What to do about which University to choose?

[UniChoiceIssue]

18 year old DD has applied to go to Uni to do Economics this year. She sadly didn't get accepted into Cambridge and has also just had a rejection from University College London. She has received offers from Bath and Warwick and is yet to receive a decision from London School for Economics.

She would love to go to LSE if lucky enough to receive an offer. However, their acceptance rate is low and it is notoriously hard to get onto their Economics course.

if DD doesn't get into LSE, she must choose between Bath and Warwick University.

She was dead set on a city university at the start of the application process as she thought there would be more going on.

Bath was her insurance choice. She loves Bath (the city and the university). She also loves the fact that the economics degree will give her the opportunity to study abroad. However, the downside is that the Economics degree she will get from Bath University is apparently not so well regarded by future employers as a degree from Warwick would be.

Warwick does not appeal to her as she seems to think that the university is too quiet with not enough going on (campus uni). Due to Covid, open days have been fairly thin on the ground. She wasn't able to see Warwick until after she had submitted her uni applications. The application deadline for Oxbridge was 15th October and the open day for Warwick was just after this. She would not have put Warwick on the application form, if she had seen it before applying for uni.

However, the thing is that the Warwick Economics degree would be probably better for getting a job at the end of the degree as it is regarded as fairly prestigious by future employers.

We don't really know what to advise her, in the event of not getting an offer from LSE.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Any insights would be so much appreciated.

I'd got for what's going to make her happy now.

But I don't know anything about how each university is regarded for economics.

If a Bath degree is worth nothing then obviously avoid. If we're talking small differences then go with what makes her happiest now.

Which course does she prefer? Look at all the modules for both - what options are available, do they fit with her particular interests? What are the teaching methods used by each? Assessment methods? Year in industry and/or abroad etc?
Check the employability figures for both - I doubt that Bath's are much lower than Warwick. Does she know what she wants to do after uni?
Presumably after the first year, she wouldn't be living on campus at Warwick anyway, so I don't think that in itself is too much of an issue. That said, I think it is really important that students feel happy with where they are living and studying. Would it be possible to visit again - has she done Offer Holder days at both? I think they are really helpful with narrowing down final decisions.

Thank you both. Definitely food for thought. No offer holders days have come up yet. I will look into this. Seeing both unis again might help her to make a decision.

No useful help from me unfortunately, but you might get better response from Higher Education. Lots of knowledgeable people over there, including a few years worth of Oxbridge redirects, who have ended up all over the place.

From memory, and the FB page WIWIKAU, Economics is a high rejection subject, and very oversubscribed, so unfortunately your DD is not in a minority at all. But, those who end up at Warwick or Bath, or Bristol etc etc, all seem happy.

Most unis email soon after making an offer with details if how to book offer holder/applicant days. Get your DD to check her emails/spam

I don’t think employers a really look beyond ‘is this a good university I know of’ I wouldn’t let that sway the decision very much, employability is much more influenced by the degree you get and what you do while you’re at university.

We had the same problem with Covid and university entry.

The internet suggests that Warwick students go into Coventry to socialise if that's what has put her off. It's a 10 minute drive from Warwick to central Coventry according to Google maps.

Tbh most employers will not look differently at Warwick v Bath. Oxbridge and LSE stand out but but Warwick and Bath will be seen as good Universities backed by the A level grades needed to get in. Employers are much less fussy about Universities these days. However they do tend to do more early engagement on certain campuses which can help students from those Universities

Take a gap year and reapply after A levels? If she had a realistic chance at Cambridge or LSE, I think a degree from Bath might under-represent her ability, and going to Warwick when she regrets even applying there seems a pity.

She could even have another crack at Cambridge if she wants.

I don’t think employers a really look beyond ‘is this a good university I know of’ I wouldn’t let that sway the decision very much, employability is much more influenced by the degree you get and what you do while you’re at university.

This may be true in some areas but certainly not in all. In my area (corporate law) the university you attended still counts for a lot.

You really should have this moved to Higher Education, OP!

(Sorry, not trying to be officious - it’s just that that’s where posters with some current interest and investment in university choice are likely to see your thread.)

DH did economics at Warwick (a LONG time ago) and a lot of friends work for the uni. It’s easy to get in to Cov, and most stuff happens in Cov- it’s not like a large city where each suburb has restaurants etc. However it is near Earlsdon with pubs, shops etc. Students sometimes live in leamington spa or Warwick in their 2nd year and there is a direct bus there.

I love bath, but as far as I’m aware the uni is quite far out of town- it’s prob as far from the city centre as Warwick is?

@TottersBlankly

(Sorry, not trying to be officious - it’s just that that’s where posters with some current interest and investment in university choice are likely to see your thread.)

Thanks for the suggestion. I have put a post in the Higher Education section now, so will hope for done replies there too!

Thanks everyone for all your posts. They are all very useful and much appreciated.

DN did economics at Warwick, enjoyed the course and had good opportunities afterwards.Having said that they chose it because it was a campus university as they didn't think they wanted city life or expense.I agree with those that say she should choose based on wider factors than the minor 'league table' differences between Warwick and Bath. She should look at the course , the likelihood of being accepted if she drops a grade, the university situation and the opportunities for student life and how it will suit her.I would also be very careful about steering her in a direction. She needs to be fully responsible for her choices at this point.Either one will be great.

That’s a tough one because I think that the university you go to really matters in a lot of trad sectors, more than the course.

I wouldn’t have wanted to go Warwick either, and Bath is not (overall) top tier, so what I would do is take a year out and apply again - if she does well she should be able to get into the one of the big redbricks?? Cambridge and LSE are super competitive as you say - but there should be a mid position between that and somewhere not great.

What does she want to do? Could a year off be a good way to brush up languages?

Tbh most employers will not look differently at Warwick v Bath. Oxbridge and LSE stand out but but Warwick and Bath will be seen as good Universities backed by the A level grades needed to get in.

Not true. Economics at Warwick is very highly regarded, less so at Bath.

I know several ppl who went to warwick for economics, all loved it. Great campus, great nightlife and all went on to get excellent jobs. It’s close enough to the town to have good nights out. Bath is nice but full of tourists most of the time anyway.

I think the year out, ordinarily a good shoit, might be expensive for this cohort because of the change to loan repayments (nb this is not something I am properly across so maybe wrong). Seems they thought this buch of kids had not been shat on sufficiently by Covid so brought something else into the mix

Go for the course and uni she prefers. The one where her gut feeling is that she’ll be happy. In this day and age it really isn’t that important where she has studied. In fact you could even say a bright kid from a low ranking uni could have a better chance with so many grad schemes with social mobility targets. It’s much more about what she does when she’s there than where she actually is.

Warwick is highly regarded for Economics, at least according to a friend who did a Masters in Economics there. Would she should try to find out more about what the university experience would be like there eg does she debate, is she sporty or arty and see what the student societies for those are like, maybe she would like it more than she thinks.

Though if she doesn't get LSE a year out could be a great idea so she can have time to do some research into other unis - would she widen her net to Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester for example?

If she takes a year out she needs to do something with her time eg if she's studying any languages, she could go to the relevant country to study the language and work part time. She could come home near fluent and good on a CV.

Cambridge and LSE are super competitive as you say - but there should be a mid position between that and somewhere not great.

There is - Warwick!

If the only thing putting her off W is her thought that there's less going on than in Bath she is very much mistaken. Both have thriving student communities with lots of opportunities. If she is set on a city though, neither will offer a city vibe and she might want to think about re-applying if London is her focus.

If she wants to work as an Economist, Warwick far better reputation wise as you know.

@SonicBroom

Tbh most employers will not look differently at Warwick v Bath. Oxbridge and LSE stand out but but Warwick and Bath will be seen as good Universities backed by the A level grades needed to get in.

Not true. Economics at Warwick is very highly regarded, less so at Bath.

I know several ppl who went to warwick for economics, all loved it. Great campus, great nightlife and all went on to get excellent jobs. It’s close enough to the town to have good nights out. Bath is nice but full of tourists most of the time anyway.

Yep I’d second this.

Warwick and Bath will not be seen the same way by a lot of employers.

@titchy

Cambridge and LSE are super competitive as you say - but there should be a mid position between that and somewhere not great.

There is - Warwick!

If the only thing putting her off W is her thought that there's less going on than in Bath she is very much mistaken. Both have thriving student communities with lots of opportunities. If she is set on a city though, neither will offer a city vibe and she might want to think about re-applying if London is her focus.

If she wants to work as an Economist, Warwick far better reputation wise as you know.

Yes absolutely

But if she wants city life it ain’t it. A PP said that Warwick students go to Coventry to socialise which says it all.

So I think if no LSE offer comes through, a year out and reapplications to redbricks is best.