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newcastle or bath for biology?

ok honestly i’m the most indecisive person ever, i’m going to visit them both in about a month but itd be really helpful to know about other peoples experiences

i like each course equally and both are about the same distance from home. i know that bath is higher ranking than newcastle, but newcastle’s faucilities seem to be be better and more modern (based off the virtual campus tours). and also newcastle is a russel group (ik thats outdated af but ig many employers are still that vain) so i was wondering if bath is quite a bit higher regarded than newcastle or about the same?
of course, if i live in newcastle i can live in a much nicer accom and overall cost of living will be cheaper. i think newcastle is a nice city as well (i’ve never been before so not sure) and bath is definitely a nice city, but maybe a bit small? but also close to bristol. i’m not too concerned about night life, but i’d like to live somewhere nice with cute cafes and good pubs that’s all i ask 😭

i’m just kinda concerned because i’d like to go somewhere with lgbt students and i’m worried about feeling out of place coz i’m first in my family to go uni and i don’t wanna be surrounded by ***** 😭 but i feel like neither uni is really ideal for that 💀 if ur a queer student or just yk, not a private schooler, at either uni i would love to hear your experience socially!

Reply 1

might also be relevant to mention that i’m not planning to live in the UK after uni (i’m moving to germany or austria) bc that could impact how either uni might be viewed by future employers

Reply 2

Bath is big on Engineering courses and Management/Business.
All Biosciences are regarded as a bit of an after-thought and don't get much of a focus.

Newcastle is bigger and has far better facilities for Bioscience subjects - its also far cheaper than Bath, which will cost you as much as living in London, but without the SF London weighting. If you want more of a social-life and a bigger city vibe, Newcastle also definitely wins over Bath.

All Unis welcome LGBT. Unis are the most diverse and tolerant communities you could wish for.
Just check out the Gay-Soc / LGBT societies for each Uni on their website, plus pubs/clubs in each place.

Reply 3

Original post
by krumel21
ok honestly i’m the most indecisive person ever, i’m going to visit them both in about a month but itd be really helpful to know about other peoples experiences
i like each course equally and both are about the same distance from home. i know that bath is higher ranking than newcastle, but newcastle’s faucilities seem to be be better and more modern (based off the virtual campus tours). and also newcastle is a russel group (ik thats outdated af but ig many employers are still that vain) so i was wondering if bath is quite a bit higher regarded than newcastle or about the same?
of course, if i live in newcastle i can live in a much nicer accom and overall cost of living will be cheaper. i think newcastle is a nice city as well (i’ve never been before so not sure) and bath is definitely a nice city, but maybe a bit small? but also close to bristol. i’m not too concerned about night life, but i’d like to live somewhere nice with cute cafes and good pubs that’s all i ask 😭
i’m just kinda concerned because i’d like to go somewhere with lgbt students and i’m worried about feeling out of place coz i’m first in my family to go uni and i don’t wanna be surrounded by ***** 😭 but i feel like neither uni is really ideal for that 💀 if ur a queer student or just yk, not a private schooler, at either uni i would love to hear your experience socially!

Hi there Krumel,

Thanks for reaching out and its good to hear you're considering Bath. I'm a former student myself so I'll see if I can help a bit.

Pros of Bath:
Quiet but vibrant nightlife - if you want sweet cafes and lots of good pubs, Bath is great for this!
One of the best industrial placement schemes in the country - great employment prospects
World-class teaching (TEF Triple Gold!) and academic excellence
Student-centric city
Diverse uni with 150+ nationalities represented
One of the safest cities in the UK
Very well transport connected to Bristol and London

Potential cons of Bath:
Cost of living higher than some other uni cities
Uni is on a very large hill so to get to it from the city you'd need the U1 bus (runs every 10 mins)
Smaller than some uni cities which isn't right for everyone
Lack of city and on-campus parking although this is the case for most cities!

I would say that the course, the campus and which city you feel happier in are more important considerations than rankings. So have a think about which has modules you'd find more interesting, which would help you along to your future goals? Do you feel at home on campus and can you visualise yourself living a fulfilling student life there? What is the city like - would you be happy living here after first year?

Have you tried writing a Bath VS Newcastle pros and cons list and seeing if one emerges as a clearer winner for you?

Wishing you the best of luck whichever you choose 🙂

Holly
University of Bath

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