Rankings are totally unreliable as you have found and not a basis of where to apply. They dont tell where the course and location is right for you. There is very little difference in say the top 20 universities and they change yearly. For example some use student satisfaction rates. This is totally meaningless. You might have cases of disgruntled students who didnt achieve the grades they wanted marking the university down because of it. Because of the small numbers involved in subject rabkngs a ouple of students have a disproportionate effect.
Look st the things that matter. Where does the course including optional modules interest you the most. What location will you feel most interest in going to. How far or near to home do you want to be. Are you interested in a big or mall city. Do you want to be in a campus university where everything is on 1 site or a city university where buildings are spread across the city and you live in the city or suburbs. Is nightlife or sports important to you. Which university offers these.
There is far more to choosing a university than what a paper decides.
Look st the things that matter. Where does the course including optional modules interest you the most. What location will you feel most interest in going to. How far or near to home do you want to be. Are you interested in a big or mall city. Do you want to be in a campus university where everything is on 1 site or a city university where buildings are spread across the city and you live in the city or suburbs. Is nightlife or sports important to you. Which university offers these.
There is far more to choosing a university than what a paper decides.
Original post by JSF_JSF
It seems that every ranking is different, apart from having Oxford and Cambridge in the top 3
Not sure which one to trust to decide on application's aspirational choice
Not sure which one to trust to decide on application's aspirational choice
What are your other choices?
What are your priorities?
There's lots of people on TSR who would be able to offer advice
thank you so much for your replies. this is very useful. I live in Singapore (originally from France) and I am applying to UK universities and am struggling to make the right choice. I am looking for a well ranked course because of the prospects for graduate school or employment but also want a place where i can do a lot of sports. As for the weather, i realise that coming from Singapore everywhere will be a thermal shock 🙂 I have so far applied to st andrews, bath, manchester and considering adding Edinburgh and another one. Any guidance would be much appreciated. I apparently have the predicted grades to get into those schools. thanks!
As someone who’s gone through the application process, graduated and got a job (albeit through the Health and Applied Sciences route (Biomedical Science), I can assure you where you attend makes absolutely no difference which uni you go to (I went to and graduated from UWE), not particularly high ranking but not near the low end either, a comfortable middle.
Uni rankings are nothing more than for people who like to think they’re better than a lot of people as once you get your first job, no one cares where you attended, just your experience.
Uni rankings are nothing more than for people who like to think they’re better than a lot of people as once you get your first job, no one cares where you attended, just your experience.
Original post by JSF_JSF
thank you so much for your replies. this is very useful. I live in Singapore (originally from France) and I am applying to UK universities and am struggling to make the right choice. I am looking for a well ranked course because of the prospects for graduate school or employment but also want a place where i can do a lot of sports. As for the weather, i realise that coming from Singapore everywhere will be a thermal shock 🙂 I have so far applied to st andrews, bath, manchester and considering adding Edinburgh and another one. Any guidance would be much appreciated. I apparently have the predicted grades to get into those schools. thanks!
Coming from Singapore you will find Bath and St Andrews totally different. They are very small places, Durham and Exeter are similar places and both excellent for sports. Another issue students from Singapore find is that the UK has far higher crime rates than Singapore and students from your country might feel safer on campus universities than in the bigger cities. I think Durham and Exeter might be good options
Original post by JSF_JSF
It seems that every ranking is different, apart from having Oxford and Cambridge in the top 3
Not sure which one to trust to decide on application's aspirational choice
Not sure which one to trust to decide on application's aspirational choice
Which course interests you the most, which university is in the location that appeals to you the most and most importantly, does it come with a sandwich year?
No one in the computing industry cares where you went. I have shown 1st class Oxbridge grads the door at interview because they have no inter-personal skills. All a degree says to an employer is that you can sit exams. This is not a skill required in the computing industry. What employees want is grads with skills and experience, hence the importance of a sandwich year.
So spot fretting about rankings and focus more on you. Rankings are a very crude marketing ploy created by the universities to create competition where there is no competition.
Original post by swanseajack1
Coming from Singapore you will find Bath and St Andrews totally different. They are very small places, Durham and Exeter are similar places and both excellent for sports. Another issue students from Singapore find is that the UK has far higher crime rates than Singapore and students from your country might feel safer on campus universities than in the bigger cities. I think Durham and Exeter might be good options
thanks very much. I live in Singapore but am actually French so have had my share of street fights. Just kidding...
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