Which unis have the best work-life balance?

Initially I had always wanted to go Cambridge because it’s always been hailed as the pinnacle of academia. But after reading recounts of experiences of other Cambridge I’m not too sure the intensive lifestyle would be more for me. I still want to go a high quality uni that challenges me to better my skills in my chosen subject but despise the idea of having to pull all nighters and sacrificing my sanity and health for a degree. I’m not really much of a drink/party kind of guy so I’m looking for unis that offer lots of sports and arts clubs ranging from entry to uni level. (I also really wanna try boxing at uni as well), any suggestions would be nice.

Original post by Tbc_losis

Initially I had always wanted to go Cambridge because it’s always been hailed as the pinnacle of academia. But after reading recounts of experiences of other Cambridge I’m not too sure the intensive lifestyle would be more for me. I still want to go a high quality uni that challenges me to better my skills in my chosen subject but despise the idea of having to pull all nighters and sacrificing my sanity and health for a degree. I’m not really much of a drink/party kind of guy so I’m looking for unis that offer lots of sports and arts clubs ranging from entry to uni level. (I also really wanna try boxing at uni as well), any suggestions would be nice.

Hey @Tbc_losis ,

It is great that to hear that you are taking into account what your wellbeing and mental health would be like depending on the uni you would go to.

Have you been to any open days for universities. Most of the time, there are student ambassadors around to answer questions about uni/work life balance. Do remember that everyones uni experience will be different and it is up to you to split your time between work and life. It is also great to see you have boxing in mind to try!

I do not drink or like to party so a university that recognised this was important. This might be something else you want to ask about at these open days, ie what other non drinking events does the uni hold.

I hope this helps. Some other factors you could consider when looking at universities:

•

distance from shops (food and other)

•

City or campus university (which one you would prefer)

•

sports facilities

Good luck!

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep - Final year BSc Psychology

Original post by Tbc_losis

Initially I had always wanted to go Cambridge because it’s always been hailed as the pinnacle of academia. But after reading recounts of experiences of other Cambridge I’m not too sure the intensive lifestyle would be more for me. I still want to go a high quality uni that challenges me to better my skills in my chosen subject but despise the idea of having to pull all nighters and sacrificing my sanity and health for a degree. I’m not really much of a drink/party kind of guy so I’m looking for unis that offer lots of sports and arts clubs ranging from entry to uni level. (I also really wanna try boxing at uni as well), any suggestions would be nice.

Hi!

Honestly, you're way ahead of where I was when considering universities as this didn't even cross my mind when applying. Luckily I ended up somewhere where there's a great work-life balance or at least the type of work-life balance that works best for me, so hopefully I might be able to help a little in you finding that too!

Unfortunately, it is hard to figure out whether or not universities set this as a priority for students without talking to people who have gone there as all of the unis marketing will say that they do. Websites like WhatUni and StudentCrowd may be good to look at and see what people on there are saying as it's separate from the universities site itself. As with all review sites though there are some extremely over-the-top good and bad reviews so I'd take those with a pinch of salt but having a look through and seeing the general consensus can normally highlight what a University is good at doing and where they could improve.

I hope this helps a little and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Reply 3

De Montfort University

Official Rep

16

Original post by Tbc_losis

Initially I had always wanted to go Cambridge because it’s always been hailed as the pinnacle of academia. But after reading recounts of experiences of other Cambridge I’m not too sure the intensive lifestyle would be more for me. I still want to go a high quality uni that challenges me to better my skills in my chosen subject but despise the idea of having to pull all nighters and sacrificing my sanity and health for a degree. I’m not really much of a drink/party kind of guy so I’m looking for unis that offer lots of sports and arts clubs ranging from entry to uni level. (I also really wanna try boxing at uni as well), any suggestions would be nice.

Hiya!
*
Just wanted to applaud your initiative as already said for thinking and prioritising your well-being whilst being a student as this can be easily forgotten which causes so many students to become burned out and overwhelmed; so, it’s great that you are thinking about this.*
*
To try and have the best work-life balance look at different universities and their courses and see how much contact time there is, and how much independent study you would be expected to do as a student.* If you can’t find this information, try and speak to students (something that you are already doing here on this platform) but you can also come to Open Days and speak to Student Ambassadors or see if other universities offer a platform where you can chat to students. Here is De Montfort’s incase you are interested
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/chat-with-a-student/index.aspx

As then you can get an idea of what life is like for us students. Also, something I would recommend for a great work life balance is see if the university offer any jobs to students.* I work on campus as a Student Ambassador, and it is great for numerous reasons but one being I can choose how often / how little I work – so If I have a busy week that week due to assignments, I will prioritise my assignments and not sign up for any shifts.* Maybe this is something can look into if you find a university you like.* Here is more information about De Montfort Student Ambassadors
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/community/public-engagement/ambassadors.aspx

As you said you are not into the drinking/ parties so have a look at what other activities you can engage in as it’s not everyone’s scene (It isn’t mine) look at what societies are at university as well as sports as this is where you can meet people and engage in something new like you said about boxing https://www.dmu.ac.uk/current-students/sport/sports-clubs/boxing.aspx.* Also look at what type of events the student union run as it helps with maintaining the work life balance here is just DMU's as an idea as most unions will run various fun events https://events.demontfortsu.com/

At the end of the day it is just research but perhaps look at employability rates, how many students graduate and begin work or go to further education as well as if there is a course you are interested in how highly does this rate in universities etc.

Hope this helps
-Maddie, second year health and well-being student at De Montfort University

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Honestly I think work life balance is what you make of it. You can manage it at most unis, I think it's just that the average student has poor time management skills to start with.

People do have plenty of "life" at Cambridge as well as doing their work...trust me.

Which unis have the best work-life balance?

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