Got an Unconditional Offer for Accounting and Finance-University Of Strathclyde

Hey,

Saw your post and thought I'd offer my input being a 2nd year student studying Accounting and Finance at Strayhclyde Uni.
Also initially from England myself so was pretty daunting moving up to Scotland at first.

First the course:
The Accounting and Finance course at Strathclyde is pretty renowned for its excellency. I say this not because I study the course (okay maybe it plays a part haha) but because most who get into the course achieved higher than average grades in their respective A Levels or Scottish Highers. This I believe speaks volumes for the prestige of the course.
The A&F course has also been rated top 3 for the past few years on the CompleteUniversityGuide; in fact it was rated #1 throughout the UK in the 2019 CompleteUniversityGuide.
The lecturers are brilliant, helpful, understanding and compassionate.
The course structure is 10/10. Good mix of subjects and you really do cover A LOT (pretty intense ngl, 2nd year especially!)

Now onto the Uni and city:
Strathclyde has much to offer both in terms of academia and social life. People here at strahclyde are super friendly and the staff are always happy to help.You have a range of societies to choose from.
The business school is pretty fancy too, having gone through a massive renovation a few years ago. Oh and the business school is also renowned for its work globally - managing to get into the top 100 in the FT business school rankings.
The uni is situated right in the city centre and there really is so much to do - side note: freshers was amazingggg!
Also a big plus if fitness is your thing. The Uni is due to complete a new £31m sports facility in Summer 2018.

One thing to note however, the university seems to have a high ratio of students favouring towards the Scottish. I.e. there are more Scottish students than they are English/International students by a somewhat significant margin. I'd say 70% Scottish/30% others. You'll find other Unis in Scotland like Edinburgh, Glasgow & St Andrews have a way lower ratio of Scottish students.
THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE UNI, Scottish people are lovely I swear haha! Simply an observation that you may want to consider if you do choose Strathclyde

If you want to know anything else about the Uni, feel free to hit me up!

Hey Man,

Apologies for the delay in my response - it's exam season atm.

I'll try to answer your questions point by point.

Student Ratio
The business school, or in fact the university does have a substantial amount of international student, you are correct. The university even has student exchange agreements with a range of partner Universities throughout the world. So to reiterate, yeah we do have a fair amount of international students. But the ratio of Scottish students I'd say outweighs said amount by quite a significant margin.

Cost
To offer an opinion on whether Glasgow is more expensive or cheaper to live in compared to England really depends on where in England you wish to compare it to. London? North East? Midlands? Imo I think Glasgow is not too expensive nor is it very cheaper either. Rent for example can set you back anywhere between £400 - £550 pcm. This however only applies to 2nd year when you come to move out of halls (considering you do so). You'll find a range of accommodation options to choose from, at somewhat subsidised prices but each with varying prices ofc when coming to decide on which halls to pick. Food cost really does depend on what sort of lifestyle you wish to lead as a student. Some stick to takeaways because they can't cook to save their life, others learn more conventional ways of living by doing their regular shop at supermarkets (hint: you really do save a lot by shopping at Lidl/Aldi) and cooking their own meals.

Studies
The way you approach your studies really does depend on you. Everyone has their own unique way of learning. Some students aggressively type notes on their laptops, even when the lecturer isn't saying anything. Some students take only the key points from lectures and re consolidate what they've learned in their own free time. Some students don't even bother taking notes, panic when it comes to exams and often is the case they don't perform very well. My point being, how well you do in University really depends on how well you manage your time and dedication you have for your studies. Ofc your social life is important but do remember to keep on top of things.
As for the amount of student's in lectures, this really does depend on the subjects you have in first year. You'll have a mixture of multi-disciplinary subjects in first and 2nd year. But as you are an Accounting student, you'll have your core accounting subjects which generally have smaller groups as there are less students in accounting related subjects in comparison to say, finance, economics or business subjects. ; accounting at Strathclyde is a very competitive course to get into.

Social-life
I want to be clear with this as everyone has their own way of making new friends. Just because you don't drink doesn't mean you can't relate to people or can't have a good time. Say for example, you go out with a group of friends to a bar/club, just ask for something non-alcoholic when you're out. It's all about personality and your general attitude really. I.e. just don't be a **** and you should be alright.
Also as I previously mentioned, Strathclyde has a range of clubs you can join to make new friends. Also, when you live in halls try to be form close relationships with the people you live with as often is the case, those are the people you end up living with when you move out from halls.

So yeah, that's my take on Strathclyde University! If you have anymore questions feel free to hit me up )

Thanks for another brilliant answer! I am so sorry for disturbing you-you shouldnt feel inclined to answer. I hope all your exams are going well! I am actually wondering if I should now switch to a degree in just Finance? I dont want to become an Accountant;maybe land a grad scheme somewhere and work towards advisory? However, everyone is advising (no pun intended) that I should stick with Accounting and Finance because it has more job prospects, looked more greatly upon etc. Whats your take in this? Is there a big difference between the two degrees? Do I HAVE to become an Accountant if I do Accounting and FInance? Again, you can wait untill your exams are finished to answer; sorry for bothering you so often! Goodluck with your exams!

No worries at all dude. I actually need some rest bite from revision and do really enjoy sharing my uni experience (Procrastinating).

I actually gave that SAME question some serious thought myself back when I was trying to pick a course.

Having consolidated my parents/relatives/teachers, they all told me the same; accounting & finance is the safer, more lucrative option which offers greater job prospects. Also, accounting degrees don't just limit you to just accounting jobs. How you choose to use your degree after you graduate depends on you. I know a few people who studied A&F and ended up in non-accounting related fields.

Now I still don't know whether all this is true for myself as I am still in 2nd year but I have certainly benefited (& enjoyed) from learning a wide range of disciplines that A&F has to offer during the course.

Also side note: I know you said you weren't interested in an accounting career but just thought I'd let u know anyway. An added bonus of studying an Accounting degree though is that you have a head start in with regards to an accounting career due to the exemptions you finish with after graduating. That's only a benefit if you choose an accounting career however.

Sooooo, my advice would be to follow your gut (i know that sounds very cringe). Study something that you actually feel compelled to study. You don't want to study something that you're not 100% behind for the next 4 YEARS after all.

As always happy to help so just give me a shout if you need more advice dude x