The Student Room Group

Nottingham or East Anglia for English with Creative Writing?

I'm torn between picking Nottingham or UEA for my course and would really appreciate any insight you guys might have.

Nottingham - 36 IB points
--> lovely campus, it's in the russel group, prestige, in a nice town
UEA - 34 IB points
--> ugly campus, not in the russel group, very well known for its course, I like the course better than Nottingham's one

A big deciding factor for me is prestige tbh. I was wondering if you guys have insight especially into which school is better for creative writing. My English teacher acts like UEA is the be all and end all for creative writing courses... like, if you get an offer from there you don't turn it down - is this true?

I definitely like the course better at UEA, but I'm worried that it's not as prestigious as Nottingham and thus I'm closing doors by going there. There's also no doubt that Nottingham is way prettier, and I may just have a nicer time there in general... please tell me what you think because I'm really at a loss for what to do after talking to my parents, brother, and college councilor!

Last thing is, I also got accepted to Manchester, but I haven't been able to visit. Do you think there's any point considering it?
Reply 1
Hi FaeBae.
It depends what you are after. It's difficult to compare such different places, so think about what you want to get out of your university experience apart from the degree which you will get from both. Generally speaking, Nottingham is the more prestigious uni, but it's true UEA has a good reputation for creative writing. But think about what else you want for the next 3 years.
I would recommend going to a Manchester open day if you can possibly make it. It is different again for the other two. I was blown away by their English course!
Good luck with whatever you decide.


Posted from TSR Mobile
East Anglia may not be the most prestigious university but it has some pretty impressive alumni, particularly in the arts so I'd definitely consider it. However, if you felt more drawn towards Nottingham overall then it makes sense to go with your gut instinct rather than listening to what everyone else has to say. Have you visited the areas surrounding the two campuses and read reviews from past students? I find that this helps me gain a better insight to universities than websites/prospectuses because they tend to only the positives. Hope this helps but ultimately it's your decision so go where ever your heart is steering you :smile: Oh, and good luck! You've got into some great unis so you should be proud.
Original post by FaeBae
UEA - 34 IB points

--> ugly campus, not in the russel group, very well known for its course, I like the course better than Nottingham's one

I definitely like the course better at UEA, but I'm worried that it's not as prestigious as Nottingham and thus I'm closing doors by going there. There's also no doubt that Nottingham is way prettier, and I may just have a nicer time there in general... please tell me what you think because I'm really at a loss for what to do after talking to my parents, brother, and college councilor!


We would completely disagree FaeBae! :smile:

Our campus has some really nice selling points. Of course there is the unique architecture which divides opinions, but we have some lovely new buildings too which are ground-breaking and award-winning for how unique and environmentally-friendly they are. There are some ver pretty sights all year around too. See some of the campus shots students have taken here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/study/home/visit-uea-campus-tours (look out for the rabbits!). Our campus is so unique it's even appeared in recent Avengers films!

There's also a big debate being had right now about what Russell Group universities actually stand for, so I wouldn't let that sway your opinions on where you go. You'll find universities like UEA are often higher in the league tables than a lot of Russell Group universities, and on top of that we can often offer a better student experience and higher levels of student satisfaction than some of those universities. Take a read of this webpage for an insight: https://www.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/advice/ask/applications/is-uea-in-the-russell-group

As ErinEloise says, you'll be in great company here at UEA studying Creative Writing here (see the full list of writing alumni here - https://www.uea.ac.uk/literature/creative-writing/alumni). You too might be one of the many who go on to literary success as a result just like recent graduate Emma Healey.

[video="youtube;n2-3S92Ck9o"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2-3S92Ck9o[/video]

Come study in Norwich - UNESCO City of Literature. With so much going on in your chosen field of study you won't be closing doors - you'll be opening them! :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
If you have the time to watch, I think this video from one of our London Lectures is really fascinating. It's a discussion between three Creative Writing graduates from UEA - who discuss the path from university to literary success.

[video="youtube;U_2GMsPmi0I"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_2GMsPmi0I[/video]

Quick Reply

Latest