UCL or Sheffield?

Guys help me! I'm really struggling here with my firm choice... I can't decided between Sheffield and UCL. UCL is obv a very prestigious university, and the job prospects are very high, however, I don't know if I will enjoy London as much as Sheffield as it is sooo expensive, and the accomodation is a nightmare from what I heard.. I'm worried I won't have that 'university experience' that I could have in a smaller city like Sheffield. But still, the course and the modules that UCL offers are more attractive to me than the ones in Sheffield. I really don't know what to do...

Reply 1

GormlessWonder

9

You've already said everything to be advised about this dilemma! London is genuinely a nightmare for a student, but maybe you're the type of person who will thrive on that, you can find people to drink with anywhere. Check with your parents that they'll support you, you'll probably need 6 grand more a year on top of the maintenance loan to live freely.

Reply 2

laureison

OP

Original post by GormlessWonder

You've already said everything to be advised about this dilemma! London is genuinely a nightmare for a student, but maybe you're the type of person who will thrive on that, you can find people to drink with anywhere. Check with your parents that they'll support you, you'll probably need 6 grand more a year on top of the maintenance loan to live freely.

I'm not eligible for maintenance loan or grant because I'm from outside of the UK. but I can apply for bursaries and grants that UCL offers because my parents' income is very low (they can't support me). but UCL doesn't confirm those bursaries until late september... and I guess I can get a job too? plus I have about 8k savings, but thats it. do you think that's reasonable? :confused:

Reply 3

bramley

9

I don't think London would be that bad as a student to be honest. I'm planning on going to either UCL or King's in September. Initially I never thought about London but the idea has grown on me.

Accommodation doesn't have to be a nightmare. First years at UCL have guaranteed accommodation and you can choose to go self-catered if you wish to save money. Because UCLs building are all very close together and mainly in the Bloomsbury area, that means that your transport costs don't have to be rocket high either, especially in first year. Second and third year are different, but from what I've seen people can and do get accommodation that isn't miles away from the university.

In terms of going out and that kind of thing, that doesn't have to be expensive either. As I understand it there are several places that UCL students go to that are quite reasonable, London does have to cater for students after all.

So all in all, I think that London can be more expensive, but it is doable. If you prefer the course and the reputation is important to you, I would think UCL would be a good choice.

Also, I think at UCL you do get a 'university experience'. When I looked around I was skeptical, but I was converted after seeing that Bloomsbury did seem like a friendly and studenty area. There's lots of union buildings and libraries all in the same area, it's not like you'll be walking halfway across London every day to get anything done.

I hope this helps somewhat. Ask me if there's anything else.

Reply 4

AspiringMedic8

12

Original post by laureison

Guys help me! I'm really struggling here with my firm choice... I can't decided between Sheffield and UCL. UCL is obv a very prestigious university, and the job prospects are very high, however, I don't know if I will enjoy London as much as Sheffield as it is sooo expensive, and the accomodation is a nightmare from what I heard.. I'm worried I won't have that 'university experience' that I could have in a smaller city like Sheffield. But still, the course and the modules that UCL offers are more attractive to me than the ones in Sheffield. I really don't know what to do...

UCL
Prestigious
International
In a culturally rich place
Expensive
Very impersonal in London

Sheffield
Less prestigious
Less international
Less culturally rich
Cheaper
Perhaps more personal

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Reply 5

Ex Death

9

Sheffield without a shadow of a doubt. Aside from the expensive ****hole that is London, the Bartlett will be an extremely militant experience, not a lot different from a prison sentence. In Sheffield, this is less so and you can pretty much get the full 'uni experience' in your first year.

Reply 6

Old_Simon

12

The really cool bit is that you can "oh yeah UCL offered me a place but what the heck. I chose a better course". Your wouldbe employer will just say hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Reply 7

laureison

OP

Original post by Old_Simon

The really cool bit is that you can "oh yeah UCL offered me a place but what the heck. I chose a better course". Your wouldbe employer will just say hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

What do you mean?

Reply 8

noneofthemknew

8

Original post by laureison

Guys help me! I'm really struggling here with my firm choice... I can't decided between Sheffield and UCL. UCL is obv a very prestigious university, and the job prospects are very high, however, I don't know if I will enjoy London as much as Sheffield as it is sooo expensive, and the accomodation is a nightmare from what I heard.. I'm worried I won't have that 'university experience' that I could have in a smaller city like Sheffield. But still, the course and the modules that UCL offers are more attractive to me than the ones in Sheffield. I really don't know what to do...

You won't get the full "university experience" on architecture degree anyway, except for possibly in first year, due to the unusual workload and culture of the design studio.

The thing about architecture is you have to decide where your priorities are. Sheffield and the Bartlett are both very highly regarded architecture schools, but both have very different cultures and approaches to the discipline. If extremely conceptual design and mind-blowing graphics are your thing, go for UCL. If you like architecture that is still quite conceptually engaged but more socially aware and practical, go for Sheffield instead. The Bartlett is also quite notorious for its cut-throat studio culture whereas Sheffield is a bit more humane, though certainly not a walk in the park by any stretch.

In terms of employment prospects, both schools regularly make the top 5 in terms of prestige within the industry so there isn't really much difference within the grand scheme of things there. What will make a big difference is how well you personally gell with the school's academic and studio culture, you'll do much better on a course you actually enjoy. No employer will know which architecture school you "could have" gone to, they will only know the one you did go to, and different employers will have different preferences when it comes to the kind of work you did at school.

Also, bear in mind that the cost of living will be considerably higher in London, especially considering the expenses incurred from printing drawings, making models and traveling to studio on an architecture degree. Sheffield may not be quite as big or famous as London, but it's still a fair sized city with a good nightlife, a friendly population and some truly beautiful natural scenery; it's also a lot cheaper to live in too.

Reply 9

shes_elusive

Original post by laureison

Guys help me! I'm really struggling here with my firm choice... I can't decided between Sheffield and UCL. UCL is obv a very prestigious university, and the job prospects are very high, however, I don't know if I will enjoy London as much as Sheffield as it is sooo expensive, and the accomodation is a nightmare from what I heard.. I'm worried I won't have that 'university experience' that I could have in a smaller city like Sheffield. But still, the course and the modules that UCL offers are more attractive to me than the ones in Sheffield. I really don't know what to do...

I am currently doing a Masters in Planning at UCL The Bartlett and it is not at ALL what I expected of the 'prestigious' UCL. Frankly I wish I had gone to Sheffield because currently I feel like this is a complete waste of money. Its so unorganised, we have to move lecture theatres every week because of this, and many of our rooms are miles away from uni even though they promised we would be always within a ten min walk of the Bartlett. On top of this the staff are unenthusiastic, difficult to understand and sometimes outright rude. I don't feel that the course is particularly good either, a lot of what we are being taught is either already common sense (we had a whole two hour lecture on how planners should always act professionally and not accept bribes!), geography rather than planning or is outright irrelevant. I wish I had gone to Sheffield because even if the course was just as poor there, at least I would be saving so much money!
As my friends and I always say, the 'university experience' is more about your attitude, and therefore if you say yes to experiences/opportunities you are likely to get that experience wherever you are: university is what you make of it. But most importantly I would not decide on a course just because of its name or reputation.
If you are really stuck go and visit both unis, do an open day, speak to the people (because I am only one of a thousand students and my experience is my opinion so its important to hear from others), see what you feel like in those environments. And remember at the end of the day, you are the one who does the studying, gets the job interview and makes the friends. If you do well, build up your CV and have good personal skills it won't matter which uni you chose, so don't let that worry you too much when making your decision. Good luck!

UCL or Sheffield?

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