choosing the right university

I'm meant to be starting university for September 2021, and i don't know whether to accept a Russel group university just because it's labeled as better, or a university where i actually would like to live. Any advice for which would be better?

Reply 1

University of Portsmouth Student Rep

Official Rep

16

Original post by megan1708

I'm meant to be starting university for September 2021, and i don't know whether to accept a Russel group university just because it's labeled as better, or a university where i actually would like to live. Any advice for which would be better?

Hey @megan1708!

I would definitely go somewhere where you will enjoy the experience and be happy! If you like where you live and are happy then you will do better at your degree :smile:

Russell group unis are just a group of 24 unis that do leading research (I believe)! But you don't have to do a degree there for your degree to be respected - it will be respected wherever you decide to go to uni!

I hope this helps you :smile:

Eloise - Official Student Rep

Reply 2

Jumpybananas

12

Option 1: The Russell Group Uni. Pros: Good teaching quality, will probably have good industry connections

Option 2: The other uni. Pros: Sounds like its a good place to live (important considering uni courses are multiple years long). No reason the teaching quality will be bad

I can't tell you which option is better, it's a question of what is more important to you: The prestige of a Russell Group uni, or somewhere you'll enjoy living more.

Reply 3

University of Strathclyde

Official Rep

15

Original post by megan1708

I'm meant to be starting university for September 2021, and i don't know whether to accept a Russel group university just because it's labeled as better, or a university where i actually would like to live. Any advice for which would be better?

Hey there! :colondollar:

I absolutely agree with everything that's already been said in this thread. Make the choice based on what course and uni speaks to you the most. Be ready to work hard and if you get a good degree it will be just as recognised as from anywhere else :smile:

Don't get me wrong... there's every chance that you will go and absolutely love uni at your RG choice! But don't discount other universities just because they're not - look past the name and speak to students to find out what they love about their course :^_^:

Keep an eye out for upcoming applicant days where you can speak to staff/students about teaching methods, assessments, student life, industry links, accommodation etc and make your decision based on the info you gather!

Best of luck with your choices!
- Caitlin :h:

Official University of Strathclyde Reps

Reply 4

McGinger

18

'Russell Group' is just a collective noun for the 'older, more established' Universities. That is all.

Aside from Law and Investment Banking it wont make any difference to your life if you go to any other University. There is a whole load of mindless snobbery amongst school-leavers and the assumption that there is a huge chasm between RG Unis and everywhere else. There isn't. If you get a 2i or a First and do more at University than just study, you'll have as many opportunities as anyone else. Ultimately, life is up to you, not the brand name of a Uni.

Follow your gut instincts, and go where the course interests you the most and to a Uni you will enjoy being at.

Reply 5

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

I don't know why everyone assumes RG unis have "better teaching quality" than others. The RG is a measure of research output, and usually research focused universities are more likely to have lecturers who are primarily employed to carry out research and are just forced to lecture as well. They often then have little interest or aptitude in doing so, and do not make very good educators. By comparison for example ex-polys I would expect to generally have better teaching, since their original purpose was purely to teach and train students for industry, not to do research and incidentally also teach students.

Also depending on your subject area there the relevance of a uni being RG or not may be completely irrelevant - for example in engineering, where quite a few of the most highly recruited from unis are not RG unis. Because employers in that sector don't really care about such things. Even in purely "academic" subjects RG does not "reign supreme", and for some subjects the best universities may not be RG unis. Take for instance history of art, where generally the Courtauld Institute is generally considered the strongest academically and one of the best for actually being employed in an art/heritage sector role, alongside (or even above) Oxford and Cambridge. It is not a RG uni, and is much better than most other RG unis offering similar courses other than Oxbridge, unless they have some specific thing to distinguish them (like UCLs HAMS course or SOAS if one were primarily interested in those non-Western regions SOAS specialises in).

Going to a uni you don't like the course, or the area, or whatever else which will mean you won't be happy in your time there, is generally a bad idea as well. Because your mental state will influence your motivation for and ability to do your work, and that in turn will influence your grades negatively, and at the end of the day a 2:2 or a third from a RG uni is going to be seen as lesser than a 2:1 or 1st from any other uni, in general terms. The "RG tag" isn't going to mean much of anything once you graduate, in all honesty, compared to your classification and what (if any) relevant work experience you've garnered while at uni during the breaks.

Reply 6

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

I mean, I work at a RG Uni and even I get tired of explaining that we won’t be the best for every subject or for every student.

Can’t argue that it’s a good promotional tool though. People clearly think our UG programmes have magical powers as a result.

Reply 7

Muttley79

20

Original post by Jumpybananas

Option 1: The Russell Group Uni. Pros: Good teaching quality, will probably have good industry connections

Option 2: The other uni. Pros: Sounds like its a good place to live (important considering uni courses are multiple years long). No reason the teaching quality will be bad

I can't tell you which option is better, it's a question of what is more important to you: The prestige of a Russell Group uni, or somewhere you'll enjoy living more.