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Cannot decide unis for IR!

Hi there,

I got several unconditional offers from bristol, durham, sheffield and york for International relations as an international applicant.

I've been searching about courses of each unis and couldn't find any specific differences between them.

My preference is Durham because of their prestige and gorgeous campus but, to be honest, still have doubt about the reputation for IR courses compared with the others.

I don't mind the weather, location or nightlife things but just reputation, qualities of IR courses and also chances for internship!

Would you give me some advice?

Thanks in advance.
(edited 11 years ago)
When you're looking at the courses, have a look at the individual modules that each offers, and see which one you're most interested in. You don't get summaries which say 'X has a focus on Middle Eastern politics', or 'Y emphasises political theory'.
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Dolcevita.
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Original post by maskofsanity
If you are most concerned with prestige, then it's between Bristol and Durham. There is no difference between them really, but I believe Bristol has a better international reputation so may be more advantageous to you as an international student.



Right, that's why I cannot choose Durham as my firm choice immediately though I love there. Do you really think the international reputation of the university makes me be struggled with finding a job outside the UK? I have heard that getting a job in the UK is almost impossible to foreigners because of VISA problem. Urgh, how difficult it is!
Original post by Dolcevita.
Right, that's why I cannot choose Durham as my firm choice immediately though I love there. Do you really think the international reputation of the university makes me be struggled with finding a job outside the UK? I have heard that getting a job in the UK is almost impossible to foreigners because of VISA problem. Urgh, how difficult it is!


It is currently harder to get a job in the UK if you are not an EU citizen because of visa restrictions - the post-study work visa scheme has changed. This could of course change again by the time you graduate. In terms of the international reputation, that really depends on how well the university is where you want to work, and the perspective of employers there.
Well, I would consider international reputation as a major factor if going back to your home country is a distinct possibility and without knowing what kind of industry you will end up in. If the name is not that well known outside of the UK, your CV may be looked at as no different than a local's CV. ....that is unless you come from a country that is impressed with a British education in general. Presuming you are going to be paying LOADS under overseas course fee status, you might as well go for the best brand you can get so you don't end up in the previous sentence's situation.

Unless you plan to work specifically for an NGO or IO, other employers probably won't know the ranking of individual departments and would be more aware of the university itself.

From what I've seen in my decade in the UK, immigration gets more and more restrictive. They usually heighten the fees for applying as well as the salary needed to acquire the requisite points. Now they are requiring a 12-month "cooling off" period before switching to an employment visa if you're already in the UK on another visa! If anything positive ever occurs it is usually either very short-lived (That Post-Study Work Visa only ran for 3 years before it got scrapped) or would probably involve a higher qualification than BA.

So if you're an overseas student. Hope for the best, but expect the worst (not settling in the UK).

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