Nottingham vs Manchester

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.

nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

username6069954

0

12

Hey! I have also applied for Notts; it depends on what you want from a uni. When it comes to rankings I wouldn't really pay attention because the degree you get will mean the same thing for employers. Manchester is far more expensive than Nottingham, but Manchester is probably more diverse. What kind career are you thinking of? Do you want to go to uni to meet people and network or are you more focused on the educational aspect?

Reply 2

Laffer

9

Original post by reva_sr

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.

nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

Manchester 100%, it's a great university with a fantastic international reputation. Nottingham is a good uni too, but the reputation just isn't as good as Manchester. Since you're international and may want to work in multiple countries the reputation of a uni matters even more. When you have offers from both, it just doesn't make sense to choose Nottingham.

Reply 3

Laffer

9

Original post by rowan_willow

Hey! I have also applied for Notts; it depends on what you want from a uni. When it comes to rankings I wouldn't really pay attention because the degree you get will mean the same thing for employers. Manchester is far more expensive than Nottingham, but Manchester is probably more diverse. What kind career are you thinking of? Do you want to go to uni to meet people and network or are you more focused on the educational aspect?

"When it comes to rankings I wouldn't really pay attention because the degree you get will mean the same thing for employers."

Strongly disagree with this, you could make that case for something like teaching or medicine which have external bodies setting a minimum standard for entrance into gated jobs. Simply not the case for something like development economics where there is no clear defined path, the courses will be different and employers will care. Not in any way saying Nottingham's is a poor offering, but it's not the same as Manchester and so that's why reputation does matter.

Reply 4

username6069954

0

12

Original post by Laffer

"When it comes to rankings I wouldn't really pay attention because the degree you get will mean the same thing for employers."

Strongly disagree with this, you could make that case for something like teaching or medicine which have external bodies setting a minimum standard for entrance into gated jobs. Simply not the case for something like development economics where there is no clear defined path, the courses will be different and employers will care. Not in any way saying Nottingham's is a poor offering, but it's not the same as Manchester and so that's why reputation does matter.

Idk I would argue employers are going to care more about experience rather than something as trivial as Uni rankings that can change so dramatically each year. On paper sure Manchester is better than Nottingham, but it depends on what you want to get out of it. If an Oxford graduate and Manchester graduate are both applying to the same job an employer isn't going to pick them based on uni, they will pick them based on who is more suitable for the job.

Reply 5

Laffer

9

Original post by rowan_willow

Idk I would argue employers are going to care more about experience rather than something as trivial as Uni rankings that can change so dramatically each year. On paper sure Manchester is better than Nottingham, but it depends on what you want to get out of it. If an Oxford graduate and Manchester graduate are both applying to the same job an employer isn't going to pick them based on uni, they will pick them based on who is more suitable for the job.

It's a fair point but one that unfortunately isn't representative of reality I'm afraid. Agreed employers care more about experience but for jobs worth having, everyone has experience and a solid CV. Companies get significantly more applications from highly suitable candidates than they have positions.
Recruiters need to rule out people somehow and doing so based on what uni is a quick and easy way to thin the pack. No it's not fair and rules out candidates who could do the job, but if you have 30 applicants, 1 job and 10 mins to decide on who you're going to interview, then anything you can use to discount people will be used.
I suspect it's more important for OP who is looking at poorly defined job specs in an international market and so they should go with the one which has the best international reputation.

Reply 6

reva_sr

OP

2

Original post by rowan_willow

Hey! I have also applied for Notts; it depends on what you want from a uni. When it comes to rankings I wouldn't really pay attention because the degree you get will mean the same thing for employers. Manchester is far more expensive than Nottingham, but Manchester is probably more diverse. What kind career are you thinking of? Do you want to go to uni to meet people and network or are you more focused on the educational aspect?

all the best for Nottingham! i'm actually looking to network more in the Uni, since my main aim is to choose a Uni which can offer the best job opportunities.

Reply 7

reva_sr

OP

2

Original post by Laffer

Manchester 100%, it's a great university with a fantastic international reputation. Nottingham is a good uni too, but the reputation just isn't as good as Manchester. Since you're international and may want to work in multiple countries the reputation of a uni matters even more. When you have offers from both, it just doesn't make sense to choose Nottingham.

yeah makes sense! development econ is a very vast subject, i would definitely need a Uni with a better reputation to enhance my job prospects. thanks!

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

Original post by reva_sr

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.

nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

Hiii , I’ve lived in manchester my whole life so this may be biased but manchester is a fun city , there is lots to do from concerts to shops and activities it’s great .aswell as great transport across the city for a low price. The fact that it’s rated highly is a bonus. Plus if you take advantage of all the opportunities available at uni for economics you’re bound to be attractive to employers.
The only down side would be manchester uni is in the city so it may be a bit more costly than Nottingham.

( this opinion doesn’t include comparing the course quality, just generic information sorry)

Reply 9

reva_sr

OP

2

Original post by Anonymous #1

Hiii , I’ve lived in manchester my whole life so this may be biased but manchester is a fun city , there is lots to do from concerts to shops and activities it’s great .aswell as great transport across the city for a low price. The fact that it’s rated highly is a bonus. Plus if you take advantage of all the opportunities available at uni for economics you’re bound to be attractive to employers.
The only down side would be manchester uni is in the city so it may be a bit more costly than Nottingham.
( this opinion doesn’t include comparing the course quality, just generic information sorry)

hi, thanks for your input!
i recently got an offer from LSE though so i'll be going there now lol. thanks anyway though :smile:

Reply 10

Anonymous #1

Original post by reva_sr

hi, thanks for your input!
i recently got an offer from LSE though so i'll be going there now lol. thanks anyway though :smile:

That’s great congrats!!

Reply 11

mark7424

1

Original post by reva_sr

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.
nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

Uhh I don’t know if it’s too late but Nottingham is regarded as a more targeted uni for IB. We actually got more people into IB last year than university of Michigan(relative to the size of the uni). Whilst UoM is better overall for the top paying careers like IB, strategy consulting and big law, Notts clears Manchester.

Reply 12

mark7424

1

Original post by reva_sr

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.
nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

Some articles to illustrate my point

https://www.efinancialcareers.com.au/news/2023/04/good-banking-universities

https://www.consultancy.uk/news/amp/24352/the-top-uk-universities-for-management-consulting

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3374335

https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/law-firms-preferred-universities-2019

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/news/2016/producing-partners-leading-law-firms.aspx#:~:text=The%20investigation%20found%20that%20the,King's%20College%20London%20and%20Durham.

So whilst UoM is good, Notts gives you that edge for the more competitive careers after uni

Reply 13

reva_sr

OP

2

Original post by mark7424

Some articles to illustrate my point
https://www.efinancialcareers.com.au/news/2023/04/good-banking-universities
https://www.consultancy.uk/news/amp/24352/the-top-uk-universities-for-management-consulting
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3374335
https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/law-firms-preferred-universities-2019
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/news/2016/producing-partners-leading-law-firms.aspx#:~:text=The%20investigation%20found%20that%20the,King's%20College%20London%20and%20Durham.
So whilst UoM is good, Notts gives you that edge for the more competitive careers after uni

Hey! thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it.
I got an offer from LSE though, so I'll be joining there this September!

Original post by reva_sr

hi, i'm an international student, about to pursue MSc in development economics from sep 2024.
i have received an offer from university of manchester and university of nottingham.
nottingham has a really beautiful campus, but manchester is ranked much above (#24) than nottingham (#100) in World QS rankings. i'm really torn on what to choose :frown:

can anyone offer any advice on the same?

Hello @reva_sr!
First of all, congratulations on your offers to study at both institutions!

In terms of the rankings, it is true that overall rankings may give you an idea with regards to how good the university is in a broader context. Nonetheless, the methodology with which these are made means that very small differences may translate into huge differences in the rankings at the end.

For making the best decision possible, I truly believe that there are a lot of factors that you can consider. For instance, matters such as the university's location, the transportation links, the accommodation and so forth are other metrics that may help to ultimately choose which option is the best for you. In this regard, University of Nottingham scores highly in those metrics as the city has excellent tram and bus network, for example.

For the course specifically, one starting point to help you decide is to have a look at the content that you will cover at both universities. The modules that you may study at Nottingham can be seen through the following link: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/course/taught/development-economics-msc

Feel free to ask us more questions!

All the best,
Abian.

(edited 8 months ago)

Nottingham vs Manchester

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