Anglia Ruskin Peterborough or university of Stirling

I have offer letter from Anglia Ruskin university Peterborough campus in BSc data and analytical science and a offer from university of Stirling in BSc computing science. I am confused as which one to choose. Anglia Ruskin is a lot cheaper than Stirling. Which one is better, tell me about the both universities and also about the respective cities as location is one the factor in my decision.

Reply 1

ARUSophie

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there!

That’s such an exciting decision to have ahead of you! First off, congrats on the offers, you’re clearly doing something right!

I have to admit, I don’t know much about Stirling, but I did graduate from Anglia Ruskin (Cambridge campus), so I might be a little biased! ARU has a fantastic community feel, and they’re great at supporting students through every aspect of uni life. Their wellbeing team is awesome, they offer everything from mental health support to academic advice, which can be a real lifesaver during stressful times.

ARU also does a great job of helping students transition into uni life, and the teaching staff are really supportive!

I hope this helps somewhat! Good luck making your decision and with your degree going forward 🙂

Sophie

Reply 2

ARUStudents

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hi there,

Congratulations on your offers! My name is Susannah and I'm a final year student at ARU. I study on our Cambridge Campus but I live in Peterborough and have friends at the Peterborough campus, so I hope I can provide some helpful insight about our university for you.

I's like to start with saying that ARU was University of the Year in 2023, which is an amazing accomplishment, and we also won a Gold TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework) in the same year.

Here at ARU, there is lots of support to help students with their academic journey, from application to post graduation. Some of the support services available at all ARU campuses include:

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Employability - they support you with writing a cover letter writing, creating your CV, applying for placement/internships as well as getting a job during and after your degree

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ARU Temps - ARU's own Temp agency, they help get you jobs with the university, as well as with external employers, that would be flexible around your studies and allow you to build you tranferable skills

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Disability and Dyslexia - they help provide with support should you need if you have a disability, specific learning difference, medical condition, or mental health condition

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Money advice - they help support you with anything to do with money or student finance, including helping you to make a budget

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Students Union - not only do they provide events and are the hub of ARU's student societies, they are also there to provide advice to the students and are a seperate entity to the university itself.

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Counselling and Wellbeing - a free and confidential service to support ARU's students with their mental health and wellbeing

Of course there are many more services that ARU provides, and you can find out more about them here: https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/support-and-facilities

Peterborough itself is an amazing city with substantial rail connections to London, Cambridge and many other cities. You can get to London in around 50 minutes with the LNER Azuma and these trains run regularly throughout the hour. There are many things to do in Peterborough, including Puttstars mini-golf, a recently opened ODEON cinema in Queensgate shopping centre, Dice-Box Cafe (a board game cafe), Hollywood Bowl, Peterborough Cathedral and many others.

In terms of our Peterborough Campus and the experiences of students there, one of my friends was kind enough to give some insight. This is what she said:
"As a current second year student at ARU Peterborough, it is a great university, yes it is smaller than Cambridge and Chelmsford campus but the atmosphere of students being on campus is amazing. The support that the university provides is amazing, if I ever need to talk to anyone about anything, then I know there are people I can go to. The way lessons are delivered at the University is great because it's not like a huge lecture room, which can be daunting, all the rooms are ste up like a cafe style layout to give the best interaction and group work for the course. The disability and dyslexic team at the uni are amazing, they were so understanding when I went to them worrying and anxious about potentially being dyslexic they sat down with me and explained everything and I felt so much better afterwards."

I hope this is all helpful to you 🙂 In terms of which university and course you choose, it is up to you. It sound like the courses you have been offered are a bit different. I would recommend personally deciding which is better for you based on which course you prefer and which university is better for you and your personal circumstances.

Whichever univesity you choose, I wish you good luck with your decision and your degree 🙂

Susannah (ARU)

(edited 1 month ago)