Help! Uni of Leeds vs Uni of Manchester

Got an offer for geography at both. Leeds is asking for AAB and Manchester, BBC because they offered me a contextual there. Coming from London, I really enjoy a good nightlife which both are known for and they're both very academic. Although I feel Manchester is a bit more city like than Leeds which may take away from the quality of the student life like other unis in London.. But then Manchester is rated higher on uni rankings and is known more internationally?!? There's so many factors to consider and I'm just stuck with what to firm.. Another issue is that if I firm Manchester I'll have no insurance as thats my lowest offer, but if I firm Leeds I'll have Manchester as my back up. This post is a bit of a mess/rant but if anyone could help me with this decision, that would be great!

Ignore the issue "that if I firm Manchester I'll have no insurance as thats my lowest offer". If Manchester is your preference, and is happens to be your lowest offer, then firming somewhere you prefer less would make no sense.

Reading what you've written above, I see two "pros" for Manchester ("Manchester is rated higher on uni rankings" and "is known more internationally"). I see only one "con" (Manchester is a bit more city like than Leeds which may take away from the quality of the student life"). So Manchester has more going for it than against it. Decision made.

I think what I’m stuck between is if I want to prioritise my academics over my social life vice-versa. Is it worth me going to somewhere that is prestigious if I won’t actually enjoy the uni experience or is it better for me to go somewhere that is less prestigious (still good) but has more of a student union and a balance between calm and crazy?