Which university is better?

Hello people,

I am torn between the above universities. I was wondering which one is the best one in terms of university rankings, education, standard of teaching, student support, cultural diversity, accommodation..etc.? Also, which is the better city? I'm not a night-life seeker, just in terms of shopping spots, weather, open spaces, expensiveness, stuff like that.

Thanks a lot in advance.

I voted university of sheffield, I'm not yet a uni student but I do live there, and I've seen the university campus been to lectures etc... In terms of accommodation, sheffield is one of the cheapest city's to live in, if you compare the price of en suite room at halls in london to sheffield it's around £100+ more. Can't comment on student support or standard of teaching (you can find out this information on the website).

The university is a russel group uni, I'm not sure the other uni's are too. The weather is typically british, lots of parks, peak district close by, sheffield has one of the largest shopping centre's in england (Meadowhall) it has centertainment, which is a sort of retail park, with a huge cineworld and around 15 different resuartants (nando's, flaming dragon, fridays etc)) and also has hollywood bowl. As a city sheffield is very diverse.

Any questions?

Sheffield and Southampton are both in the Russell Group so they have the best reputation nationally and internationally for their research. Sheffield is right next to the peak district and has the most parkland of any city in the UK. Don't know about Southampton, though it is on the coast I got the impression when I visited that UEA try to take care of their students fairly well, though I don't know how well they really compare to other places.

All the unis vary a great deal from department to department, though. For example, in the RAE 2008 (most recent) which looks at the quality of research, for Politics, Sheffield came joint first, and Southampton come something like 38th (Behind UEA)

Wow, I didn't know all of this about Sheffield. Thank you so much, this has helped a lot.

Yes, I do have some questions, you said the accommodation is quite cheap, so can you perhaps give an roughly estimate of how much will be needed for living expenses? Also, are residence halls in good condition? in terms of space, comfortableness, and so forth.

Also, what about the cultural diversity? Is it a welcoming environment for international students?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. You have no idea how much this helped.

Yeah, it seemed that both Sheffield and Southampton got the most votes.

I'm actually leaning towards UEA only because I'm a Norwich City fan and because the city seems historically awesome. However, it's a really small city with very little options. And this seems boring. Also, according to rankings, they do come after Sheffield and Southampton, and actually, I'm looking for top notch uni's that will be worth the hassle.

From your reply and transulcent's it seems that Sheffield is a good choice. So thanks so much for your reply. I really appreciate it.

I have included that in the poll question title.

Hello people,

I am torn between the above universities for studying MSC in Marketing at.

I was wondering which one is the best one in terms of university rankings, education, standard of teaching, student support, cultural diversity, accommodation..etc.? Also, which is the better city? I'm not a night-life seeker, just in terms of shopping spots, weather, open spaces, expensiveness, stuff like that.

Thanks a lot in advance.

TBH Marketing is a pretty pointless/worthless degree so it shouldn't matter too much.

All your questions can be answered here http://www.shef.ac.uk/undergraduate/accommodation
And, of-course it's a welcoming environment for internationals, the University is diverse and the city itself also is. If you come to visit on open day and take a stroll through the city centre you'll see a whole mix of people.

I can't really give an estimate of living expenses that's something you can only do, I don't know whether you spend £0 on a alcohol, a week or £150 etc. You should consider rent, transport, food, toiletries and books/etc as essentials and what's left as a bonus.

Not sure how much a room cost at University of Sheffield, but at Sheffield hallam (another sheffield uni) you can get a en suite room with free parking for £80 a week, and it was quite pleasant, University of Sheffield halls shouldn't really differ that much in terms of price.

Lower cost of living link :http://www.shef.ac.uk/undergraduate/studentlife/low-cost-of-living

To add, residents will definitely be in good condition, the basic room has a desk, bed, wardrobe, (chest of draws and a sink in some places) comfortableness is subjective, space? there's multiple common rooms in halls of residents.

Ah, missed that.

Norwich is a good city, I think. Depending on what you like doing, there's lots of good pubs, and a fair few clubs. The union is also really good at getting some pretty big-name acts for a uni. Don't know if it's different for postgrads but I know a couple of undergrads who are having a great time there.

But if you're looking for the best of the city and the best of the academics, I would say Sheffield still wins. It's a bigger city so there is so much to do, but it doesn't even feel like it's that big or busy or overcrowded (probably because of all the parks)

That's alright. Well, Mr Craghyrax, since you live in Norwich, care to enlighten me on the city and the university? I hardly know anything about it, but I'm intrigued.

I'm female
Norwich is lovely. I don't personally like the University, but everybody else I know does.

Well, I don't drink, so pubs aren't much of an enticement for me. I only care about nature, music, films, and shopping spots, and that's it! So if Norwich can be provide me with that on top of a good academic experience, then I'm in!

Yes, I did hear about East Angila's student union, it seems like a top notch one.