How do you make your university choices when there are over 166 universities and over 260 providers of higher education in the UK to choose from? This is a big decision to make when you are seventeen and also having to juggle school work, exam pressures and all the other ‘stuff’ that you have to deal with in Year 12. To help you decide we have ten factors to consider when making your university choices.
I went to the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Like other more famous and more royal alumni, I met my future partner there. I studied theology and he studied medicine. Looking back, St Andrews was the perfect choice for me. Being from a big northern city, I loved it being small, by the sea and very friendly. I didn’t know what I wanted to study and ended up applying to study English Literature because it was my favourite A level. The benefit of the Scottish university system is that the undergraduate degrees are four years and for the first two years, you study a range of different subjects. I chose to study Economics, Psychology and Theology alongside English Literature. After two years, I chose Theology, and not English Literature to specialise in as my Honours subject. St Andrews was too far for me to return home easily at weekends. This helped me to be more independent, establishing strong friendships and participating fully in university life.
However, St Andrews was not the best choice for my husband. He found it too parochial, traditional and extremely remote. After three years, he left to study his clinical medicine at St Mary’s Hospital (Imperial College) in London, where he loved the cosmopolitan student life of the big city. We are all different and what suits one person will not necessarily suit another.
Ten factors to consider when making your university choices apart from grade offers:
- The course – this sounds obvious but does the university offer the course you want to study? Courses with the same title vary considerably. For example Geography is considered a science at some universities, while at others it is part of the arts and social science faculties.
- Reputation and status – is the status or being a Russell Group university a consideration for you?
- Location of the university – do you want to be in a big city or out in the countryside or even by the sea? This might also depend on what interests and hobbies you have and the opportunity the university provides to pursue these. Also how far do you want to be from home? Close enough to go home at weekends or live at home, or far enough away that returning home for weekends is not a temptation?
- SEN provision – if you have a special educational need, the provision can differ hugely from one university to another. Research carefully the support that is provided by the university or department. Ask questions and make a visit to the university. Will you feel supported and able to thrive?
- Facilities at the University – again this might depend on your hobbies and interests or the course you want to study. Examples might be the sports or drama facilities or perhaps the research facilities in the department.
- Employability rates of the course – these vary tremendously and will often depend on the quality of the careers department within the university or the links that the course or university have made with employers and industry. https://discoveruni.gov.uk/ is a good website for looking at employability and comparing one course with another.
- Position in the university league tables – these are often a good starting point for narrowing down your choices.
- Social life – again this will vary depending on the individual. For some students, this might refer to a good music scene or night life, whereas for others it will mean opportunity for involvement with special interest groups.
- Campus or city – a campus university is often away from the town centre and appeal to some people but not to others.
- Opportunities for studying abroad – many universities have well established links with universities abroad. If this is something that is important to you, choose one that offers this option.
It should be exciting making your university choices. However, it can often feel daunting, because there are so many options to choose from. Hopefully our ten factors to consider when making your university choices as well as www.ucas.com, university websites and higher education fairs will help you to make a long list. Then narrow it down to a short list by attending open days and talking to people who study and work at those universities. You’ll soon get a strong feeling for where you want to go and where you don’t want to go.
Here at www.studentnavigator.co.uk we offer support in making your university choices as part of our UCAS support programme. Contact us today to find out how we can support you.