I'm having a dilemma???

Oxford as a student is very different from as a visitor, I would think. The cost of living would be a lot higher too.

Basically I was accepted onto a course at Bangor University and I accepted it and was originally going to start this year but had to take a gap year to save up some money (but I am all ready to go and enrolled for next year). Within the time it took to get and offer and accept the offer my family had relocated to the midlands and today I spent some time in Oxford for some Christmas shopping and essentially fell in love with the place. My grades aren't good enough to apply for Oxford University (and I'm pretty sure I missed the application deadline anyway) but I thought about Oxford Brookes university? I have checked their courses and they do offer my course at the Headington campus which I believe is fairly close to the city centre? Also Oxford is about 45-60min coach ride from where I live so it's a little easier to come home if I were to go to Oxford.

Some context: I originally chose Bangor because of the location with the snowdonia national park so close and the surrounding country side, also because the course they offer seems great and the university itself is stunning. But since moving to the midlands, I've moved way into the countryside and basically have everything that Bangor has besides Snowdonia. Another concern is the night life, I didn't think nightlife was a high priority on my list but my mind has slowly began to change over the last few months. Also Bangor is not at all easy for me to travel to, I have already considered this before applying and it is possible to get there it's just less straight forward.

I don't know quite as much about Oxford Brookes other than the general course information so I'd like to know what it's like? I understand that Bangor and Oxford Brookes rank very closely in the uni tables so I would assume their teaching standards are fairly similar.

Any information and opinions on what I should do are very much appreciated!

Hi there!

It’s great to hear that you're considering Oxford Brookes as your university of choice, as a past student, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have!

I've been living in Oxford for three years, I did my undergraduate degree here and I liked the city so much I decided to stay for a little longer. Firstly we’re the only UK university to feature in the top 50 young universities in the world (QS World University rankings 2018). So we’re a young and vibrant campus and that can be seen by our beautiful award winning modern buildings and learning spaces. We’re also the number 1 university in Europe for rowing so if you’re looking to do some outdoor activities we’ve got a lot going on.

In terms of general social life, there’s something for everyone in the city and that is the advantage of living a student city like Oxford. There are events and gatherings of people doing things you’re interested in somewhere, at any given day, which is super encouraging in terms of growing along with your degree. You’d hopefully find yourself involved with the many other things the university and the city has to offer, and in the long term that could provide you with experience and opportunities you’d want post-university.

The nightlife is varied and very alive, so if that’s something you’d like to experience know that it is definitely a part of Oxford and there’s no shortage of nightclubs, and places to have a night out. In addition to that Oxford is populated with pubs, places to eat, places to have a walk (or a run), a brand new Westgate shopping centre, parks and shops.

Come join us for a campus tour and see for yourself https://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying-at-brookes/contact-and-meet-us/book-a-campus-tour/

Also feel free to ask any other questions you might have.
Regards,

Abigail J.