Struggling to decide :(

Have you watched some uni videos from past/current students? They are really insightful on the social aspects

Reply 4

Original post by Muttley79

Distance from home is irrelevant [why put it down in the first place?]. Look at the courses ...

People can change their minds all the time. After all, the deadline was back in January and people also submitted their ucas way earlier. For myself I wasn't bothered at all about the distance when I applied in November- I was more concerned about the entry requirements, ranking, modules etc etc. I never even considered distance but with all my offers back, its become a factor as I start to imagine moving to uni and stuff, something that I wouldn't have considered without receiving any offers.

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 5

Muttley79

20

Original post by Carrotsroom

People can change their minds all the time. After all, the deadline was back in January and people also submitted their ucas way earlier. For myself I wasn't bothered at all about the distance when I applied in November- I was more concerned about the entry requirements, ranking, modules etc etc, but I am now more bothered about it as I start to realise uni is getting closer and closer

If you are too near home you risk parents dropping in to see you or telling you to 'stay at home and commute'.

Reply 6

Original post by Muttley79

If you are too near home you risk parents dropping in to see you or telling you to 'stay at home and commute'.

Depends what your parents are like. My parents are far too busy working and fending my 2 other siblings to consider even visiting me. Plus people have different preferences, some don't like the idea of moving too far from home and some unis don't do a full school year contract for their accommodation so moving back from a uni on the other side of the country wouldn't be pleasant at all

Reply 7

Muttley79

20

Original post by Carrotsroom

Depends what your parents are like. My parents are far too busy working and fending my 2 other siblings to consider even visiting me. Plus people have different preferences, some don't like the idea of moving too far from home and some unis don't do a full school year contract for their accommodation so moving back from a uni on the other side of the country wouldn't be pleasant at all

Which unis don't have accommodation that covers the teaching year? I went a long way from home and so did many of my friends. The course is the most important thing

Reply 8

Eva5129

OP

University of Sheffield Students

Original post by Carrotsroom

People can change their minds all the time. After all, the deadline was back in January and people also submitted their ucas way earlier. For myself I wasn't bothered at all about the distance when I applied in November- I was more concerned about the entry requirements, ranking, modules etc etc. I never even considered distance but with all my offers back, its become a factor as I start to imagine moving to uni and stuff, something that I wouldn't have considered without receiving any offers.

This is exactly how I’ve found it, the distance itself doesn’t bother me but after visiting I’ve realised its too expensive/impractical to get home when I need to

Original post by Eva5129

Hi, I’ve applied for zoology (biological sciences) at Sheffield, Manchester, Edinburgh, Exeter and Bangor. I’m really struggling to decide what to put as my firm and insurance choices.

Currently I think I my firm choice is between Sheffield and Edinburgh, but they are both the same grade requirements (ABB- same for manchester too) so I’m a bit torn about what to put as my insurance. I think I’ve ruled out Exeter as it’s too far from home, and while I liked Bangor uni I’m not 100% sure if I could see myself living there - it seems a bit quiet.

Is it better to put Bangor as my insurance as it has lower grades even if I’m not sure I want to go there? Or to put Edinburgh/Manchester as my insurance if I don’t know how flexible their grade entry is? My predicted grades are AABA (not 100% sure I’ll get the B).

Any advice is appreciated, especially about the course/career opportunities/student life for any of the unis I’ve listed :smile:

thanks so much <3

Hi @Eva5129

It's a big decision, so it's important that you make the right one.

I believe you need to look at every University as a whole (the course, modules, city, distance, student life)

I can't say the same about other Universities but Bangor is a fantastic University for Zoology, take a look at this link:

https://www.bangor.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/c300-zoology-bsc-hons

Also, have a look at these videos on our youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@bangoruniversity

Let me know if I can help with anything else :smile:

Sera

Reply 10

Official Rep

14

Original post by Eva5129

Hi, I’ve applied for zoology (biological sciences) at Sheffield, Manchester, Edinburgh, Exeter and Bangor. I’m really struggling to decide what to put as my firm and insurance choices.

Currently I think I my firm choice is between Sheffield and Edinburgh, but they are both the same grade requirements (ABB- same for manchester too) so I’m a bit torn about what to put as my insurance. I think I’ve ruled out Exeter as it’s too far from home, and while I liked Bangor uni I’m not 100% sure if I could see myself living there - it seems a bit quiet.

Is it better to put Bangor as my insurance as it has lower grades even if I’m not sure I want to go there? Or to put Edinburgh/Manchester as my insurance if I don’t know how flexible their grade entry is? My predicted grades are AABA (not 100% sure I’ll get the B).

Any advice is appreciated, especially about the course/career opportunities/student life for any of the unis I’ve listed :smile:

thanks so much <3

Hey!
It sounds like you have lots of great options here! While I agree with some of the other advice people have given on here, I do not think that the course is the necessarily the most important factor. Many of the courses will be very similar and I assume you picked the ones you have picked already because you liked them. I would suggest you think about what the cities/campuses are like and if you can see yourself living there as this will be your home for the next 3 years at least, if you have not visited them, you can have a look on their websites or social media pages. I would not recommend putting somewhere that you do not want to go to as your insurance choice, because there is a chance that you will go there.

Many universities will have chat platforms where you can talk to current students doing the course that you want to do - this may also help you to get a feel for the place and the course. Here is the link to the one for the University of Sheffield: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study/chat

Student life in Sheffield is amazing, there are over 400 different societies and lots of opportunities to try new things and meet people. It is a very outdoorsy city, with lots of green space and is very close to the peak district too.
Good luck with your decision! I am sure whatever you decide it will all work out in the end.
Evie (4th year medic at UoS)

Reply 11

iina2978

Original post by Carrotsroom

Have you watched some uni videos from past/current students? They are really insightful on the social aspects

Hello where do you find the uni videos ? Struggling to find for Chester and Bangor. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Reply 12

iina2978

Original post by Carrotsroom

Have you watched some uni videos from past/current students? They are really insightful on the social aspects

Hello where do you find uni videos from students? I am struggling to find them for Chester and Bangor. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Reply 13

Original post by iina2978

Hello where do you find the uni videos ? Struggling to find for Chester and Bangor. Any help would be greatly appreciated

I usually find some nice ones on Youtube but if you have tiktok you might find some on there too

Original post by iina2978

Hello where do you find the uni videos ? Struggling to find for Chester and Bangor. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hi @iina2978

Have a look here:

https://www.youtube.com/@bangoruniversity

Let me know if I can help with anything :smile:

Sera

Reply 15

iina2978