Very anxious about university choice ?!
I had to pick between Nottingham and Birmingham for Biochemistry and I'm really anxious. Nottingham is ranked a lot lower for it and now I just feel like I'm making a mistake. I really do it's making me feel so bad. And then, it doesn't have an industrial placement that counts towards the masters whereas Birmingham does. Please can someone give me some advice
ranking isnt everything and while it would be good to have a placement there are so many other ways u can get work experience
University is both a financial and a personal investment. By having an industrial placement, you increase the probability of finding a well-paid job, which is ultimately what you go to university for in the first place. A degree on its own is not as valuable as a degree with an industrial placement. Remember, you go to university to work at an industry anyways. Nonetheless, judging by what you have written, I believe you have picked Nottingham. This does not mean you cannot find an industrial placement while doing the degree at Nottingham; it is just that Birmingham has basically given you the placement already. University is also a personal investment because it allows you to develop as a person and form a vision as to where you want to be in life, and what lifestyle you wish to live.
To summarise, you are not making a fatal mistake. Albeit, picking Birmingham would have been preferable, but you can still find a placement elsewhere. If you feel that Nottingham has better facilities in general, and that it will help you become closer to self-actualising and making you a better person through experiencing the environment and what the university has to offer, then do not be sad.
To summarise, you are not making a fatal mistake. Albeit, picking Birmingham would have been preferable, but you can still find a placement elsewhere. If you feel that Nottingham has better facilities in general, and that it will help you become closer to self-actualising and making you a better person through experiencing the environment and what the university has to offer, then do not be sad.
there was a reason you chose Nottingham. You just havee to reignite it
Original post by onceuponatime1
University is both a financial and a personal investment. By having an industrial placement, you increase the probability of finding a well-paid job, which is ultimately what you go to university for in the first place. A degree on its own is not as valuable as a degree with an industrial placement. Remember, you go to university to work at an industry anyways. Nonetheless, judging by what you have written, I believe you have picked Nottingham. This does not mean you cannot find an industrial placement while doing the degree at Nottingham; it is just that Birmingham has basically given you the placement already. University is also a personal investment because it allows you to develop as a person and form a vision as to where you want to be in life, and what lifestyle you wish to live.
To summarise, you are not making a fatal mistake. Albeit, picking Birmingham would have been preferable, but you can still find a placement elsewhere. If you feel that Nottingham has better facilities in general, and that it will help you become closer to self-actualising and making you a better person through experiencing the environment and what the university has to offer, then do not be sad.
To summarise, you are not making a fatal mistake. Albeit, picking Birmingham would have been preferable, but you can still find a placement elsewhere. If you feel that Nottingham has better facilities in general, and that it will help you become closer to self-actualising and making you a better person through experiencing the environment and what the university has to offer, then do not be sad.
I'm also really worried about the degree not being accredited , like I'm literally crying over it. I don't know maybe I've made a really bad choice. Does accreditation affect a lot ??
It is possible to transfer to a different university to start year 2 after completing year 1. You can do a MSci (masters) somewhere else if you complete the three years bachelor degree with a decent score. UoN is a very beautiful and reputable university, so don’t be so sad.
Original post by wintersun22
I'm also really worried about the degree not being accredited , like I'm literally crying over it. I don't know maybe I've made a really bad choice. Does accreditation affect a lot ??
Not really for biochemistry, it's more important for degrees that in principle prepare for entry to a specific career e.g. engineering or NHS biomedical scientist positions for those respective programmes.
Also nobody who has left school cares about league tables. Employers don't know or care about them, people in academia know they're meaningless, and nobody else cares. While they can in some restricted senses be useful in selecting a uni, they're only as useful as the methodology they use measures things you think are important in a uni. There is no single overarching methodology that measures university "quality", they're made up from multiple different metrics measuring.
Some examples include NSS performance (broadly meaningless), spend per student (of dubious worth since it skews heavily to universities that have large cohorts in specific programmes that are expensive to run like STEM courses, or encouraging unis to spend a lot of money building some new building or another without much thought as to how useful it is to anyone), student to staff ratio (which again can favour particular unis which focus on subjects areas that can be run with fewer students, typically those without large overheads like humanities/social sciences courses), graduate employment outcomes (which are very easily manipulated by e.g. counting anyone working in tesco as "employed"). Then there is the worst metric which is the average UCAS tariff, which literally just ranks universities by their entry criteria, encouraging universities to inflate them while still giving out lower offers.
They're both broadly decent universities and I doubt you will be much better or worse off in the long run at either. Provided you like the course at the uni you will be going to, and are happy with the city and amenities afforded by that university, then you should be fine.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by wintersun22
I'm also really worried about the degree not being accredited , like I'm literally crying over it. I don't know maybe I've made a really bad choice. Does accreditation affect a lot ??
There is the possibility to gain valuable work experience with an optional placement year. Placements are a great opportunity to see what the sector you want to go into is like, try out specific job roles, and to gain the skills that employers want.
Please note that placements have to be organised by the student and approved by the school. The University's Careers and Employability Service can provide advice on how to find and apply for a placement.
Information on fees for a placement or study abroad year can be found on the fees website.
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Biochemistry-BSc
Assuming this is the correct degree type you wish to do, you can do a placement year, so you do not have to worry about that.
As for the accreditation, that should not be a huge deal, since you will have the degree plus the placement.
Original post by Hxn_67
Obvs this depends on the uni but when does a person usually have to apply for this and let their current uni know? Dec/ January time?
Usually you would speak with the admissions tutor of the department of the Univeristy you would like to move to and then if they would accept you, you would make the official ucas application. The best time I would say is not to early so not now but not too late, so before end of year exams. Maybe November December January. You can officially withdraw at your current Univeristy when you secure your place at your next university.
Original post by onceuponatime1
There is the possibility to gain valuable work experience with an optional placement year. Placements are a great opportunity to see what the sector you want to go into is like, try out specific job roles, and to gain the skills that employers want.
Please note that placements have to be organised by the student and approved by the school. The University's Careers and Employability Service can provide advice on how to find and apply for a placement.
Information on fees for a placement or study abroad year can be found on the fees website.
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Biochemistry-BSc
Assuming this is the correct degree type you wish to do, you can do a placement year, so you do not have to worry about that.
As for the accreditation, that should not be a huge deal, since you will have the degree plus the placement.
Please note that placements have to be organised by the student and approved by the school. The University's Careers and Employability Service can provide advice on how to find and apply for a placement.
Information on fees for a placement or study abroad year can be found on the fees website.
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Biochemistry-BSc
Assuming this is the correct degree type you wish to do, you can do a placement year, so you do not have to worry about that.
As for the accreditation, that should not be a huge deal, since you will have the degree plus the placement.
Thanks a lot for your response, the issue is that this is counted as an additional year at Nottingham whereas at Birmingham it is counted towards the masters
Original post by wintersun22
Thanks a lot for your response, the issue is that this is counted as an additional year at Nottingham whereas at Birmingham it is counted towards the masters
It is fine to do another year. Remember, the one extra year you spend at university could potentially change your starting salary and ultimately the salary you receive for the rest of your life. Also, spending another year does mean extra tuition fees, but it is more time to develop yourself as a person and really utilise everything the university has to offer. Some people spend a decade in university, while some mature adults actually go back to university in their 30s and 40s because it is enjoyable.
One tip to take away from me is to make the best of whatever situation you are in. Wherever possible, try and make every circumstance a win-win situation. From what I have just said before, I believe I have demonstrated that you can turn the extra year into a win-win situation.
Original post by Hxn_67
Tysm for your response 
If an offer was based on conditions(meeting requirements) then withdrawing from the current uni shouldn’t be an option right? Since the offer isn’t secured until after results are received?
If an offer was based on conditions(meeting requirements) then withdrawing from the current uni shouldn’t be an option right? Since the offer isn’t secured until after results are received?Yeah if the offer is based on you completing your first year of uni and achieving a certain grade (which it is always based on if you are to transfer to year 2), then you should complete first year and then only submit withdrawal after getting results and securing your place at your next university. Its better to hold on and complete first year so that you don’t waste a year of student finance and a year of your life.
Original post by wintersun22
Thanks a lot for your response, the issue is that this is counted as an additional year at Nottingham whereas at Birmingham it is counted towards the masters
Placement years aren't guaranteed - I wouldn't want to go to Birmingham at the moment ...
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Need relationship support 😭🥺
- Neuroscience through clearing
- Uni - changing decisions and the unknown
- Northumbria or Sunderland for adult nursing
- What'll happen if a uni told me that my application is given to other schools?
- Need relationship support 🥺😭
- Anyone heard back from Ulster Uni after online interviews?
- Failed maths
- Law 2024 A*AA
- Change of plans, advice will be very gratefully received
- Zero offers still
- feeling a bit stressed about uni choice
- how to stop overthinking
- Missed UWE accommodation deadline
- need advice !
- When do universities receive our a level results
- Glasney shared room
- Access to HE Optometry for UWE bristol
- worried about a-level choices
- Get rid of a nagging feeling
