Bristol vs Birmingam pleaseplease help

okay so I know what your all thinking 'not another x vs y' thread
But im just gonna go ahead and pour my heart out about all my concerns and hopefully ill get some sort of response
okay here goes
Basically ive been rejected from three of the five unis I applied to (mucked up lnat for two, dont know about the other) the two offers ive got are Bristol and Birmingham (both LLB), I know im very lucky to have them but I think with the rejections and stress and everything, Im just scared about the decision. My aim/dream is to work for a magic circle law firm/american law firm (yes I know what your thinking) but I not hell bent I wouldnt rule out management consultancy etc (accenture etc) so....
I am fully aware that Bristol is an excellent university for law, even my aunt whos a lawyer was full of praise for it, and I know that realistically my chances of getting in to the magic circle will be a higher with a Bristol degree than a Bham one (?), and everyone tells me that its a brilliant city to be a student in. BUT my main concern is that I also keep hearing how posh/RAH it is, and even more worrying (for me) is that lack of ethnic diversity? So I stalked a couple of this years freshers albums/pages on fb and did notice that there were far fewer people from ethnic backgrounds than other unis (essp Bham). I am in NO way being racist, ill be friends with whoever aslong as their cool with me but I have to admit being Asian (indian) and having lived in London all my life and coming from a secondary school that's extremely mixed (but intergrated) the thought of going somewhere with such little diversity makes me feel uncomfortable- and if im honest pretty scared ( I know its pathetic, but im just being honest). I want to go to uni and get a good degree/job at the end but I also want to have a good time and to be able to make an great set of really good friends that I will be friends with for years to come. I cant help but worry that I will feel out of place at Bristol? or maybe im just being silly and will love bristol :/ the city itself and nightlife and stuff looks amazing for me
It would be lovely if someone from bristol could help me out here (maybe i should have posted this somewere else i dunno im new to this haha)
BUT on the flipside, I liked bham when I went to see it , I didnt feel like an outsider at all and obvs the social/ethnix is much stronger at bham (although some tend to disagree and claims its not as diverse as it seems at first glance?) BUT my main issue is the employment prospects- now before you all jump down my throat I know a Bham law degree is not to be sniffed at and that brearking in to the MC firms is not impossible, however with the economy and lowering intake of trainees and all that im worried that it will become even harder than it is and that I will be disadvantaged to if I had gone to bristol- the employment aspects are important to me so Im worried If I was to firm Bham im throwing away a very good chance of bettering my emploment prospects? My question to bham people is did/do you feel that attending bham as put you in any disadvantage at all? and roughly how many or (how common) is it for Bham kids to get tc at the Mc firms I know its not impossible and people have done it but in your opinon is it alot harder? ( I have read alot on here about bham grads struggling with getting tcs and not even making it to intervews :/ and it being generally overhyped) if youve done any vac schemes or even got a training contracts did you notice many bham students there? And also how does Bham stand with firms such as Accenture etc.. is it respected/targeted?
Im so sorry about the rant but this has been bugging me for ages now, I dont want to make the wrong decision ovs. In terms of city/nightlife/other stuff theyre pretty much equal to me im not to fussed about the whole campus vs city thing. I know ill be happy at bham as its quite similar to home, but im worried come third year and im applying for tc's ill be disadvantaged or atleast I would have been better placed at Bristol. Its not that Im sure im gonna be unhappy at bristol, its just im worried (terrified) that ill stick out / feel outta place maybe struggle to make good friends or maybe its just normal uni nerves i dunno lol
so if anyone at either of these unis could give me some kind of insight it would be much appreciated
Or if anyone could just give me some advice on what to do thatll be great too
thanks and sorry about the rant again but this is something thats been playing on my mind alot

I who would also be considered an ethnic minor, went to Bristol and graduated last year...

In my experience it is predominantly monothlic in ethnic makeup... meaning it is predominantly caucasian, but there is an ever growing contingent of Chinese populating the university.

Having said that... as Jingers has said, university is what you make of it... Will it be as ethnically diverse as maybe perhaps Birmingham... I would suspect not, but that would only be speculation on my part, as I haven't attended Birmingham as a university.

Is Bristol as ethnically diverse as London, no, but other than a few cities like Paris and New York, you would be hard pressed to find that anywhere.

Is Bristol a culturally diverse city, yes it is... there are many ethnic groups that live and thrive in this city, so you will not feel out of place in the wider city environment.

Is UofB as ethnically diverse say as UWE, nope not even close, but again, you are there for an education first and for most... Yes socializing etc is a part of the uni environment, but as Jingers has also said, if that is a major criteria or a deal breaker for you, then perhaps it would be best to pick the uni in which you will feel more comfortable.

Prestige wise, both Birmingham and Bristol will give you the adequate bang for your buck; and really to get a look see inside those MC type of firms, you will first have to reach a certain academic cutoff (e.g. a 2.1 and AAB in your immediate academic profile) before institution plays a significant factor...

To my recollection a lot of the major American Firms attended the various Law Fairs held in the Wills building as did all the MC and SC firms. My focus was not solicitor based, but they all give out free shiny swag, so I perused the various aisles obtaining the shiny baubles and wares on offer! And I do remember a swoon in the room for Slaughter and May, so they all come to Bristol, so want for choice to speak to the big boys will not be an issue.

Also something else to consider, Bristol seems to put an emphasis on the solicitor route, as most of the students seem geared to and choose to take this career path verses the bar route... so much so that the University, as a curtesy upon graduation, automatically refer your name to the SRA... I don't know if this is standard at other universities or not...

Good luck on your choice and your endeavours, i would only reiterate again that you have two good choices there and should pick the one that is best for you.

Helllo thankyou so much for your reply....it's much appreciated
bristol does seem amazing but like did you ever feel socially out of place/ uncomfortable. I mean putting aside academics (which I know are the most important) how would you rate your experience at Bristol?

What are your grades like at the moment ? (I ask because I too, have an offer from bham but am still waiting on bristol! Scared at what they will say) if I did get am offer, Imo I woild be straight to firming Bristol. Aside from the law school it is closer to my family and home town friends. I haven't been into Birmingham as in the town so I cant really compare it with Bristol (although I really liked bristol as a city)
Alternatively I haven't been to Bristol uni yet either but I really liked the look and feel of bham uni.
Nice to see that success is not diminished if I went to Bham
Posted from TSR Mobile

I completely enjoyed my experience at Bristol... Socially out of place no... But did I notice that I was in a significant minority yes... But people are people, they will affect you if you let them affect you... I found for the most place that if you treat people well they will treat you well...

AABB at AS and A*A*A predicted for A2 ... pretty poor Lnat score though
good luck
gonna have a heard time deciding

ahh so you didnt feel like an outsider/out of place - i know everyones experience will be different but that soo reassuring to hear
like I said it will be a big change from London so I think im just nervous dunno tbh
its still such a hard decision to make
can I ask what your plans are career wise?

I have a fairly strong personality and am older, so I would not be affected my most things, but have talked to other students who did feel a bit of isolation... But when they found one or two good friends (regardless of race/ethnic group) they were sorted...

And you got rejected from 3! Whaat. Im AAA predicted (1 achieved in Jan, not cashed) with the 2 as A* potentially. Im sure the lnat wasn't as bad as you think.
Keep me updated


Posted from TSR Mobile

I know it was so demotivating an the fact that I've only got two is actually making the decision even more scary
What did you get in your lnat I got 18


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I got the average, 21 or 23? These two unis are good though, however as previously stated, I will definitely firm Bristol if I get an offer. So thats my vote for you!
Please dont be worried about feeling isolated, as reading around here I've found that rahs and such are not as bad as they seem

Posted from TSR Mobile

I know it sounds silly, but I am more worried about feeling isolated because of my ethnicity/being indian ( I KNOW ITS PATHETIC) than the rahs and stuff. I come from london which ovbs is hugely diverse my friends are from loads of different backgrounds but I cant help feeling thats because London is so diverse its become very very well intergrated (with exceptions obvs) , so i'm worried about not fitting in in that sense I know its silly but if I cant be honest about how I feel to strangers over the internet then.... haha
ahh well done for your score! you should hear from bristol soon! keep me updated

Ah right I see, all in all. I wouldn't worry too much about it at all people who are going to isolate you wont change, but there should ne less of those in uni

Posted from TSR Mobile

Anyone else with experiences of Bham/Bristol?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Well, Bristol was my only offer (for medicine), but I have the same worries as you. Although I am british, I have African hertiage, so would be considered as an ethnic minor (by being black). I think you have nothing to fear. I live in Birmingham, which is (almost) just as diverse as London. I guess it will be normal to feel a bit strange at first (as we're not used to being in such an environment), but, I think we'll get used to the "lack of diversity".

Ah right I see, all in all. I wouldn't worry too much about it at all people who are going to isolate you wont change, but there should ne less of those in uni

Posted from TSR Mobile