Manchester vs Bristol

I have conditional offers from both Manchester and Bristol for Computer Science. The league tables are what confuse me - Bristol is supposed to be, tbh, quite amazing. Convince me why I should choose Manchester, besides the fact that I, quite obviously, am in love with the University of Manchester. It is kind of a mind versus heart affair - I want to choose Manchester with my head as well, just to be at peace and not regret it in the future.


ps: I guess this would be a great way for other people in my position (Manc vs XX university, for yy subject) to convince themselves as well!

I really wouldn't rely too heavily on league tables, they're all slightly different and often seem to be based on reputation (hence the older more traditional universities almost always score much higher).

I can't comment on your course, but which course do you think is better? If you dig through the website you should be able to find exactly what modules are avaliable throughout your course, so you can compare them better. (This is basically how I chose between manchester and birmingham!)

If you're in love with the place, then surely it's a sign you'd be happier at manchester? That's what I'm hoping for me anyway :P
If all else fails, make a list of everything that matters to you about the universities, and rate each one then compare them. It helped me, anyway!

Why the neg? I haven't exactly offended anyone.

firmly agree with the above post, pay no attention to league tables, they're rubbish! Bristol probably edges Manchester in terms of reputation, but at the end of the day, employers go mad for either uni, so I don't think that should affect your decision. It's better to see which CompSci department you like more in terms of quality, module options etc.

In terms of environment, both places are fantastic in my opinion! Bristol's a great town with loads to offer for bars, clubs etc, as is Manc obviously.

So in conclusion, I haven't really helped you out, and I'll be in the same dilemma as you should Bristol give me an offer!

Go with what makes you happiest.
I turned down King's College London for Manchester because I know I'll have an amazing time there and graduate with a degree from a fantastic university.
At the end of the day, neither Manchester or Bristol are Oxbridge, they're both Russell Group, both are Red-brick etc. so there's not much in it.
Cheesy as it sounds "follow your heart".

I have conditional offers from both Manchester and Bristol for Computer Science. The league tables are what confuse me - Bristol is supposed to be, tbh, quite amazing. Convince me why I should choose Manchester, besides the fact that I, quite obviously, am in love with the University of Manchester. It is kind of a mind versus heart affair - I want to choose Manchester with my head as well, just to be at peace and not regret it in the future.

ps: I guess this would be a great way for other people in my position (Manc vs XX university, for yy subject) to convince themselves as well!

It seems that you've already made your decision, but I would have advised to definitely look at the modules offered (how many compulsory and how many optional), whether they interest you, how they're assessed (percentage of exams vs coursework), how they're taught... Also, have a look at the facilities and typical contact hours (you can easily email your particular school to find out).

Something that would be really useful to you is to track down students studying your subject at the universities on Facebook. Search for a 2010 Freshers group and see what subjects they were going for. Hopefully you could message a couple of them to see if they'd be able to tell you what the course and university is really like

If you apply this expert-level knowledge of investigating, tracking and resourcing to your course, I'm sure you'll have no problems solving "whodunnit?" cases and exploring the motives and actions of criminal masterminds

Aha, thank you?

I made a pro and cons list to decide between Leicester and Manchester. I had so many pros for Manchester that I thought, 'Oh why am I even bothering to do this?!'

It seems that you've already made your decision, but I would have advised to definitely look at the modules offered (how many compulsory and how many optional), whether they interest you, how they're assessed (percentage of exams vs coursework), how they're taught... Also, have a look at the facilities and typical contact hours (you can easily email your particular school to find out).

Something that would be really useful to you is to track down students studying your subject at the universities on Facebook. Search for a 2010 Freshers group and see what subjects they were going for. Hopefully you could message a couple of them to see if they'd be able to tell you what the course and university is really like

I would really want to see that list :P

Both the universities have really good CS courses as per what I observed. So, I decided on Manchester for the city, for the awesome people I met over here (I got negged for no reason at the Bristol sub-forum!! ), the direct flight.....*insert more baseless reasons*...and, to sum up, because I'm sure I'll love it there!

I followed your advice and mailed 3 people randomly. NOW I FEEL LIKE A STALKER!