Lancaster or Aberdeen

If any students currently there or people who have an opinion on the universities could share their choice of the two and why it would be helpful. To add I am looking to study Computer science but any general opinions on the university would also be appreciated.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

@Talkative Toad could you move this to the Computer Science forum please? :smile:

Reply 2

Ghostlady

Computer sciences have the infolab at Lancaster which is like this wacky blue and orange fancy building on campus. My daughter studies physics there and she likes the uni. The layout is pretty good, having a spine which runs through the main part of campus and is a mostly covered walkway. Its a collegiate uni so you will be part of a college too. Its safe at night, she could walk back at 1am on her own from library to her halls as its well lit and lots of security. Lancaster city is not as big as big city unis like manchester or leeds, but it does have all you need shopping wise, and also theres the bus to the coast, the lakes, blackpool, and trains to manchester and also leeds, as well as euston London.
Its got 3 clubs, 1 owned by the uni sugarhouse, 1 for the public Vibe, and 1 which is LGBTQIA+ which is Generation. There are numerous bars in the city, Church street alone has 6 or 7 bars. There are regular buses from campus to the city every 10 mins and it takes about 15 mins to get to the city.

I did do a fact sheet and try to update it when i can https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6904136 so if its of any use lol

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by finnianF

Hi there!

I'm a student at Lancaster University. I did a BSc in Natural Sciences here and I'm currently studying an MSc in Mechanical Engineering here too. I have loved it here. It is a campus university so has a really nice community feel to it and there are loads of societies to get involved with too. Lancaster works on a collegiate system so you will choose a college when you start which will determine who you live with in your first year. I made friends with my flat but also with the people who I met on my course, and those from my societies. Lancaster itself is quite a small city, but very well connected to Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds, which are nice to visit. It is also super close to the Lake District which I have visited many times over my degree!

In terms of a Computer Science degree, I have had a few friends who really enjoyed it and it would be worth checking out the website to find out more - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/computer-science-bsc-hons-g400/2024/ . You could look at league tables to give you an idea of some aspects of the university. I would also really recommend visiting all of the universities that you are considering. There is no better way to get information about the course, city, accommodation, day to day life, etc. I was unsure which university to choose until I visited on an open day and realised that Lancaster would be a good fit for me.

Best of luck with your choices and let me know if you have any further questions about studying at Lancaster :smile:

- Bethan (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 4

UoA Enquiry Team

Official Rep

Original post by finnianF

Hi, this is the rep account for Aberdeen. I won't be able to advise on the course specifically as I studied History here a couple years ago, but just wanted to jump in with some general advice about making university choices that you might find helpful. If you did have any questions about Aberdeen itself or visiting us just give us a message!

I would recommend having a look around this site for students of each of the unis you have offers from to see what the general consensus is. Can be good to see what students generally are thinking about them.
It's also worth thinking about the cities and what appeals to you. Do you want to be close to or far away from family, do you want to be in a big or small city, are there things/places in that city that you're interested in or will be good for any hobbies you have; those sorts of factors should definitely be on your mind as well as the actual courses of each of the universities.
Then it would be worth having a look on each of our websites to see what appeals to you about the courses eg. course content, projects you will get to do through your degree, prospects upon graduation, that sort of thing.
If at all possible and if you haven't already it may be worth trying to visit these unis too, or at least contact them with some questions you might have about the course or city.

If you did want to connect with any current students to talk to them about the university or city, you can find some Unibuddy profiles here which might be of use: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life/student-chat.php

I hope this information has been useful and all the best with coming to a decision!

- Matthew, Enquiry Team

Reply 5

Emmanuel AA

Original post by finnianF

Hi,

My name is Emmanuel and I'm a 3rd Year student of History & Politics at Lancaster University. Although I cannot speak to the particularities of a Computer Science degree from experience, I can let you know about my thoughts on being at the University as a student. I've enjoyed my time as an Undergraduate student. It is a University with a collegiate system: each student is part of one of the 8 Undergraduate colleges that each have study and social spaces, welfare spaces, accommodation, and multiple sports clubs. You can get involved as much or as little as you want with the college but it is often a big part of students' experiences at Lancaster and its support is always present whether you're on-site or off campus (like most of the returning students are). Another big part of the student experience is the campus orientation of Lancaster: halls of residence, academic facilities, convenience stores, sports grounds etc. are all on the same site. That means students can settle into a safe environment where everything they need is in one place. We have nearly 250 student societies, many pubs and green spaces in the city center, an SU run nightclub and many other forms of entertainment. The city centre is only 3 and a half miles away, easily commutable by bus and the train station has direct connections to many big cities across the UK. Those are some of the main points of information around student experiences but if you have any more specfic questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them.