High ranked uni but far or lower ranked uni but close?

Depends how much you think it will impact your career prospects?

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Hirsty97

Depends how much you think it will impact your career prospects?

I don't think it will make much of a difference, if at all

Reply 5

Perksy121

12

It always surprises me how people want to go to uni closer to where they live, but I guess I just wasn't much of a home bird.

Go to the better uni and live on site, I'm sure you won't struggle to make friends just because it's in a different area particularly as most of the students at both unis probably aren't local.

Reply 6

Hirsty97

Original post by wonderuss

I don't think it will make much of a difference, if at all

Then I wouldn't do it tbh

I'm going for UCL/LSE/KCL over my local Leeds because of the massive difference in career prospects for finance, but otherwise I wouldn't think it was worth all the extra money spent.

Reply 7

AnnieGakusei

Original post by wonderuss

What is your opinion on this?

I have offers from two universities - one is far (outside London) but high ranked (especially for my course) and the other is lower ranked (not low, just lower than the other uni) but close.

I don't think I want to live out + I feel I would make more friends in the closer uni as the other one is outside London and the area is therefore different.

So what do you think I should do?

Thanks

Personally I think uni is about independence. It irks me when people think I chose my uni because it was local (it's an hour's drive from where my parents live) because I literally never go back there and I chose the uni for the course.

If you've never really left London for any period of time, I would really advise going to the further, better uni. Not only will you get to see more of the world (students live in a bubble but so do many Londoners, to an extent) but it's a better uni.

I would also really recommend living out because it gives you independence as well as the full student experience.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by AnnieGakusei

Personally I think uni is about independence. It irks me when people think I chose my uni because it was local (it's an hour's drive from where my parents live) because I literally never go back there and I chose the uni for the course.

If you've never really left London for any period of time, I would really advise going to the further, better uni. Not only will you get to see more of the world (students live in a bubble but so do many Londoners, to an extent) but it's a better uni.

I would also really recommend living out because it gives you independence as well as the full student experience.

Thanks.

By full student experience do you mean partying/drinking and all that? Because I'm not into that stuff.

Reply 9

Notoriety

22

Original post by wonderuss

Thanks.

By full student experience do you mean partying/drinking and all that? Because I'm not into that stuff.

Going to chess clubs, debate societies, going to speeches, making your own decisions. It isn't all about drinking.

Out of interest, what course are you going to do? And what are the unis?

Reply 10

OP

Original post by Notorious_B.I.G.

Going to chess clubs, debate societies, going to speeches, making your own decisions. It isn't all about drinking.

Out of interest, what course are you going to do? And what are the unis?

Philosophy & Politics @ Essex

or

Politics & Sociology @ Brunel

-the former is the course I'm most interested in, although both are appealing.

Reply 11

OP

Original post by Perksy121

It always surprises me how people want to go to uni closer to where they live, but I guess I just wasn't much of a home bird.

Go to the better uni and live on site, I'm sure you won't struggle to make friends just because it's in a different area particularly as most of the students at both unis probably aren't local.

I can't live on campus bcus all the rooms are taken so I've just been searching around for private places

Reply 12

Crumpet1

19

Original post by wonderuss

Thanks.

By full student experience do you mean partying/drinking and all that? Because I'm not into that stuff.

Learning to live without your parents picking up after you, learning to live with others who are not your long-suffering family, learning to cook for yourself and pay your own bills, making decisions about how to balance study with your social life, picking up new hobbies in an environment where that can be done easily and cheaply, and doing all of that surrounded by other people who are also learning to do the same thing at the same time. Going to university is quite a gentle means of flying the nest, much more so than just moving out one day into your own flat or shared house.

You only need to look on TSR from August to September to realise that there are a very large number of freshers who are not particularly into partying and drinking, and they worry that that is all that you can do at university in the social context. It isn't (though clearly it is one possible choice), and you'll find plenty of people who don't want that either. Join clubs & societies, that's a great source of social life that revolves around a different theme. And while you're considering offers, look at the list of clubs & societies on the university's student union so that you can see what is on offer.

Reply 13

sizzlelikeasnail

8

Original post by wonderuss

I feel I would make more friends in the closer uni as the other one is outside London and the area is therefore different.

Thanks

You 100% will not. It's significantly easier to do so while living away from home.

Reply 14

Doones

Original post by wonderuss

What is your opinion on this?

I have offers from two universities - one is far (outside London) but high ranked (especially for my course) and the other is lower ranked (not low, just lower than the other uni) but close.

I don't think I want to live out + I feel I would make more friends in the closer uni as the other one is outside London and the area is therefore different.

So what do you think I should do?

Thanks

Original post by wonderuss

Philosophy & Politics @ Essex

or

Politics & Sociology @ Brunel

-the former is the course I'm most interested in, although both are appealing.

Congratulations on your early offers! When did you apply?

Study the course you are most interested in.

Reply 15

OP

Original post by Doonesbury

Congratulations on your early offers! When did you apply?

Study the course you are most interested in.

Oh they're not early offers. I'm going to one of these universities this month or next!

Reply 16

Doones

Original post by wonderuss

Oh they're not early offers. I'm going to one of these universities this month or next!

How so? Is this for a postgrad? or undergrad?

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Doonesbury

How so? Is this for a postgrad? or undergrad?

Undergrad. What happened is that I originally wasn't planning to go to uni this year but kinda changed my mind last minute so applied to uni's through clearing hence the late offers/decisions

Reply 18

Doones