The Student Room Group
University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Birmingham

Info required about Brum please!

Hey, I'm thinking of applying to Birmingham to do English (or maybe English with American Studies) and was wondering if anyone could give me information about it. Am I right in thinking it's a campus uni? How near to the city is it? And how nice is the city (I've heard some negative things about it, but I'm sure they're not all true). I'm not sure if I will like a campus uni or not, as it might feel too claustrophobic? How near is accomadation (self-catered) to the campus and how nice is it?

Sorry for all the questions! I missed the open day this month, but will hopefully be going to visit in September. Any answers to my questions and additional info about the uni/city will be greatly appreciated!
Reply 1
My first piece of advice: drop the American Studies idea. Birmingham has one of the top English schools in England, however the inclusion of American Studies in your degree will do nothing to further your prospects and will give your degree that 'mickey mouse' taint.

Birmingham Uni is indeed a campus uni, and is about a half a mile from Broad St (undoubtedly one of the best places in the UK for going out) and just a little further to the shopping centre, which includes the Bullring.

The campus itself is extremely spacious with a lot of great architecture. The best place to live is definitely on the Vale, which is like a large spacious park with a lake and accomodation around the edge of it. This is also only a very short walk from campus. Very easy to forget that you're within walking distance of the centre of Birmingham!

Regarding the city's reputation. Things have improved a lot in the last 10 years. Brindley Place and the nearby canal provide a really classy environment. Broad St has a load of clubs and you can guarantee there is something big going on every night. The Bullring is one of the largest indoor shopping centres in the country, and this is along with heaps of other shops. Next to campus is Selly Oak where you are guaranteed a great student atmosphere, student pubs and places to eat (remember, Brum is balti capital of the world!).

Hope that helps.
University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
Birmingham
I'm doing English and history in September :biggrin:
Reply 3
John Paul Jones
I'm doing English and history in September :biggrin:

Where else did u apply/get offers from? What grades do you need? What made you chose Birmingham over other places?

Sorry for all the questions!
Reply 4
muncrun
My first piece of advice: drop the American Studies idea. Birmingham has one of the top English schools in England, however the inclusion of American Studies in your degree will do nothing to further your prospects and will give your degree that 'mickey mouse' taint.


I was worried about that too. But my reasons for thinking about a joint with American Studies are as follows:
I am likely to get bored with straight English after three years
I like history, politics, etc and that will be covered in the AS course
I want to spend a year in America!

Also, some guy who did AS at Essex is now a trainee producer at the BBC so he doesnt seem to have done that badly out of it!
Reply 5
I'd advise you def go to the open day. I was all for studying English at Birmingham and on the open day although I liked the campus I hated the course introduction and the accommodation so much that I completely changed my mind so its worth checking it out. Investigate American studies too, going to the open day isnt going to do you any harm and it'll help you make up your mind one way or another.

I love Birmingham city centre, it can be a bit rough but its generally clean, there are great shops, pubs and clubs and the people are friendly.
Reply 6
Yes if you missed the open day you can still get shown around and spoken to just give them a ring. I too liked hte uni but the course outline seemed about dire for me personally. Its a very traditional english degree lets say. AS for the uni its highly righted throughout the UK hence the high scores needed to get in i think it was ABB when i looked into a few years back.The city is vibrant and attracts alot of people from outside the nightlife is endless and the hustle arund the uni campus' is one of warmth.

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