How to narrow down a list of unis? Tell me what you like about yours?

I have neither the time nor resources to visit all of the unis on the list of ones I like, so if anyone who goes to any of these unis could tell me a bit about the good and bad bits it might help me make my mind up? Thanks so much! (I'm going for physics or possibly maths + physics).

Oxford
Imperial
Durham
Warwick
Bath
Edinburgh
St. Andrews
Bristol

Reply 1

SarcAndSpark

Original post by mcdonh

Have you been to any open days? This will help you narrow things down.

You should also think about your predicted grades and applying to a sensible spread of universities.

From that list one to be aware of is Durham- they have a history of messing near miss applicants around on results day, so I definitely wouldn't put them as your insurance.

Warwick is also more isolated campus compared to most of the others- some people like this, but others really don't.

Imperial obviously has a very strong reputation for the subjects you are considering.

Reply 2

mcdonh

Original post by SarcAndSpark

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You should also think about your predicted grades and applying to a sensible spread of universities.

Honestly predicteds aren't a very big worry for me, I'm doing IB and so far predicted 45.

Reply 3

AzureCeleste

I'd think about wether they are campus or city unis.
How big they are as unis-some people prefer small ones.
The actual course content

Reply 4

iElvendork

Consider if you want a quieter town, or a more lively city to live in?
Big all in one place campus or a more spread out area?
Is cost of living important? You can compare the cost of accommodation to start
Do you like really old buildings, or are you looking for something more modern?
Think about the nightlife - Bristol has a good one, but St. Andrews not so much

Reply 5

MKaur18

Original post by mcdonh

I’d say, look at rankings, location, type of course, which course i’d enjoy, looking at optional modules, type of study ie more lectures than other unis or vice versa, the type of uni ie city based?

Open days help you to choose whether you could see yourself there.

Reply 6

SarcAndSpark

Original post by mcdonh

Honestly predicteds aren't a very big worry for me, I'm doing IB and so far predicted 45.

That's fair enough. I'd still try to avoid 5 very risky choices though, just in case.

Oxford and Imperial both obviously reject lots of stellar candidates every year, so if you go for both of those, I'd make sure to have at least two safer choices.

Reply 7

Larissa14

Edinburgh a big city and its the biggest uni in Edinburgh. Has like 30,000 students overall. Its good for sports and society , the library is amazing so big but it has low student satisfaction (not sure why?)

ST Andrews, nice small town with a good beach. Has quite cool traditions like the may dip and the foam fight. 1st years get paired up with and older student to help them like a mentor. Not much in terms of nightlife but loads of sports and societies. good if you like golf. Loads of american students go to st Andrews. Event though its in Scotland there isnt many Scottish students lol