What university should I go to?

Original post by mattjh-

I’m thinking of studying either Computer Science or Engineering and I live in Liverpool. I’m wondering if it would be better for me to study at Liverpool or to study at University of Sheffield or UCL etc, as they have similar entry requirements. I would prefer to stay at home but I’m willing to live away from home if UOL isn’t a great option.

Move away from home. It is not just better for your social life, but it’s the perfect opportunity to grow, learn independence, discover a new town etc. However much you like Liverpool and your house, it will still be there for you during all the long holidays and once you’ve finished your degree.

Reply 5

mattjh-

OP

10

Original post by lalexm

Move away from home. It is not just better for your social life, but it’s the perfect opportunity to grow, learn independence, discover a new town etc. However much you like Liverpool and your house, it will still be there for you during all the long holidays and once you’ve finished your degree.

It’s not that simple though, I have caring responsibilities at home, and we’re not doing well financially. I’m already pretty independent and socially confident so that’s not a worry for me at all. The main factor for me is quality of education and job opportunities after graduating.

Reply 6

Original post by mattjh-

It’s not that simple though, I have caring responsibilities at home, and we’re not doing well financially. I’m already pretty independent and socially confident so that’s not a worry for me at all. The main factor for me is quality of education and job opportunities after graduating.

Those other Unis you mentioned are all considerably higher up the table than Liverpool, both in terms of subject ranking and uni ranking, but how much that matters is very subjective, and everyone will say different things. All other things being equal, as an employer I’d probably give the job to someone who went UCL over Liverpool, but between Liverpool and Sheffield there really is nothing in it, so it would be a difficult choice. Yes Sheffield is higher ranked but there both generally considered to be broadly in the same tier.

You have 5 choices so maybe apply to Liverpool and others further afield, and see from there.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 7

McGinger

18

Original post by lalexm

I’d probably give the job to someone who went UCL over Liverpool

And your experience of hiring graduates is ....?

Reply 8

Original post by McGinger

And your experience of hiring graduates is ....?

I work for a large IT company and have recruited dozens of people over the years, although most of them have been early in career with a couple of years of experience, rather than fresh out of uni.

Reply 9

RosaPonselle

9

If you have to stay local-ish, Manchester is rated higher than Liverpool for CS in most league tables. Lancaster too has a particularly strong CS department with very good research output so might be worth looking at more closely. Both would better options imo than say Sheffield. UCL of course is particularly strong and is home to Deep Mind which speaks for itself.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 10

Ghostlady

21

Original post by mattjh-

I’m thinking of studying either Computer Science or Engineering and I live in Liverpool. I’m wondering if it would be better for me to study at Liverpool or to study at University of Sheffield or UCL etc, as they have similar entry requirements. I would prefer to stay at home but I’m willing to live away from home if UOL isn’t a great option.

I think you will have to weigh up the caring responsibilities at home that you have. If it is that crucial that you have to stay at home, then you can only stay local or somewhere you can catch a train to which is within your travelling limits.
If its not crucial and you can go any where in the UK, then its all good. Re your finances. There is a thing on line called student calculator https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator . By putting in your parents/guardians income, you get a rough idea of how much you will get maintanence loan wise.
From there you can see what unis and cities have affordable accommodation within your limits, or you may need to get a part time job to fund the difference.

My eldest studies physics at Lancaster and the computer science and engineering department is really good there. plus its close to liverpool should you need to nip back on the train. Then theres also UClan as well which is in Lancaster. You have Manchester also, and Chester is not too out of reach either.

I will say accomodation wise with Lancaster you have two choices, so you can choose 1 accommodation in one college and 1 accommodation type in another college, so you can choose the cheapest going. The cheapest is £129.71 x 40 weeks at 4 of the colleges.

With Chester, you have to choose 8 choices (youngests applied there for 2023 start) so just go for the cheapest as you can. There are some cheap places like Parkgate road, powys court,hollybank court,church college close, john douglas court,chichester st, Cheyney road, scotia house, all which are £125 a week and under. If parents finances are not so great, it does mean you get more maintanance loan and there maybe a bursary you are entitled to as well, so definitely research this on the unis websites (bursaries and scholarships)

Reply 11

Original post by lalexm

I work for a large IT company and have recruited dozens of people over the years, although most of them have been early in career with a couple of years of experience, rather than fresh out of uni.

Surely a year in indsutry is the best route - UCL is not 'better' for CS than a number of unis I can think of.

Reply 12

Original post by mattjh-

I’m thinking of studying either Computer Science or Engineering and I live in Liverpool. I’m wondering if it would be better for me to study at Liverpool or to study at University of Sheffield or UCL etc, as they have similar entry requirements. I would prefer to stay at home but I’m willing to live away from home if UOL isn’t a great option.

You'll need to decide which to apply for as you can only write one personal statement.

Reply 13

Original post by Muttley79

Surely a year in indsutry is the best route - UCL is not 'better' for CS than a number of unis I can think of.

Rightly or wrongly, when I see an elite uni on a CV, like Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, Imperial etc I see it as positive compared to lower tariff unis, so yes it will have some impact on my decision, but it’s only one part of the bigger picture, and of course for more senior applicants, work experience is far more important.

Reply 14

Original post by lalexm

Rightly or wrongly, when I see an elite uni on a CV, like Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, Imperial etc I see it as positive compared to lower tariff unis, so yes it will have some impact on my decision, but it’s only one part of the bigger picture, and of course for more senior applicants, work experience is far more important.

The best companies recruit insitution blind these days - some of my very best students [4 x A*] look at the stronger new unis as their courses better fit industry requirements. You may be missing out on good candidates by your focus on the uni they went to.

Reply 15

Original post by Muttley79

The best companies recruit insitution blind these days - some of my very best students [4 x A*] look at the stronger new unis as their courses better fit industry requirements. You may be missing out on good candidates by your focus on the uni they went to.

Maybe. A friend of mine in the civil service says that applicant there aren’t allowed to specify their uni, but that it is not unusual for some applicants to get around this by putting obvious clues in their personal statement like “got into the UK’s oldest and most prestigious uni to do PPE”

Reply 16

Original post by lalexm

Maybe. A friend of mine in the civil service says that applicant there aren’t allowed to specify their uni, but that it is not unusual for some applicants to get around this by putting obvious clues in their personal statement like “got into the UK’s oldest and most prestigious uni to do PPE”

They would go on my reject pile immediately

Reply 17

University of Chester

Official Rep

11

Original post by mattjh-

I’m thinking of studying either Computer Science or Engineering and I live in Liverpool. I’m wondering if it would be better for me to study at Liverpool or to study at University of Sheffield or UCL etc, as they have similar entry requirements. I would prefer to stay at home but I’m willing to live away from home if UOL isn’t a great option.

Hi @mattjh- :smile:

Have you considered Chester at all? We offer both Computer Science and Software Engineering at our Exton Park campus in Chester city Centre.

You can find out more about the two courses here
Computer Science
Software Engineering

We have a Work Based Learning module at the end of second year which gives you invaluable industry experience and sets you up with some connections which may be useful when you graduate.

In terms of location, Chester to Liverpool is a nice distance if you're looking to stay close to home. You may already be aware, the MerseyRail trains between the two cities are relatively reliable and inexpensive as far as public transport goes!

We were ranked in the top 20 cheapest UK cities for student accommodation (Student Crowd, 2023) making our accommodation an affordable option if you didn’t want to commute from home.

We'd always recommend chatting with current UoC students online as they will give you their honest opinion on what it's like to study here at Chester - https://www1.chester.ac.uk/ask

And of course, Open Days are the best way to get a feel for a university. We’d recommend trying to visit all the ones you’re interested in, if possible, so that you can compare each. You can register your interest for our open days and find out more here - https://www1.chester.ac.uk/undergraduate/visit-us. We also offer a travel bursary to those eligible, to help with the costs of coming to visit us. You can find more here - https://www1.chester.ac.uk/undergraduate/visit-us/support/travel-bursary

We hope this information helps, but if you have any questions about Chester just let us know – we’d be happy to help!

Best wishes,
Becky

Original post by mattjh-

I’m thinking of studying either Computer Science or Engineering and I live in Liverpool. I’m wondering if it would be better for me to study at Liverpool or to study at University of Sheffield or UCL etc, as they have similar entry requirements. I would prefer to stay at home but I’m willing to live away from home if UOL isn’t a great option.

Hi @mattjh-, :smile:

Ever thought about coming to study here at UCLan?

We are located right in the heart of Preston which makes commuting to and from the city really easy.

The train station is only a 10 minute walk from campus which means that if you chose to commute from Liverpool it will take around 50 minutes. Those who live on campus benefit from being really close to their lectures and the centre of town.

Here at UCLan we offer both BSc (Hons) Computer Science and BSc (Hons) Software Engineering.

The best way to get a feel for a course and campus is to speak to those current students which is why I'd recommend attending an open day, it will also give you the opportunity to chat to lecturers and ask those important questions you may have. You might also benefit from reaching out to our student ambassador Mavia who is studying Computer Science.

I hope this helps and if you have any question I will be happy to answer them. :smile:

All the best,
Sarah

Reply 19

ajj2000