Uni search help for an American
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 1
I don't know where to start really!
University life in the UK is very different from what I have seen in the US. I will try to explain it as best I can.
Personal experience: I am a final-year student at the University of Lincoln. Lincoln is a small city with air and rail links close by. It is very easy to get to London (direct train), and if you like travelling, it is fairly easy to get to the local airports where you can get to Europe for as cheap as £10. I know quite a few people in Lincoln who go away on the weekends.
Typical Day: Most university courses run Monday through Friday and have lectures broken throughout the day. Typically, the day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials. Most universities also allow Wednesday as a 'sports and society' day. It is fairly common for no sessions on Wednesdays.
Accommodation: Accommodation really depends on where you are. They are typically split into either Halls of Residence or Private Accommodation. Halls are owned by the university and will either be catered or uncatered. It is fairly rare to find catered halls these days. Private accommodations are owned by businesses. One example is iQ.
With halls or private accommodation, you will either be in a flat or a studio. Flats are shared, with anywhere from 4 to 12 bedrooms, a shared kitchen, and a living space. Flats can also have an en-suite or shared bathroom. Studios are typically one room with a bed, desk, kitchen, and en-suite bathroom.
You can also privately rent your own flat or house. Many companies offer student houses with up to 6 bedrooms. Like many other people, spend the first year in halls and the last two years in a house.
Sports and Societies: In the UK we have lots of sports and societies at every university. Just google the university, and you will see the full list. I personally did Kayaking in my first year, which was great.
If you do a competitive sports team (Football, Rugby, Basketball, American Football to name a few...) you can go to Varsity/BUCS where you compete against other universities.
Most societies and sports will do socials throughout the week. A lot of socials are typically drinking socials in the city, but not all. Socials are a brilliant way to get to know other people at university and create a good network of friends.
Nightlife: Naturally moving on from the last point about socials, the nightlife in the UK is very different to the US. If you wasn't already aware, the drinking age here is 18. This means a lot of people at university will drink (not all though, there are plenty of things to do if not). The norm in the UK is to go and 'pre-drink', which is normally round at someone's flat, then go into town to the clubs. Cost of nights out in the UK will vary based on what you do. If you pre-drink before, it will be cheaper. Entry to clubs are around £5. Drinks are typically £5/6 depending on what you have.
A lot of big cities in the UK will do student nights throughout the week, where you get big deals on your drinks.
LGBTQ scene: Very accepted in the UK. Lots of LGBTQ societies at every uni. Most cities also have clubs which are particularly aimed at the LGBTQ community.
If you want to reply to this with any more questions about UK universities, more than happy to answer.
University life in the UK is very different from what I have seen in the US. I will try to explain it as best I can.
Personal experience: I am a final-year student at the University of Lincoln. Lincoln is a small city with air and rail links close by. It is very easy to get to London (direct train), and if you like travelling, it is fairly easy to get to the local airports where you can get to Europe for as cheap as £10. I know quite a few people in Lincoln who go away on the weekends.
Typical Day: Most university courses run Monday through Friday and have lectures broken throughout the day. Typically, the day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials. Most universities also allow Wednesday as a 'sports and society' day. It is fairly common for no sessions on Wednesdays.
Accommodation: Accommodation really depends on where you are. They are typically split into either Halls of Residence or Private Accommodation. Halls are owned by the university and will either be catered or uncatered. It is fairly rare to find catered halls these days. Private accommodations are owned by businesses. One example is iQ.
With halls or private accommodation, you will either be in a flat or a studio. Flats are shared, with anywhere from 4 to 12 bedrooms, a shared kitchen, and a living space. Flats can also have an en-suite or shared bathroom. Studios are typically one room with a bed, desk, kitchen, and en-suite bathroom.
You can also privately rent your own flat or house. Many companies offer student houses with up to 6 bedrooms. Like many other people, spend the first year in halls and the last two years in a house.
Sports and Societies: In the UK we have lots of sports and societies at every university. Just google the university, and you will see the full list. I personally did Kayaking in my first year, which was great.
If you do a competitive sports team (Football, Rugby, Basketball, American Football to name a few...) you can go to Varsity/BUCS where you compete against other universities.
Most societies and sports will do socials throughout the week. A lot of socials are typically drinking socials in the city, but not all. Socials are a brilliant way to get to know other people at university and create a good network of friends.
Nightlife: Naturally moving on from the last point about socials, the nightlife in the UK is very different to the US. If you wasn't already aware, the drinking age here is 18. This means a lot of people at university will drink (not all though, there are plenty of things to do if not). The norm in the UK is to go and 'pre-drink', which is normally round at someone's flat, then go into town to the clubs. Cost of nights out in the UK will vary based on what you do. If you pre-drink before, it will be cheaper. Entry to clubs are around £5. Drinks are typically £5/6 depending on what you have.
A lot of big cities in the UK will do student nights throughout the week, where you get big deals on your drinks.
LGBTQ scene: Very accepted in the UK. Lots of LGBTQ societies at every uni. Most cities also have clubs which are particularly aimed at the LGBTQ community.
If you want to reply to this with any more questions about UK universities, more than happy to answer.
Reply 2
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
Hey there!
Sounds really exciting! I'm a student at Cardiff University currently, and its a great experience
Student life at Cardiff is quite good, I would say. We have a very active student union, that holds both regular night outs and non-alcoholic events. There's over 200+ student societies, most of which are pretty active and hold regular events. A couple of them being CU Pride, the university's LGBTQ society (also being one of the bigger societies on campus I'd say), and TANGGS, a student society for people who identify as transgender. In general though, Cardiff is pretty queer friendly! There are also around two LGBTQ clubs in city center.
I am not a Modern History & Politics student myself unfortunately, but I have heard good things about the course. In particular its links to political institutions and the opportunity for placement opportunities. You'd find more info on the course page, but as someone who has just finished a placement year, I would say its a really good experience, and I'd recommend that for anybody who has the chance
In terms of ranking, Cardiff University is ranked on average 25th best in the UK. The uni has also been awarded TEF silver for teaching. TEF is the Teaching and Excellence Framework, which reviews teaching at universities. The silver rating basically means that the uni has been recognised as delivering high quality teaching, learning and outcomes for students.
I would say that you'd like the campus if you like a mix of nature and the city. There's loads of parks within and around Cathays campus, but its also right next to city center, only being a 10 minute walk. This is quite convenient! Its also a 15-20 minute walk to Cardiff Castle, if you wanted a change in scenery
Hope that helps, let me know if you had any other questions!
~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep
Reply 3
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
Hi there,
This is really exciting! I know quite a few students that have moved across the pond to study in Cardiff! Along with Fatiha's great answer, I want to share my own take on life in Cardiff and feel free to ask any questions !
To answer your other questions:
Student life: Cardiff student union is commonly ranked among the best in the UK, with access to multiple club nights a week, endless societies and sports clubs. It is a great way to get involved in student life!
LGBTQ Scene: There is a thriving LGBTQ scene in Cardiff, we just had our Pride, which is held at the castle and is a huge 2-day event and parade. You can read about my experience going last year here.
Academic Programs: Firstly, you can read here about our Modern History and Politics BA. This is a join honours degree at the department of History and Ancient History and the politics and international relations department. I am about to graduate from studying BScEcon International Relations and have studied some of the same modules that you would - if you'd like more academic insight then please let me know!
Reputation: Cardiff University is a Russel Group University (meaning it is one of 24 research-intensive universities) and is ranked 1st in Wales and 27th in the UK.
Teaching: You can find more specific information on your course page.
Cardiff: Cardiff is the capital city of Wales, home to the Welsh parliament and a lot of industry. You have easy access to the rest of the UK via car/ bus/ train and you are within 1 hours of Cardiff airport and Bristol airport, with flights to all over Europe. Cardiff is a really affordable and friendly city, commonly ranked highly and you have access to the Brecon Beacons (1 hour) or the Welsh coastlines (Barry Island is 40 minutes away)
The Campus: I believe that you would be based in the John Percival Building and the Law Building which are on the main campus, a convenient 10 minute walk from the city centre. You would also be near the student union and Centre for student life Centre for Student life to study at between lectures.
While I understand that it may be challenging to visit for an open day, please keep an eye on our instagram on July 5th and July 6th to see our live updates from our Open Day!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
Hi Jamesjamato117,
My name is Sofia and I am a final year Biochemistry student at the University of Sheffield. Hopefully, I can share a bit of my experience at the University of Sheffield.
The University is very well respected and is part of the Russell Group. This is backed up by the teaching I have received which has been brilliant. My lecturers are very passionate and knowledgeable which has been great throughout my degree!
Sheffield is a great city, and is a nice mix of having plenty to do (bars, cafes, activities) and also having a lot of green spaces (Weston Park, Endcliffe Park and the Peak District National Park). I have found this really lovely and often go hiking with my housemates to get a break from my studies.
Our campus is integrated into the city but the majority of the buildings are within a 3-5 minute walk of each other. There is also lots to do at our Student's Union, which has been named as best in the UK for the 7th year in a row !), which hosts the Foundry, Bar One, Coffee Revolution and many shops. This makes the Student's Union a great place to get some lunch with friends between lectures. There are also 100s of societies and sports clubs to get involved in. These are a great way to meet people who share the same interests as you and to try new things. Many clubs/ societies will run Give it a Go sessions so you can try them out at the start of the semester to see if you enjoy them.
In terms of the LGBTQ scene at Sheffield Uni, there is the LGBTQ night (GrapeFruit) run on a Friday in the Foundry which is located within the Student's Union. There are also LGBTQ student-led societies which you can find listed on the Student Union website
I have really enjoyed my time at Sheffield, please don't hesitate to ask me any other questions you may have. I wish you all the best with your university journey!
Hope this helped,
Sofia
Reply 5
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
I would consider Brighton Uni. It has 4 different Politics degrees and a few others that contain politics. i.e History and Politics. Also with the LGBT scene, Brighton is considered the gay capital of England. The city of Brighton is right down the bottom of England and is kinda beachy?? It’s a very liberal/left wing area too and i’m looking to go to university there myself for much the same reasons as you.
Reply 6
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
Hi there,
It's great to hear you are planning on studying in the UK!
I don't go to or know much about the universities you are interested in, but I just returned from studying abroad in the US. You've been given some great advice and insight in these replies already, but I just thought I'd add a few things.
The research can be tricky, and there are definitely some differences between the two, but don't be deterred by the research you do online. In my personal experience, although it would be different as an exchange, I still felt like there were things I didn't know. Don't be put off by this though, as you'll pick up on it quickly, adapt to the environment, and it will be an incredible experience!
I'd also recommend chatting to other international students or students studying the same course at these universities, as this can be a great way to find out about personal opinions and experiences. I've linked the 'Chat to a Student' feature for each of them here: Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University.
I hope this helps and best of luck!
Isabella 🙂
Third-year Geography with a Year Abroad Student
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 7
Hello! Happy to hear you're interested in York
I am a final year international student who absolute loves York and I'll do my best to answer your questions!
Student life: York has loads of societies, over 200, and I think closer to 250, so anything you are interested in you can probably get involved with. We have lots of different sports you can do, and because of the college system, many of these sports can be done on a more casual level, in college teams rather than University teams. The college system is amazing, it gives you a smaller community and more opportunities to form friendships. Many of my friends I met through my college.
LGBTQ scene: York has a thriving community of LGBTQ students, with occasional club nights specifically for LGBTQ students. Each college has at least one LGBTQ officer, and the Glasshouse, one of our on-campus student bars, runs a Drag Bingo event around once a year, as well as Drag performances at the Summer Ball, if that's something you like! York also has a yearly pride parade.
The academic programs: Please take a look at the History and Politics webpage https://www.york.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/ba-history-politics/, but as a History student myself I take some of the same modules and there are some very unique and interesting ones! The module options were one of my main reasons for choosing York.
Reputation: York ranks very highly for History and Politics, and the University itself is a Russell Group Institution.
Teaching: The teaching is split into lectures and seminars, with the seminars typically being longer. The seminars are opportunities to discuss your ideas, and understand the content in small group settings, and the lecture provide an overview of the week's topic. You will be assigned weekly reading to use during seminar discussions, usually a specific aspect of that week's topic or particular historian.
City: York is on the small side, but I find there is lots to do! York has some amazing restaurants and cafes, and we have all the main shops you might want. There are also a few retail parks outside the city, accessible by bus, and the Designer Outlet. York is known for being a safe city.
Campus: We have two campuses, East and West. Each has a few different colleges, with the ones on East being newer and self-catered, and the ones on West being older, and mainly catered. Most departments are based on West, but that doesn't mean you should choose West over East, as there is only around a 20 minute walk between the two, and free shuttle buses. The campus is very green and there is a lot of wildlife. Mainly ducks and geese, but I've seen rabbits, foxes, and squirrels as well.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask!
I am a final year international student who absolute loves York and I'll do my best to answer your questions!
Student life: York has loads of societies, over 200, and I think closer to 250, so anything you are interested in you can probably get involved with. We have lots of different sports you can do, and because of the college system, many of these sports can be done on a more casual level, in college teams rather than University teams. The college system is amazing, it gives you a smaller community and more opportunities to form friendships. Many of my friends I met through my college.
LGBTQ scene: York has a thriving community of LGBTQ students, with occasional club nights specifically for LGBTQ students. Each college has at least one LGBTQ officer, and the Glasshouse, one of our on-campus student bars, runs a Drag Bingo event around once a year, as well as Drag performances at the Summer Ball, if that's something you like! York also has a yearly pride parade.
The academic programs: Please take a look at the History and Politics webpage https://www.york.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/ba-history-politics/, but as a History student myself I take some of the same modules and there are some very unique and interesting ones! The module options were one of my main reasons for choosing York.
Reputation: York ranks very highly for History and Politics, and the University itself is a Russell Group Institution.
Teaching: The teaching is split into lectures and seminars, with the seminars typically being longer. The seminars are opportunities to discuss your ideas, and understand the content in small group settings, and the lecture provide an overview of the week's topic. You will be assigned weekly reading to use during seminar discussions, usually a specific aspect of that week's topic or particular historian.
City: York is on the small side, but I find there is lots to do! York has some amazing restaurants and cafes, and we have all the main shops you might want. There are also a few retail parks outside the city, accessible by bus, and the Designer Outlet. York is known for being a safe city.
Campus: We have two campuses, East and West. Each has a few different colleges, with the ones on East being newer and self-catered, and the ones on West being older, and mainly catered. Most departments are based on West, but that doesn't mean you should choose West over East, as there is only around a 20 minute walk between the two, and free shuttle buses. The campus is very green and there is a lot of wildlife. Mainly ducks and geese, but I've seen rabbits, foxes, and squirrels as well.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask!
Reply 8
Original post by Jamesjamato117
Hi! I am an American and im deadset on studying History & Politics in the UK (with a specific intrest in modern western history) I have been looking at Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, University of York, University of Sheffield, and Newcastle University. I've done some reasearch into each but I can only learn so much from a uni's website. I want to get a idea of student life, LGBTQ scene. the academic programs, reputation, teaching, cities they are in, the campus, etc. Can anyone help me out?
How about University of Essex?
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