UoManchester or UoEdinburgh?

2

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

Reply 1

surfergirls

13

Edinburgh - better student satisfaction rates than Manchester and from reading your post it sounds like that's where you'd rather be.

Reply 2

Wired_1800

20

Original post

by userdarbs007

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

Manchester

Reply 3

spaceengineer

10

The University of Edinburgh is highly ranked in the field of biological sciences, placing 23rd in the world and 4th in the UK, which reflects its strong reputation and expertise in biology. In comparison, the University of Manchester is ranked 49th globally and 41st in the UK for biology.
Based on these rankings, the University of Edinburgh appears to be the more favourable option for studying biology. However, rankings alone should not be the sole deciding factor. Other important considerations—such as student life, the city environment, social opportunities, and overall personal fit—also play a significant role in making the right choice.

Reply 4

Physician

21

Original post

by userdarbs007

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

Edinburgh, purely because it is very much like Oxbridge in the way it looks as a small city, and on scale. Academically speaking, employers won't distinguish between the two, as they are so similar. If you plan to go onto research, Biology at Edinburgh would be more useful than that with the additional society stuff at Manchester.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 5

avaaaa2

5

Original post

by userdarbs007

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

that's so funny im deciding the same thing for the same courses at these unis 😝

Reply 6

beaten-papaya

6

I'd check what accommodation looks like/costs etc. as well. See how the finances all shake out

Reply 7

UEA Rep Rosie

Official Rep

9

Original post

by userdarbs007

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

Hey!

There’s some helpful advice on this thread already, but I’ll just summarise and add my own tips! I study ecology, and though I didn’t decide between these unis, I did have to make tricky decisions about what was best for me!

Some things for you to look at:
- the comparative cost of living in both cities- does one have much more expensive accommodation etc
- How big the city is- do you want a bustling metropolitan city feel or more like a large town
- What the uni accommodation is like
- What modules the courses offer- is there one that has really unique modules that you are really interested in
- What the teaching quality is like- the research output of a uni or department does not always indicate good lecture quality!
- What student support is available
- How far away/ how easy it is to commute home- do you want to be able to get home for a weekend occasionally?

You’ve mentioned you’re going to visit both, this is a really good idea! I did this to help me decide, when I visited UEA I just got a really good feeling about it and knew it was for me! I would also say to ignore the rankings of the unis- pick what feels right for you and you’ll end up being much happier!

Also as someone who is studying in biological sciences, please feel free to pop me any questions about what it’s like to study this at a university level!

Best of luck!
UEA Rep Rosie 🙂

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

Original post

by userdarbs007

I haven’t visited either, but I plan to. I’ve had offers from both, although Edi one is higher. Already know quite a lot of people already at Edinburgh, don’t really know anyone a Manchester, but it seems like a great city. I’m applying for Biology w/ Science and Society at Manchester, and straight Bio at Edinburgh. I’m looking for a good course, which I think they both are, as well as an interesting, knowable city with good nightlife and music scene. Edi does have the upper hand of being absolutely gorgeous as well…
Any thoughts?

Hi, I went to Edinburgh University for a year to study biology and let me summarise it to you in one word- hell. Unless you have very strong python skills and can balance a 9-5 monday-friday timetable with the assessments on top then you'll be alright. I still talk to some of my friends from the course as i left after a year and most of them are pretty depressed. I am just giving a heads up as i wished someone warned me before going to Edinburgh what it was like... Wish you all the best :smile:

UoManchester or UoEdinburgh?

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