University problems ( which one should i pick?)

So basically the situation i'm in is that i am predicted 4A* in my A levels and therefore could easily go to any of the Russel groups , however yesterday i went to the Portsmouth open day , and kind of fell in love with it , the accommodation , the English building , it was all so perfect and i just got a really good feeling about it , not to mention it does the exact course i want to study ( joint honours English lit and lang). so basically it ticks everyone of my boxes . however my problem is i'm worried i would be wasted there , knowing i could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge and it might not challenge me academically enough . and obviously it doesn't have the prestige around it that the others do , and i'm worried about my reputation being lost if i go there because its not one of the top unis that everyone around me has always expected me to go to . i also really liked Southampton when i saw it , which is obviously a Russel group, but i just didn't like it as much as Portsmouth . so i need advice on whether i go to where feels right or go to where will help me more in life , and look better to employers .
Please help , Thank you

So basically the situation i'm in is that i am predicted 4A* in my A levels and therefore could easily go to any of the Russel groups , however yesterday i went to the Portsmouth open day , and kind of fell in love with it , the accommodation , the English building , it was all so perfect and i just got a really good feeling about it , not to mention it does the exact course i want to study ( joint honours English lit and lang). so basically it ticks everyone of my boxes . however my problem is i'm worried i would be wasted there , knowing i could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge and it might not challenge me academically enough . and obviously it doesn't have the prestige around it that the others do , and i'm worried about my reputation being lost if i go there because its not one of the top unis that everyone around me has always expected me to go to . i also really liked Southampton when i saw it , which is obviously a Russel group, but i just didn't like it as much as Portsmouth . so i need advice on whether i go to where feels right or go to where will help me more in life , and look better to employers .
Please help , Thank you

Hello,
What type of career are you thinking of getting into in the future? If you’re thinking academia, publishing, etc then oxbridge would open more doors and opportunities for you.
-Sarah (Kingston Rep)

Hi @arwen-mccarthy81
This is a very difficult decision, however ultimately it is up to you for what you decide.
It is really important that you are happy wherever you choose to study as you will be there for at least 3 years. Likewise, being able to study the specific course you want to is also important as that will help you to be more interested and motivated, supporting you to do better. Some jobs may have a preference for certain universities, however many will simply ask for a degree.
I would recommend making a pros and cons list for each uni to weigh up where you think you will be happiest and able to succeed. Try to avoid worrying about what other people think, as it is your choice and your life.
Hope this helps!
Sophie.
BCU Student Rep.

So basically the situation i'm in is that i am predicted 4A* in my A levels and therefore could easily go to any of the Russel groups , however yesterday i went to the Portsmouth open day , and kind of fell in love with it , the accommodation , the English building , it was all so perfect and i just got a really good feeling about it , not to mention it does the exact course i want to study ( joint honours English lit and lang). so basically it ticks everyone of my boxes . however my problem is i'm worried i would be wasted there , knowing i could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge and it might not challenge me academically enough . and obviously it doesn't have the prestige around it that the others do , and i'm worried about my reputation being lost if i go there because its not one of the top unis that everyone around me has always expected me to go to . i also really liked Southampton when i saw it , which is obviously a Russel group, but i just didn't like it as much as Portsmouth . so i need advice on whether i go to where feels right or go to where will help me more in life , and look better to employers .
Please help , Thank you

hi, thanks for the reply , i definitely want to go into something in the book world , like publishing or editing . i would also quite like to go into PR, so yeah oxbridge might be better for those

Hi,
If so, then oxbridge will give you more academia opportunities and better on CV for publishing jobs since they are very competitive positions, it will help you stand out between the other applicants.
-Sarah (Kingston Rep)

So basically the situation i'm in is that i am predicted 4A* in my A levels and therefore could easily go to any of the Russel groups , however yesterday i went to the Portsmouth open day , and kind of fell in love with it , the accommodation , the English building , it was all so perfect and i just got a really good feeling about it , not to mention it does the exact course i want to study ( joint honours English lit and lang). so basically it ticks everyone of my boxes . however my problem is i'm worried i would be wasted there , knowing i could have gone to Oxford or Cambridge and it might not challenge me academically enough . and obviously it doesn't have the prestige around it that the others do , and i'm worried about my reputation being lost if i go there because its not one of the top unis that everyone around me has always expected me to go to . i also really liked Southampton when i saw it , which is obviously a Russel group, but i just didn't like it as much as Portsmouth . so i need advice on whether i go to where feels right or go to where will help me more in life , and look better to employers .
Please help , Thank you