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Which uni for International Relations & Politics? Oxford Brookes or Goldsmiths?

Hi,
I am stuck between which 2 uni's to make my insurance for International Relations and Politics. I am firming Leeds for International Development; but now I am stuck on which uni to choose for my insurance choice.

I have been to open days at both Goldsmiths & Oxford Brookes. If I'm honest, Oxford Brookes as a university left a slight better impression than Goldsmiths, but in terms of the nightlife and student life Goldsmiths left a better impression on me, so I'm stuck.

For example, Oxford Brookes have super good facilities, the lecturer who did a taster session was lovely, the uni campus/layout was really nice and new, accommodation was decent, the course really suited what I was after (I'm keen to study abroad for a year & preferably not in Europe and Brookes offer a wide range of countries). So Brookes, in terms of the university left a very good impression on me. The only thing that lets it down is the city and the fact that some of the people there seemed a little snobby (not a huge problem, I'll get over it). Like I said, in terms of the city and the nightlife, it seems a little bit boring and I'm a party girl. I live in Bath/Bristol so I'm used to very good nights out, so I feel like I might be a bit disappointed with the nightlife in Oxford. If anybody is a student in Oxford please shed some light!

On the other hand, Goldsmiths made less of an impression on me but I did still like it. Again, really liked the uni, the accommodation, the location etc. But I am slightly disappointed with a few things, 1) some guy from the politics department was rude when I spoke to him and he made me feel stupid for asking a genuine question which put me off hugely. 2) The course offers VERY limited study abroad options - there's like 3 options which are all in Europe and not really in places I would like to visit. But then the location and the fact that it's in central London really appeals to me, plus I spoke to some students who weren't actually at the open day, he was late for a lecture but he just bumped into me realising I was there for the open day (so it wasn't like forced or anything - like he wasn't a rep) and he was genuinely lovely (much friendlier than Oxford Brookes) and he was super passionate about Goldsmiths which was really nice to hear.

So yeah, I'm just stuck on which university to make my insurance because I like certain aspects of both uni's and am struggling to make a decision. If anybody can shed any light on either of the universities that would be a great help and also which university is better for International Relations & Politics? Thank you!

Reply 1

Kevin De Bruyne

Original post by AAlexis

First of all, well done for getting such a good feel of the unis. You have made yourself able to make an informed decision firsthand which people don't always do.

I don't have much to add, but if you want to speak to a student and you can't find one on here it's worth getting in contact with the uni to see if there's a course rep or someone that you can speak to.

Thirdly, from what you've said that between those two, OB is the better choice by some distance. Having a year abroad va not being able to do it is quite a big thing and it'd be a shame to miss out if you wanted to go. Also the other things you have listed make it seem like OB is better.

I study in Bath(!) and you've probably seen some of the partying etc that goes on in the city, but I'd be surprised if you'd been to any at the university itself, I mention that as i imagine it's the same for OB - they'll have their own thing going on, not just in the city.