The Battle for my Insurance - Reading v Leicester

Okay so I'm very close to formally deciding my firm and insurance choices on Track. I know I'm going to choose Southampton as my firm and it would take an awful lot of convincing to get me to change this choice. However, I am torn between Reading and Leicester when deciding my insurance.

Reading advantages:

Beautiful campus
Respected and traditional university
Relatively close to home
Feels like the 'right' decision (if you know what I mean)

Reading Disadvantages:

History course is not fantastic
Alot of building and refurbishment going on around campus.

Leicester Advantages:

Really good course and strong department
Library being re-done = 2 million books
Up and coming university - rocketing up the league tables
Accomodation is very nice
They gave me a BBB offer when some people get ABB offers - Too good to turn down??????

Leicester Disadvantages:

Very very different to where I come from - possible problems identifying with others.
Quite a trek from where I live, Reading is far easier to get too.
The campus isn't great, a bit too concretey for my liking.
As Leicester is a plate-glass uni it's future reputation is unstable unlike Reading which has been around for over 100 years and has stood the test of time - how will Leicester be judged in 10 years time?

This is the 'dilemma' I'm in at the moment, if there are any major advantages or disadvantages that others can think of about either of them then please feel free to mention them below and I'll also take them into consideration when deciding who to put as my insurance.
So which should it be? Reading, or Leicester? :confused:

Reply 1

louisedotcom

Well I know that leicester guarentee accommodation for first year students, which you might like to take into consideration.

Although from yuor pros and cons list it sounds like you have decided on reading already, so just go for it.

Reply 2

fettucini

Reading IS beautiful and not far away from London but Leicester is a good city and, seriously, I always thought it was a great university. I think they're pretty equal in terms of reputation, in fact Leicester is a bit higher up than Reading in the Sunday Times University Guide, if that means anything to you. It does sound from your post like you want to go to Reading and I think that's a great idea, Reading will be my firm if I get the grades in a week's time!

Reply 3

fettucini

louisedotcom

Reading guarantee accommodation for first years too so there's not much competition there. However, Leicester can almost guarantee second and third year accommodation for those that want it so that's something to consider.

Reply 4

kellywood_5

Reading as long as you think you'll still enjoy the course. Surely building work and refurbishment is a good thing because it means the facilities will be better? It's almost irrelevant that the library at Leicester has 2 million books because you won't use anywhere near that many and I'm sure Reading also has lots of history books. I wouldn't say there was much in it reputation wise. It sounds like you prefer the campus and location of Reading.

Reply 5

Tomber

Leicester isn't plate glass, the closest category it comes in is a civic redbrick. It's certainly as, in not a good deal more respected in academic fields then Reading. Reading hasn't been around over 100 years, its Royal Charter was granted in 1926 (I think). Leicester has one of the biggest medical schools in the country, with very important research teams in genetics for example - the university is only going up in the next 10 years.

Like any university there are a massive range of people who come to Leicester, you won't have a problem identifying with others in the slightest, the student bodies at Reading and Leicester will be very similar.

Financially speaking, Leicester is in a far stronger position then Reading, which has been forced to close its physics department recently. 300 million pounds of investment is going into the university at the moment, with the construction of the New library and the new halls and the new swimming pool at Manor Road etc etc.

As you said, the history course here is better, better then Southamptons too for that matter but hey ho.

Reply 6

Tomber

But yeah, wasn't really fair, people are right - go with where you think you'll be happiest you'll have a good time wherever you go and all the places your thinking of have good courses :smile:

Reply 7

sol89

Reading it is then! :biggrin:

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