Which uni is for me? lancaster vs manchester help!

chloee_x

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I am considering both lancaster and manchester for my first choice Univeristy.

My problem is that lancaster is ranked high for my subject 9th best and is higher than manchester for overall rankings: 11th best.
However lancaster is not as big as manchester so there isn't as much going on, and i am unsure whether lancaster is as reputable as manchester as manchester is a main city.

Manchester is bigger and maybe more well known/reputable than lancaster as it has been established a long time. I want to go to a uni which is reputable and has good employment opportunities. The subject i applied to do is Biochemistry.

I would appreciate any advice anyone has!

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by chloee_x)
I am considering both lancaster and manchester for my first choice Univeristy.

My problem is that lancaster is ranked high for my subject 9th best and is higher than manchester for overall rankings: 11th best.
However lancaster is not as big as manchester so there isn't as much going on, and i am unsure whether lancaster is as reputable as manchester as manchester is a main city.

Manchester is bigger and maybe more well known/reputable than lancaster as it has been established a long time. I want to go to a uni which is reputable and has good employment opportunities. The subject i applied to do is Biochemistry.

I would appreciate any advice anyone has!

I think you need to visit both, and then decide. I have read that a student went for Manchester as it had the better reputation (ranked first for graduate employer targeting in 2014), but ended up feeling lost as though the university was a factory for churning out degrees due to it's sheer size and mass of student body. She ended up transferring to Lancaster, where she got on better in a smaller campus collegiate setting.

I'd still choose Manchester as it is always in the top 3 for graduate employer targeting.

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reallydontknow

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
I think you need to visit both, and then decide. I have read that a student went for Manchester as it had the better reputation (ranked first for graduate employer targeting in 2014), but ended up feeling lost as though the university was a factory for churning out degrees due to it's sheer size and mass of student body. She ended up transferring to Lancaster, where she got on better in a smaller campus collegiate setting.

I'd still choose Manchester as it is always in the top 3 for graduate employer targeting.

Can I see your source for Manchester being in the top 3

Oxbridge being obvious, the next ones (in no particular order) I wouldn't have though would be Imperial, UCL, Warwick, LSE, probably Durham aswell.

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swanseajack1

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(Original post by chloee_x)
I am considering both lancaster and manchester for my first choice Univeristy.

My problem is that lancaster is ranked high for my subject 9th best and is higher than manchester for overall rankings: 11th best.
However lancaster is not as big as manchester so there isn't as much going on, and i am unsure whether lancaster is as reputable as manchester as manchester is a main city.

Manchester is bigger and maybe more well known/reputable than lancaster as it has been established a long time. I want to go to a uni which is reputable and has good employment opportunities. The subject i applied to do is Biochemistry.

I would appreciate any advice anyone has!

Lancaster is a highly reputable uni so don't worry about that. make your decision on where YOU WANT to study based on things like course content and where you feel most comfortable. do you want an out of town campus in a small city like Lancaster or a city centre university in a large city like Manchester. don't worry about things like which is more reputable whether they are in the Russell group or not and where they are in league tables. both are excellent universities in their own way but are obviously very different

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by reallydontknow)
Can I see your source for Manchester being in the top 3

Oxbridge being obvious, the next ones (in no particular order) I wouldn't have though would be Imperial, UCL, Warwick, LSE, probably Durham aswell.

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Highflyers research 2014/15:-

1. Manchester
2. Nottingham
3. Warwick
4. Cambridge
5. Oxford

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reallydontknow

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
Highflyers research 2014/15:-

1. Manchester
2. Nottingham
3. Warwick
4. Cambridge
5. Oxford

Wow, I guess that even though it's dropping in the league tables it's rep is still immense.

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by reallydontknow)
Wow, I guess that even though it's dropping in the league tables it's rep is still immense.

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http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download...GMReport15.pdf

Page 33 shows the full league table.

UK league tables (Times, CUG, Guardian) are usually ignored by graduate employers. Potential university applicants seem to like them though, even though they are biased towards smaller universities.

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swanseajack1

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download...GMReport15.pdf

Page 33 shows the full league table.

UK league tables (Times, CUG, Guardian) are usually ignored by graduate employers. Potential university applicants seem to like them though, even though they are biased towards smaller universities.

a copy of high fliers statements is attached. it says it all they do not accept responsibility for its accuracy. you have one body that claims Manchester is above oxford, Cambridge lse and imperial but 3 separate institutions advise otherwise. I know which I would prefer to trust so trust high flyers if you wish

All information contained in this report is believed to be correct
and unbiased, but the publisher does not accept responsibility for
any loss arising from decisions made upon this information.

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by swanseajack1)
a copy of high fliers statements is attached. it says it all they do not accept responsibility for its accuracy. you have one body that claims Manchester is above oxford, Cambridge lse and imperial but 3 separate institutions advise otherwise. I know which I would prefer to trust so trust high flyers if you wish

All information contained in this report is believed to be correct
and unbiased, but the publisher does not accept responsibility for
any loss arising from decisions made upon this information.

All university league tables have a degree of bias and unreliability, yet we still use them, provided the limitations apply to all.

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chloee_x

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Thank you for your information. I also have an offer from warwick which i am putting as my firm. I was thinking of doing a batchelors at lancaster then a masters hopefully at manchester. So are subject league tables even important or do employers not look at them?

(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
I think you need to visit both, and then decide. I have read that a student went for Manchester as it had the better reputation (ranked first for graduate employer targeting in 2014), but ended up feeling lost as though the university was a factory for churning out degrees due to it's sheer size and mass of student body. She ended up transferring to Lancaster, where she got on better in a smaller campus collegiate setting.

I'd still choose Manchester as it is always in the top 3 for graduate employer targeting.

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by chloee_x)
Thank you for your information. I also have an offer from warwick which i am putting as my firm. I was thinking of doing a batchelors at lancaster then a masters hopefully at manchester. So are subject league tables even important or do employers not look at them?

You can't really rely on subject league tables, and employers sure as hell won't read them. The best thing to do is ask people in your field which universities are strong for that subject, such as admissions tutors.

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chloee_x

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
You can't really rely on subject league tables, and employers sure as hell won't read them. The best thing to do is ask people in your field which universities are strong for that subject, such as admissions tutors.

Yeah thats a good idea. I liked leeds but it put me off it because it was 50th for biosciences... Its so hard to pick. Ive been looking at the overall reputations of unis and how good they are for employability and that. What would you say the best way to decide on what university to go to?

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swanseajack1

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(Original post by chloee_x)
Yeah thats a good idea. I liked leeds but it put me off it because it was 50th for biosciences... Its so hard to pick. Ive been looking at the overall reputations of unis and how good they are for employability and that. What would you say the best way to decide on what university to go to?

you need to go to the uni you feel most comfortable at and where the course interest you most. I would not listen to admissions tutors as they will be biased towards their own. visiting them would be a good idea if possible before deciding

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by chloee_x)
Yeah thats a good idea. I liked leeds but it put me off it because it was 50th for biosciences... Its so hard to pick. Ive been looking at the overall reputations of unis and how good they are for employability and that. What would you say the best way to decide on what university to go to?

If you want my personal opinion, go for the poshest universities (Oxbridge, UCL, Bristol, Edinburgh, Durham at the higher end . . . York, Exeter, Royal Holloway at the lower end). They might attract the nicer people. I could be wrong though.

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chloee_x

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)

If you want my personal opinion, go for the poshest universities (Oxbridge, UCL, Bristol, Edinburgh, Durham at the higher end . . . York, Exeter, Royal Holloway at the lower end).

I have warwick as my backup uni which i think is fairly high up? How far off is lancaster compared to say manchester and other high unis? I dont understand why is reputation is not as high as manchester... Is it perhaps because its not a major city?

(Original post by swanseajack1)
you need to go to the uni you feel most comfortable at and where the course interest you most. I would not listen to admissions tutors as they will be biased towards their own. visiting them would be a good idea if possible before deciding

and yeah i completely agree.. I just want to make sure i go to a reputable uni if you get me but then again i may not be comfortable like you said

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swanseajack1

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(Original post by chloee_x)
I have warwick as my backup uni which i think is fairly high up? How far off is lancaster compared to say manchester and other high unis? I dont understand why is reputation is not as high as manchester... Is it perhaps because its not a major city?

and yeah i completely agree.. I just want to make sure i go to a reputable uni if you get me but then again i may not be comfortable like you said

you really need not worry Lancaster is extremely reputable 11th in cug 12th in sunday times and 1oth in guardian. when people say league tables don't matter it is because they don't suit them. the same 12 universities fill the top 12 places in each guide, the positions vary but they are all there.

Cambridge first in all
oxford second in all
lse third in 2 seventh in one
st Andrews fourth in 2 third in one
durham 5th 6th and 8th
imperial 5th 5th and 6th
warwick 8th 9th and 10th
bath 4th 7th and 8th
uc London 9th 9th and 11th
Exeter 8th 10th and 12th
surrey 6th 12th and 12th
Lancaster 10th 11th and 12th

nobody questions the top 6 are so. why would the others be any different

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by chloee_x)
I have warwick as my backup uni which i think is fairly high up? How far off is lancaster compared to say manchester and other high unis? I dont understand why is reputation is not as high as manchester... Is it perhaps because its not a major city?

and yeah i completely agree.. I just want to make sure i go to a reputable uni if you get me but then again i may not be comfortable like you said

Warwick is a better university than Manchester and Lancaster, and most people would put it as the firm choice. Lancaster is not a large research intensive university, and therefore is not a member of the elite Russell Group. It is still a very good university. You should visit all of them, and talk to each admissions tutor also, they aren't all just salesmen.

League tables should be used with caution. They can give a useful insight as to how a university is performing against others, but they can also be misleading. KCL and Manchester are frequently ranked outside the top 25, and yet are World top 20 and 50 universities respectively for research according to the World rankings. Universities care much more about these than UK league tables. A sharp fall in the World rankings year on year can lead to serious implications for a university.

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reallydontknow

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(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
Warwick is a better university than Manchester and Lancaster, and most people would put it as the firm choice. Lancaster is not a large research intensive university, and therefore is not a member of the elite Russell Group. It is still a very good university. You should visit all of them, and talk to each admissions tutor also, they aren't all just salesmen.

League tables should be used with caution. They can give a useful insight as to how a university is performing against others, but they can also be misleading. KCL and Manchester are frequently ranked outside the top 25, and yet are World top 20 and 50 universities respectively for research according to the Word rankings. Universities care much more about these than UK league tables. A sharp fall in the World rankings year on year can lead to serious implications for a university.

A university doesn't have to be a Russel group to be good. st Andrews and Lancaster are examples. Just because a uni is RG doesn't mean it's good, for example Liverpool.

Would recommend Warwick over both though

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Theriverboatsong

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(Original post by reallydontknow)
A university doesn't have to be a Russel group to be good. st Andrews and Lancaster are examples. Just because a uni is RG doesn't mean it's good, for example Liverpool.

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I don't follow, nobody said only Russell Group universities are good. Also Liverpool is a good university, if not quite as prestigious as some others like Manchester and Warwick.

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chloee_x

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(Original post by swanseajack1)
you really need not worry Lancaster is extremely reputable 11th in cug 12th in sunday times and 1oth in guardian. when people say league tables don't matter it is because they don't suit them. the same 12 universities fill the top 12 places in each guide, the positions vary but they are all there.t

(Original post by Theriverboatsong)
Warwick is a better university than Manchester and Lancaster, and most people would put it as the firm choice. Lancaster is not a large research intensive university, and therefore is not a member of the elite Russell Group. It is still a very good university. You should visit all of them, and talk to each admissions tutor also, they aren't all just salesmen. .

I do like warwick its just i felt a bit isolated when i went there, but then again lancaster is in a rural area also. I decided to put warwick as my insurance because it is 3 hours away from where i am and lancaster is relatively close. The only thing putting me off from warwick is its isolation.. Im wanting to go somewhere where there is a bit of nightlife.
I had an offer from leeds but i havent been considering the univeristy because it was 49th best for biosciences so am i wrong to exclude it for this reason?
Is leeds better than lancaster?

(Original post by reallydontknow)
A university doesn't have to be a Russel group to be good. st Andrews and Lancaster are examples. Just because a uni is RG doesn't mean it's good, for example Liverpool.

Would recommend Warwick over both though

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And yeah i would put warwick first its just its isolation... And yeah i agree lancaster is a very good univeristy. I was deciding between warwick and liverpool for insurance and definitely thought warwick was better!

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