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Most overrated and underrated universities in Britain?

Original post by HistoryRepeating

Same problem applies.

So for example, Oxbridge is overrated as employers of cleaners because to non-cleaners one might assume they pay above the odds and have better than average benefits but if you work in cleaning you know they actually pay a pittance and have crap benefits.

'overrated for what purpose and by whom?' Is an important question

I take your point.

I was rather expecting you to take the other point which I deliberately set up.

That on TSR a university is overrated when those who are not knowledgeable rate a university lower than those who are knowledgeable.

Reply 321

ThePurpleRose

Original post by losingtouch.

either philosophy or criminology &; sociology. undecided. :smile:

I'm sure you'll do great at whichever you choose! Hope the exams go well for you! :biggrin:

Reply 322

ThePurpleRose

Original post by ConorMC

I'm seconding this. The UEA is one of the best places in the country for creative writing. Good luck! Norwich is a nice city too. I may be biased as I live here, but it's very historical and pretty :smile:

I however am going to a Uni very far away :smile:

(I've lived here all my life, nice but tiresome after 18/19 years)

Thanks!

I'll definitely need it meeting my prediction in French... I hope things go well for you at your far away uni! :h:

Original post by tillytots

I had the same, she asked me why on the earth I'd want to live in Norwich and go to some concrete monstrosity, however after visiting she was firmly swayed and would have probably applied herself if she had the opportunity :rolleyes:

Haha, I had the same experience. My mum loved it after the campus tour. Sadly, she missed the visit day today 'cause she has bronchitis, but my dad raved about it enough for both of them. Just firmed UEA. :smile:

Reply 323

Tabers

15

Original post by Bektas

Hull, under-rated, anyone?

I'd like to say so. But then again maybe I am slightly biased too...but the department I'm going to be in at Scarborough looks really good but it's too small to be on league tables and things (well thats what they said). Their results look amazing in the surveys. And it has a really different course that looks amazing.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 324

Crazydavy

13

Original post by Blair93

Overated : Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Durham, UCL, Imperial, Warwick, St. Andrews, Edinburgh

Underated: University of the West of Scotland, Thames Valley, De Montfort, Grimsby...

Oh I appear to have made an error, I thought we were doing a thread bashing good universities while praising our own relatively poor university to boost our self esteem....

This

Reply 325

Millz

14

Original post by MarkNoble

The things you learn etc etc etc...............

At the last Research Assessment Exercise (2008), the authoritative and most up to date assessment of research quality in the UK, Warwick achieved exactly the same rating as Oxford and did slightly better than Cambridge.

It is an outstanding department

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-economics-and-econometrics

That link does not work.

I have not seen a guardian league table that shows research quality mate. The only one I which shows that is the times. They still rate Oxford higher than Warwick. I know there is a notion it could be bias but that is what they have done.

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 326

Crazydavy

13

Original post by Millz

That link does not work.

I have not seen a guardian league table that shows research quality mate. The only one I which shows that is the times. They still rate Oxford higher than Warwick. I know there is a notion it could be bias but that is what they have done.

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php

I'd just like to chip in and say that the link does work :tongue:

Reply 327

Vitamin D

15

Original post by INeedToLoseWeight

Up here in Scotland, I would say Robert Gordon's in Aberdeen is very over rated. For some reason, people seem to think it is a brilliant university, because there is a private school of the same name.

Glasgow is under rated IMO. Many people think "Glasgow" and think tinky, poor, etc...

People in Scotland are quite narrow minded...

I'd have to completely disagree with you there. Glasgow is the most overrated university in the Scotland. People I know talk about it like it's the be all and end all of universities, when in reality for a lot of courses it isn't the best place to go. Also, I tend to find that people go to Robert Gordon because it has a decent reputation (especially with graduate employment), not because of the private school.

Reply 328

MarkNoble

3

Original post by Millz

That link does not work.

I have not seen a guardian league table that shows research quality mate. The only one I which shows that is the times. They still rate Oxford higher than Warwick. I know there is a notion it could be bias but that is what they have done.

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php

As far as I can tell, the table you refer to refers to is a hybrid of measures chosen by the Times. So there is a danger of some bias, but overall it doesn't look far wrong. Warwick about 6th with Oxbridge as the first two is about right (one might quibble about the LSE, which in the social sciences is pretty well indistinguishable in its research performance from Oxbridge, and hence has a similar status the world over in the social sciences (specifically).

The difference between the two tables (the one I quote and your one) seems to be twofold (1) yours refers to the Universities as a whole, whereas mine referred specifically to the subject Economics and Econometrics (2) your table is a journalists creation in that they have chosen the measures. The one I refer to arises from the Research Assessment Exercise, the authoritative assessment of research excellence carried out by the UK academic community as a whole.

Research Excellence is generally the key to the perceived quality and status of Universities and subject areas, and the RAE is the gold standard for such assessment (it costs a fortune every 6 years so it jolly well should be). Hence we can say, at the last RAE and in the field of Economis and Econometrics Warwick and Oxford performed close to identically, and Cambridge were slightly worse.

Warwick is a heavyweight in Economics, and on the basis of your table, is one of the best universities generally after Oxford and Cambridge

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 329

A level Az

16

Student Satisfaction places Nottingham higher than any other university in the U.K. Just saying.

Reply 330

ChemistBoy

16

Original post by MarkNoble

The one I refer to arises from the Research Assessment Exercise, the authoritative assessment of research excellence carried out by the UK academic community as a whole.

It arises, but isn't the purpose or design of the RAE (hence why it changed this time to a more complex output). The RAE does not recommend any ranking methodology. As such you can't simply say that, for example, a department is better than another because it has more 4* research when it also has less 3* research, for example. Is a department that has a smaller number of world-class academics surrounded by more average ones, better than one that has less world-class academics but they are surrounded by more internationally renowned ones?

Reply 331

Millz

14

Original post by MarkNoble

As far as I can tell, the table you refer to refers to is a hybrid of measures chosen by the Times. So there is a danger of some bias, but overall it doesn't look far wrong. Warwick about 6th with Oxbridge as the first two is about right (one might quibble about the LSE, which in the social sciences is pretty well indistinguishable in its research performance from Oxbridge, and hence has a similar status the world over in the social sciences (specifically).

The difference between the two tables (the one I quote and your one) seems to be twofold (1) yours refers to the Universities as a whole, whereas mine referred specifically to the subject Economics and Econometrics (2) your table is a journalists creation in that they have chosen the measures. The one I refer to arises from the Research Assessment Exercise, the authoritative assessment of research excellence carried out by the UK academic community as a whole.

Research Excellence is generally the key to the perceived quality and status of Universities and subject areas, and the RAE is the gold standard for such assessment (it costs a fortune every 6 years so it jolly well should be). Hence we can say, at the last RAE and in the field of Economis and Econometrics Warwick and Oxford performed close to identically, and Cambridge were slightly worse.

Warwick is a heavyweight in Economics, and on the basis of your table, is one of the best universities generally after Oxford and Cambridge

The link works now. However, I believe that these results will be very different now, although I do accept it could go either way.

Reply 332

Tommyjw

18

Original post by A level Az

Student Satisfaction places Nottingham higher than any other university in the U.K. Just saying.

No.. no it doesnt.

Reply 333

ConorMC

3

Original post by ThePurpleRose

Thanks!

I'll definitely need it meeting my prediction in French... I hope things go well for you at your far away uni! :h:

ah you'll be fine. Have they asked for reasonable grades? What's your backup? francais est facile, oui? (my GCSE French :biggrin:

, I'm also kidding, it's not that easy :P) good luck with that though! It's impressive to get an offer from Uea for that course though! They ask for a short story (I believe). Yours must've been good :smile:

do you want to be a writer then?
I plan to go to Aberdeen University :smile:

Reply 334

sophiekatina

9

what about the University of Liverpool?

Reply 335

Txi

Original post by gunmetalpanda

You would make sense if you could back your point up by stating how is a pure economics course at Warwick worse than E&M at Oxford for Economics. I'm actually paying international fees for university.

You been jipped dude.

Drop the course now and apply to a better place, I am quite sure you have the grades for it.

I am a an International too and Chinese as well.

bu bi xiang le, zhao yi ke xin de daxue le.

Reply 336

gunmetalpanda

Original post by Txi

You been jipped dude.

Drop the course now and apply to a better place, I am quite sure you have the grades for it.

I am a an International too and Chinese as well.

bu bi xiang le, zhao yi ke xin de daxue le.

i'm not going to warwick if that's what you implied. Sorry i don't speak chinese, what did the last bit say?

Reply 337

AP1989

11

Overrated: Oxbridge
Underrated: London Met.

Reply 338

Txi

OK part 2 as promised:

Underrated:

UEA - much of the reason why has already been documented by others but the campus is modern, clean and looks great. The city has been voted best UK city on many occasions and I have to agree.

I've spent time in over 20 cities in UK. I was an IS but a very adventurous one.

Norwich is clean, modern and traditional at same time and much cheaper than London - great value.

The city is structured very nicely, it has modern parts integrated into the Tudor architecture, unlike other posh cities it doesn't have that traditional but crumbling and worn out look.

It reminds of the West country but better condition, flat and less congested.

Underrated Alumni - Sir John Rhys Davies, A major Hollywood star ! Work includes Lord of the Rings, James Bond, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Shogun.

Don't know too many Unis who someone like him.

Kazuo Ishigora - ethnic Japanese writer of English classics now on the standard A level list. Must be something good going on there.

Others - ex head of BBC radio, a governor of Gibraltar ?

Minuses : a little isolated.

Needs to work on image - leverage its pluses - ENV sciences, English and US studies etc.

Sussex - similar upper class country side but low profile image as UEA though I prefer Norwich to Brighton - a bit worn out due to fact its a major holiday destination.

But closer and more links to London.

Alumni also underrated - with 2 ex cabinet ministers and many in journalism, they can't bums.

Also needs to work on their strengths.

Notts Trent - Don't know that much but I do know they produce award winning product designers and we all know how much UK is desperately in need of innovation.

This fact alone makes it underrated. I mean if I want to learn to design a new toy or something, I want to learn from people that have actually done it not theoretical BS.

So no matter good it looks on paper this kind of hands on course must produce !