deciding which university to firm

hello!!
this past week i've finally gotten all 5 offers from UCAS but i'm struggling to choose one.
Im doing electrical and mechanical engineering for context and the univerisites im stuck between are edinburgh, strathclyde, and glasgow!

for edinburgh its obviously the most expensive to live in, however i do like the city and im quite familiar with it.
the university also has a good reputation, however im not sure how good it is for engineering?
i dont really care about nightlife as i dont go out often but its always a plus!! i feel like this university would be my top choice if it was anything other than engineering because my family keep telling me strathclyde is the best to choose for engineering.

however for strathclyde (i know this is a bad way to judge a university) i find the building SO ugly like i actually cant stand to look at it😭
and i dont really like the thought of living in glasgow...
ive not got much to say about glasgow university because i dont know much about it but again, i dont really like the city.

can someone please share their experiences at these universities :smile:

and also would choose edinburgh over strathclyde affect my chances of employability after graduating?

Reply 1

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by unknownnn7

hello!!
this past week i've finally gotten all 5 offers from UCAS but i'm struggling to choose one.
Im doing electrical and mechanical engineering for context and the univerisites im stuck between are edinburgh, strathclyde, and glasgow!
for edinburgh its obviously the most expensive to live in, however i do like the city and im quite familiar with it.
the university also has a good reputation, however im not sure how good it is for engineering?
i dont really care about nightlife as i dont go out often but its always a plus!! i feel like this university would be my top choice if it was anything other than engineering because my family keep telling me strathclyde is the best to choose for engineering.
however for strathclyde (i know this is a bad way to judge a university) i find the building SO ugly like i actually cant stand to look at it😭
and i dont really like the thought of living in glasgow...
ive not got much to say about glasgow university because i dont know much about it but again, i dont really like the city.
can someone please share their experiences at these universities :smile:

and also would choose edinburgh over strathclyde affect my chances of employability after graduating?

From an employability perspective, in the UK all three are very reputable engineering institutions with no discernible differences job prospects wise.

Reply 2

unknownnn7

Original post

by mnot

From an employability perspective, in the UK all three are very reputable engineering institutions with no discernible differences job prospects wise.

okay thank you!!!! what about aberdeen university? i just got an offer from them today and i live in aberdeen so it would save ALOT of money

Reply 3

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by unknownnn7

okay thank you!!!! what about aberdeen university? i just got an offer from them today and i live in aberdeen so it would save ALOT of money

Aberdeens reputation in engineering isn’t as strong on a national or international level. That said a lot of employability as a graduate is about the students doing the right things, not the institutions, there are some industries and employers which recruit through research partnerships or by reputation however the vast majority of employers no longer do traditional campus recruitment and don’t have a preference when it comes to the institution.

If you actively prioritise your future employability whilst at university you will be fine.

Reply 4

kingpin73

Original post

by unknownnn7

hello!!
this past week i've finally gotten all 5 offers from UCAS but i'm struggling to choose one.
Im doing electrical and mechanical engineering for context and the univerisites im stuck between are edinburgh, strathclyde, and glasgow!
for edinburgh its obviously the most expensive to live in, however i do like the city and im quite familiar with it.
the university also has a good reputation, however im not sure how good it is for engineering?
i dont really care about nightlife as i dont go out often but its always a plus!! i feel like this university would be my top choice if it was anything other than engineering because my family keep telling me strathclyde is the best to choose for engineering.
however for strathclyde (i know this is a bad way to judge a university) i find the building SO ugly like i actually cant stand to look at it😭
and i dont really like the thought of living in glasgow...
ive not got much to say about glasgow university because i dont know much about it but again, i dont really like the city.
can someone please share their experiences at these universities :smile:

and also would choose edinburgh over strathclyde affect my chances of employability after graduating?

BRO I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT 😭 it’s so ugly that it’s affecting my decision too ngl 💔 Starth has the best rep for engineering, especially because of its huge engineering faculty. My cousin went there for product design engineering and she really enjoyed it because it had lots of labs. Also, strathclyde is really competitive for mechanical engineering - well done for getting in!! Glasgow is pretty good too, they have a really nice library and learning hub. They also have a strong reputation for Mechanical Engineering. Strathclyde is in the city centre, while Glasgow Uni is in the west end near Kelvin Grove (so like a tiny bit quieter) . Edinburgh is another good uni for engineering, but I have only looked into Civil for that. Have you applied for Herriot-Watt?

Reply 5

unknownnn7

Original post

by kingpin73

thank you so much!! yes i got into heriott-watt! i feel so guilty if i turned down strathclyde but idkkk😭
what is your top choice?

Reply 6

kingpin73

Original post

by unknownnn7

thank you so much!! yes i got into heriott-watt! i feel so guilty if i turned down strathclyde but idkkk😭
what is your top choice?

I think if I had to chose probably Strathclyde, just based on the fact that it's easier to get there from my house compared to Glasgow. 3rd is probably Edinburgh, 4th Heriot-Watt and 5th Aberdeen (because I think I'd get too home sick lol).
But honestly, Edinburgh is a GREAT university, and if you want to go there over the Strath and Glasgow, then you should as you're more likely to do well at a place where you're happy 🙂

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 7

Student - Nethmi

Official Rep

Original post

by unknownnn7

hello!!
this past week i've finally gotten all 5 offers from UCAS but i'm struggling to choose one.
Im doing electrical and mechanical engineering for context and the univerisites im stuck between are edinburgh, strathclyde, and glasgow!
for edinburgh its obviously the most expensive to live in, however i do like the city and im quite familiar with it.
the university also has a good reputation, however im not sure how good it is for engineering?
i dont really care about nightlife as i dont go out often but its always a plus!! i feel like this university would be my top choice if it was anything other than engineering because my family keep telling me strathclyde is the best to choose for engineering.
however for strathclyde (i know this is a bad way to judge a university) i find the building SO ugly like i actually cant stand to look at it😭
and i dont really like the thought of living in glasgow...
ive not got much to say about glasgow university because i dont know much about it but again, i dont really like the city.
can someone please share their experiences at these universities :smile:

and also would choose edinburgh over strathclyde affect my chances of employability after graduating?

Hiya!

First of all, congratulations on securing your offers - that is a fantastic win!

Since you don't know much about the University of Glasgow, I thought I might share some insight as a student who finished my undergrad here (in Mathematics) and is doing my Master's here. I didn't do engineering so I cannot be much help there, but here are some other things you might be interested in knowing.

In terms of landscape and architecture, our campus is beautiful and ever-expanding. The main campus has always been known for how aesthetic it is (even being featured in many films/shows etc). I can confirm that I, on my daily walks to class, often cannot believe that this is where I study because it is a stunning sight. The newer buildings are more modern, but with great facilities and lots of spaces to study or meet friends or even read a book. Some buildings open quite early and close very late so there is tons of flexibility (library closes at 2am).

This is also just a personal preference, but I do love the West End! It feels very cozy, lots of cafes, restaurants, bars etc. and the university is spread across it so it feels like a very student town. Because of that, there are loads of student deals and discounts everywhere. Nightlife is pretty big here as well as we have two student unions (Queen Margaret Union and Glasgow University Union) who have things on consistently throughout the weeks. If you do sports, for example, GUU run a Sports Wednesday every Wednesday night which is one of the more popular nights out for students. Pubs and restaurants tend to also offer loads of student discounts so your student ID is like a golden ticket.

In terms of employability, UofG is really good at providing you with a lot of guidance and careers help, from counselling to student leadership opportunities and sometimes even short-term part-time internships. I am currently doing a temporary internship at the Business School, for example.

I also joined tons of societies when I started at uni. There are over 300 to choose from, if I am not mistaken. Almost every degree subject has their own student society, and there are loads of others (some examples I like to give are the Shrek Soceity, Racing Society, and Baking Society). And people often get involved at committee-level which goes on your transcripts. It is a great way to network and take part in something cool both in the area you are interested in and in other things as well.

If there is anything else you'd like to know, free to ask away!

Best wishes and good luck ☺️