The Student Room Group

Nottingham or Cardiff

I have had offers from both Cardiff University and Uni of Nottingham, and they each have qualities that the other doesn't have. For example, Cardiff seems to be a very homely city and university to be a part of with lots of activities for students to take part in. And Nottingham is a very stunning University with great facilities.

Both of the courses seem to be very detailed and offer great opportunities to learn in a variety of settings. But I can't quite decide which offers the best course or which would give me the best university experience to prepare me for life after completion of the course.

Does anybody prefer one to the other for any particular reason? and which university offers the best course?
Going to uni is a very personal choice, so at the end of the day you have to make the final decision as you are going to be there for 3+ years - I know its hard.
Can I ask what course you have applied to? As for job opportunities sometimes unis mention on their website what companies students have gone on to work for after completing a degree, it is also sometimes included in uni league tables as ‘employability rate on %in employment or education after 6 months’ if this is important to you than you might want to have a look at league tables, however these are not always 100% accurate.
I’ve been using student created videos on YouTube for example ‘day in the life of a student at x uni’, these have helped me get a feel for what the uni is like without actually going there.

Sorry I’ve only looked at Nottingham so can’t really compare it to Cardiff but I love the campus there.
Reply 2
Original post by Becca216
Going to uni is a very personal choice, so at the end of the day you have to make the final decision as you are going to be there for 3+ years - I know its hard.
Can I ask what course you have applied to? As for job opportunities sometimes unis mention on their website what companies students have gone on to work for after completing a degree, it is also sometimes included in uni league tables as ‘employability rate on %in employment or education after 6 months’ if this is important to you than you might want to have a look at league tables, however these are not always 100% accurate.
I’ve been using student created videos on YouTube for example ‘day in the life of a student at x uni’, these have helped me get a feel for what the uni is like without actually going there.

Sorry I’ve only looked at Nottingham so can’t really compare it to Cardiff but I love the campus there.


I applied for Physiotherapy, Both seem like very likely choices but when I've compared them I am a little torn on which one I want to go to for sure, what thing would you consider when choosing where to go?
Original post by JDshaw13
I applied for Physiotherapy, Both seem like very likely choices but when I've compared them I am a little torn on which one I want to go to for sure, what thing would you consider when choosing where to go?


For me I would look at the student union and societies- I play hockey so I’d look at the sports facilities. I would also look at how easy it is to get to them, how far from home are they? (Do you want to be close or far from home or in between). Some people want to look at what the nightlife is like. It might be worth looking at how expensive it is to live there.
Reply 4
Original post by Becca216
For me I would look at the student union and societies- I play hockey so I’d look at the sports facilities. I would also look at how easy it is to get to them, how far from home are they? (Do you want to be close or far from home or in between). Some people want to look at what the nightlife is like. It might be worth looking at how expensive it is to live there.

Great tips, thanks :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by JDshaw13
I have had offers from both Cardiff University and Uni of Nottingham, and they each have qualities that the other doesn't have. For example, Cardiff seems to be a very homely city and university to be a part of with lots of activities for students to take part in. And Nottingham is a very stunning University with great facilities.

Both of the courses seem to be very detailed and offer great opportunities to learn in a variety of settings. But I can't quite decide which offers the best course or which would give me the best university experience to prepare me for life after completion of the course.

Does anybody prefer one to the other for any particular reason? and which university offers the best course?


Heyy i gotnoffers from both unis too and decided to choose Uni of Nottingham. This is because its
1. Higher ranked than cardiff
2. The society and nightlife etc is amazing like i know so many people that go there
3. They have decent employabilitiy and connections with firms.
4. Also its personal preference because i just didnt vibe with cardiff on the same level tbhh
But this is just my opinion - maybe look at the potential internships or firms u want to qork for once u graduate and which university will provide greater acess to it.
Reply 6
Original post by mk_c18
Heyy i gotnoffers from both unis too and decided to choose Uni of Nottingham. This is because its
1. Higher ranked than cardiff
2. The society and nightlife etc is amazing like i know so many people that go there
3. They have decent employabilitiy and connections with firms.
4. Also its personal preference because i just didnt vibe with cardiff on the same level tbhh
But this is just my opinion - maybe look at the potential internships or firms u want to qork for once u graduate and which university will provide greater acess to it.

the student life is definitely a big attraction for Nottingham and that is the main thing that is pushing me towards Nottingham, the student areas and accommodation looks good and the facilities look decent too. I haven't managed to find much information on the course itself though or any information regarding the support they offer through tutors or extra support it needed. I was wondering if you've found any information regarding that, that I could've missed somewhere?
Reply 7
Original post by JDshaw13
the student life is definitely a big attraction for Nottingham and that is the main thing that is pushing me towards Nottingham, the student areas and accommodation looks good and the facilities look decent too. I haven't managed to find much information on the course itself though or any information regarding the support they offer through tutors or extra support it needed. I was wondering if you've found any information regarding that, that I could've missed somewhere?


Usually i email them when i have a query, and as for support ive done some research in terms of ask nottingham students and watch youtube videos and TSR and email the firms i plan to go to
Reply 8
Original post by mk_c18
Usually i email them when i have a query, and as for support ive done some research in terms of ask nottingham students and watch youtube videos and TSR and email the firms i plan to go to

Great, Thanks :smile:
The only thing Cardiff is better at is being next to the sea.
I went to Nottingham and it is a brilliant university for the following reasons.

1) the city is cheap in terms of general living costs
2) the campus is beautiful; loads of green space and even a massive lake to walk around
3) the sports facilities are amazing; swimming pool, giant climbing wall, martial arts dojo, sports halls, massive gym, spa, physio, snooker tables, squash courts ect are all contained within one building and the membership is pretty cheap too!
3) tonnes of society and sports clubs to get involved in.
4) loads of great study spaces; there’s three libraries and then there’s a new massive giant study space that only opened in 2018 that is just full of nice open spaces to study and individual study rooms to book. Having somewhere nice to study is really important especially in 2nd/3rd year!
5) general campus facilities are also like nothing I’ve seen at another uni; tonnes of places to get food, coffee ect, boots, spa shop all on campus.
6) the nightlife is really decent, and value for money. The main student nights are Monday’s, Wednesdays and Fridays with different clubs offering something every night pretty much. There’s also loads of pubs, and cool bars to go to if clubbing isn’t your thing. Most people don’t know these exist in the city centre so it’s worth exploring yourself, as some places I had never visited until I had graduated and was still living in the city :smile:
7) availability of work; Nottingham is a big place and there’s a lot of jobs available both on campus and outside of campus. Personally I was able to get work in the campus working as a barista and I also did catering work. There’s also other roles available like working at open days, working at local schools ect.


Overall I think if you go to Nottingham you get everything you want whether you want a good sports uni, great facilities for studying, or a solid nightlife. All those boxes are ticked.
Reply 11
Original post by fefssdf
I went to Nottingham and it is a brilliant university for the following reasons.

1) the city is cheap in terms of general living costs
2) the campus is beautiful; loads of green space and even a massive lake to walk around
3) the sports facilities are amazing; swimming pool, giant climbing wall, martial arts dojo, sports halls, massive gym, spa, physio, snooker tables, squash courts ect are all contained within one building and the membership is pretty cheap too!
3) tonnes of society and sports clubs to get involved in.
4) loads of great study spaces; there’s three libraries and then there’s a new massive giant study space that only opened in 2018 that is just full of nice open spaces to study and individual study rooms to book. Having somewhere nice to study is really important especially in 2nd/3rd year!
5) general campus facilities are also like nothing I’ve seen at another uni; tonnes of places to get food, coffee ect, boots, spa shop all on campus.
6) the nightlife is really decent, and value for money. The main student nights are Monday’s, Wednesdays and Fridays with different clubs offering something every night pretty much. There’s also loads of pubs, and cool bars to go to if clubbing isn’t your thing. Most people don’t know these exist in the city centre so it’s worth exploring yourself, as some places I had never visited until I had graduated and was still living in the city :smile:
7) availability of work; Nottingham is a big place and there’s a lot of jobs available both on campus and outside of campus. Personally I was able to get work in the campus working as a barista and I also did catering work. There’s also other roles available like working at open days, working at local schools ect.


Overall I think if you go to Nottingham you get everything you want whether you want a good sports uni, great facilities for studying, or a solid nightlife. All those boxes are ticked.

Thank you, I noticed a lot of great things about Nottingham, it's definitely the front runner. Which course did you take if you don't mind me asking?
Original post by JDshaw13
Thank you, I noticed a lot of great things about Nottingham, it's definitely the front runner. Which course did you take if you don't mind me asking?

I did maths, but I did speak to someone not to long ago who was doing physio and they seemed to be spending a lot of time on placement not sure what year they were in though, but it sounded like more for a 9-5 job aha!

I have also seen the physio facilities btw as there is a on-site physio at the david Ross sports village ( the sports centre ) it includes a hydrotherapy pool, and I know that they let the students do stuff like sports massages ect which staff or students can get at a discounted rate.
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by fefssdf
I did maths, but I did speak to someone not to long ago who was doing physio and they seemed to be spending a lot of time on placement not sure what year they were in though, but it sounded like more for a 9-5 job aha!

I have also seen the physio facilities btw as there is a on-site physio at the david Ross sports village ( the sports centre ) it includes a hydrotherapy pool, and I know that they let the students do stuff like sports massages ect which staff or students can get at a discounted rate.

During your course how much support did you get? was there a tutor you could talk to or something to help with your course? was the support from lecturers and staff good?
Original post by JDshaw13
During your course how much support did you get? was there a tutor you could talk to or something to help with your course? was the support from lecturers and staff good?

I had a tutor and in the first year we had weekly group meetings with a small tutor group and then individual meetings every term or so. All the lecturers had office hours where u could ask for help. Some were a lot more helpful than others when it came to this. Support is definitely there if you seek it out; for example I used the student union advice service and got an appointment straight away, and another time I got help from student services about possibly deferring.
Reply 15
Original post by fefssdf
I had a tutor and in the first year we had weekly group meetings with a small tutor group and then individual meetings every term or so. All the lecturers had office hours where u could ask for help. Some were a lot more helpful than others when it came to this. Support is definitely there if you seek it out; for example I used the student union advice service and got an appointment straight away, and another time I got help from student services about possibly deferring.

Great, thank you so much :smile:

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