Where to study physics that isn't in a big city and a whole bunch of other questions!

hi - What grades is your son targeting and do you have any idea of the maximum distance from home which might work for him?

Hello everyone, my name is Aithne, and I have to confess I am posting this on behalf of my son with additional needs who has just started 6th Form but very much knows that he wants to study Physics at degree level here in the UK.

We are Irish immigrants (I studied Psychology back at home) and we moved to the Midlands a couple of years ago so my son conducted his GCSEs here and within this time was also diagnosed with having Aspergers and the innattentive-type of ADHD (not hyperactive). He very much wishes to stay here to complete a Phsyics degree but he very much struggles with large cities (we are self-confessed culchies, haha!). Does anyone here study Physics in a smaller city? However, do smaller city universities still have wide-ranging societies? Him being Irish and Catholic are core components of his identity and he tends to gravitate towards people who share this so I think societies where these are available will help his transition to uni life.

As well as his love of Physics (especially nuclear) and Erin, he has enjoyed being a part of his school's CCF (RAF) and I wondered if CCF exists at universities? Or how he could still be involved in military service whilst at uni?

I know I probably look a bit pathetic as a ma asking on behalf of her almost-grown lad, but after him saying that he didn't know where to start with what unis to consider and me texting him all the time (he is a boarding student) to remind him to sign up here and ask, because of his ADHD he repeatedly forgets. I understand that it is highly improbable that any one person would be able to answer all my questions but any help at all would be very, very gratefully received.

Thanks a million,
Aithne

Hi there, he is anticipated AAB/ABB. Distance from home isn't too much of a problem though I think he would prefer to be in the north of England, mainly because Irish communities appear to be more prominent here, though we are found all over!
Thanks for your response,
Aithne

Hello everyone, my name is Aithne, and I have to confess I am posting this on behalf of my son with additional needs who has just started 6th Form but very much knows that he wants to study Physics at degree level here in the UK.

We are Irish immigrants (I studied Psychology back at home) and we moved to the Midlands a couple of years ago so my son conducted his GCSEs here and within this time was also diagnosed with having Aspergers and the innattentive-type of ADHD (not hyperactive). He very much wishes to stay here to complete a Phsyics degree but he very much struggles with large cities (we are self-confessed culchies, haha!). Does anyone here study Physics in a smaller city? However, do smaller city universities still have wide-ranging societies? Him being Irish and Catholic are core components of his identity and he tends to gravitate towards people who share this so I think societies where these are available will help his transition to uni life.

As well as his love of Physics (especially nuclear) and Erin, he has enjoyed being a part of his school's CCF (RAF) and I wondered if CCF exists at universities? Or how he could still be involved in military service whilst at uni?

I know I probably look a bit pathetic as a ma asking on behalf of her almost-grown lad, but after him saying that he didn't know where to start with what unis to consider and me texting him all the time (he is a boarding student) to remind him to sign up here and ask, because of his ADHD he repeatedly forgets. I understand that it is highly improbable that any one person would be able to answer all my questions but any help at all would be very, very gratefully received.

Thanks a million,
Aithne

What about Lancaster.I will call in the expert @Ghostlady and let's see what she says What sort of grades is he predicted

Hello everyone, my name is Aithne, and I have to confess I am posting this on behalf of my son with additional needs who has just started 6th Form but very much knows that he wants to study Physics at degree level here in the UK.

We are Irish immigrants (I studied Psychology back at home) and we moved to the Midlands a couple of years ago so my son conducted his GCSEs here and within this time was also diagnosed with having Aspergers and the innattentive-type of ADHD (not hyperactive). He very much wishes to stay here to complete a Phsyics degree but he very much struggles with large cities (we are self-confessed culchies, haha!). Does anyone here study Physics in a smaller city? However, do smaller city universities still have wide-ranging societies? Him being Irish and Catholic are core components of his identity and he tends to gravitate towards people who share this so I think societies where these are available will help his transition to uni life.

As well as his love of Physics (especially nuclear) and Erin, he has enjoyed being a part of his school's CCF (RAF) and I wondered if CCF exists at universities? Or how he could still be involved in military service whilst at uni?

I know I probably look a bit pathetic as a ma asking on behalf of her almost-grown lad, but after him saying that he didn't know where to start with what unis to consider and me texting him all the time (he is a boarding student) to remind him to sign up here and ask, because of his ADHD he repeatedly forgets. I understand that it is highly improbable that any one person would be able to answer all my questions but any help at all would be very, very gratefully received.

Thanks a million,
Aithne

Lancaster is I think a bit more of a campus uni I gather so might be an option. UCLan I don't think is in a very big city either although I'll admit, I'm not super familiar with the north as a whole! Hard to tell though how big a city is too big in this case. In general it's probably just worth looking at broadly good universities in the north and midlands and seeing if a) he meets the requirements grade/subject wise and b) the city/campus suits. Some others to consider in that vein might include York, Sheffield, or Nottingham perhaps. If his predicted grades stretch up above the suggest range above, then maybe also Birmingham/Warwick could be in the mix.

Also if you don't mind looking really far north into another country, in Scotland there may be some appealing options - Dundee and Aberdeen for example, or maybe St Andrews if his grades skew a bit higher than expected in his final predictions. Likewise going sideways into Wales there might be some smaller unis or campus unis of interest.

Depending on what his concerns are with a big city though this may or may not be completely evaded by going to a uni in a smaller city or a campus uni. As inevitably, universities themselves are very busy locations with lots of students all about, big crowds and so on campus in the middle of the day and such. If it's less about that and more about preferring a more rural environment then that might be easier to work around

He may also be interested in the Open University's OpenPlus scheme, which has a physics stream - basically you do the first part of the degree with the OU, then transfer (by right, and not just by chance! it's part of a formal transfer scheme) to one of their "brick uni" partners (which includes some quite good unis for physics in the north and midlands - although some in larger cities perhaps). Obviously OU study, being fully distance learning and usually with an assumption the student is living at home at the time (as not entitled to maintenance loans usually) is not for everyone, but it may be something to consider!

Loughborough, Lancaster and Keele spring to mind. It might be worth checking out what support they offer. I know I've read threads by parents with similar considerations but can't remember where or whether anyone found good solutions.

Maybe Keele?

He'll have to find a solution to forgetting to do things though - at uni they'll set you things to be completed by some point in the future and they won't nag or remind you about it, just mark it as not attempted if it isn't done on time.


Maybe go to some open days with him if possible and make sure he doesn't forget to speak to student support / disability support about what they'd be able to do.

Hi @AithneOMurchadha,
I'm just going into my 3rd year studying Geography at Lancaster. Lancaster is a pretty small city in the North west. The city is quite student orientated, which gives it a real friendly feel and even though its relatively small there's still a good range of shops, bars and cafes.
I've attached the course page for the Bsc physics, if you and your son wants to have a look through it.
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/physics-bsc-hons-f300/2024/
It looks like there's options to take nuclear related modules in the 2nd and 3rd year, but there's a full list of the module options on the link, to see if he is interested in any of them.
In terms of societies at Lancaster, there's no shortage of societies. We have a Catholic society and a Christian union, or if there's an area he has an interest in and not currently a society, you are able to set one up. In terms of cadets, I believe there is a University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) for the Lancaster area, if this is something he would be interested in, but i think some other universities also have there own UOTC so might be worth a look. https://www.nwrfca.org.uk/reserve-forces/university-officer-training-corps/.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask!
- Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Hi Jasmine, thank you so much for your detailed response. I really appreciate it
I am rapidly learning about UK geography and if Lancaster is NW England then I expect you will have Irish communities there which would help with yet another big life transition. My son will definitely be drawn to the CathSoc and the fact that you have UOTC in your area. UOTC is new to me so this is something that I can explore with him further. I think he will be drawn to Lancaster as a potential uni based on these and will make for some good conversations to be had.
Again, my grateful thanks,
Aithne

Aithne just wondered if you might want to remove your son's name from the above post.We do not want his anonymity to be breached especially as we are discussing his special needs.Glad we seem to have been of assistance.

What about Lancaster.I will call in the expert @Ghostlady and let's see what she says What sort of grades is he predicted

Hello everyone, my name is Aithne, and I have to confess I am posting this on behalf of my son with additional needs who has just started 6th Form but very much knows that he wants to study Physics at degree level here in the UK.

We are Irish immigrants (I studied Psychology back at home) and we moved to the Midlands a couple of years ago so my son conducted his GCSEs here and within this time was also diagnosed with having Aspergers and the innattentive-type of ADHD (not hyperactive). He very much wishes to stay here to complete a Phsyics degree but he very much struggles with large cities (we are self-confessed culchies, haha!). Does anyone here study Physics in a smaller city? However, do smaller city universities still have wide-ranging societies? Him being Irish and Catholic are core components of his identity and he tends to gravitate towards people who share this so I think societies where these are available will help his transition to uni life.

As well as his love of Physics (especially nuclear) and Erin, he has enjoyed being a part of his school's CCF (RAF) and I wondered if CCF exists at universities? Or how he could still be involved in military service whilst at uni?

I know I probably look a bit pathetic as a ma asking on behalf of her almost-grown lad, but after him saying that he didn't know where to start with what unis to consider and me texting him all the time (he is a boarding student) to remind him to sign up here and ask, because of his ADHD he repeatedly forgets. I understand that it is highly improbable that any one person would be able to answer all my questions but any help at all would be very, very gratefully received.

Thanks a million,
Aithne

Edited to include his predicted grades: AAB/ABB

Hello everyone, my name is Aithne, and I have to confess I am posting this on behalf of my son with additional needs who has just started 6th Form but very much knows that he wants to study Physics at degree level here in the UK.

We are Irish immigrants (I studied Psychology back at home) and we moved to the Midlands a couple of years ago so my son conducted his GCSEs here and within this time was also diagnosed with having Aspergers and the innattentive-type of ADHD (not hyperactive). He very much wishes to stay here to complete a Phsyics degree but he very much struggles with large cities (we are self-confessed culchies, haha!). Does anyone here study Physics in a smaller city? However, do smaller city universities still have wide-ranging societies? Him being Irish and Catholic are core components of his identity and he tends to gravitate towards people who share this so I think societies where these are available will help his transition to uni life.

As well as his love of Physics (especially nuclear) and Erin, he has enjoyed being a part of his school's CCF (RAF) and I wondered if CCF exists at universities? Or how he could still be involved in military service whilst at uni?

I know I probably look a bit pathetic as a ma asking on behalf of her almost-grown lad, but after him saying that he didn't know where to start with what unis to consider and me texting him all the time (he is a boarding student) to remind him to sign up here and ask, because of his ADHD he repeatedly forgets. I understand that it is highly improbable that any one person would be able to answer all my questions but any help at all would be very, very gratefully received.

Thanks a million,
Aithne

Edited to include his predicted grades: AAB/ABB