UEA, U Herts or Brunel?

3

Hi Everyone!
I am an international student looking forward to enrolling in the Physiotherapy program. I’ve got offers from the above three universities, and it’d be great if someone could shed some light on the pros & cons of the above universities and whether or not University Ranking truly matters.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

normaw

20

Original post

by nicktheneo

Hi Everyone!
I am an international student looking forward to enrolling in the Physiotherapy program. I’ve got offers from the above three universities, and it’d be great if someone could shed some light on the pros & cons of the above universities and whether or not University Ranking truly matters.

Rankings don't matter at all for healthcare courses. All physio courses in the UK need to be approved by the HCPC, which means they are all held to the same standards, and future employers won't care where you trained.

If costs are an issue, Brunel is likely to be your most expensive option for accommodation. You should be able to get an idea of living costs on uni websites and have a look at campus tour videos to see what setting you prefer. Ask for details of where the physio placements are held and consider if you will have to travel far and possibly pay for additional accommodation if your placement is a long way from campus.

@UEA Rep Grace might be able to give you some insight into life at UEA. :smile:

Reply 2

UEA Rep Grace

10

Original post

by nicktheneo

Hi Everyone!
I am an international student looking forward to enrolling in the Physiotherapy program. I’ve got offers from the above three universities, and it’d be great if someone could shed some light on the pros & cons of the above universities and whether or not University Ranking truly matters.

Hi @nicktheneo (and thanks @normaw for the mention), congrats on all your offers! I've been at UEA since 2020, first doing Psychology and then Behavioural Economics and Data Science so I definitely have had the time to experience what UEA has to offer, as well as Norwich and the surrounding area.

Firstly, I've found the University Rankings to not matter for me personally. It's all about who you know. UEA has some great connections and I've been able to get a job thanks to this. This might be different for your course but generally I would focus less on the rankings and more on what really matters to you. For example, UEA is right next to a Russell Group in the uni rankings, so I didn't put too much thought into the rankings. I appreciate you can't just hop on a flight and visit all three universities but when I went to the UEA Open Day I really just fell in love with the vibes there, and that was a really important factor for me. I'll try and break down my pros and cons for you, but just so you're aware I really enjoyed my time at UEA so I might be a bit biased 😆

Pros
Support around your studies

•

I've found UEA really helpful for supporting me, both for my wellbeing and giving career advice. I've never had to wait more than a week if I need to chat with someone about my worries or concerns and it's really easy to book an appointment. If you need advice on how to manage your studies, help with assignments or just assistance planning your semester, the Learning Enhancement Team are great. I had one guy literally go away and learn Python so he could teach me it. Just super supportive! And CareersCentral are great at providing career advice, mock interviews, and helping you get a placement. They helped me create a presentation for my placement interview that ended up getting me the job- and I'm still with that company years later!

Nice place to live

•

In general I just really love Norwich. I come from a small town and thought it might be a bit scary moving somewhere so big and so far from home, but Norwich is so easy to navigate! The bus links are really good and it's got a direct train into London as well which is great. I've also had friends who live in London say they were worried Norwich would feel to small for them, but that wasn't the case. There's truly something for everyone. There are lots of mainstream shops and restaurants but Norwich also has its own little quirks and charms that I love exploring on a night out, or trying new foods when I go shopping. I'm definitely going to settle in Norfolk if I can. Also, UEA will put on day trips to the Broads or the seaside where they'll take you on a coach to go explore, so it's a great way to see Norfolk if you can't drive! It's just generally a lovely place to live, especially with all the little bunnies on campus.

Cons
Not a city campus

•

To be honest this isn't really a con because I love living in my own secluded world, knowing everyone on campus is a student. It makes me feel safe and I enjoy the greenery and the lake. There's also everything you need on campus already. But while there is a shop on campus I went to the Aldi which was maybe a 45 minute walk away to get my shopping. There was a Tesco that was closer but I prefer Aldi because it's cheaper. I definitely got my steps in when I lived on campus! I would have liked to have lived closer to some other shops but looking back you can always get a Tesco delivery to your door so it's really not a huge issue. It was also great to bond with my flatmates and friends as we all made the trek to the Aldi.

To be honest, I don't really have any more cons! I've been racking my brain but I'm genuinely so happy with UEA and how my career is shaping up. I guess my advice would be to get as much information about all the universities as possible and try and decide what is most important to you.

I could also write a whole essay about how great UEA is, so I'll stop here, but if you have any specific questions like fresher's week, clubs and societies... anything like that, let me know and I can be more specific 😊

All the best,
UEA Rep Grace

Reply 3

meowoof

16

Original post

by UEA Rep Grace

Hi @nicktheneo (and thanks @normaw for the mention), congrats on all your offers! I've been at UEA since 2020, first doing Psychology and then Behavioural Economics and Data Science so I definitely have had the time to experience what UEA has to offer, as well as Norwich and the surrounding area.
Firstly, I've found the University Rankings to not matter for me personally. It's all about who you know. UEA has some great connections and I've been able to get a job thanks to this. This might be different for your course but generally I would focus less on the rankings and more on what really matters to you. For example, UEA is right next to a Russell Group in the uni rankings, so I didn't put too much thought into the rankings. I appreciate you can't just hop on a flight and visit all three universities but when I went to the UEA Open Day I really just fell in love with the vibes there, and that was a really important factor for me. I'll try and break down my pros and cons for you, but just so you're aware I really enjoyed my time at UEA so I might be a bit biased 😆
Pros
Support around your studies

•

I've found UEA really helpful for supporting me, both for my wellbeing and giving career advice. I've never had to wait more than a week if I need to chat with someone about my worries or concerns and it's really easy to book an appointment. If you need advice on how to manage your studies, help with assignments or just assistance planning your semester, the Learning Enhancement Team are great. I had one guy literally go away and learn Python so he could teach me it. Just super supportive! And CareersCentral are great at providing career advice, mock interviews, and helping you get a placement. They helped me create a presentation for my placement interview that ended up getting me the job- and I'm still with that company years later!

Nice place to live

•

In general I just really love Norwich. I come from a small town and thought it might be a bit scary moving somewhere so big and so far from home, but Norwich is so easy to navigate! The bus links are really good and it's got a direct train into London as well which is great. I've also had friends who live in London say they were worried Norwich would feel to small for them, but that wasn't the case. There's truly something for everyone. There are lots of mainstream shops and restaurants but Norwich also has its own little quirks and charms that I love exploring on a night out, or trying new foods when I go shopping. I'm definitely going to settle in Norfolk if I can. Also, UEA will put on day trips to the Broads or the seaside where they'll take you on a coach to go explore, so it's a great way to see Norfolk if you can't drive! It's just generally a lovely place to live, especially with all the little bunnies on campus.

Cons
Not a city campus

•

To be honest this isn't really a con because I love living in my own secluded world, knowing everyone on campus is a student. It makes me feel safe and I enjoy the greenery and the lake. There's also everything you need on campus already. But while there is a shop on campus I went to the Aldi which was maybe a 45 minute walk away to get my shopping. There was a Tesco that was closer but I prefer Aldi because it's cheaper. I definitely got my steps in when I lived on campus! I would have liked to have lived closer to some other shops but looking back you can always get a Tesco delivery to your door so it's really not a huge issue. It was also great to bond with my flatmates and friends as we all made the trek to the Aldi.

To be honest, I don't really have any more cons! I've been racking my brain but I'm genuinely so happy with UEA and how my career is shaping up. I guess my advice would be to get as much information about all the universities as possible and try and decide what is most important to you.
I could also write a whole essay about how great UEA is, so I'll stop here, but if you have any specific questions like fresher's week, clubs and societies... anything like that, let me know and I can be more specific 😊
All the best,
UEA Rep Grace

I did my undergraduate at UEA, and am doing my Doctorate at Herts. UEA is a magical place with a beautiful campus - I would 100% go for UEA over Herts for an undergrad degree. Hatfield is a much smaller, quieter town, more geared towards commuter life - I often wonder what students do as there seems to be so little in terms of nightlife here compared to Norwich. Not a concern for me now as I'm married and have a mortgage, but Norwich has so much more to offer for your undergrad experience.

Reply 4

nicktheneo

OP

3

Thank you everyone for your supportive and informative response.
It is good to know that ranking is less of a priority given that all three are accredited programs.

This has been very enlightening. I am thankful that there are so many people willing to help and provide their recommendations.

Reply 5

Tam.I

5

Original post

by nicktheneo

Hi Everyone!
I am an international student looking forward to enrolling in the Physiotherapy program. I’ve got offers from the above three universities, and it’d be great if someone could shed some light on the pros & cons of the above universities and whether or not University Ranking truly matters.

I’m going into my 3rd year at Brunel and I absolutely love it. The lecturers are amazing and majority still work as physios so your modules are only taught by the most experienced people in each area of physio with the most up to date knowledge. You also get a personal tutor which is a contact for anything uni related you might need and you can contact them to arrange meet ups whenever which is super helpful especially closer to exam time! Almost all of the learning is done face to face in practical sessions so you’re constantly putting into practice the theory that you learn independently which sets you up really well for placement. The actual campus is really lovely too with 24/7 security which makes it feel really safe 🙂 of course it’s also only a short tube away from central London which is lovely but we also have a nice town centre which is about 15 minutes from the uni. I’ve been lucky enough on a placement to see some band 5 graduate physio interviews and I felt like I was in a brilliant position to answer the questions so I really believe Brunels programme sets you up incredibly well for after you graduate. If you have any other questions let me know😊

UEA, U Herts or Brunel?

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