Portsmouth vs Southampton

Hi,

I'm finding it really hard to choose between Portsmouth and Southampton uni. Portsmouth has the better course for me but only slightly and I'm hung up on the look and ranking of the two. I prefer the look of Southampton campus and it's obviously a Russel group but I'm not sure how much importance I should put on these two things?

If anyone has any advice or opinions on this, I'd appreciate it.

Hey,
Thank you, I was thinking basing my choice on the course was the most sensible option. Unfortunately because of coronavirus my applicant day at Portsmouth was cancelled and I haven't been able to visit it. So I'm kind of going off photos and other people opinions 😬.

Hi!

Firsly congrats on getting those offers! On first glance i would run with Southampton however, what course have you applied to?

Hi,

I'm finding it really hard to choose between Portsmouth and Southampton uni. Portsmouth has the better course for me but only slightly and I'm hung up on the look and ranking of the two. I prefer the look of Southampton campus and it's obviously a Russel group but I'm not sure how much importance I should put on these two things?

If anyone has any advice or opinions on this, I'd appreciate it.

Hey @Landi001

I'm currently a student at Portsmouth and I love it here!
My favourite thing is that its in the city so nothing is too far away, and its only a 20 minute walk to the beach, which is really nice in the summer! There's also loads of commons in Portsmouth where you can walk to and chill in the afternoon after a day of lectures

I'd suggest that you make a list of the pros and cons of both unis and use this to help you decide what suits you best!
But make sure you go with your gut instinct

Hope this helps!
Eloise - Official Student Rep

Hi,

I'm finding it really hard to choose between Portsmouth and Southampton uni. Portsmouth has the better course for me but only slightly and I'm hung up on the look and ranking of the two. I prefer the look of Southampton campus and it's obviously a Russel group but I'm not sure how much importance I should put on these two things?

If anyone has any advice or opinions on this, I'd appreciate it.

Hi @Landi001,

Congratulations on both of your offers to Portsmouth and Southampton!!

I am originally from Portsmouth and because I wanted to move away, I made Southampton my first choice university. However, I ended up not getting the grades I needed and went through Clearing to Kent. I wanted to study languages but also had interests in history and politics etc. At Kent, the optional modules were pretty much all about literature and the arts. I was reading a French play each week and really not enjoying my course, so I dropped out and started the following academic year at Portsmouth. I am now a PhD student at Portsmouth but along the way ended up doing a Masters at Southampton, so have experience of both universities.

Speaking from that experience (and not just as a Portsmouth student!), I think it makes a big difference picking the university that offers you the course that you are most excited about doing or that offers you the content you want to study. It is likely to translate into you being more engaged with your course, being happier in general and will give you a stronger chance of success! Of course university isn't just about the course, it is about the city and the lifestyle there, but it's the main reason why you are going. And that engagement with the right course needs to keep you motivated to complete the degree over 3 or 4 years. I think it will also matter depending on what career you want to go into. The differentiations between the two courses will give you experience in certain subjects or areas the other one will not, which will mould the path your career can take, if that makes sense.

I also think as well, from my experience, it's not the end of the world if you feel like you make the wrong decision. If whatever you decide, later on you feel like it wasn't the right decision, you can change your mind and change course - lots of students do. There are also lots of unknown factors that you aren't yet able to include, like the course mates you'll meet, the friends you'll make, the societies you'll join etc. And something that will really matter on a daily basis is the amount of support you have access to. Even though I had friends at Kent, it wasn't enough to keep me there. At Portsmouth, because it was the right course for me, I could just get on with it and enjoy being at university.

I think whichever you decide, if it's the right fit for you, then I think you'll find that rankings don't matter much. I know some people can think otherwise, and their experiences might reflect that for some employers they do matter...but I think it's also about what you can bring to the table. So if you make the most of every opportunity presented to you, like if you have the opportunity to take a placement and get work experience, things like that as well as the specific course content you studied can also make your CV stand out, not just because you attended a higher ranked university.

I hope that helps - and if you have any more questions about my experiences at both Portsmouth and Southampton, I'd be happy to answer them!

Danielle - Official Student Rep

Hi,

Thank you so much, that's really helpful. Especially knowing that whatever I choose I can always change my mind.

If you don't mind could you tell me a little bit about your opinions of the two campuses (Portsmouth and Southampton). Which did you prefer, as they are both very different and what was the atmosphere at them like?

Thank you.

Hi @Landi001!

For accommodation, definitely look on our website and figure out which ones are in your price range. I lived in Catherine House when I was in first year and absolutely loved it. I was quite close with my flat and there was a really social atmosphere. There is also other halls which are nice called Greetham which I think also has a really good social atmosphere and is also a really modern, nice looking building like Catherine. There are also newer buildings such as Chaucer but from my personal experience I have some great memories in Catherine and Greetham. All the accommodations are really close to all the clubs, Uni buildings, shops etc and overall it has a great atmosphere.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Erin - Official Student Rep

Hi,

Thank you so much, that's really helpful. Especially knowing that whatever I choose I can always change my mind.

If you don't mind could you tell me a little bit about your opinions of the two campuses (Portsmouth and Southampton). Which did you prefer, as they are both very different and what was the atmosphere at them like?

Thank you.

Hi @Landi001,

You are very welcome - I'm glad some of that helped! Though I do want to highlight having read back what I said, while you can definitely change your mind, it is by no means an easy path to take!! Choosing to drop out of a course/reapply is not a light decision and there is always a risk, but it is definitely an option if you have that gut instinct that something isn't for you. And from my experience, having that sense of conviction helped me get through!

In terms of the different unis, I liked both for different reasons - and I can see why some aspects of each might appeal more to certain people.

I first experienced Southampton when I was 17 and my best friend (a year above me) started there, so I spent a lot of time visiting her on weekends and at half terms. I got to experience the student lifestyle there a little bit (unlike my Masters where I commuted from Portsmouth). In comparison to my own student lifestyle at Portsmouth, IMHO there wasn't really much difference - I had a great time in both places. Both have decent accommodation and nightlife and really it came down to the people I made friends with/lived with and having a good time with them in that respect.

With regards to the uni campuses themselves, I didn't notice a lot of difference in terms of getting around. Where Southampton is a campus uni and Portsmouth is a city uni, actually Portsmouth is a small city and the university buildings are all within a 5-10 minute walk of each other so the travel around campus is relatively similar.

I feel like Southampton was sort of a quieter, more peaceful campus than Portsmouth. This is not a bad thing and is something I quite liked. Obviously there are lots of people still about in Southampton, but because it is out of the city, the majority of people on campus are part of the university whereas at Portsmouth you are in the middle of a city, if that makes sense. This sort of also goes for the accommodation, in Southampton, from what I remember of the halls, they are among residential areas whereas in Portsmouth you are living in the city. I would say in Southampton it felt like there were more green spaces, but I put emphasis here on the word felt because we do have a couple of green spaces/parks in Portsmouth and what feels like a distinction might just come down to the city environment that surrounds those green spaces. That being said, because you are in the middle of a (small) city, there is more of a community feel about Portsmouth, that you are part of the city, compared to Southampton which felt more exclusive because you were only really on campus if you are going to the university.

I guess the main distinction then is that for Southampton you still have amenities near by, but you don't have a lot of things right on your door step. So even though I was commuting for my Masters and the city centre is next to the train station, if I was living in Southampton, I would have to plan a bit more and go out of my way, whereas in Portsmouth, everything is 5-10 minutes away (which can be dangerous lol!). Even if you wanted a trip to the cinema or something, that's 5 minutes away, whereas in Soton it might take a bit longer.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, do not hesitate to ask us!!

Danielle - Official Student Rep

Hi @Landi001,

You are very welcome - I'm glad some of that helped! Though I do want to highlight having read back what I said, while you can definitely change your mind, it is by no means an easy path to take!! Choosing to drop out of a course/reapply is not a light decision and there is always a risk, but it is definitely an option if you have that gut instinct that something isn't for you. And from my experience, having that sense of conviction helped me get through!

In terms of the different unis, I liked both for different reasons - and I can see why some aspects of each might appeal more to certain people.

I first experienced Southampton when I was 17 and my best friend (a year above me) started there, so I spent a lot of time visiting her on weekends and at half terms. I got to experience the student lifestyle there a little bit (unlike my Masters where I commuted from Portsmouth). In comparison to my own student lifestyle at Portsmouth, IMHO there wasn't really much difference - I had a great time in both places. Both have decent accommodation and nightlife and really it came down to the people I made friends with/lived with and having a good time with them in that respect.

With regards to the uni campuses themselves, I didn't notice a lot of difference in terms of getting around. Where Southampton is a campus uni and Portsmouth is a city uni, actually Portsmouth is a small city and the university buildings are all within a 5-10 minute walk of each other so the travel around campus is relatively similar.

I feel like Southampton was sort of a quieter, more peaceful campus than Portsmouth. This is not a bad thing and is something I quite liked. Obviously there are lots of people still about in Southampton, but because it is out of the city, the majority of people on campus are part of the university whereas at Portsmouth you are in the middle of a city, if that makes sense. This sort of also goes for the accommodation, in Southampton, from what I remember of the halls, they are among residential areas whereas in Portsmouth you are living in the city. I would say in Southampton it felt like there were more green spaces, but I put emphasis here on the word felt because we do have a couple of green spaces/parks in Portsmouth and what feels like a distinction might just come down to the city environment that surrounds those green spaces. That being said, because you are in the middle of a (small) city, there is more of a community feel about Portsmouth, that you are part of the city, compared to Southampton which felt more exclusive because you were only really on campus if you are going to the university.

I guess the main distinction then is that for Southampton you still have amenities near by, but you don't have a lot of things right on your door step. So even though I was commuting for my Masters and the city centre is next to the train station, if I was living in Southampton, I would have to plan a bit more and go out of my way, whereas in Portsmouth, everything is 5-10 minutes away (which can be dangerous lol!). Even if you wanted a trip to the cinema or something, that's 5 minutes away, whereas in Soton it might take a bit longer.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, do not hesitate to ask us!!

Danielle - Official Student Rep

Hi,
Thank you! Well I've applied for Forensic psych at Portsmouth, which Is my preferred course. And Criminology with Psych at Southampton because it's the only similar course they had to offer.