I am trying to choose between Queen's University Belfast and University of Surrey for BSc Children's Nursing. There are pros and cons to each university so I am totally stuck, and I'd appreciate some unbiased opinions from total strangers basically
Queens University BelfastPros:
- It is a Russell Group University and the campus and Nursing school seem lovely
- My mum lives 15 mins train ride away and my dad a 10 minute walk so I would be close to home, probably avoid homesickness and save on travel costs. My youngest brother is three and very reliant on me as he is autistic, so staying in NI would mean seeing him more and would be better for him.
- Cost of living is very low
- Familiarity of the area is probably useful for placements
Cons:
- Northern Ireland is a very small place and all I've known for almost eight years and so it almost feels like too "safe" an option
- I'm currently a main carer for my two disabled siblings and have had a difficult past few months and I know that staying in NI would mean not being able to fully concentrate on my studies
- My home address is too close to the university to be able to stay in halls as it's allocated by a distance basis and so I would have to privately rent if I want to move out - not getting the full university experience
- I don't drive and public transport outside of Belfast is rubbish - this is going to prove very difficult for placements as I could be sent to Londonderry which is nearly two hours away with very little transport available
- It's apparently not a brilliant university for Nursing - 33rd (?) on the league table, word of mouth from current student nurses hasn't been great and they've made a shambles of the application process this year which makes me wonder what the organisation of the course would be like!
Surrey UniversityPros:
- Obviously a brilliant university - was University of the Year, high on the overall league tables
- The campus is beautiful and feels very safe, atmosphere much like Queens
- The Nursing school is exceptional - 2nd on the league table, was first last year. They have a lot of facilities and resources including an excellent Simulated Suite
- I loved it when I went to interview - I was coming from a long way away and they really did their best to accommodate this - the tutors were lovely and made me feel at ease, as were the interviewers. I got an offer less than 24 hours after my interview so evidently I performed well.
- I'd be able to live in halls for Year One and properly integrate into university life
- It's something totally different - whilst I am originally from Berkshire which isn't far I'm not familiar with the area and so it would be a fresh start and a chance for me to totally concentrate on myself after having a rough time during my A Levels
- Public transport is evidently much better and it's very close to London also
Cons:
- Cost of living is terrifying - whilst I've worked out that it is doable, it's very high and private rents in particular are huge
- Homesickness - I'm very close to my mum and I would miss her terribly - the reduced amount of holidays that Nursing students receive would mean not seeing her and my other family very often. I'm also extremely close to my littlest brother and pretty much his second mummy and it would be really hard not seeing him everyday.
- Cost of travel - I would have to fly from Belfast to Gatwick and then travel to Guildford. If I book in advance this isn't too bad but is still fairly costly. I would also be concerned that during the winter the disruption to flights would mean being stranded or something
when I went for my interview in November my flight there ended up being delayed a few hours because of a stupid storm and it was a real hassle.
There's probably other things but I think that's the main points! At the moment my heart and gut is telling me that biting the bullet and going to Surrey is the best thing for me mentally and opportunity wise, but something keeps holding me back.
tl;dr: I'm trying to choose between Queens Belfast and Surrey for Nursing. Surrey would mean more £££ and further away, but QUB isn't a v good uni for my course and maybe too close to home?
I'd especially appreciate opinions from people who go to university in Surrey, the Greater London Area and the South East in general and how they find the cost of living.
Thank you