Choosing a university

valpas123

What factors did you consider when choosing your 5 university choices?

Reply 1

Heriot-Watt Uni

Official Rep

Original post by valpas123

What factors did you consider when choosing your 5 university choices?

Hi!

For me, the main things were:
- Student satisfaction on Uni League tables
- Placement on Uni League tables
- Location (I really wanted to be near a nice city)
- How they teach the course (I prefer more coursework based)
- If they had my specific course (As I wanted to do Computer Science and AI not all Universities do that)
- Also, not very helpful but the feeling I got from the videos/websites / (if you can) open days. I wanted to feel really welcomed and comfortable with the Uni even if I hadn't gotten a place there yet.

I hope that helped! I've just finished my first year at Heriot-Watt studying Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) so if you have any questions about either of those or just Uni life in general feel free to ask!

- Jessica
1st Year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Reply 2

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by valpas123

What factors did you consider when choosing your 5 university choices?

Hi @valpas123 the factors I though about was the course, the location, the commute and the opportunities. When I was applying I ensured that these where the common denominators in my university decisions as this was what I prioritised as important in what I wanted to achieve. Some people would have had different factors but what I recommend doing is research about the course from there see how this will benefit your professional career and if it does that should be considered when choosing universities. Hope this Helps!

Gurpej Kaur(Student Rep)

Reply 3

McGinger

Original post by HWU StudentRep 3

- Student satisfaction on Uni League tables
- Placement on Uni League tables

Both are just marketing nonsense.
Neither will tell you if you will find that course interesting or like being at that Uni.

Go to Open Days and make up your own mind.

Reply 4

University of Chester

Official Rep

Original post by valpas123

What factors did you consider when choosing your 5 university choices?

Hi @valpas123

As mentioned above, we’d recommend looking into course content and module options, accommodation, location (not just location within the UK and distance to your hometown, but also the location of the campus in relation to the town or city centre), student life/opportunities – it’s important to remember that the university experience isn’t just about studying, but also what opportunities are available to you outside of your studies, such as clubs and societies, events etc.

If you have any universities in mind, we'd always recommend chatting with current students as they will give you an honest opinion and are the best people to chat to as they are currently experiencing the student lifestyle! You can chat to Chester students here - https://www1.chester.ac.uk/ask

And of course, Open Days are the best way to get a feel for a university. We’d recommend trying to visit all the ones you’re interested in, if possible, so that you can compare each. Be sure to check if you’re eligible for any travel bursaries to help with costs of visiting.

We hope this helps!

Best wishes,
Becky

Reply 5

Liverpool Hope University

Official Rep

Original post by valpas123

What factors did you consider when choosing your 5 university choices?

Hi!

When I was choosing my university I looked at a few different things:

1 - Location. I wanted to stay closer to home but some students might want to move away. Have a think about what you want.

2 - Size. Similar to location, I chose a university that was outside the city centre as it was smaller and had fewer students, meaning smaller class sizes. Again, you might prefer the opposite, but still something to think about.

3 - Course. Have a look at the course you are interested in. What do you study? How are you assessed? For me personally, I wanted to do a combined degree and not many universities offered the course combination I was interested in so that narrowed my search.

They were the main things I thought about when first narrowing down my choices, but then, as people in the thread have already said, to narrow it down further I would recommend attending as many Open Days as possible. Open Days allow you to visit the campus, meet the lecturers of your course and get a feel for your uni experience!

Reply 6

Heriot-Watt Uni

Official Rep

Original post by McGinger

Both are just marketing nonsense.
Neither will tell you if you will find that course interesting or like being at that Uni.

Go to Open Days and make up your own mind.

I wouldn't say complete nonsense but it definitely isn't the main thing to look at or base your decision on. I think it's just helpful when starting to look as it can be really overwhelming! So having a list of all the Universities helped me :smile:

I agree that Open days are ideal but if you can't get too any try not to worry, you'll make a great decision just trust yourself

- Jessica
1st Year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)