Manchester and league tables

Hello.

I've been looking at league tables of unis in the UK (I'm an international students so I have to rely on them for comparing unis and getting info about them) and I've noticed that Manchester seems to have dropped quite a few places (I've looked at times higher education, for example, where it's dropped from 49 in 2012-2013 to 58 in 2013-2014). I was wondering if anyone could help me out and explain or offer any ideas about the matter? And also, how much attention should you pay to league tables and stuff?

Thanks!

Reply 1

Origami Bullets

Original post by Liz Ben

Very little attention should be paid to league tables, and even less to aggregate scores. There a pretty good explanation of why here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1096372

Manchester is a very good university, amongst the Russell Group (a small group of leading universities that also includes Oxbridge), and it's the university that is second most targeted by employers.

(PS I love where you've listed your location as!)

University of Manchester

Manchester

Reply 2

Doglamlico

Original post by Origami Bullets

it's the university that is second most targeted by employers.

That ranking also means very little, since a higher ranking in it does not imply that a university is better for employment.

Reply 3

Liz Ben

Original post by Origami Bullets

Thanks for the link its helped clear things up a bit :smile:

its hard to decide what uni to pick when you live so far from the UK (you're the only person who's ever noticed my location :P ) and I keep worrying about picking the wrong one for me.

What do you study at Manchester if you don't mind me asking?

(PS it's nice to see whovians out here :smile:

)

Reply 4

BayHarborButcher

Original post by Liz Ben

Thanks for the link its helped clear things up a bit :smile:

)

I've firmed Manchester for 2014 and I could have firmed pretty much any (Except oxbridge), don't trust those league tables, they're put together by the media and no one actually knows how... Being originally from Italy my Dad told me to look at internationally reputable unis in case I end up working outside the country and Manchester is definitely one of the best for that, everyone around the world has heard of it but it's entirely up to you but if you don't plan on working in England afterwards then I would look at international reputation too!

Reply 5

Liz Ben

Original post by BayHarborButcher

Hi

That's pretty much the same thing my Dad told me so I'm firming Manchester for 2014 :smile:

Thanks for the input!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

BayHarborButcher

Original post by Liz Ben

Hi

That's pretty much the same thing my Dad told me so I'm firming Manchester for 2014 :smile:

Thanks for the input!

Haha if it's likely you won't be staying in the Uk then I reckon that's a good choice! There are a few other good international ones too though like Bristol, UCL etc but I just love Manchester :P What you studying?

Reply 7

Liz Ben

Original post by BayHarborButcher

Pharmacy

and my other offers were from UEA, Bath and Reading.

What about you?

Reply 8

BayHarborButcher

Nice! Chemical engineering, got offers from Birmingham, leeds and nottingham also (and rejection from cabridge lmao), im looking forward to manchester :smile:

Reply 9

DPLSK

Liz Ben

League tables are not the only means by which to measure a university. There's lots of different ways to measure a university - I've listed some below.

- Employment guides
- Student satisfaction surveys
- Forums (such as TSR)
- Departmental webpages
- Undergraduate brochures
- Open days
- Departmental visit days

Also, every university has an admissions team for every department. You could speak to them in order to get in contact with current undergraduates and lecturers.

I hope that gives you a feel for all the different resources available to you to decide what university you want to go to. There's no excuse to just use league tables.

I think it's really just a case of knowing what to look for. Whilst I can't say what you want to look for, here's a few pointers.

- Accommodation
- Study facilities
- Recreational activities
- Employment opportunities

In particular, you'll find it harder to secure employment in the UK than in your home country due to the difficulty in finding an employer who will sponsor a visa.

Thus it's worthwhile looking at Manchester's appeal to international recruiters. There is an international recruitment fair every year, but I'm sure there'll be other stuff too. Do look into it.

The most important thing is to visit the university and get a feeling for whether you feel like you belong there. You'll be there for at least three years after all.

I hope this helps.

Darren