Nottingham or Warwick?

Need some advice here. I applied on a gap year and was rejected by Oxford and LSE. Offers from Warwick, Nottingham and UCL. I've narrowed it down to Nottingham and Warwick, but I'm torn between the two.

The pros for Warwick are stronger general reputation (in case I pursue a different avenue)

The university is more 'cosy'

Accommodation is cheaper, and the place is generally cheaper to live in.

Course seems more interesting, but Law is Law at the end of the day.

The cons are the law department isn't as reputable as Nottingham and I'm not sure if this could hinder my job prospects.

As for Nottingham the two main things which is making me consider it are the fact that it has a better department. Also the chance of a year abroad is very enticing. I know it wouldn't be wise to make a decision based on this though. Warwick has the opportunity for year abroads, but not in any locations which interest me.

The cons for Nottingham are really the fact that accommodation is more expensive, the university is very big, the general reputation is weaker and probably most importantly they give out a alarmingly low amount of 2:1s.

Just looking for some general advice since I'm finding it really hard to decide. If I'm honest, it's the chance of a year abroad in North America at Nottingham which is preventing me from going to Warwick, since going to Warwick shuts down that chance of having a year abroad.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

reedA93

Hi,
I started Law and Business last year at Warwick and I left to do straight law in Nottingham.
Law at Warwick is incredible, the amount of workshops, career fairs and social events is brilliant.
However, Warwick is very modern, isolated and small.
I left because I loved Law and hated business, but also Warwick uni wasn't for me.
If you go, you'll have a brilliant time and you'll get a good job at the end of it, but that's the same for if you went to Nottingham.
You need to think about what you want from a university on a whole, things like nightlife and sports facilities need to be taken into account too.
If you go to Warwick you have Paul Raffield for tort law first term, omg he is the most incredible human being on earth. I will never forget the things he taught us in lectures.
You can't compare the two just by the course as they are both excellent, you need to think about the bigger picture.

Reply 2

James941

OP

1

Original post by reedA93

Hi,
I started Law and Business last year at Warwick and I left to do straight law in Nottingham.
Law at Warwick is incredible, the amount of workshops, career fairs and social events is brilliant.
However, Warwick is very modern, isolated and small.
I left because I loved Law and hated business, but also Warwick uni wasn't for me.
If you go, you'll have a brilliant time and you'll get a good job at the end of it, but that's the same for if you went to Nottingham.
You need to think about what you want from a university on a whole, things like nightlife and sports facilities need to be taken into account too.
If you go to Warwick you have Paul Raffield for tort law first term, omg he is the most incredible human being on earth. I will never forget the things he taught us in lectures.
You can't compare the two just by the course as they are both excellent, you need to think about the bigger picture.

Thank you for your reply :smile:

If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me why you felt Warwick wasn't for you and why you dropped out? feel free to PM me if you wish.

What made you go for Nottingham in this cycle? I was slightly confused, are you now on a gap year until September?

Couldn't you have changed to straight Law at Warwick? or did you dislike the place that much?

I'm just really confused. The main plus for Nottingham is the year abroad opportunities but the 2:2 issue is worrying. I do think Warwick is more 'me' though. I quite like the fact that it's small and isolated, which is quite crazy.

Reply 3

LoseSmallWinBig

Looks like a tough decision. I wouldn't worry about the slight difference in general reputation. You have to weigh up how important the possibility of a year abroad is to you.

Reply 4

reedA93

I'm on a gap year till September, I tried to transfer and I was kindly told that I wasn't allowed to and that I better not reapply as everywhere will reject me.
I found Warwick too isolated in the end so I left, however if I hadn't got an offer from Nottingham I would have stayed as I made excellent friends there and all though it wasn't what I wanted it was really good fun being there.
Ring the undergrad office about the 2:2 issue, I did and they're posting me some stuff on it.

Reply 5

James941

OP

1

Original post by reedA93

I'm on a gap year till September, I tried to transfer and I was kindly told that I wasn't allowed to and that I better not reapply as everywhere will reject me.
I found Warwick too isolated in the end so I left, however if I hadn't got an offer from Nottingham I would have stayed as I made excellent friends there and all though it wasn't what I wanted it was really good fun being there.
Ring the undergrad office about the 2:2 issue, I did and they're posting me some stuff on it.

Thanks for the reply again! Ah I'm on a gap year aswell, bored out of mind at the moment. How is yours going?

Thanks, I'll call the admission office on Monday morning! Aaah It's just the year abroad options which is pulling at my heart strings.

Thanks again for the help, really want to decide soon, as If I choose Nottingham, I'd want to be on University Park, but it's first come first served so another dilemma.

What did you make of the people at Warwick? heard that it is very 'geeky' and has a weird vibe? Nottingham seems more normal due to having a full range of courses/entry requirements.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

reedA93

Thats absolute rubbish, you get 'geeky' people everywhere. It's a mixture like anywhere else, the people made it for me if I'm honest.
The only thing that I didn't like was how isolated it was and the sport there is rubbish.
Seriously though, ignore the total crap about the people being odd.

Reply 7

James941

OP

1

Original post by reedA93

Thats absolute rubbish, you get 'geeky' people everywhere. It's a mixture like anywhere else, the people made it for me if I'm honest.
The only thing that I didn't like was how isolated it was and the sport there is rubbish.
Seriously though, ignore the total crap about the people being odd.

Thanks. Glad to see that myth dispelled..

Reply 8

Crumpet1

19

Although Nottingham has the edge in terms of reputation, it is only fractional. Really they're both very prestigious so you're safe to go with your heart if that's what you'd like to do.

Reply 9

tooambitious

16

Original post by James941

Thanks. Glad to see that myth dispelled..

You know you can do erasmus with any Warwick course, right? So you have options abroad definitely with Warwick

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/studyabroad/outgoing/erasmus/institutions/141111.pdf

Reply 10

James941

OP

1

Original post by tooambitious

You know you can do erasmus with any Warwick course, right? So you have options abroad definitely with Warwick

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/studyabroad/outgoing/erasmus/institutions/141111.pdf

Thanks, I wouldn't really want to do a year abroad in Europe but thanks anyway. I would much rather go somewhere like HK/Singapore/North America. That's the only real thing dragging me to Nottingham and the quality of the department.

Would you go for Warwick in this instance?

Reply 11

tooambitious

16

Original post by James941

Thanks, I wouldn't really want to do a year abroad in Europe but thanks anyway. I would much rather go somewhere like HK/Singapore/North America. That's the only real thing dragging me to Nottingham and the quality of the department.

Would you go for Warwick in this instance?