Edinburgh University low student satisfaction

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Reply 1

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Have you looked at your chosen course on discover uni and looked at the breakdown of satisfaction scores. That might help you understand if the areas that are weaker are areas that you have concerns about

Reply 2

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by Infectilion

Discover Uni has my courses student satisfaction at 75% which does sound good right? I was just a bit off put when i saw the rating on the league tables.

75% isn’t amazing but its not terrible either.

have you looked at the breakdown to see which questions are getting low responses?

The league tables will be using slightly older data and will group together a bunch of courses in the subject tables (and all courses in the overall ranking)

Reply 3

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by Infectilion

where can I see the breakdown? here is the link if it helps: https://discoveruni.gov.uk/course-details/10007790/UTCHENMMENG/Full-time/

Scroll down and click on this + sign

it’ll list out the results for the 20+ different questions.

Reply 4

Cpz

8

Original post by PQ

Scroll down and click on this + sign

it’ll list out the results for the 20+ different questions.

I am very interested in Edinburgh's ba fine art course. But I saw 63% overall satisfaction from the course on discoveruni website. Is that close to be bad or worse?

Reply 5

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by Cpz

I am very interested in Edinburgh's ba fine art course. But I saw 63% overall satisfaction from the course on discoveruni website. Is that close to be bad or worse?

It depends on what areas scored low, whether those areas are vital for you to thrive and whether ECA has put in place any changes to start addressing those issues.

Look at the full breakdown to see where the lowest results are and then talk to Edinburgh if you have concerns.

NSS scores are really useful but their value is in the details and the conversations and questions they prompt not just a ranking.

Reply 6

Cpz

8

Original post by PQ

It depends on what areas scored low, whether those areas are vital for you to thrive and whether ECA has put in place any changes to start addressing those issues.
Look at the full breakdown to see where the lowest results are and then talk to Edinburgh if you have concerns.
NSS scores are really useful but their value is in the details and the conversations and questions they prompt not just a ranking.

Thanks a lot to your knowledge, Does ECA still hold a very good reputation in art both domestically and internationally, despite this?

Reply 7

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by Cpz

Thanks a lot to your knowledge, Does ECA still hold a very good reputation in art both domestically and internationally, despite this?

Employers don’t look at NSS scores.

They do look at your portfolio of work and your degree classification - so you need to find the course and the place where you personally will thrive.

Reply 8

Cpz

8

Original post by PQ

Employers don’t look at NSS scores.
They do look at your portfolio of work and your degree classification - so you need to find the course and the place where you personally will thrive.

Thank you mate!

Reply 9

KKR75

2

Original post by PQ

Have you looked at your chosen course on discover uni and looked at the breakdown of satisfaction scores. That might help you understand if the areas that are weaker are areas that you have concerns about

Discover Uni has size of survey’s sample that is statistically irrelevant. 25 students answering a survey? It’s a joke, not a meaningful survey.

Reply 10

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Original post by KKR75

Discover Uni has size of survey’s sample that is statistically irrelevant. 25 students answering a survey? It’s a joke, not a meaningful survey.

Discover uni publication thresholds will only show data for a course if the response rate for that course is over 50% (and there are 10 or more responses).

It’s not a sampling survey or a poll. It’s small numbers because they avoid merging data for multiple courses where possible to allow applicants to make comparisons.

Reply 11

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Hello. I am a Edi Uni Student, and I think the mental health support has gotten much better. I am studying psychology, and I have just finished first year - it is a lot more work than high school, but I have been really enjoying it :smile:

Reply 12

PenguinRock

3

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Ohh, don't get me wrong, we're fighting for our lives here — this is a uni run by cowboys. VC Peter Mathieson was run out of Hong Kong for being a diplomatic liability, and he's done everything possible to run down Edinburgh's credibility. They rent him a mansion on Edinburgh's priciest street. Copious expenses, including his garden's eucalyptus trees, all while our uni terms are savaged by strikes.
It's so tone-deaf: the man has two 24-hour chauffeurs. Persistent attempts to platform bigots, transphobic propaganda, a prominent social media terf comedian being imposed as Rector without students getting a vote, getting private security in to rough up pro-trans protesters, been no less awful over Gaza, still not a whisper of the university divesting its copious investments in arms manufacturers (unlike other institutions such as York and Goldsmiths), never mind the way Mathieson covered up the horrendous workplace bullying allegations against one of his senior team, which went public due to the testimony of one professor who no longer feared recriminations because he was dying of terminal cancer. Last year, due to strikes, some students weren't awarded their degrees, and the same bullying professor shouted them down at graduation when they cheered and clapped for their cause, and jeered the uni's excuses that "the goal of the uni is to provide an education".

So none of us are guaranteed a degree, but the uni does have its upsides: this is a lovely (though pricey) place to live, and I don't regret choosing it; not least because I've met some lovely people here, had a lovely time, watched my favourite band play my favourite song at Hogmanay just after the bells have gone and I didn't even have to pay for the train to the gig, because I live here. The clubs aren't great, but there's a great range of pubs. It all has a lot of character. There's real social history, it's fascinating, this is a city of dichotomy, mass prosperity and mass poverty — the New Town exists because they wanted a new shiny area away from all of the working classes, and now that tumbledown 'working class' area is parcelled away by cashfed landlords to provide August holiday lets for the perennial cash cow, American tourists.

There are some wonderful people here. I met one, and now we're living together, in the same bed and everything.

Student satisfaction — you make your own, no matter how grim the circumstances. You might not like it here — tons of us don't — there's times I actively don't, but I still don't really regret it. Better to be here then Keele or something. The uni still has a bit of prestige, and Edinburgh's a fascinating place to live, and you can just spend day after day just walking around between your classes and listening to music and exploring. Plus there's open green spaces, the Meadows is great for a summer tinnie or too. The train, right in the centre of the city, for a day-trip, and the madness of the Fringe, but culture all year round too... free museums, free galleries... there's so much I haven't seen yet, and I'm three-years-deep. (Including Dean Village, which I still haven't got round to visiting yet.)

I'd love to relive the last three years and do them all over again. Whenever I log onto TSR I get nostalgic for when I first looked on here before I was even a student. Wherever you go, you must make your own student satisfaction.

Reply 13

Anonymous #3

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Hi, I’m just finishing my first year at Edinburgh and whilst I can’t speak for everyone, I’ve found the support great. Will say that you have to look for it and ask for it yourself and that particularly academic support can vary across the different schools (I’m a history student so I don’t know about STEM subjects) but once you find support I’ve found them really helpful. I might have a slightly different view than some though as I’m autistic so registered with the disability and learning service, so far I’m loving my time at Edinburgh !

Reply 14

ashestostardust

15

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

Hi - about to graduate here! Can say having used a lot of the support services that they are there, you just have to advocate for yourself really well.

I will say on student satisfaction that most people here dislike the senior management (including staff members) for the decisions they make about the uni. It's very frustrating at times but what it has created, subsequently, is a close, thriving, activist student community that really knows how to come together during hard times.

At a degree level, every course is different and some schools within the uni have different policies on student support. The STEM schools, in particular, seem to hate giving out extensions on coursework - even if your relative has died - whereas the Humanities schools are a hell of a lot more lenient.

I love Edinburgh (the city) with all my heart and it does make up for the uni's current failings. There's always something going on and the public transport system is absolute class so you can get really anywhere for cheap. Definitely come to an Open Day to see if you like the vibe!

Reply 15

wjhvfkawvf

3

Original post by Anonymous

When looking at university rankings Edinburgh has very low student satisfaction ratings compared to other places, I did find another post on here asking about this same issue but it was 5 years ago and people were complaining about lack of mental health support so i was wondering if anything has changed. I am thinking of studying Chemical Engineering but i also want to enjoy my time at university any thoughts anyone?

how studying at edi feels (from a third year physicist)

Reply 16

RomanChaika

3

Just less than two weeks before the results day, having Edi as my firm choice, I start seeing so many bad reviews about this uni, it scares me... I am not going to change my mind but makes me feel concerned

Edinburgh University low student satisfaction

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