Stuck between unis

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Reply 1

surfergirls

10

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

I would go with Sussex. Penryn miles from anywhere and really hard to get to and not much night life. Exter city and Uni great but a little bit of a private school feel amongst the students. Sussex much more lively, mixed diverse crowd and good nightlife. I would pick on place unless the courses differ vastly.

Reply 2

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

13

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Hi Anoymous,

I totally get where you’re coming from - I had a really similar dilemma when I was applying. I’m at Exeter (Penryn campus) now, and I actually live a similar distance away from home to what you’re describing, so I know the feeling really well!

The Penryn campus has such a friendly, close-knit vibe. It’s smaller than Streatham (Exeter’s main campus) so you get to know people really quickly, and there’s a real community feel - especially among Ecology and Conservation students, since everyone tends to be outdoorsy and passionate about the same things. The location’s gorgeous too: you’re literally surrounded by beaches, countryside, and coastal paths, so it feels like a perfect fit for the subject.
Socially, it’s quite relaxed but still fun. There are plenty of societies and campus events, and Falmouth town has some great pubs, live music, and a really creative atmosphere because of all the art students nearby. It’s not a huge “party” uni, but there’s definitely a good social scene if you get involved.

I totally understand wanting to stay closer to home though - it can feel like a big step. What I found, though, is that once I settled in, the distance stopped feeling so huge. The community here makes it feel a bit like a second home. So I’d say if Exeter feels like the best fit academically and socially, don’t let the distance put you off too much it feels far before you go, but much less so once you’re there.

I would recommend coming for a visit on one of our open days.

Hope this helps 🙂

Klaudia
University of Exeter Student Ambassador

Reply 3

YSJ_Kiera

Official Rep

12

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Hey! I’m Kiera, a Psychology Master’s student at York St John University. I don’t know much about zoology myself, but I did spend a lot of time comparing universities before choosing my course — here's some of the biggest things to consider in my opinion!

•

Check how each university assesses its students — they all do it differently! Some focus more on exams, others on coursework or presentations, and some have stricter rules about topic choices.

•

Take a look at the course content too. Each university designs its modules around their lecturers’ areas of expertise — does one course appeal to you more? Maybe one offers more optional modules than the other?

•

Definitely try to go to an open day if you haven’t already! A university can look perfect on paper, but the atmosphere in person can be totally different — you won’t really know how it feels until you visit.

Hopefully this helps you narrow it down a little!
Kiera

Reply 4

UniLancashire

Official Rep

15

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Hi there,

I didn't study at either of the universities you mentioned however, I did too have to make the hard decision of what to study and where to study. It's a very important decision so I completely understand how you are feeling!

For me the most important thing was feeling welcome and knowing there is support for me at the university. So I went to University of Lancashire (UCLan back then) as I felt the most welcome there on my open day visit and interview but they also offer great wellbeing, career and student support. I would recommend writing down what you want from the university. For example you already know you want to be close to home and family so what else will help you make the decision. Is it the facilities or the modules? Is it the way things are assessed? Is it the campus? Ask yourself what else do I want from my uni other than the qualification.

If possible I always recommend open days as that really helped me decide which uni to go to! They are great to get a feel for the course, the campus and it's surrounding areas. Speaking to students also helped when attending the open days. If not possible, could you do any virtual tours or do a campus tour and get some insight that way.

Course content also helped me as I am a very visual person. So I would search the course or the university on socials and YouTube to get a deeper insight. It may sound really simple but a pros and cons list really helped me too. Seeing it in this format was easy to acknowledge what I like from each uni and what is more important to me.

Hope this helps, ^Zac

Reply 5

hallamstudents

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Hi there,

This can be really tricky to decide, especially if there are two great options that you like!

My best advice would be to go with the one that has the most positives. I know it sounds a little bit silly but it might be a good idea to make a pros and cons list just so you can see which has the most positives and how important they are to you.

If you haven't already, I would really recommend going to some open days as these are very helpful in seeing which uni you like the most. You can get a feel for the campus and ask any questions to the lecturers which really helped me in finding out which uni I wanted to go to.

For me, part of my decision was based on that I didn't want to be too far from my home, but I still wanted to go away from home so that was why I went to Sheffield in the first place and then when I looked around Hallam I really liked it! But this is different for everyone and is a very personal decision!

Having a look on places like Student Crowd and WhatUni can be helpful too as this is good to see lots of different people's opinions about the uni. You could also see if they have a platform on ' The Ambassador Platform' as this can be a great way of chatting to some current students and see how they are finding the uni so far.

I hope some of this helps 🙂

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 6

Anonymous #2

Original post

by Anonymous

Hi everyone
I’m in year 13 currently trying to choose which uni to go to for Ecology and Conservation.
I’m really stuck between Exeter, the penryn campus, and Sussex.
Exeter is a lot better ranked and looks really good but is really far from home (and I’d rather stay close).
Sussex is close and is just below Exeter in the rankings for zoology course, but I’m not sure if I would fit in to the student life as well as I would Exeter. But it’s a really hard choice because I don’t want to be too far from my family.
If anyone has had similar conflicts, I would really appreciate any advice!
And also I’d love to hear about Sussex and Exeter as unis (mainly about the atmosphere and student life).
Thanks for any help!
:smile:

))

Hi, I’m an s6 (year 13) Scottish student and had a similar dilemma to you. I was stuck between choosing a uni closer to home or to go with this same course at the penryn campus, Having been to the open day last week I know that it’s the right choice for me regardless of the distance lol. I’d recommend going to see it for yourself if you can as everyone was really nice and the campus looked great too. Bear in mind i’m just a prospective student too tho 😁

Reply 7

Anonymous #3

My daughter has just applied for the ecology course at Exeter, we've yet to hear back. We are midlands based so very far from home. I'm sure you are all anxious and excited for the adventure, I hope it works out for you all.

Stuck between unis

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