The Student Room Group

Is moving away to a "better" uni worth it?

Hi
I was wondering what you guys' thoughts were on the "prestige" of universities.
Is it worth the extra money to move somewhere far away as opposed to going to a university nearby, in terms of what you will achieve academically?
e.g. I am currently holding an offer for a top 10 ranked university I got through adjustment, where I would have to live on campus, but also have secured places at universities ranked around 40 and 60. Do employers really care which university you went to provided you come out with the same degree?

Any input will be appreciated as Im currently struggling to decide where to go :smile:
thanks
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by robertilie
Hi
I was wondering what you guys' thoughts were on the "prestige" of universities.
Is it worth the extra money to move somewhere far away as opposed to going to a university nearby, in terms of what you will achieve academically?
e.g. I am currently holding an offer for a top 10 ranked university I got through adjustment, where I would have to live on campus, but also have secured places at universities ranked around 40 and 60. Do employers really care which university you went to provided you come out with the same degree?

Any input will be appreciated as Im currently struggling to decide where to go :smile:
thanks

I think the course you really want to do at the university you want to do it at is the best thing. I am not one to be swayed by league tables. They don't measure anything very accurately and they change like the weather. This thread may give you some idea why I hold that view:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1096372

Many posters on TSR seem to believe that employers follow university league tables like football leagues and memorise all the relevant positions. I don't think that is so, but a lot of people find the idea comforting, since it gives some idea of 'certainty' in a world which the average 18 year old unsurprisingly finds a bit daunting. I'd say go to the place you like best and feel at home in.
Congrats getting on getting the offer!

Take a look at this website: http://unistats.direct.gov.uk

Once you've found the university and the specific course, take a look at the employment and accreditation tab. On this page, there's the average starting salary for graduates, and employment prospects.

But in short - the difference employment wise, is likely to be significant!
I think it really depends on the course. League tables should generally be taken with a pinch of salt, though. Having said that, if there's a clear gap between the reputations of the universities, it is worth thinking about: the harsh reality is that often, prestige does matter to an extent. But it does depend on what you want to do afterwards as well. Furthermore, the emphasis is definitely on CLEAR: nobody knows what the individual rankings are on certain universities, and they obviously vary from year to year anyway. Don't put emphasis on league tables except for getting a general idea.

If going to the university closer to home can still get you where you want to be, then that's worth bearing in mind. Additionally, you have to spend 3 years of your life at university - you need to make sure it's in an area you want to be, and it's an environment you're comfortable with. With regards to money, it is expensive but every student is in the same boat and that is of course what loans are for. If you genuinely want to stay at home then by all means do so, but part of the experience of university is living away and having a taste of independent life.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 4
It really depends on what you want to do in the future. If you aim to be an investment banker or a lawyer then definitely go for the prestige. Do some research on your career route and judge by yourself whether picking a better university will be worth it.

Just a note, although UK employers tend to ignore the league tables, if you want to work abroad in the future then your university prestige might take into account heavily in employer's eyes, especially in Asia.
They don't "ignore" league tables, employers just know where the best graduates come from (not necessarily Oxbridge) e.g. Manchester is great for stuff like Chemical Engineering :smile:
Reply 6
Another thing is the employers past experience of graduates from your institution

Posted from TSR Mobile
I think you need to consider how happy you will be at both institutions. When it comes down to the crunch if you hate the course or the location or both, there really isn't any point how prestigious the university is at all. I know plenty of people who got into top 10 unis and dropped out within a matter of weeks to go to 'lesser' institutions purely because they hated it so much.
Reply 8
Maybe you should 'forget' about the league tables and think about Russell group unis as they don't change as much as the league tables and really shows which unis are 'prestigious'. These unis tend to have a higher employment rate and a bigger salary.
Reply 9
if you said the difference between a rank 10 -> 25 i would say perhaps consider it, and if you were happier at the 25 it might be better.

at rank 10->40, it's a pretty big difference, careerwise you may well feel a noticeable difference in the jobs that you are able to get.
Reply 10
Thanks for all the replies everyone. The "prestigious" university I was referring to is lancaster university, and after having a look around on the link hunarench95 provided, the figures speak the truth.
Am I safe to trust the data on the unistats website?
Reply 11
Original post by robertilie
Thanks for all the replies everyone. The "prestigious" university I was referring to is lancaster university, and after having a look around on the link hunarench95 provided, the figures speak the truth.
Am I safe to trust the data on the unistats website?


You should check last update days on google and maybe compare them to some other sites, just to be on the safe side but I'd say you can trust them.
Original post by robertilie
Thanks for all the replies everyone. The "prestigious" university I was referring to is lancaster university, and after having a look around on the link hunarench95 provided, the figures speak the truth.
Am I safe to trust the data on the unistats website?


Unistats is a government run web site, that said, the sample sizes used are can be small on occasion. But as far as unbiased data goes, it doesn't get much better :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Yes it makes a massive difference in terms of employability
Reply 14
Original post by carnationlilyrose
Many posters on TSR seem to believe that employers follow university league tables like football leagues and memorise all the relevant positions.


:laugh:
Reply 15
Moving away to a "better" uni is definitely worth it providing it is you that thinks it's better, not your teachers, parents, friends, league tables, people on TSR etc. If a uni away from home is better for you in terms of course content or something else then that's definitely worth moving away for, if it's just higher in a league table then that's not.
If you think you can be happy at the more prestigious uni, then you should definitely go for it. The difference in ranking between your chosen unis is huge. As for whether employers prefer more prestigious unis, employers abroad certainly do as would the big companies in the UK.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Yes. Not only because of the prestige though, but because you'll become more independent, broaden your horizon, and simply have more fun if you move away.

Wait, forget that. Move to London and go to any uni who takes you there. It's the only city in Britain worth living in.

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