<a https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7467335'> Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

York, Loughborough , Newcastle or Queen Mary

Issa12ah

I am willing to study accounting and finance, so which of these universities is well-known for this major and have good employer reputation. ( I submitted the UCAS before five days, but I discovered that my English language requirement does not meet Southampton university requirement, so I need to change it)

(edited 4 years ago)

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Reply 1

ajj2000

All have decent and similar level reputations. Very different environments though - have you thought about what it would be like to live in each and which you prefer?

Reply 2

Issa12ah

Original post by ajj2000

All have decent and similar level reputations. Very different environments though - have you thought about what it would be like to live in each and which you prefer?

That's a point that I did not consider while doing my decision. After doing my research about the lifestyle in each city, I will go either to York or Loughborough. Also, do you think that choosing York would be better because it's in the Russell Group, or I should neglect this piece of information?

Reply 3

ajj2000

Original post by Issa12ah

Just to check as you mentioned having an English language requirement - where are you from? Are you an overseas student?

Reply 4

SophieB123

Loughborough campus/environment is depressing.
I would definitely consider Newcastle or York.

(Just my Opinion)

Reply 5

Issa12ah

Original post by ajj2000

Just to check as you mentioned having an English language requirement - where are you from? Are you an overseas student?

Yes, I'm from Jordan, I checked the English language requirement for these universities, as they accept B in English as a second language.

Reply 6

Issa12ah

Original post by SophieB123

Loughborough campus/environment is depressing.
I would definitely consider Newcastle or York.

(Just my Opinion)

Can you just explain more, please? Because I want to make a solid decision as soon as possible.

Reply 7

ajj2000

Original post by Issa12ah

Yes, I'm from Jordan, I checked the English language requirement for these universities, as they accept B in English as a second language.

Cool - not a country i know much about I’m afraid. Would you look to do professional qualifications such as ACCA on completing the degree? It’s always worth considering checking what people in the region(s) of the world you may wish to work in think about different universities in case that is a factor?

Reply 8

marple

Original post by Issa12ah

Can you just explain more, please? Because I want to make a solid decision as soon as possible.

Can't comment on the courses, but I know Newcastle and York very well and both are great cities with vibrant student communities. Newcastle is bigger with more in the way of shops and nightlife. York is a beautiful, historic city with lots of individual bars, cafes etc. Both have good train links to London. Assuming you can't visit, there are virtual guides of the universities here:

https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/open-days-and-events/virtual-tours

Reply 9

Issa12ah

Original post by ajj2000

Jordan is a country in the middle east, and it's well-known for Petra ( one of the seven wonders of the world ). I hope to pursue a career in auditing or actuary, as well as, looking to do CPA and CFS. So, which university do you recommend?

Reply 10

Issa12ah

Original post by marple

Thank you so much. While making my decision, should I consider the rank of the university and what website or guide do you recommend to use? Mostly, I use QS ranking website. Also, do you have any idea about Loughborough?

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 11

SophieB123

Original post by Issa12ah

Can you just explain more, please? Because I want to make a solid decision as soon as possible.

Last week I went to Loughborough for an interview and stayed the night to have a look around. It seemed very small and not really close to anything exciting and noticed a lot of annoying one way roads which made it inconvenient to drive around. It made me realise that I didn’t want to move away from where I live now, which is close to the city of Newcastle.

Newcastle is a great city and has great transport links to quieter cities such as Durham which is similar to York. I just generally didn’t like Loughborough as it felt out of the way from everything and the campus didn’t really suit my needs.

But I guess it just depends on where you live now and what you want out of your university experience.

Reply 12

Issa12ah

Original post by SophieB123

Thank you for telling me your overall experience, also my friends from the UK have said the same thing in terms of lifestyle and accommodation. However, they told me Loughborough is in the top 5 universities in terms of teaching quality. That's why I am hesitant.

Reply 13

marple

Original post by Issa12ah

Loughborough is a very good university and ranks highly on the UK but may be less well known internationally. UK students will typically look at several UK ranking schemes - this is a pretty popular one:

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/accounting-and-finance

All the universities you list are good and well regarded in the UK.

Loughborough is a campus university based near a relatively small town. . Queen Mary - depends really on whether you want to be based in London. It is not in a very nice parts of London and living in London will be considerably more expensive that at your other choices. All the universities you list have a good mix of UK and international students.

Good luck with your choice. Hope you enjoy your time in the UK

Reply 14

SophieB123

Original post by Issa12ah

Yeah I can understand where you are coming from in terms of academic success. I honestly think Newcastle and York have a similar reputation.

Reply 15

ajj2000

Original post by Issa12ah

Apologies for the slow reply. I do know that much about Jordan!!! I meant I don't know about country and regional specific matters for accountancy careers - whereas for countries such as Malaysia I have some idea and could find out more very easily.

Given my lack of knowledge of what might matter to you perhaps I might suggest some matters for consideration. I don't know much about the courses - I have interviewed candidates from QM and Loughborough who seemed both keen, good and well prepared - but do have some knowledge of each of the locations.

1) University reputation - not a particularly big deal for A+F degrees / careers but were you to want to work in the UK or for a UK company in the middle east it might be a little important for you than a British undergrad. I would see the four you have listed are pretty much the same for this course.

2) Professional exemptions. I'm not sure how relevant this is if you want to do the American CPA qualification. It would be worth checking whether British accountancy bodies provide qualifications which are widely recognised in the region(s) of the world in which you might wish to work. A lot of overseas students studying A+F in the UK continue to study ACCA and regard the number of exemptions as a big factor in their choice of university.

There are some large differences between the 4 courses in this respect - if this matters to you I'll write some notes.

3) Opportunities for internships/ summer placements etc. For bigger employers who pay you enough to get lodgings not really an issue. In general there are far more opportunities in London that Loughborough or Newcastle and to a lesser extent York.

4) Opportunities for part time work. Unlike in many countries Anglosphere companies tend to like work experience when assessing graduate level hires. It can be very useful to demonstrate how you developed skills working in the retail/ service sectors. There are more opportunities in London for this - I'm not sure how the others compare but you could check on the university specific boards.

5) Cost of living. Is this a factor? London is way more expensive a location than York, which is more expensive than Loughborough and Newcastle.

6) What is it like to live there. Will note more later - would you go home for all the holidays or stay at the university town. That would make a big difference.

Reply 16

Catherine1973

Not sure if it is a factor but queen mary is a very diverse group of students. Which may be a positive for you or not a factor at all. I attend there as a mature student.

Reply 17

ajj2000

Original post by Catherine1973

Not sure if it is a factor but queen mary is a very diverse group of students. Which may be a positive for you or not a factor at all. I attend there as a mature student.

I was thinking of copying you in! Do you share my perception that employers would consider the four universities to be the same (at least employers based in the UK)?

Reply 18

Catherine1973

Now that I don’t know. They may be,like I was, swayed by Russell group status. Or look at league tables too. But probably yes, think they are all pretty good places and rate them about the same.

Reply 19

harrysbar

Original post by Issa12ah

I wouldn't go to Loughborough personally as the town is small and nothing special - York and Newcastle are much better cities and also very good unis. The city of York is particularly attractive although smaller than Newcastle and not so lively in terms of clubs etc. Have you looked at images of all the cities if you can't visit them?

Loughborough is very good if you are sporty as it has excellent facilities but if not...