Manchester or Edinburgh university? Please help!!!

So I've received all my offers and I've narrowed it down to choosing between these two Universities, with offers for BAEcon Economics and Politics from Manchester and MA Economic History from Edinburgh. I'm really struggling to decide between the two so I've listed a few pros and cons for each and I was curious whether anyone studying at either University could give me any insight!

PROS of MANCHESTER
+ the course is very flexible with opportunities to switch after the first year of study to economics/economics and another subject such as politics (as I've applied for) or finance etc. and I feel that this is better as it is more open ended and I can decide what I'm most passionate about after the first year and following on from summer internships.
+ living costs aren't too high and there's an amazing social scene which is very important to me.
+ it's a 3 year degree rather than a Scottish 4 year degree, meaning I have the flexibility to take another year to have a year abroad or just simply finish the degree in 3 years, which is a bonus as I'm already on a gap year and I'm also planning on doing a Masters.
+ familiar with the city already and I know I love it there. I love the music scene and the city as a whole and my uncle lives there so family is near by if needs be.

CONS of MANCHESTER
- the course is a BAEcon which makes me worry that I'll stand as being less competitive for grad programmes and employment later on compared to those with a BSc in economics
- the weather is BAD in Manchester. I'm really not a fan of the rain lol
- the city is uglier in comparison to Edinburgh and feels far more 'urban' and I'm scared it may be too edgy for me haha
- it takes 4 hours to travel to from where I live so is inconvenient if I did want to go home (I'm currently travelling on my gap year so I doubt homesickness will be an issue but idk if it will be or not as I've not been to uni/lived away from home without having a lot to explore like travelling is offering)

PROS of EDINBURGH
+ stunning city with a lot to do
+ slightly more prestigious than Manchester
+ the course content interests me more (however I am keen to see if I could switch economic history for economics and history for reasons below) and I like how you can choose modules from other subjects which isn't available at Manchester
+ far further away but it takes less than an hour to fly there and travel costs by plane are cheaper than train tickets are.
+ I prefer the look of the University

CONS of EDINBURGH
- so COLD
- a 4 year degree instead of 3 years which essentially puts me 2 years behind the standard undergrad due to my gap year.
- essentially studying history rather than economics which I think would hinder my employability in the corporate world (the area that I'm interested in)
- I don't like bagpipes (this is kind of a joke one but pls tell me if they are a common thing in Edinburgh bc it could be a game changer)
- more expensive than Manchester.

ALSO...
anyone at either of these Universities, could you give any insight into accommodation?

Please leave any opinions that you may have!

Reply 1

jufloriane

3

Hey!

I'm currently in my first year at Edinburgh studying econ and politics so I kinda know my way around there by now.
In terms of switching courses, the 4-year degree structure definitely allows you to switch and also try out not directly related courses in your first year. Lots of people on my degree ended up changing their majors to some extent and in most cases, this worked out quite well. Also, in my group of friends, I'm the odd one out as everyone else has taken a gap year, so don't let that stop you!
I gotta agree with you, the main campus is pretty nice and as long as you don't spend all your free time on the royal mile, you won't encounter too many bagpipes (but trust me, everyone lowkey hates them after a while :wink:

)
In Edinburgh, there are lots of different options for accommodation and I'd recommend you check out the university website for details, but the ones on the lower end of the price spectrum are just fine and in most cases actually closer to the uni than the catered ones.
Also, thus far I'm a huge fan of the econ course and the support system behind it!

Hope this helps a bit :smile:

Reply 2

annaandrews

OP

7

Original post by jufloriane

Hey!

I'm currently in my first year at Edinburgh studying econ and politics so I kinda know my way around there by now.
In terms of switching courses, the 4-year degree structure definitely allows you to switch and also try out not directly related courses in your first year. Lots of people on my degree ended up changing their majors to some extent and in most cases, this worked out quite well. Also, in my group of friends, I'm the odd one out as everyone else has taken a gap year, so don't let that stop you!
I gotta agree with you, the main campus is pretty nice and as long as you don't spend all your free time on the royal mile, you won't encounter too many bagpipes (but trust me, everyone lowkey hates them after a while :wink:

)
In Edinburgh, there are lots of different options for accommodation and I'd recommend you check out the university website for details, but the ones on the lower end of the price spectrum are just fine and in most cases actually closer to the uni than the catered ones.
Also, thus far I'm a huge fan of the econ course and the support system behind it!

Hope this helps a bit :smile:

Thank you so so much for your reply!

Manchester or Edinburgh university? Please help!!!

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