St andrews or queen’s uni belfast

I am an NI student struggling to decide whether to stay at home or move away. To stay at home I would have to pick from a chemistry or physics degree whereas if I move away I could study chemistry and physics together. I’m aware that StA has a reputation for being full of “private school oxbridge rejects” which I am sure is true to some extent and therefore I worry about fitting in. It is also more expensive to move away, however, StA is a good uni with a high student satisfaction rating. With QUB, I’m familiar with the campus but as I would be staying at home, I could easily fall into a trap of isolating myself from the uni experience. Any guidance is much appreciated

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post by Anonymous

I am an NI student struggling to decide whether to stay at home or move away. To stay at home I would have to pick from a chemistry or physics degree whereas if I move away I could study chemistry and physics together. I’m aware that StA has a reputation for being full of “private school oxbridge rejects” which I am sure is true to some extent and therefore I worry about fitting in. It is also more expensive to move away, however, StA is a good uni with a high student satisfaction rating. With QUB, I’m familiar with the campus but as I would be staying at home, I could easily fall into a trap of isolating myself from the uni experience. Any guidance is much appreciated

Hiya,

These types of decisions are so common when it comes to picking what uni is best for you, as I remember having to decide between staying down south or moving up north to come to Lancaster to study astrophysics. Ultimately, I took the decision to move away from home and would definitely do it again. However, it all depends on what it is you want to get out of your uni experience (I was lucky in the sense that I wanted to move away from home to experience living independently and that I wanted to go to a uni that has a great physics department, so Lancaster was a great choice for me).

I think it might be worth you weighing up pros and cons that apply to you, which (from what you have said) might include:

•

academic opportunities: having the choice of studying both chemistry and physics would be great if you're unsure about what you want to study but having the choice to do either chemistry or physics straight away would allow you to have a more focused academic path

•

good student satisfaction: StA may have a reputation of particular students but looking beyond those stereotypes and considering the other opportunities available in terms of the departments / what it is that aligns best with your academic and personal goals is well worth weighing up

•

finance: consider whether the potential benefits of studying at StA outweigh the costs / are worth it. they may also offer bursaries for students so it might be worth exploring any financial aid they may have for students

•

balancing independence with support: moving away can offer yourself independence and new experiences but a lack of support that you would get from home. it's up to you wether you would prefer to be at home, with familiarity but potentially limit your university experience or if you would prefer to move and live more independently.

Overall, it's mainly up to you and what you want ot get out of your university experience. Speak to friends / family or even teachers to see if they have any advice that may help make your decision.

I hope all this helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Wishing you all the best!
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hiya,
These types of decisions are so common when it comes to picking what uni is best for you, as I remember having to decide between staying down south or moving up north to come to Lancaster to study astrophysics. Ultimately, I took the decision to move away from home and would definitely do it again. However, it all depends on what it is you want to get out of your uni experience (I was lucky in the sense that I wanted to move away from home to experience living independently and that I wanted to go to a uni that has a great physics department, so Lancaster was a great choice for me).
I think it might be worth you weighing up pros and cons that apply to you, which (from what you have said) might include:

•

academic opportunities: having the choice of studying both chemistry and physics would be great if you're unsure about what you want to study but having the choice to do either chemistry or physics straight away would allow you to have a more focused academic path

•

good student satisfaction: StA may have a reputation of particular students but looking beyond those stereotypes and considering the other opportunities available in terms of the departments / what it is that aligns best with your academic and personal goals is well worth weighing up

•

finance: consider whether the potential benefits of studying at StA outweigh the costs / are worth it. they may also offer bursaries for students so it might be worth exploring any financial aid they may have for students

•

balancing independence with support: moving away can offer yourself independence and new experiences but a lack of support that you would get from home. it's up to you wether you would prefer to be at home, with familiarity but potentially limit your university experience or if you would prefer to move and live more independently.

Overall, it's mainly up to you and what you want ot get out of your university experience. Speak to friends / family or even teachers to see if they have any advice that may help make your decision.
I hope all this helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Wishing you all the best!
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

thank you so much this was very helpful 🙂

St andrews or queen’s uni belfast

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