Struggling to Choose between Two Universities, I need advice

Hey, I've been accepted into universities and I am struggling to choose between them. I understand that ultimately it is my decision to make, however I am so torn between them, as I like both of them a lot, so I need some outside advice.

The first university is Durham University, where I will be studying Bsc in Finance with a Placement Year.

Pros:
1- Really like the collegiate system at Durham and the formals that they
do for each college.
2- Durham is a semi-target for IB in London.
3- I like the integrated placement year
4- The town of Durham is cheap, considering other cities in the UK.
5- Durham offers a lot of opportunities to get into sports, which is
something I wanted to do get involved in for some time now.
6- The course is shorter than the other uni, meaning less expensive to
attend than the other uni

Cons:
1- Durham City is kind of isolated from the rest of the UK, with the nearest city being New Castle, which takes 30 mins by train to reach.
2- I read that there isn't much to do in Durham, meaning the student life is kinda meh.
3- The course itself is kinda meh, I much prefer studying the course at the other Uni.

The other university is ESADE in Spain, where I will be studying the Double Degree in Business Administration and Artificial Intelligence.

Pros:
1- The uni is based in Barcelona, and incredible city to live in.
2- The course is really cool as it teaches two of interests, which are
business and tech. Which I guess allows me to pursue a career that
combines both of these.
3- I enjoy programming, and this course includes lots of programming.
4- There is integrated semester long internship and a semester exchange
at top universities like LSE, Edinburgh, Cornell University etc.
5-ESADE is considered one of the best business schools in Europe.

Cons:
1- It is a five year course, meaning it is going to be more expensive than
Durham in terms of tuition and living costs.
2- There is a language barrier as I don't speak fluent Spanish nor any
other European language, which will hamper my career
opportunities.
3- I'm worried that a degree in AI itself (not CS) won't be respected by
employers, since AI is usually a graduate level discipline. I don't want
to spend even more years studying AI, since the course is 5 years.

Any help or advice would greatly appreciated!

Reply 1

swanseajack1

19

It is impossible for anyone to advise you on this as there are factors only you can decide upon. How would you cope with the language problem. Are you prepared for the extra cost. Will you be happier in Barcelona. Only you can make those decisions.

Durham is not that far from Newcastle. It is an easy train ride. I have just checked the fastest train is 12 minutes not half an hour.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

Thisismyunitsr

20

Why is the Barcelona course going to be more expensive than the Durham course seen as tuition fees are more expensive in the UK than Spain?

Reply 3

ArtificialFrost

OP

2

Original post by Thisismyunitsr

Why is the Barcelona course going to be more expensive than the Durham course seen as tuition fees are more expensive in the UK than Spain?

Sorry for the lack of clarification. The tuition fees for ESADE are 20,000 euros per year. Durham's is 26,500 pounds per year.

(edited 1 year ago)

Whilst I would normally advise going for the modules you prefer, I think in all honesty the language barrier is going to be your biggest hurdle here.
On the flip side, you describe the course at Durham as being "meh" - doing a course that you're not enthusiastic about isn't ideal. I'm feeling that neither seems to be a perfect fit for you.
Were there no other universities that you could have chosen within the UK instead?

Reply 5

McGinger

18

You dont have to make this decision until June.

Reply 6

lalexm

16

Original post by ArtificialFrost

Hey, I've been accepted into universities and I am struggling to choose between them. I understand that ultimately it is my decision to make, however I am so torn between them, as I like both of them a lot, so I need some outside advice.

The first university is Durham University, where I will be studying Bsc in Finance with a Placement Year.

Pros:
1- Really like the collegiate system at Durham and the formals that they
do for each college.
2- Durham is a semi-target for IB in London.
3- I like the integrated placement year
4- The town of Durham is cheap, considering other cities in the UK.
5- Durham offers a lot of opportunities to get into sports, which is
something I wanted to do get involved in for some time now.
6- The course is shorter than the other uni, meaning less expensive to
attend than the other uni

Cons:
1- Durham City is kind of isolated from the rest of the UK, with the nearest city being New Castle, which takes 30 mins by train to reach.
2- I read that there isn't much to do in Durham, meaning the student life is kinda meh.
3- The course itself is kinda meh, I much prefer studying the course at the other Uni.

The other university is ESADE in Spain, where I will be studying the Double Degree in Business Administration and Artificial Intelligence.

Pros:
1- The uni is based in Barcelona, and incredible city to live in.
2- The course is really cool as it teaches two of interests, which are
business and tech. Which I guess allows me to pursue a career that
combines both of these.
3- I enjoy programming, and this course includes lots of programming.
4- There is integrated semester long internship and a semester exchange
at top universities like LSE, Edinburgh, Cornell University etc.
5-ESADE is considered one of the best business schools in Europe.

Cons:
1- It is a five year course, meaning it is going to be more expensive than
Durham in terms of tuition and living costs.
2- There is a language barrier as I don't speak fluent Spanish nor any
other European language, which will hamper my career
opportunities.
3- I'm worried that a degree in AI itself (not CS) won't be respected by
employers, since AI is usually a graduate level discipline. I don't want
to spend even more years studying AI, since the course is 5 years.

Any help or advice would greatly appreciated!

Learning Spanish could be added to your pros list for the 2nd one. You might not be fluent in Spanish now, but you will be by the end of it, if you are to make it through the course, and to make the most of the experience. Make sure you also look at the optional modules. Most courses allow you to do lots of optional modules, often including ones that are nothing to do with your core subject, so worth looking at those also.