really answer.


I might replace Manchester with Nottingham, how's the maths over there?! :biggrin: Also, I've heard bad things out the crime in the city, is it really that big of an issue?
Original post by Tams80
There are a few bits of Glasgow that are rough, but the rest can be amazing.

As for league tables and especially the RAE, a high ranking could even mean a worse education (in theory), as some professors spend rather too much of their time on research and some treat students as an inconvenience :angry:.


I'm not denying that some parts of Glasgow are rough, just not the parts most students would encounter near the universities. Every time I see the bus to Easterhouse I think it's like the modern incarnation of Hades' boat across the River Styx :lol:
I live in Partick at the moment, somewhere with not the greatest reputation, and tbh I feel pretty safe.

Still I love Glasgow, such a great atmosphere :smile:
Original post by alexs2602
Excuse me? I can understand £27k being hard to justify but £10k~ is well worth paying for a top 20 easily, I'd even go as far as top 30 or 40. £10k was a bargain and still is for current undergrads.

It is stubborn for last year's fees. For this year's I can't really answer.


£10K is still a lot of money, and the world outside of TSR would probably be hard pressed to tell you what a top 20 uni is. If you had the option, yourself, I don't doubt your stance would be a little different.
Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple
Did I read too much into this, because it seems to had offers from St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Stirling... and you chose Stirling?


Yep, alongside Glasgow and Dundee, but like I said, Stirling is the only place in Scotland which does my 3 tier degree (PPE), so I picked it over a regular joint honours course. Although it should be noted that Philosophy at Stirling was 5th in the UK when I applied, and its politics department boasts various successful politicians, but the younger status of the university has a kind of stigma attached to it for some reason.
Reply 31
Original post by alexs2602
Excuse me? I can understand £27k being hard to justify but £10k~ is well worth paying for a top 20 easily, I'd even go as far as top 30 or 40. £10k was a bargain and still is for current undergrads.

It is stubborn for last year's fees. For this year's I can't really answer.


£10k is still a lot of money, especially for some people. Several Scottish universities are high in the ranks. Top 10 even. Not that the ranks don't necessarily mean much, what with paper output being one of the variables. You get what you make of it for the most part.

Personally, I don't care if you go to Oxford or East Anglia, so long as you study well and have a good time.

N.B. I think uni is pretty poor value for money compared to a paid for school education.

Original post by GingerGoat
I'm not denying that some parts of Glasgow are rough, just not the parts most students would encounter near the universities. Every time I see the bus to Easterhouse I think it's like the modern incarnation of Hades' boat across the River Styx :lol:
I live in Partick at the moment, somewhere with not the greatest reputation, and tbh I feel pretty safe.

Still I love Glasgow, such a great atmosphere :smile:


Don't worry, I was just agreeing with you!
Hades' boat? I must try it!
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by DontWantYourBloodMoney
Yep, alongside Glasgow and Dundee, but like I said, Stirling is the only place in Scotland which does my 3 tier degree (PPE), so I picked it over a regular joint honours course. Although it should be noted that Philosophy at Stirling was 5th in the UK when I applied, and its politics department boasts various successful politicians, but the younger status of the university has a kind of stigma attached to it for some reason.


Good man :biggrin: I originally rejected Edinburgh for similar reasons (originally I did a joint course). People take prestige far too much into account rather than what the reality of the university is.
Original post by DontWantYourBloodMoney
Yep, alongside Glasgow and Dundee, but like I said, Stirling is the only place in Scotland which does my 3 tier degree (PPE), so I picked it over a regular joint honours course. Although it should be noted that Philosophy at Stirling was 5th in the UK when I applied, and its politics department boasts various successful politicians, but the younger status of the university has a kind of stigma attached to it for some reason.


Whoa, dude... I rate you. I mean Stirling is by no means bad, but it WAS St. Andrews?! :O
Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple
I might replace Manchester with Nottingham, how's the maths over there?! :biggrin: Also, I've heard bad things out the crime in the city, is it really that big of an issue?

Haha, just starting in two weeks so I can't really say. Quite a few people put Nottingham slightly above Manc for maths but there's very little difference and I applied for both. Went to both their open days too and Manc wasn't for me, Nottingham has a phenomenal campus - I'd recommend it. Crime is apparently nowhere near as bad as it's made out, Manc is probably worse tbh. It's a nicer place than my hometown.

Edit: It depends what you want out of a uni. The lecturers seem to be more helpful at Nottingham from what I can tell, at Manchester I found the open day left something to be desired. Lecture hall wise the unis are level. Manchester's are less than 10 years old, perhaps 5 and Nottingham just had a new maths building built. The city is only a bus away at Nottingham but you're right in the hustle and bustle at M.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by alexs2602
Haha, just starting in two weeks so I can't really say. Quite a few people put Nottingham slightly above Manc for maths but there's very little difference and I applied for both. Went to both their open days too and Manc wasn't for me, Nottingham has a phenomenal campus - I'd recommend it. Crime is apparently nowhere near as bad as it's made out, Manc is probably worse tbh. It's a nicer place than my hometown.

Edit: It depends what you want out of a uni. The lecturers seem to be more helpful at Nottingham from what I can tell, at Manchester I found the open day left something to be desired. Lecture hall wise the unis are level. Manchester's are less than 10 years old, perhaps 5 and Nottingham just had a new maths building built. The city is only a bus away at Nottingham but you're right in the hustle and bustle at M.


Thanks for this info, I think I'll just stick with Manc tbh, seems easier to get into, and would be a solid insurance for Warwick. Thanks. :smile:
Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple
Whoa, dude... I rate you. I mean Stirling is by no means bad, but it WAS St. Andrews?! :O


Haha cheers :smile: It was a pretty difficult choice to be honest but I wanted the 3 tier so I couldn't compromise based on reputation :P
Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple
Thanks for this info, I think I'll just stick with Manc tbh, seems easier to get into, and would be a solid insurance for Warwick. Thanks. :smile:

I disagree. I'd say they were both just as easy to get into. Both their typical offers are AAB but because I selfstudied FM I was offered AAC/ABB by Nottingham.
Original post by alexs2602
I disagree. I'd say they were both just as easy to get into. Both their typical offers are AAB but because I selfstudied FM I was offered AAC/ABB by Nottingham.


Oh really? Hmmm, then I have a dilemma on my hands. :/ AAC because you did FM or self taught FM? I didn't realise they take into account self-taught FM to lower the grades further, that's pretty cool.
Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple
Oh really? Hmmm, then I have a dilemma on my hands. :/ AAC because you did FM or self taught FM? I didn't realise they take into account self-taught FM to lower the grades further, that's pretty cool.

Selftaught. Manchester just offered me AAB. A few others on this forum were offered the same by Nottingham too from what I recall but the same cannot be said for Manchester who only offered AAB.

I can't guarantee what they'll do this year but I can't see them going up what with the fee changes.

Quick Reply