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Best university for primary education?

Newman or BCU ?
I'm currently in my final year of sixth form and am unsure of what to choose any advice will help thanks x

Reply 1

charves14

heyyy, im in the same boat as you and ive been to open days for both of them, which id 100% recommend you do, it’s all about your impression of the unis
i thought Newman seemed very homely and like focused on teaching, the facilities were all modern but the accommodation was a bit lacking tbh. the area was relatively easy to get into Birmingham centre but also in an outer part of it. one plus is they seemed to have a decent mix of societies and sports, which i wasn’t expecting from a smaller uni, it also had the option of adding a catholic qualification which you might be interested in if you’re religious (it used to be catholic). the only issue i had is that they had hardly any accom (but if you would be commuting this wouldn’t be an issue), and it felt less set up for people to live on site. overall it seemed like a nice place to study, but didn’t feel like the right fit for me

bcu was a really bustling busy atmosphere, which i loved but you might find more intense. the facilities were nice and they had a few mock classrooms too, but i did feel the library was quite minimal compared to others ive seen (for reference Newman had a bigger education section). the faculty we spoke with were so so passionate but also really brilliant at explaining everything, and i could definitely see a high quality of education from it. they had a good mix of societies but because there are two campuses (teaching is on a smaller one) most seemed to be on the bigger one, which would be a bus to get to. i went to some accommodation, there’s a set within walking distance or a newer set in the city centre, and we went to the walking distance, tbh I did love the accommodation, it felt really set up for students and i could see myself living there. they seemed to have a lot of support on offer too, like study abroad (in the summer) and an academic support centre. to me it felt a lot more modern, but i also thought there could be a risk of feeling like a small fish in a big pond (which i didn’t get at Newman)
for me i found that the courses aren’t that different, and they’re both in Birmingham so local amenities aren’t particularly different, im basing my opinions on faculty, accom and the vibes of the campus, as i said before, there’s nothing which can replicate going to an open day/ campus tour (im saying this a someone who’s been to 5 open days 😂)
hope my perspective helps and best of luck for year 13 x

Reply 2

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by s4n44

Thank youuu I just went to newmans open day today and I enjoyed it I'm not looking to stay at a campus and am commuting by bus or by car if I pass by then I've booked myself a bcu open day as I've heard from others that it's really good so im stuck in between the 2 right now thank you for your advice its really helpful x

Hi @s4n44

That's great that you're coming for an open day, and have been to one at Newman - this should help you get a feel for both unis and help your decision.

I'd recommend having a look at the open day page below, especially the 'making the most out of an Open Day' section. I think an open day visit to both universities would help you get a feel for them both, and can hopefully help you with your decision.

https://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/open-days?utm_source=TSR&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=annual_profiles_117204&utm_content=openday

Any questions about BCU, feel free to ask away!

Best of luck with your decision!
Emily