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Original post by LifeIsFine
What are you looking for in a university?


In a location with a bit more life about it. They're good unis like I say but like I just think some on that list are way over-hyped- they're pretty "elitist" because people go to them for reputation alone.
Hello, i am going to be going to Warwick in september and i was just wondering how far away the nearest city is?

Bc i want to know how easy/practical it is to get a job whilst studying :smile:
Original post by Socychoictraphy
Hello, i am going to be going to Warwick in september and i was just wondering how far away the nearest city is?

Bc i want to know how easy/practical it is to get a job whilst studying :smile:


I know you'll be close to Coventry, though I've never attended Warwick so can't speak to the transport links and such.
Reply 203
Original post by Socychoictraphy
Hello, i am going to be going to Warwick in september and i was just wondering how far away the nearest city is?

Bc i want to know how easy/practical it is to get a job whilst studying :smile:


I think Birmingham is 20-30 mins away.
Original post by chloeabeki
I have seen people in the results day thread who have gotten conditional offers from Warwick for maths, and they needed 3 A* grades to get in. I haven't seen offers that high from ANY other universities. Warwick must have a very strong Maths department. They were my insurance choice for Chemistry and the STEM departments there are very good also. I don't get the bad rep it has on here tbh.


'Needed' 3A* is a little inaccurate; I didn't actually get 3A*. There are generally 4 different offers for maths: A*A*A*, A*A*AA, A*A*A + 2 in any STEP, A*AA + 1 in any STEP. You only need to make one of them. Still pretty high offers though yeah.
Reply 205


What is the attachment? I couldnt see it
Original post by Socychoictraphy
Hello, i am going to be going to Warwick in september and i was just wondering how far away the nearest city is?

Bc i want to know how easy/practical it is to get a job whilst studying :smile:


There's a big Tesco a 5 minute walk away. There are also some other stores in that shopping center so you could try looking there for a job. Otherwise, Coventry is quite a big city and there are very frequent buses to the city center from the uni (about a 30 minute ride). There's also Coventry train station with trains to Birmingham city center and airport - even London Euston isn't that far (1 and a little bit hours on Virgin Trains). A lot of people live in Leamington Spa in 2nd and 3rd year which is a nice town and again a lot of jobs there. You could even try getting a job on campus but there's likely to be a lot of competition.

Hope this helps. :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by CompSci16
Oh my god.. what is it with TSR's obsession with Warwick???

I go to Warwick and even I myself can admit it is incredibly over-rated. The students here act like they're God's gift to the Earth when the uni gives out offers to 3/4 of people who apply - does that sound like a prestigious university to you? Short answer: No. Wonder why the offer rate is so high?? Because so little people actually make it their firm so the university has to compensate for this and increase the number of offers they give. This tells us that for the majority of people who apply there, Warwick is not their first-choice.

Warwick is not well known around the world - no idea why anyone thinks that (maybe China with the hordes who come here, but I sincerely doubt anywhere else).

And fair enough for you guys to criticise the uni but Coventry isn't as bad as you guys are making it to be.

P.S. to all you banging on about how loved Warwick is by employers: it's ranked 23rd on employer preference.


Totally agreed with this. This happened to my school with absolutely high offer rate (so far never heard of anyone unsuccessful at my school) and the majority didn't make it their firm choice.
Original post by Anonymous
Totally agreed with this. This happened to my school with absolutely high offer rate (so far never heard of anyone unsuccessful at my school) and the majority didn't make it their firm choice.


Well I think it's one of the top for maths despite it may not being amazing for other subjects. Pretty sure it's considered at least reasonably prestigious and difficult to get into for maths. I'm going there and I made it my firm choice over offers from UCL, Imperial etc.
Original post by IrrationalRoot
Well I think it's one of the top for maths despite it may not being amazing for other subjects. Pretty sure it's considered at least reasonably prestigious and difficult to get into for maths. I'm going there and I made it my firm choice over offers from UCL, Imperial etc.


I didn't apply to UCLA,lCL etc because I didn't want to go to University in London. But my grades meet the entry requirements for Maths and Physics. A*A*A with the Maths A* containing a couple of full ums(I didn't take STEP because I didn't need it). So I choose Warwick as it was my favourite campus uni.I feel ranking the top 10 unis is pointless as bar Oxbridge most people at any top 10 could get into any of the others.
Original post by Dom1997
I didn't apply to UCLA,lCL etc because I didn't want to go to University in London. But my grades meet the entry requirements for Maths and Physics. A*A*A with the Maths A* containing a couple of full ums(I didn't take STEP because I didn't need it). So I choose Warwick as it was my favourite campus uni.I feel ranking the top 10 unis is pointless as bar Oxbridge most people at any top 10 could get into any of the others.


Yeah I didn't want to go to uni in London either. I did apply to Cambridge though.
I got the same grades in the same subjects but I also had to do STEP since I applied for maths.
There couldn't be any reason for anybody to hate Warwick so much. It's far from perfect. But it isn't "hate-table", if you know what I mean.
For what it's worth, it's highly rated by the top employers in the UK and internationally.
Original post by Iskolar
There couldn't be any reason for anybody to hate Warwick so much. It's far from perfect. But it isn't "hate-table", if you know what I mean.
For what it's worth, it's highly rated by the top employers in the UK and internationally.


Every post you've written on this account has been about Investment Banking/Consulting and university prestige related to careers. You have a very narrow view of what university and, dare I say, life is about.
Original post by Athematica
Every post you've written on this account has been about Investment Banking/Consulting and university prestige related to careers. You have a very narrow view of what university and, dare I say, life is about.


I apologize for being biased. But you have to understand where I'm coming from, economics undergrad and currently attending graduate business school, thus the over-emphasis of economics or business/management education and anything surrounding those programs.

But in fairness, the true "litmus" test of a university's prestige and respect is its ability to attract the best employers, because these so-called, "top employers" conduct their own research too. They don't pick merely by choice, but through research where they're able to establish a list of their "top targets", or otherwise known as, "core schools" or "top feeder schools". They also would want to make sure that they're getting the best graduates trained by what they deemed, "the best schools. Thus when a university is in their top list, who are we to argue. Apparently, these are the top 6 in the UK:
Oxford
Cambridge
LSE
Warwick
Imperial
UCL

If you've noticed, the graduates of these so-called, "top 6 in the UK", are also getting onto some top programs in UK's and US' top schools. For instance, the top feeder British unis of Cambridge are, you guessed them right, these so-called, top six in the UK! (PM me if you want the link to it). Now, how can you blame me for that. 😀
Honestly though, I don't understand the whole Oxbridge madness. I have this policy which is : if you're good, you're good. It doesn't matter which university you go to, if you have the ability and determination, you can make everything work. Yeah, sure, they may have heaps of nobel laureates as professors and alumni, but bottomline, it's wrong to assume that they only did it because of their university.

Don't be fooled. Oxbridge is not the end, if you're good, they'll take you.

Also, I have a pretty bad opinion of Cambridge, since, I've come across a few students who were quite elitist and racist. I KNOW it's bad to presume everyone is, but first impressions matter. And even recently, I discover that Subramanyan Chandrashekhar (founder of the chandrashekhar limit for stars, nobel laureate) left Cambridge and went to Chicago, due to facing racism.

I know this sounds very generalised and like a personal vendetta against Oxbridge, but, I don't know.........I haven't heard, or experienced anything positive related to the university other than rankings and teaching.

I'm sorry if you're an oxbridge student and you're offended. I really am, I wish I had a few experiences that could change my mind, I really do, but can you blame me for feeling this way?

P.S: Also, coming from someone who's the daughter of a professor, I assure you, senior professors like nobel laureates or researchers, do not teach undergraduates. It's considered a waste of time, as teaching is considered counter-productive to research and publications. There's no real big difference in curricula and teaching, every university has a basic standard. Just make sure you like the course.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by fandom-queen
P.S: Also, coming from someone who's the daughter of a professor, I assure you, senior professors like nobel laureates or researchers, do not teach undergraduates. It's considered a waste of time, as teaching is considered counter-productive to research and publications. There's no real big difference in curricula and teaching, every university has a basic standard. Just make sure you like the course.



My understanding is that my brother has been tutored by a distinguished professor, strictly because of the systems Oxford and Cambridge afford (1:1 - 1:3 groups with the professors in each field). This system of having exposure to these brilliant people in intimate, personal settings seems reason enough to hold elitist views about the institutions, does it not? As you mention, elsewhere this would never happen.
Original post by Athematica
My understanding is that my brother has been tutored by a distinguished professor, strictly because of the systems Oxford and Cambridge afford (1:1 - 1:3 groups with the professors in each field). This system of having exposure to these brilliant people in intimate, personal settings seems reason enough to hold elitist views about the institutions, does it not? As you mention, elsewhere this would never happen.


I suppose so. It's different for Oxbridge as you cannot work there unless you are distinguished, thus, the whole question of being taught by a lecturer, senior lecturer or reader becomes redundant, as even the simple lecturer would need to have a certain level of achievement to work in Oxbridge. You are right, in that sense.

I'm not questioning why the institutions are held in such high regard by society. They have both earned the right to that. I'm talking about the more extreme case, of people thinking someone is inept just because they are not a oxbridge student. And, although I'm doing my A-levels, I know of multiple seniors, who, despite being enrolled in reputable Russell group universities, have recounted experiences with Oxbridge students being snooty and high-nosed towards them. I myself, have met a few. Once, I told a student that I was considering firming Durham for Physics, and the distasteful look given to me, I shall never forget in my entire life.

And, as someone who's come across people from Ivy-league universities as well, it just puzzles me that the british attitude towards Oxbridge is almost fanatic. Americans aren't nearly as awe-struck by places like Princeton and Harvard, as an average British is with Oxbridge. I'm not american, but I do have a certain respect for their work ethic. For them, it's less about where you study, and more about what you do. You could go to community college, and still get as much respect for writing a research paper, as you would if you went to MIT. I'm not saying this is good or bad, I'm just saying that it's not right to think to unconsciously underestimate a physics student from Manchester, just because they're not an Oxbridge student. It's a long race, and basically, the point I'm trying to make is, getting into Oxbridge does not mean you're set for life.

But, I do believe now I'm being biased. I'm sure this is not solely the case for all Oxbridge students. But ALL Oxbridge students I've come across seem to resonate this superiority complex. And as much as I don't want to, I can't help but begin to dislike this so-called wonder institution everyone worships. So much so that even if I did have a flicker of a chance of getting in, I would not want to study there. It doesn't matter, I recognise the fact that it will continue to produce nobel laureates, continue to discover and invent things that will change our world. My opinion is unnecessary and irrelevant.

I'm really sorry for thinking this way about the institution. I don't blame people for being wonder-struck by these two institutions. They are, truly, great. But I think, it's the students who put me off.

Obviously, this is my opinion. I'm sure this not the case, and I certainly HOPE this is not the case.
This thread shows you one very important thing, something that you do need to think very carefully about - 'rankings', 'league tables' and the juvenile 'mine is better than yours' stuff are utter nonsense - and no way to choose a University.
Original post by returnmigrant
This thread shows you one very important thing, something that you do need to think very carefully about - 'rankings', 'league tables' and the juvenile 'mine is better than yours' stuff are utter nonsense - and no way to choose a University.


Absolutely. Going to uni, just for the sake of wanting someone to clamour for your attention because you're a student in Cambridge, is no reason, or motivation, to be educated. That's a universal truth in any field, in any institution. You're better off quitting now, because that attitude will never help you achieve excellence.
Original post by fandom-queen
Absolutely. Going to uni, just for the sake of wanting someone to clamour for your attention because you're a student in Cambridge, is no reason, or motivation, to be educated. That's a universal truth in any field, in any institution. You're better off quitting now, because that attitude will never help you achieve excellence.


Though it doesn't seem healthy, many seem to get much further than just university with this very drive, at least in what we'll call an 'objective sense', meaning monetary and otherwise unrelated to one's mental and emotional wellbeing.

The advice to not use it as a motivator is something I agree with, of course. To do otherwise would compete with my idea of what it means to live well.

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