Coventry V Salford

I've received unconditional offers on postgrad courses (same course) for both Coventry & Salford and now need to decide which to go for! Both options have pros and cons.

Coventry is the better ranked uni and if I go there it means I can live at home cheaply but I'm looking at about a 2 hour door to door commute!

Salford appeals because I'll be living away from home & will have the same independence I had on my undergrad course, and I've always really liked Manchester as a city. The downside is it will be a lot more expensive and eat quite a lot more of my savings.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Reply 1

hopefulscribbler

5

Hi Pongo,

It really depends on a number of things. You say Coventry is better ranked and you can live cheaply. Great! If you can avoid putting undue financial pressure on yourself during your studies then DO IT. That bears repeating: DO IT!! Salford may be the more attractive option for you in terms of fun, but if your course is short (I'm assuming it's a masters since you mention undergrad independence), I personally think it's not worth risking your financial security for independence you can easily have once you graduate and are working. Manchester's not going anywhere! Besides, if you haven't done postgrad work before, it's easy to underestimate the amount of time you'll need to spend studying. Then it absolutely sucks to be in a city full of fun stuff you can't do because you're chained to the books!

If you're weighing up PhD options, why not try to compromise? Do the better course in the cheaper city, which I think is probably Coventry, and move into an affordable house share much closer to campus. Then you'll get your independence, spend less money than you would at Salford, and still have the easy option of going back to mum and dad's for Sunday lunch / emergency respite if you need it!

With Coventry, the commute is manageable if: a) your need to be on campus is limited and you can maximise library time while there, and b) you can use public transport, treat yourself to some noise cancelling headphones and spend the commute studying. If you need to be in a lab 24/7 for example, then whatever your course you need to live a little closer to the campus, I think.

Reply 2

k3ro

16

Original post by Pongo1

I've received unconditional offers on postgrad courses (same course) for both Coventry & Salford and now need to decide which to go for! Both options have pros and cons.

Coventry is the better ranked uni and if I go there it means I can live at home cheaply but I'm looking at about a 2 hour door to door commute!

Salford appeals because I'll be living away from home & will have the same independence I had on my undergrad course, and I've always really liked Manchester as a city. The downside is it will be a lot more expensive and eat quite a lot more of my savings.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Hey there. I went to Salford so if you have any particular Qs feel free to quote/PM me. When you say Salford is more expensive, do you mean the tuition costs? Because the area is actually pretty cheap to live in if you know where to look (I paid 240 pm for rent).

I guess it'll still be comparatively expensive since for Coventry you'd be commuting; hopefulscribbler's post hits the nail p much on the head.

Reply 3

Cov Uni

3

Original post by Pongo1

I've received unconditional offers on postgrad courses (same course) for both Coventry & Salford and now need to decide which to go for! Both options have pros and cons.

Coventry is the better ranked uni and if I go there it means I can live at home cheaply but I'm looking at about a 2 hour door to door commute!

Salford appeals because I'll be living away from home & will have the same independence I had on my undergrad course, and I've always really liked Manchester as a city. The downside is it will be a lot more expensive and eat quite a lot more of my savings.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Hey Pongo,

I'm biased as I've been at Coventry for 4 years now, am just about to complete my MA and am starting a PhD here in January too, so I absolutely love the University and everything about it. The support from staff is second to none, and the University couldn't have done more for in terms of creating opportunities for me to learn, gain professional experience, and continue my studies.

It's not unusual to get caught up trying to decide between two University's though. This year for my MA I was torn between Coventry and Manchester, but ultimately I knew that nowhere else would offer me the teaching quality, resources or time of the staff that I was able to have access to at Coventry. My advice would be to look closer at the courses at each university. Whilst they might have the same title, they will both offer very different things. Consider the topics taught, methods of assessment, and contact time at each university, and decide which is preferable for you. Ultimately it is the course that should be the most important thing here as that's what you're committing your study time to :smile:

Hope this is helpful. Good luck with the big decision!
If you need any further advice, feel free to drop us a direct message on here and we'll get back to you asap.

- Josh

Reply 4

Josb

6

Go to Coventry. Salford is not worth spending too much.

Reply 5

Pongo1

OP

7

Thanks for all your advice! Coventry definitely feels like the more sensible option, despite the travelling, though from my understanding it'll be about 16 hours of classes a week, and it's only for a year, so I guess it's a little different from commuting for a 9-5 job, and I can take my laptop and do work on the train.

Original post by Cov Uni

My advice would be to look closer at the courses at each university. Whilst they might have the same title, they will both offer very different things. Consider the topics taught, methods of assessment, and contact time at each university, and decide which is preferable for you. Ultimately it is the course that should be the most important thing here as that's what you're committing your study time to :smile:

Interestingly enough, although they do have the same title, the Coventry course is an MA, and the Salford course is an MSc.

Reply 6

SalfordUni

4

Original post by Pongo1

I've received unconditional offers on postgrad courses (same course) for both Coventry & Salford and now need to decide which to go for! Both options have pros and cons.

Coventry is the better ranked uni and if I go there it means I can live at home cheaply but I'm looking at about a 2 hour door to door commute!

Salford appeals because I'll be living away from home & will have the same independence I had on my undergrad course, and I've always really liked Manchester as a city. The downside is it will be a lot more expensive and eat quite a lot more of my savings.

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

Hey there!

My name is Fiza and I am the former President of the Students' Union at the University of Salford. I know my opinion is biased but 4 years later and I am finding it difficult to leave . I started off as an UG student studying Journalism, graduated and then became President. I am now working here at the University. There's something about this place, the people and the experience altogether.

The location is awesome too, literally down the road from the City centre.

You can check out the different types of accommodation on campus here.
Or if you fancy private accommodation then click here for more information.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
All the best!

Reply 7