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Help choosing uni :)

I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:
What course did you apply for? It kind of depends on that, but otherwise, I would personally choose King's College as London would be a really cool city to live in and it has a nice reputation. But London can be quite expensive to live in, so if you're looking for somewhere more student-friendly then Manchester is amazing because there are lots of international students and it's known to be a student-friendly city!
Reply 2
Original post by m00nl1ght
What course did you apply for? It kind of depends on that, but otherwise, I would personally choose King's College as London would be a really cool city to live in and it has a nice reputation. But London can be quite expensive to live in, so if you're looking for somewhere more student-friendly then Manchester is amazing because there are lots of international students and it's known to be a student-friendly city!

In Manchester International Relations and Politics, Exeter International Relations and the other three International Relations and History. I am also planning on studying a language as part of the course for the univerities which allow me to do this.
The only problem with London is that I fear it might not be as easy to socialize. Having a good social life is something which I think is very important : )
Original post by cru20
In Manchester International Relations and Politics, Exeter International Relations and the other three International Relations and History. I am also planning on studying a language as part of the course for the univerities which allow me to do this.
The only problem with London is that I fear it might not be as easy to socialize. Having a good social life is something which I think is very important : )

I would not choose London so you are looking at Manchester, Exeter or Lancaster.

These are very different places so what sort of city are you looking for?

Look at the courses and compare the modules - which interests you most?
Reply 4
Original post by Muttley79
I would not choose London so you are looking at Manchester, Exeter or Lancaster.

These are very different places so what sort of city are you looking for?

Look at the courses and compare the modules - which interests you most?

In terms of prestige out of these three is there a lot of difference?
Original post by cru20
In terms of prestige out of these three is there a lot of difference?

Being happy with the course is much more important. Personally I think Exeter is beautiful and the city is historic with modern shops, and an attractive quay. Manchester is a much bigger city and Lancaster is smaller. Try some virtual tours to have a look around. .

You will find the weather in Exeter warmer than the other two if that i important to you.
Reply 6
Original post by cru20
I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:


Hi there!
Lancaster has over 30% international students and has students in each college with the specific role of helping them to settle in. Which country are you from by the way? The city is also relatively small, very safe and friendly. The accommodation has been ranked either first or second in the university tables for the past ten years too. My daughter has applied to do History and English there and the lecturers she met in the History Department were not only excellent speakers but seemed genuinely lovely, friendly people too. Manchester / London would be good if you want to go out clubbing or to concerts, but are not as safe, and Exeter has a nice campus, isn't far from the seaside and has warmer weather but is a bit isolated; it depends very much what type of place you are looking for.
Firstly there isnt a bad option here. Kings has a good reputation due to being a long standing university in London but doesnt do particularly well in the UK rankings tables. It is in London which is very expensive to live and is very crowded. If you are looking at the big city feel then it may be for you otherwise look elsewhere. Manchester is another big city and would give a city feel. It will be cheaper to live but will definitely give you the feel of being in the city if that interests you. For your subject I would suspect Exeter would be the best ranking university. They excel in Humanities. It is a lovely university in a stunning campus 15 minutes walk from the City centre which has a stunning cathedral and nice shopping centre. Its drawback is that it is a small city and wont match Manchester for the quality and variety of its nightlife. Lancaster is quite northerly. It is a much smaller city than Exeter and about an hour by train from Manchester. It is on a campus a couple of miles out of the city. It is a really nice campus and everything seems to be based there. It again is a really high ranking university. It does boil down to personal preference and what someone likes somebody else hates.
Original post by cru20
I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:


Hey,

Congratulations on the offers!! Thats really exciting. I am a third year international student and I must say, choosing what offer to accept is one of the hardest stages. Have you tried reading further for more details about your course from the course outline for each of the universities maybe in their websites?
Also you can try looking at the campus environment, and the cities they are located in then correspond it to the type of environment you like??

Hope this is of any help.

Doreen-maria - Official Student Rep 😀
Reply 9
Original post by Vampira
Hi there!
Lancaster has over 30% international students and has students in each college with the specific role of helping them to settle in. Which country are you from by the way? The city is also relatively small, very safe and friendly. The accommodation has been ranked either first or second in the university tables for the past ten years too. My daughter has applied to do History and English there and the lecturers she met in the History Department were not only excellent speakers but seemed genuinely lovely, friendly people too. Manchester / London would be good if you want to go out clubbing or to concerts, but are not as safe, and Exeter has a nice campus, isn't far from the seaside and has warmer weather but is a bit isolated; it depends very much what type of place you are looking for.

This was very helpful, thank you! I'm from Spain.
Reply 10
Original post by cru20
This was very helpful, thank you! I'm from Spain.

Your English seems excellent and I’m sure you’ll be made very welcome wherever you choose to study! All universities have a Spanish Society as well as hundreds of others and I know as an ex-linguist myself that you would be so welcome if you joined one of these, as students learning Spanish would love to meet you and practise their Spanish and in return I’m sure they will invite you out to other activities to help you find lots of friends. I spent a year abroad in France when I was a student and I loved the experience!
Original post by cru20
I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:


I live quite close-by to Exeter and I visit there often. Its a really beautiful city with lots of independent shops and extracurricular things to do (I love the rock climbing centre). I can't really say anything about the other cities as I have never been, but I can say Exeter is lovely. I am applying to study modern languages there in September 2020 :smile:
Original post by cru20
I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:

Are you looking for prestige or more what would suit you better?
Original post by cru20
I am international student and I am unsure of which univeristy I should go to. I got offers from Manchester, Kings College, Lancaster, Exeter and Loughborough. They all seem really appealing, except Loughborough which just doesn't seem as the best fit for me.
Could anyone give me some advice on which one I should choose? (I understand it is something quite personal) :smile:

Hello @cru20,
I'm currently a student at Lancaster so I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about Lancaster!
You can talk to current students studying IR and History using UniBuddy if you have course specific questions: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/chat/
Otherwise, if you have any questions about what the university or city is like, please let me know. I'd be happy to help you to make a decision!
Charlotte :smile:
3rd year Biological Sciences with Biomedicine

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