The Student Room Group

UoBirmingham or Warwick

Hi, I have offers to study BA philosophy and politics at both universities and I have no idea which one to firm. My parents are under the impression that Warwick has a better reputation and so it looks more impressive to go there.

I loved uob's campus, more so than Warwick. Although it seems the teaching at Warwick is of better quality? and the class sizes may be smaller? Having said that, there are more modules available at uob which is a plus.

Honestly, I'm so stuck. I was set on University of Warwick, but I really liked Birmingham too.

If anyone can help me choose, i'd be so grateful!
(edited 4 weeks ago)
Original post by kaayb7
Hi, I have offers to study BA philosophy and politics at both universities and I have no idea which one to firm. My parents are under the impression that Warwick has a better reputation and that it looks more impressive to go there.
I loved uob's campus, more so than Warwick. Although it seems the teaching at Warwick of better quality? and the class sizes may be smaller? Having said that, there are more modules available at uob which is a plus.
Honestly, I'm so stuck. I was set on University of Warwick, but I really liked Birmingham too.
If anyone can help me choose, i'd be so grateful!

Congratulations to your offers.

Both Birmingham and Warwick are good unis. Academically you won't regret giving up one for the other.

Warwick is a younger uni and worked exceptionally well in promoting its image. Birmingham has a longer history therefore after so many years' development, as you could see, it has modules covering a wider spectrum.

Although it is unwise to solely rely on rankings, looking into the details may sometimes give insights into relative strengths and weaknesses of unis. For example teaching staff-student ratio, student support, value-adding to students etc.

Reply 2

Original post by cksiu
Congratulations to your offers.
Both Birmingham and Warwick are good unis. Academically you won't regret giving up one for the other.
Warwick is a younger uni and worked exceptionally well in promoting its image. Birmingham has a longer history therefore after so many years' development, as you could see, it has modules covering a wider spectrum.
Although it is unwise to solely rely on rankings, looking into the details may sometimes give insights into relative strengths and weaknesses of unis. For example teaching staff-student ratio, student support, value-adding to students etc.
Thank you for your reply! Do you know how I can find information about student to staff ratios?
Original post by kaayb7
Thank you for your reply! Do you know how I can find information about student to staff ratios?

I could only recall it is one of the criteria of a league table (times or guardian?), but can't tell exactly what it is.

Birmingham and Warwick are very well regarded in the UK and overseas. Although not 100% relevant, they are among the 11 UK unis recognised in Singapore for law degrees:
https://www.sile.edu.sg/united-kingdom-approved-universities

BTW, I like your attitude.
(edited 4 weeks ago)

Reply 4

I studied philosophy at both Birmingham and Warwick (bachelor's at Brum, master's at Warwick). They're both fantastic unis with excellent philosophy departments. Feel free to leave a comment/drop me a message if you have any specific questions!

Reply 5

Original post by ela95
I studied philosophy at both Birmingham and Warwick (bachelor's at Brum, master's at Warwick). They're both fantastic unis with excellent philosophy departments. Feel free to leave a comment/drop me a message if you have any specific questions!
Hi, thank you so much for helping out! I'm very excited to talk to someone who has studied philosophy!

I have a quite few questions for you, I hope you don't mind:

Do you think that Warwick has a better reputation and better career prospects than Birmingham?

How did the teaching compare? Which one do you prefer?

How approachable were the lecturers and what was the feedback like on your work?

Did you feel like one prepared you better in terms of skills or career support?

Did you have an overall favourite out of the two and why?

What do you wish you’d known before starting at either university?


I realise there's a lot there sorry ahaha. Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give me!

Reply 6

Original post by cksiu
I could only recall it is one of the criteria of a league table (times or guardian?), but can't tell exactly what it is.
Birmingham and Warwick are very well regarded in the UK and overseas. Although not 100% relevant, they are among the 11 UK unis recognised in Singapore for law degrees:
https://www.sile.edu.sg/united-kingdom-approved-universities
BTW, I like your attitude.

thank you so much for this! I am also looking into law conversion courses so this info is very useful!

Reply 7

Hi! Of course—I'm happy to help in any way I can. Two things to bear in mind: I was at Birmingham for much longer than Warwick, and I did a taught degree at Brum and a research degree at Warwick. For those reasons, I can't compare them 1:1. But I'll do my best to answer your questions thoroughly!

(1) In terms of career prospects, Warwick probably has a very slight edge because of its reputation—in general, it's considered a little more prestigious than Brum (though whether/the extent to which that applies very much depends on the field you want to go into). I got a decently paid job shortly after finishing my master's, and it was the skills I'd acquired rather than the institution(s) I'd attended that got me the job.

(2) It's difficult for me to properly compare the teaching because my master's was a research degree, but I did sit in on some of the taught lectures at Warwick. The quality of the teaching is, in my experience, very similar—it's top-tier and delivered by knowledgeable, passionate lecturers who really care about their subject and their students. I preferred the teaching at Birmingham (albeit by a very small margin) because I liked the way the lectures and seminars were set out—the seminar groups were very small, which made it easier to revisit lecture material I didn't understand. I don't know what the seminar group sizes are like for undergrad modules at Warwick, so it might be worth asking about that at an open day if it's something that matters to you.

(3) The lecturers are very approachable at both institutions, and I had really good relationships with the staff at both places. For me, Birmingham has a slight edge in terms of feedback—the lecturers who taught me there gave incredibly detailed, specific feedback that enabled me to improve the quality of my philosophical argumentation and writing very quickly. I was also given a document that clearly outlined a suggested essay structure, writing style, and tips and tricks, which was super helpful when I was first starting out. I received very helpful feedback at Warwick, too—again, it was detailed and specific. For reference, I achieved similar marks at both Brum and Warwick, so I think the quality each institution expects of its students is pretty similar.

(4) Birmingham has something called the Birmingham Award, which is an employability programme for undergrads. I completed the programme and found it useful, and it looks good on a CV. Warwick has a similar programme (called the Warwick Award). I also did casual work as a student fundraiser at both unis (phoning alumni to ask if they'd consider donating to various schemes), which was probably the most useful thing I did in terms of career prep besides earning the right to say that I have a degree. I don't feel that one uni did a better job than the other of preparing me for the world of work.

(5) I enjoyed my time at Birmingham more for non-academic reasons—I met and moved in with my best friend there, and I like Brum (the city) a lot more than Coventry. I also have a soft spot for Brum's campus—the architecture is beautiful, there are lots of green spaces, and the library is excellent. So while I don't have a favourite academically, Brum is my overall favourite for the reasons I mentioned.

(6) Before I started at Birmingham (and university in general), I wish I'd known how important (and encouraged!) it is to make use of lecturers' office hours. I'd also recommend thinking about the areas of philosophy you're most interested in and looking closely at the modules on offer—and the research interests of the lecturers—at each institution. I'd advise you to make your final decision based primarily on which department has modules that best suit your interests.

Honestly, I think you're in a great position. Both universities are excellent and have outstanding philosophy departments. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Good luck!

Reply 8

Original post by kaayb7
Hi, thank you so much for helping out! I'm very excited to talk to someone who has studied philosophy!
I have a quite few questions for you, I hope you don't mind:

Do you think that Warwick has a better reputation and better career prospects than Birmingham?

How did the teaching compare? Which one do you prefer?

How approachable were the lecturers and what was the feedback like on your work?

Did you feel like one prepared you better in terms of skills or career support?

Did you have an overall favourite out of the two and why?

What do you wish you’d known before starting at either university?


I realise there's a lot there sorry ahaha. Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give me!


My response didn't show up as a reply for some reason. See above!

Reply 9

Original post by ela95
Hi! Of course—I'm happy to help in any way I can. Two things to bear in mind: I was at Birmingham for much longer than Warwick, and I did a taught degree at Brum and a research degree at Warwick. For those reasons, I can't compare them 1:1. But I'll do my best to answer your questions thoroughly!
(1) In terms of career prospects, Warwick probably has a very slight edge because of its reputation—in general, it's considered a little more prestigious than Brum (though whether/the extent to which that applies very much depends on the field you want to go into). I got a decently paid job shortly after finishing my master's, and it was the skills I'd acquired rather than the institution(s) I'd attended that got me the job.
(2) It's difficult for me to properly compare the teaching because my master's was a research degree, but I did sit in on some of the taught lectures at Warwick. The quality of the teaching is, in my experience, very similar—it's top-tier and delivered by knowledgeable, passionate lecturers who really care about their subject and their students. I preferred the teaching at Birmingham (albeit by a very small margin) because I liked the way the lectures and seminars were set out—the seminar groups were very small, which made it easier to revisit lecture material I didn't understand. I don't know what the seminar group sizes are like for undergrad modules at Warwick, so it might be worth asking about that at an open day if it's something that matters to you.
(3) The lecturers are very approachable at both institutions, and I had really good relationships with the staff at both places. For me, Birmingham has a slight edge in terms of feedback—the lecturers who taught me there gave incredibly detailed, specific feedback that enabled me to improve the quality of my philosophical argumentation and writing very quickly. I was also given a document that clearly outlined a suggested essay structure, writing style, and tips and tricks, which was super helpful when I was first starting out. I received very helpful feedback at Warwick, too—again, it was detailed and specific. For reference, I achieved similar marks at both Brum and Warwick, so I think the quality each institution expects of its students is pretty similar.
(4) Birmingham has something called the Birmingham Award, which is an employability programme for undergrads. I completed the programme and found it useful, and it looks good on a CV. Warwick has a similar programme (called the Warwick Award). I also did casual work as a student fundraiser at both unis (phoning alumni to ask if they'd consider donating to various schemes), which was probably the most useful thing I did in terms of career prep besides earning the right to say that I have a degree. I don't feel that one uni did a better job than the other of preparing me for the world of work.
(5) I enjoyed my time at Birmingham more for non-academic reasons—I met and moved in with my best friend there, and I like Brum (the city) a lot more than Coventry. I also have a soft spot for Brum's campus—the architecture is beautiful, there are lots of green spaces, and the library is excellent. So while I don't have a favourite academically, Brum is my overall favourite for the reasons I mentioned.
(6) Before I started at Birmingham (and university in general), I wish I'd known how important (and encouraged!) it is to make use of lecturers' office hours. I'd also recommend thinking about the areas of philosophy you're most interested in and looking closely at the modules on offer—and the research interests of the lecturers—at each institution. I'd advise you to make your final decision based primarily on which department has modules that best suit your interests.
Honestly, I think you're in a great position. Both universities are excellent and have outstanding philosophy departments. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Good luck!

You're a star! Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I'm definitely going to look into the Birmingham/Warwick Award - that sounds so interesting.

Reply 10

Birmingham is better for Philosophy (it has the joint highest research quality for it of all UK universities, according to the Complete University Guide, tied with Cardiff. Warwick is joint 11th, although one of the universities it's tied with is Cambridge).

Warwick is better for Politics (joint 7th. Birmingham is joint 22nd, although one of the universities it's tied with is Cambridge again!).

I can't imagine choosing to spend 3 years at somewhere that looks like a motorway service station (Warwick), no matter how much you like 60s architecture or how the novelty of that might seem perversely interesting, it's where you'll LIVE and STUDY. (and I spent a year at York so I know the third class feeling of that living environment in 60s CLASP).
I'd go to Birmingham of the two.
(edited 2 weeks ago)

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