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Oxford Or Birmingham University?

Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?

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Original post by spchee
Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?

what course?
Original post by spchee
Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?

Your call, but, IMO, almost (depending on the subject) certainly.
Original post by spchee
Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?

Are you sure you won't have any fees at Birmingham? They normally charge the same tuition fees as Oxford, which are £9250 for Home students
Almost certainly. The opportunities you'll receive from simply stating you have a degree from Oxford far outweigh any prestige you could possibly gain from Birmingham
Reply 5
Are you doing an apprenticeship at BIrmingham?What course?
Original post by spchee
Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/oxbridge/oxford-demystified-should-i-apply

Hi Spchee,

Both my sons went to Oxford, and I have written a book about it, which I have had published in the Hive. The above chapter is about whether you should apply. Hope this helps.

I have a saying, "the course is king". If the course in Birmingham suits your need better, go to Birmingham. Why are you receiving payment and which course are you considering? I would be interested to know.

To answer your query about whether Oxford is worth it, I refer back to the 700th anniversary of Exeter college. As a current student's mother, I attended some meetings. There was a Q and A, with alumni speaking to a panel of students. The students were moaning about the price of the accommodation, however the alumni told them it was best to see the bigger picture. Most of the alumni had their own businesses. There were also some lawyers and even a High Court judge, who had flown all the way from Australia specially.

The lawyer said you can see the Oxford difference in your pay packet. A chemist (who owned his own flourishing business) said that he made a point of hiring two graduates from Exeter College every year. The judge said that Oxford is no longer the "open sesame" it used to be, but it still stood for something.

One of the panel of students (he was American, part of the exchange programme between Williams College in the States and Exeter college) told us that one of his Williams pals was only part way through his year at Oxford, when he had to leave. He was given an "opportunity he couldn't refuse" from Morgan Stanley.

You could still become great and successful at, and after Birmingham. That's up to you, and the type of person you are.

Sorry if I sound Oxford biased, however these are real examples I thought it might be useful to share.
Reply 7
Oxford biased?Not you Oxford Mum!You always make me laugh in the nicest possible way!
Oh dear, rumbled by Scotney again (in the nicest possible way!)

(Original post by Scotney)
Oxford biased?Not you Oxford Mum!You always make me laugh in the nicest possible way!
Original post by Oxford Mum
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/oxbridge/oxford-demystified-should-i-apply

Hi Spchee,

Both my sons went to Oxford, and I have written a book about it, which I have had published in the Hive. The above chapter is about whether you should apply. Hope this helps.

I have a saying, "the course is king". If the course in Birmingham suits your need better, go to Birmingham. Why are you receiving payment and which course are you considering? I would be interested to know.

To answer your query about whether Oxford is worth it, I refer back to the 700th anniversary of Exeter college. As a current student's mother, I attended some meetings. There was a Q and A, with alumni speaking to a panel of students. The students were moaning about the price of the accommodation, however the alumni told them it was best to see the bigger picture. Most of the alumni had their own businesses. There were also some lawyers and even a High Court judge, who had flown all the way from Australia specially.

The lawyer said you can see the Oxford difference in your pay packet. A chemist (who owned his own flourishing business) said that he made a point of hiring two graduates from Exeter College every year. The judge said that Oxford is no longer the "open sesame" it used to be, but it still stood for something.

One of the panel of students (he was American, part of the exchange programme between Williams College in the States and Exeter college) told us that one of his Williams pals was only part way through his year at Oxford, when he had to leave. He was given an "opportunity he couldn't refuse" from Morgan Stanley.

You could still become great and successful at, and after Birmingham. That's up to you, and the type of person you are.

Sorry if I sound Oxford biased, however these are real examples I thought it might be useful to share.


But most students don't get a free degree and a salary so there is something exceptional about the OP's Birmingham offer.

Any vocational degree for a competitive career that the OP wants to enter that comes with a real job is going to be preferable to a generic Oxford arts degree which, whilst it wouldn't put him at the back of the queue, wouldn't guarantee that he would ever be able to enter that career.
True, that is why I want to know about the Birmingham degree, and find out why he has been offered these advantages.

When I was at Manchester university, i knew someone who had joined the armed forces, for example. They were sponsoring him throughout his degree, therefore he always had more money than us. Plus he had a job waiting for him at the end. Therefore I suppose our response would depend on our knowing the bigger picture. OP, could you please enlighten us? Thanks.
Original post by nulli tertius
But most students don't get a free degree and a salary so there is something exceptional about the OP's Birmingham offer.

Any vocational degree for a competitive career that the OP wants to enter that comes with a real job is going to be preferable to a generic Oxford arts degree which, whilst it wouldn't put him at the back of the queue, wouldn't guarantee that he would ever be able to enter that career.
Original post by Oxford Mum
True, that is why I want to know about the Birmingham degree, and find out why he has been offered these advantages.

When I was at Manchester university, i knew someone who had joined the armed forces, for example. They were sponsoring him throughout his degree, therefore he always had more money than us. Plus he had a job waiting for him at the end. Therefore I suppose our response would depend on our knowing the bigger picture. OP, could you please enlighten us? Thanks.


I wondered about the military and also GCHQ
Come to think of it, you have five choices on your UCAS form (four for medicine), so there's nothing stopping you from applying to both. However I would advise looking carefully at the course websites before you do. Oh, and go to as many open days as you possibly can. I didn't go to any when I was your age, and ended up in the wrong place, doing the wrong course.

My son thought the Peninsular medical course looked good. However once we were there, he was so depressed by it, we had to leave early.
Original post by Oxford Mum
True, that is why I want to know about the Birmingham degree, and find out why he has been offered these advantages.


Original post by nulli tertius
I wondered about the military and also GCHQ

So many questions, so few answers :holmes:
:holmes::holmes::holmes: The plot thickens
Don't you just hate it when you get a nice juicy, interesting thread, and have lots of questions, then OP disappears for a while.
Original post by harrysbar
So many questions, so few answers :holmes:
Original post by spchee
Heya.
So I'm unsure whether to go to Oxford Or Birmingham. As Although I know that oxford is one of the best universities, if I go to birmingham I likely won't have any fees and will get a salary. So is it worth the 50k debt to go to oxford?


It is your call, but you have to think of the wider benefits of an Oxford education. You will be learning from the best academics and living alongside the brightest minds, who may well go on to become global leaders. Your network at Oxford may be the most useful you may ever have.

I am not trying to belittle Birmingham, it is a good university; but Oxford is Oxford.
Original post by Oxford Mum
:holmes::holmes::holmes: The plot thickens
Don't you just hate it when you get a nice juicy, interesting thread, and have lots of questions, then OP disappears for a while.

Yes! and @spchee has been missing for 12 long hours now :s-smilie:
Hi Wired!

Haven't seen you in some time...

If OP tells me which course he is looking into, I may be able to get hold of some info for him. Whether Birmingham or Oxford is the best, is down to OP. Often Oxford has very old fashioned courses (my son (medic) won't go on the wards until he has finished his first degree), so if you want the wards from day one, it ain't gonna work.

But yes, Oxford is definitely Oxford (not that I'm a fan, like) :flute:
Original post by Wired_1800
It is your call, but you have to think of the wider benefits of an Oxford education. You will be learning from the best academics and living alongside the brightest minds, who may well go on to become global leaders. Your network at Oxford may be the most useful you may ever have.

I am not trying to belittle Birmingham, it is a good university; but Oxford is Oxford.
Original post by Wired_1800
It is your call, but you have to think of the wider benefits of an Oxford education. You will be learning from the best academics and living alongside the brightest minds, who may well go on to become global leaders. Your network at Oxford may be the most useful you may ever have.

I am not trying to belittle Birmingham, it is a good university; but Oxford is Oxford.


Well we don't know what course. Or what op is hoping to do with it.
Imo you're unlikely to get paid for studying art history... Probably its a type of course where the well known oxbridge benefits aren't especially important.
Looks like we definitely need info from OP before we can progress any further with this discussion.

Looking forward to OP's reply, :holmes: aren't you?
Original post by Joinedup
Well we don't know what course. Or what op is hoping to do with it.
Imo you're unlikely to get paid for studying art history... Probably its a type of course where the well known oxbridge benefits aren't especially important.

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