Not what i had expected (Nottingham v. UEA)

hi everyone
I am applying to uni at the moment and am torn between taking up offers for psychology at uea and sociology at nottingham and would be happy to study both at HE level
uea is cheaper, closer to home and i prefer the look of the course
however i am aware nottinghams reputation is stronger than uea and its social sciences department as a whole is very good and as such i am in a bit of a dilemma.
however i am strongly favouring uea at the moment as i visited nottingham last week and didn't like the uni or the city as much as uea which surprised me as i expected to like it alot but that something in the uni and course is missing :frown:

would i be putting myself at a disadvantage in terms of entry to postgraduate study and/graduate employment by choosing uea and what do people think i should do. would going to nottingham be worth it in the long term or do you think i will look back in years time and regret it
any help would be greatly appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Saro_656

I would personally go to nottingham, better career prospects, and you may not have liked nottingham when you went there but when did you go? and who did you talk to? when i went there i absolutely loved it! loved the city, the uni and the people :smile:

(in fact seriously had to think about whether i wanted to put notts down as my firm or oxford, nearly went for notts!!) :smile:

Reply 2

Absinth

Please don't go to a uni just because of it's reputation. UEA is a good uni, and you have a few reasons for wanting to go there. Employment prospects are more than just which uni you came from. I'm not sure what field you want to go into, but it appears from looking at the postgrad forums, all that really matters is that you achieve the entry requirements, rather than the uni you came from. Also you say that you prefer UEA's course. That's a big factor imo. That is the whole reason why you are there in the first place. If you don't really like the course at Nottingham, do you really think you can study it for three years?

Reply 3

timetokill

Ultimatly you have to choose somewhere that you will be happy. If you dont like a university after visiting do NOT go there, whatever its reputation. You will be spending 3 years of your life there which may not seem like alot, but it will be the longest 3 years of your life if you arnt happy.

If UEA is where you want to go- go there. If youre happier, your more likely to do well in your degree which will offer better career prospects than uni reputation alone.

Reply 4

rellafonseca

I think UEA sounds your best choice, nice city, nice uni and yet not far away from home? Pretty good combination. Nottingham does have a good rep I admit, but its so much more important that your happy with the uni than going for its reputation. I made the mistake going to a good uni just because everyone said its got such a good reputation, yet I never really liked it at open days, but went along because everyone said its the best. Now ive left, about to go to a underated polytenic and really excited!
Plus the fact yourll be close to home is never really a bad idea, as long as your not 5 minutes away.

Reply 5

River85

bluenicey

would i be putting myself at a disadvantage in terms of entry to postgraduate study and/graduate employment by choosing uea

Postgraduate study, certainly not. For postgrad applications where you studied as an undergrad doesn't matter. What does matter is your academic record (at least a good 2:1 usually) and references.

Graduate employment is a lot more complicated but I do feel the importance of uni rep is exaggerated on this forum (usually due to the strong IB contingent). With work experience/networking and a good degre you can make up for any potential shortfall.

Why not visit Nottingham for a second time if you've got the time and money? You may change your mind. Utlimately go to the uni and location you prefer. If that's UEA then so be it. It's still a good uni and, in my opinion, it's best you go to the university you prefer. It's no good going to an inferior locatoin and risk being miserable.