Cardiff vs Lancaster - Business economics

I’ve been to Lancaster and Cardiff open day already.

Lancaster offer: ABB or BBB if i put it as my firm choice
Cardiff offer: AAB

I’m currently predicted to get A*BC but I think I could get it up to A*AC. I prefer Cardiff as a university as it has a much better social life, the city is lively and beautiful but I’m not sure if it’s worth putting as my firm in case they don’t take UCAS equivalent - especially since they’re acceptance rate is so low. Lancaster is really good for my course, better than Cardiff in fact, but it just looked like such a boring city to live in.
I’m not sure if I should just get over the boredom and tough it out for the 3 years at Lancaster or if I should risk it and put Cardiff as my firm choice.

Any advice?

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

ReeceV123

even though Lancaster doesn't have a big city like Cardiff, you definitely wont be bored lol.

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Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by Ethnajohn

I’ve been to Lancaster and Cardiff open day already.
Lancaster offer: ABB or BBB if i put it as my firm choice
Cardiff offer: AAB
I’m currently predicted to get A*BC but I think I could get it up to A*AC. I prefer Cardiff as a university as it has a much better social life, the city is lively and beautiful but I’m not sure if it’s worth putting as my firm in case they don’t take UCAS equivalent - especially since they’re acceptance rate is so low. Lancaster is really good for my course, better than Cardiff in fact, but it just looked like such a boring city to live in.
I’m not sure if I should just get over the boredom and tough it out for the 3 years at Lancaster or if I should risk it and put Cardiff as my firm choice.
Any advice?

Hi @Ethnajohn
I'm currently in my 3rd year studying geography at Lancaster and i've really enjoyed my time at Lancaster and found lots of things to keep busy with and enjoy! Firstly, Lancaster has over 150 societies with great variety in the types of activities you can get up to, and there usually a great place to make friends as everyone there has a shared interest.
The colleges also run lots of weekly events throughout the year, like quizzes, karaoke nights there's lots of events to get involved in.
In terms of the city itself, whilst it might not be as big as Cardiff i've still found that there's lots going on. There's lots of different types of pubs in town which run weekly events or have live music nights. Also, there's 3 clubs in town, with one of them called 'sugarhouse' being run by the students union.
Lancaster's also really close to the lake district, if you want to get outside for some adventure. Or alternatively Manchester and Liverpool are 2 major cities close by, both of which are about an hour train ride to.
If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by Ethnajohn

I’ve been to Lancaster and Cardiff open day already.
Lancaster offer: ABB or BBB if i put it as my firm choice
Cardiff offer: AAB
I’m currently predicted to get A*BC but I think I could get it up to A*AC. I prefer Cardiff as a university as it has a much better social life, the city is lively and beautiful but I’m not sure if it’s worth putting as my firm in case they don’t take UCAS equivalent - especially since they’re acceptance rate is so low. Lancaster is really good for my course, better than Cardiff in fact, but it just looked like such a boring city to live in.
I’m not sure if I should just get over the boredom and tough it out for the 3 years at Lancaster or if I should risk it and put Cardiff as my firm choice.
Any advice?

Hey there! Awesome to hear that you're interested in Cardiff! Regarding the UCAS grades, I really recommend asking the university if they are likely to take the UCAS equivalent. The admissions staff are lovely and they get questions like this all the time. Here is their contact.

I also just wanted to clarify, did you mean offers rather than firm? Just because in order to make a firm choice, you do need to have your offers back from the universities itself first :smile:

I think if you already have your offers and are choosing a firm and an insurance choice, there's really nothing to lose :smile:

Just apply for the course that feels the most right to you, since from my understanding, both seem of equal value.

I would say as well that in reality, your time and success at a university is more than the course and the location itself. There's other factors, such as how good a university's career service is, how well the school takes on student feedback, and extra opportunities, how much students actually enjoy the course. With Cardiff, there's always paid internships being offered during the summer, in addition to the placement year (I'm doing a placement year currently, for psychology, and the uni tends to have fantastic contacts with employers!). I say all of this though, but I'd also say it's really important to do your own research on these things and formulate your own opinion. I'd recommend looking at Discover Uni to find out this kind of stuff if you aren't already aware of the website.

I hope that's been helpful, please let me know if you had any questions :smile:

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep