Southampton vs Loughborough - psych/crim

Hi guys!
I was wondering if anyone here might have some insight into choosing between Southampton and Loughborough uni. I keep going back and forth between the two and I think hearing how each uni is from students/people in the area might be a good way to go.
Online they’re both pretty similar stats wise etc so I was thinking about more specific bits that aren’t really mentioned much like support for placement years, (if Southampton) how it is being based not on a campus, how is the accommodation, what the timetables are like, how organised lecturers are (I think Southampton give a handbook of the plans over the whole year?), ratio of in person to online, is the workload manageable, basically any of the smallest details that you might think make the uni better or worse!!
(I’m hoping to study psych with crim so if anyone does that course as well that would be great)
Thank you to anyone who answers

Have you visited both?

Hi @egcook ,

Great to hear you are considering Loughborough

I study straight Psychology at Loughborough so can give you some insight to the course and Loughborough in general.

The rankings for Psychology at Loughborough are high. I personally really enjoy the course here as you have the opportunity to learn many aspects of Psychology through many different modules. I feel the modules have been interesting and in first year gave me a base knowledge that I needed to progress.

If you haven't already I would recommend taking a look at 'What you'll Study' on the course page to see the range of modules you will study. You can also choose some optional modules- I have enjoyed tailoring the course to suit me (I think there are less optional modules with Psychology with Criminology as there are compulsory modules for both the psych and crim parts). When making my decision I found it useful to compare these modules in detail with other Universities I was considering to see which suited me best.

If you are considering doing a placement/year abroad Loughborough is great as they offer so much support in searching and securing a placement/year abroad- I found this particularly helpful when securing my placement year. Loughborough offers a placement for every course (I feel it is quite a big thing here) so the support in each department is really good.

I have found the timetable manageable. At the start of each module everything is broken down for you for example, how many hours the module has for lectures, seminars, tutorials etc and individual study. Coursework and exams are also outlined at the start so you know what to expect. This helps map out the workload for each module you have that semester.
Regarding how the course is taught, I have always had everything delivered in person apart from maybe a placement talk- but all the course content has seemed to be in person (but is recorded so you can either watch it again or catch up if you couldn't make it).

Accommodation- at Loughborough there is a lot of choice and it is all good in my eyes! Pretty much all the halls accommodation is on campus. Take a look at our accommodation page to see what we have- there is such a variety e.g self catered/catered, en-suit/shared bathroom so take a look to see what suits you.

Some insight into Loughborough in general. Loughborough is very much a student town and as you are on a campus it has such a strong community feel- I really love this as it is not as you tend to see a lot of people you know. People are really friendly and I have met some great friends. The facilities at Loughborough are amazing- particularly for sport but also for learning. During the week most social events happens on campus through the Student Union. For example, there tend to be 2 nights out in the week (Wednesday and Friday) and events during the day which differ week to week. Take a look at our student union website for more insight here. At the weekends more seems to happen off campus. In town (which is walking distance from campus) there are multiple pubs, bars, cafe's, restaurants and nightclubs which tend to be full of students at the weekend. You do need to bear in mind that Loughborough is a town so can't offer what big cities can. If we fancy a bigger city night out we tend to go to either Nottingham or Leicester on the train as they are both approximately 20 minutes away. The train station isn't far from campus and there is a campus shuttle which goes to the station.

Sorry that is a lot of information! I hope that helps. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask me

Alex