Edinburgh or UCL?
I've received a conditional offer from Edinburgh (2nd year entry) and UCL for biomedical sciences. I still can't choose between them.
Here are my thoughts about each uni
UCL
Pros: Has high reputation, and in general, I would say is more well known
Also connections with other London unis???
Cons: Expensive, high drop out rate, hard to make connections as London is more spread out
Edinburgh:
Pros: Can choose elective courses from other colleges
Nice walkable city and campus
Cons: Longer if joining from 1st year, might not be as friendly to the newcomers for 2nd year entry
Please let me know if my thoughts are on track, and if there are any other info I should know before choosing my firm. If you go to one of these unis, please let me know how you feel about them!
Here are my thoughts about each uni
UCL
Pros: Has high reputation, and in general, I would say is more well known
Also connections with other London unis???
Cons: Expensive, high drop out rate, hard to make connections as London is more spread out
Edinburgh:
Pros: Can choose elective courses from other colleges
Nice walkable city and campus
Cons: Longer if joining from 1st year, might not be as friendly to the newcomers for 2nd year entry
Please let me know if my thoughts are on track, and if there are any other info I should know before choosing my firm. If you go to one of these unis, please let me know how you feel about them!
Reply 1
Original post
by AO01234I've received a conditional offer from Edinburgh (2nd year entry) and UCL for biomedical sciences. I still can't choose between them.
Here are my thoughts about each uni
UCL
Pros: Has high reputation, and in general, I would say is more well known
Also connections with other London unis???
Cons: Expensive, high drop out rate, hard to make connections as London is more spread out
Edinburgh:
Pros: Can choose elective courses from other colleges
Nice walkable city and campus
Cons: Longer if joining from 1st year, might not be as friendly to the newcomers for 2nd year entry
Please let me know if my thoughts are on track, and if there are any other info I should know before choosing my firm. If you go to one of these unis, please let me know how you feel about them!
Here are my thoughts about each uni
UCL
Pros: Has high reputation, and in general, I would say is more well known
Also connections with other London unis???
Cons: Expensive, high drop out rate, hard to make connections as London is more spread out
Edinburgh:
Pros: Can choose elective courses from other colleges
Nice walkable city and campus
Cons: Longer if joining from 1st year, might not be as friendly to the newcomers for 2nd year entry
Please let me know if my thoughts are on track, and if there are any other info I should know before choosing my firm. If you go to one of these unis, please let me know how you feel about them!
Don't take "reputation" and "prestige" too seriously. Actually, Edinburgh and UCL are of the same tier in terms of "reputation" and "prestige".
Imagine you progress from Yr 1 to Yr 2, would you be unfriendly to or even repel Yr 2 entrants? There is simply no point and no reason to do so. You just need some effort to break into existing friend groups.
Maybe Edinburgh would suit you better.
Reply 2
20
Edinburgh. Its a fabulous place to be a student.
Reply 3
Hey, I have actually been a student at both Edinburgh and UCL! Edinburgh was my dream uni and I was so happy when I got an offer- I went there for my first year, however I withdrew and then I started again to study a different subject at UCL.
Edinburgh is a really beautiful city I don't know if you have visited before, but living there is very different to just visiting and I did not like it as much. Maybe it's just me but there were lots of things you don't notice until you live there, it's so cold all the time and quite dirty compared to other cities omgg! You also have to be careful of the student accommodation you choose bc there were some issues with mine and my friends also said they had problems with theirs. The university campus is really nice with most buildings close together, and also lots of cute cafés and things to do nearby, and the library is also big and has books on everything. I did not study biomedical sciences, however my subject was very different to when I had taken it at a level and different to how it was described on Edinburgh's degree specification, and I did not enjoy it as much. However, I loved that you can take elective subjects and the subject I chose as my elective was the one that I am now studying at UCL! I withdrew from Edinburgh partly bc of these problems, however I had some other difficult things happening in my life (personal things) soo not just because I didn't like it bc I have friends who love it there. I much prefer UCL, I like London more than Edinburgh as a city, and the campus is also nice it is not too spread out actually as most buildings are in the same area. UCL also has better places to study and chat with friends as Edinburgh was always so busy, there was no space to sit or find a computer anywhere. I think that my course is more interesting also, and my lecturers seem to care more about the subject and the students, and I don't know if you will need it but student support at UCL is so so so much better than at Edinburgh!! -but I know that student accommodation in London is soo expensive if u are not living at home.
I really hope this is useful, lmk if u want to know anything else xx
Edinburgh is a really beautiful city I don't know if you have visited before, but living there is very different to just visiting and I did not like it as much. Maybe it's just me but there were lots of things you don't notice until you live there, it's so cold all the time and quite dirty compared to other cities omgg! You also have to be careful of the student accommodation you choose bc there were some issues with mine and my friends also said they had problems with theirs. The university campus is really nice with most buildings close together, and also lots of cute cafés and things to do nearby, and the library is also big and has books on everything. I did not study biomedical sciences, however my subject was very different to when I had taken it at a level and different to how it was described on Edinburgh's degree specification, and I did not enjoy it as much. However, I loved that you can take elective subjects and the subject I chose as my elective was the one that I am now studying at UCL! I withdrew from Edinburgh partly bc of these problems, however I had some other difficult things happening in my life (personal things) soo not just because I didn't like it bc I have friends who love it there. I much prefer UCL, I like London more than Edinburgh as a city, and the campus is also nice it is not too spread out actually as most buildings are in the same area. UCL also has better places to study and chat with friends as Edinburgh was always so busy, there was no space to sit or find a computer anywhere. I think that my course is more interesting also, and my lecturers seem to care more about the subject and the students, and I don't know if you will need it but student support at UCL is so so so much better than at Edinburgh!! -but I know that student accommodation in London is soo expensive if u are not living at home.
I really hope this is useful, lmk if u want to know anything else xx
Reply 4
AO01234
OP
1
Original post
by AnonymousHey, I have actually been a student at both Edinburgh and UCL! Edinburgh was my dream uni and I was so happy when I got an offer- I went there for my first year, however I withdrew and then I started again to study a different subject at UCL.
Edinburgh is a really beautiful city I don't know if you have visited before, but living there is very different to just visiting and I did not like it as much. Maybe it's just me but there were lots of things you don't notice until you live there, it's so cold all the time and quite dirty compared to other cities omgg! You also have to be careful of the student accommodation you choose bc there were some issues with mine and my friends also said they had problems with theirs. The university campus is really nice with most buildings close together, and also lots of cute cafés and things to do nearby, and the library is also big and has books on everything. I did not study biomedical sciences, however my subject was very different to when I had taken it at a level and different to how it was described on Edinburgh's degree specification, and I did not enjoy it as much. However, I loved that you can take elective subjects and the subject I chose as my elective was the one that I am now studying at UCL! I withdrew from Edinburgh partly bc of these problems, however I had some other difficult things happening in my life (personal things) soo not just because I didn't like it bc I have friends who love it there. I much prefer UCL, I like London more than Edinburgh as a city, and the campus is also nice it is not too spread out actually as most buildings are in the same area. UCL also has better places to study and chat with friends as Edinburgh was always so busy, there was no space to sit or find a computer anywhere. I think that my course is more interesting also, and my lecturers seem to care more about the subject and the students, and I don't know if you will need it but student support at UCL is so so so much better than at Edinburgh!! -but I know that student accommodation in London is soo expensive if u are not living at home.
I really hope this is useful, lmk if u want to know anything else xx
Edinburgh is a really beautiful city I don't know if you have visited before, but living there is very different to just visiting and I did not like it as much. Maybe it's just me but there were lots of things you don't notice until you live there, it's so cold all the time and quite dirty compared to other cities omgg! You also have to be careful of the student accommodation you choose bc there were some issues with mine and my friends also said they had problems with theirs. The university campus is really nice with most buildings close together, and also lots of cute cafés and things to do nearby, and the library is also big and has books on everything. I did not study biomedical sciences, however my subject was very different to when I had taken it at a level and different to how it was described on Edinburgh's degree specification, and I did not enjoy it as much. However, I loved that you can take elective subjects and the subject I chose as my elective was the one that I am now studying at UCL! I withdrew from Edinburgh partly bc of these problems, however I had some other difficult things happening in my life (personal things) soo not just because I didn't like it bc I have friends who love it there. I much prefer UCL, I like London more than Edinburgh as a city, and the campus is also nice it is not too spread out actually as most buildings are in the same area. UCL also has better places to study and chat with friends as Edinburgh was always so busy, there was no space to sit or find a computer anywhere. I think that my course is more interesting also, and my lecturers seem to care more about the subject and the students, and I don't know if you will need it but student support at UCL is so so so much better than at Edinburgh!! -but I know that student accommodation in London is soo expensive if u are not living at home.
I really hope this is useful, lmk if u want to know anything else xx
Thank you so much for a detailed response!
Can I ask which accommodations are not recommendable in Edinburgh as I've started looking at accommodations in both unis?
Also, if you could tell me, what course have you taken?
Reply 5
Original post
by AO01234Thank you so much for a detailed response!
Can I ask which accommodations are not recommendable in Edinburgh as I've started looking at accommodations in both unis?
Also, if you could tell me, what course have you taken?
Can I ask which accommodations are not recommendable in Edinburgh as I've started looking at accommodations in both unis?
Also, if you could tell me, what course have you taken?
In Edinburgh I stayed in Brae house at first- do not choose it omgg, it is a 40 min uphill walk to university, it is also opposite the railway line which was so so awful and scary to walk under the railway bridge every time you leave the accommodation, especially when coming back at night. The rooms all face onto the courtyard also which is loud at night because everyone hangs out there. Then I stayed in Shrubhill, it’s good bc the rooms are nice with ensuite bathrooms, and the supermarket is just downstairs and is part of the same building. And there is St James Quarter which is a big department store 5 mins walk away which was sooo amazing if u like shopping! But Shrubhill is also very far from the university and you need to take the bus then walk. I visited Salisbury Court too bc my friend lived there, it is so nice in a beautiful area right next to the university, but I know that it was the most expensive of the accommodations. There are other accommodations near the university, but I heard from my friends that they had problems with shared bathrooms sometimes.
I took Psychology in Edinburgh, but I didn’t like it because there was a lot of statistical analysis/data programming which was complicated. My elective was Anthropology which I am also doing at UCL, I really recommend it as an elective because you can choose anything even if it is not related to your subject, and Anthropology is soo interesting even if you don’t know anything about it at first!
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