Uni of Leicester vs Uni of Kent

I have offers from both uni of Leicester and Kent and I'm not sure which one to choose for a BSc psychology course. They're both pretty high up on the league table for psychology. Which one would be better in terms of employability, fresher salary and post-graduate prospects? Kent is higher up on the tables for psych but lower in terms of overall ranks. I only have the third option of going to University of York but from what I've heard it's better to go to a non-russell institution for undergrad? considering affordability for an international student

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Picnicl

15

Leicester's research quality is better than Kent for Psychology and more of its graduates go on to do something related to Psychology. (see www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk). Leicester's rankings mainly get lowered by their achievable entry grades as Leicester has long aimed to be 'elite without being elitist'. The University of Leicester actually used to have its degrees awarded by the world known University of London before the 1970s. You'd also be based in the nice new George Davies building. I studied English at the University of Leicester. I absolutely loved the small knit campus that has so many buildings in it of striking architectural contrasts. One of them is the architecturally famous Engineering Building by Stirling and Gowan. Leicester is the kind of place where the university and the halls of residences (halls are often beautiful converted manor houses in the leafy Leicester suburb of Oadby) and the green spaces are the best parts. See some of my recent posts for more about Leicester University. The university is about 40 years older than the University of Kent too. The University of Leicester is particularly good for History, some foreign languages, Medicine, Archaeology, Media and Communication, English and it has claims to fame - DNA fingerprinting was developed there and the University of Leicester helped find the remains of King Richard III underneath a Leicester car park spot that, fittingly, said 'R' (for 'reserved') on it. Do you know that Sir David Attenborough even grew up within the grounds of the campus to academic parents? The tallest building on campus, built in the 1960s, was named the Attenborough Building (or Attenborough Tower).I had a wonderful time there in the mid 1990s and at least one person, who was studying Law and went on to be a solicitor, is one of the nicest and clever people I've ever met. He was quite like Stephen Fry actually.
Coincidentally, I left the University of Leicester after a year as I decided I wanted to study Philosophy, which the University of Leicester doesn't teach. I went to the University of York which I didn't like as the campus is isolated and was dreary but it does look a bit better now than when I went. But York is not a fun university, you need to know that.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 2

samyzz

OP

Original post by Picnicl

Leicester's research quality is better than Kent for Psychology and more of its graduates go on to do something related to Psychology. (see www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk). Leicester's rankings mainly get lowered by their achievable entry grades as Leicester has long aimed to be 'elite without being elitist'. The University of Leicester actually used to have its degrees awarded by the world known University of London before the 1970s. You'd also be based in the nice new George Davies building. I studied English at the University of Leicester. I absolutely loved the small knit campus that has so many buildings in it of striking architectural contrasts. One of them is the architecturally famous Engineering Building by Stirling and Gowan. Leicester is the kind of place where the university and the halls of residences (halls are often beautiful converted manor houses in the leafy Leicester suburb of Oadby) and the green spaces are the best parts. See some of my recent posts for more about Leicester University. The university is about 40 years older than the University of Kent too. The University of Leicester is particularly good for History, some foreign languages, Medicine, Archaeology, Media and Communication, English and it has claims to fame - DNA fingerprinting was developed there and the University of Leicester helped find the remains of King Richard III underneath a Leicester car park spot that, fittingly, said 'R' (for 'reserved') on it. Do you know that Sir David Attenborough even grew up within the grounds of the campus to academic parents? The tallest building on campus, built in the 1960s, was named the Attenborough Building (or Attenborough Tower).I had a wonderful time there in the mid 1990s and at least one person, who was studying Law and went on to be a solicitor, is one of the nicest and clever people I've ever met. He was quite like Stephen Fry actually.
Coincidentally, I left the University of Leicester after a year as I decided I wanted to study Philosophy, which the University of Leicester doesn't teach. I went to the University of York which I didn't like as the campus is isolated and was dreary but it does look a bit better now than when I went. But York is not a fun university, you need to know that.

thank you so much for the info ! this helped a lot

Original post by samyzz

I have offers from both uni of Leicester and Kent and I'm not sure which one to choose for a BSc psychology course. They're both pretty high up on the league table for psychology. Which one would be better in terms of employability, fresher salary and post-graduate prospects? Kent is higher up on the tables for psych but lower in terms of overall ranks. I only have the third option of going to University of York but from what I've heard it's better to go to a non-russell institution for undergrad? considering affordability for an international student

Hi @samyzz,

I hope you're keeping well.

To be honest, both Unis are fantastic, especially from what I've read so far. I can tell you a bit about my experience here at Kent, as I think that would help you out a bit, but honestly by the end of this my advice is going to be try, if you can, to go to the Open Days (spoilers).
Now, I can't lie, a lot of different rankings (though very useful), do become quite skewed at the minute level, and so at least in my opinion, they tend to be better in terms of relative ranking (i.e are they above the mean, how regularly do they perform well, etc.). In this sense, both Leicester and Kent have really good performances, and so I don't doubt that studying at either will be any less rewarding.
I will say, since I am still biased, Kent does pay more in terms of graduate salaries, and that's most likely as a result of geography, as it's essentially a commuter city to London, down in the south, reaping all the economic benefits whilst not having the tiny, 1 room studio in a flat. Affordability, again, Kent is more affordable, but by £2,000 which is not too much as you're comparing £22,000 to £24,000. That money wouldn't hurt in terms of helping with all your maintenence for food and going out though. I'd definitely suggest looking here at the scholarship loans, and applying to all which apply to you: https://www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/undergraduate. If you're unsure whether you eligible, I'd suggest still applying, as that's usually a sign that you are probably the target audience for the respective scholarship.

In terms of post-grad prospects, I couldn't say for definite, how you'd fair after Kent, let alone which one is better - as it is 100% determined by you. However, Kent is absolutely a brilliant starting point to set off your career. If you're interested in following through with a Masters or PhD, Kent is definitely a great place to learn, as graduating well from here gives you opportunities to go onto Unis with more brand value. I say brand value, since places like UCL, KCL, Yale (tbh I've been told by lecturers of alumni who have gone onto study at Cambridge, Harvard, Berkeley, etc. but I actually am not as familiar with the American system), don't surprisingly show as much support as you'd find in Kent, but are more famous. I say support, since our modules have drop-in sessions (hourly classes to just ask questions), weekly consulation hours with lecturers, you're given your own academic advisor, we have departments for academic support, mental health support, work opportunity support, etc. So a lot of students study here to get a good foundation in their learning, and go on to further education for the brand. But again, others continue to study here as Kent is still a fantastic place to learn.

The campus is beautiful here as well, which is definitely a welcome bonus. It's a refreshing mix of rural-urban, where we have animals and birds wandering around everywhere, but we're close enough to the city to not have to starve during the harsh winters. As I said earlier, I'd suggest taking the time to visit both Unis during their open days or applicant days, and please ask questions! I'm sure both would be more than happy to want to help you out. If, by any chance this isn't possible, please feel free to contact our head of admissions whose details can be found on his site:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/psychology/people/2978/martin-andrew . (I don't think I can put emails or phone numbers on threads here at TSR, but it's not too difficult to find).

Anyways, I hope this helps you out, even if just a bit.

Warm regards,

David :smile:

University of Kent Student Rep

Uni of Leicester vs Uni of Kent

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