Time’s running out and I still can’t decide on my university choice - any advice much appreciated!

[Northerngal123]

Hi everyone! I’m an 18 year old girl going to Uni in September. The issue is I still can’t decide on my Uni and want some tips and advice please before I make my choice before the deadline in 3 weeks.

I have chosen Manchester (my home city), Leeds, Liverpool, MMU, and Sheffield. I’ve got all my offers.

Now I’ve visited all these cities but not all the unis. I’m going to study English lit and went to the offer holder day and was a bit unimpressed. The lecturers were not enthusiastic and whilst the students were really nice it was a bit off putting, and not professional.

I haven’t had the chance to go to any other offer holder days. I’ve visited Manchester Uni on a school trip at high school though and loved it.

I’m terms of the cities, I’ve been quite sheltered me whole life due to having confidence issues and being shy. Some stuff has happened lately that’s really brought me out of that and I want to go out there socialise and become more independent and start living life! I really want to move to another city but know I have got it good if I become a student in Manchester and I love the city centre and everything here. My mum told me with my personality I would probably need a big city with loads to do, little boutiques, restaurants, places to get lost…. She wanted me to choose london but I thought realistically my family wouldn’t be able to support me enough to be comfortable and I don’t want to work too much during my degree. I want to experience clubbing properly for the first time but I also am into sports a lot (boxing and weightlifting) and like having random cool experiences like in Manchester there are so many unique things to do depending on which street you walk in, in town.

My aunt and uncle used to live in Sheffield and they loved it. I visited them all the time and I went this weekend and it’s just like I remember. A nice mix of village Peak District and city centre life. It’s just not got that buzzing Manchester or Leeds vibe and seems more chilled out. The people were so nice there though! I loved how the air and city seemed cleaner. I love hiking and seeing nature and outdoor sports so would like that aspect of it. But I didn’t like the city centre compared to Manchester, it seemed like you have to walk a while to get to any shops or food places from student accommodation., and I can’t picture it having the same nightlife as somewhere like Manchester but we didn’t see the clubs and that sort of thing, we went in early afternoon. I have a friend at Sheffield who loves it though.

Then with Leeds I had to visit it alone for the first time last week and was a bit underwhelmed with the actual Uni set up and how they did it, but I loved the vibe and it seemed to have a real student community. There were students having fun with friends everywhere in the parks and green spaces. The people there I spoke to were nice but seemed busier than Sheffield, reminded me of Manchester. But of course that’s nothing to go off. I liked how the city centre was close to the Uni and you could see the Yorkshire countryside and the hills and everything, loads of good unique shops and it reminded me a lot of the Manchester City centre. I can imagine it having a good nightlife, and lots of things to do.

I haven’t visited Liverpool yet recently but I visited it a year ago for a day out. I remember loving it, the people were really nice again. The Liverpool docks were cool to have that in the centre of town, lots of shops and things to do. I watched a live stream from the Uni English professors and they seemed better than the ones from Leeds and genuinely conveyed their passion for English more but that could just be them having a bad day.

I would be happy to study in any of them to be honest but a part of me thinks did I make the wrong choice of cities and should have actually ventured out to Brighton, Edinburgh, like my parents were saying….. but too late for that. I want an affordable city similar to my home city where loads of different people with different interests come and I have chances to meet them to make friends, but I’m pretty sure I’ll get that at any university 🙂 do any of you or your children have experiences at any of these unis?

Hi. A lot of your points here relate to the cities - shops, nightlife etc. once you’re a student you’ll have fun anywhere.

You’ll be taking on a huge debt and three years of your life for this course, so make sure you’re happy with the course as a priority.

Is it worth reviewing the course content again at each university. And also info like support for employment while a student (eg placement opportunities or sandwich years/ year abroad) and once you’ve graduated.

Leeds or Sheffield. I know lots of people who went to both of these and loved it. Liverpool Uni is very big, and I do know people who felt a bit lost /overwhelmed there. Manchester is great but you won't have the same experience if you will be living at home.
From what you say, it sounds like Leeds is the one you are leaning towards. Are the courses the same, or are there factors there to take into account too?

You really do have to visit all the departments and try to get a feel for it or at least visit the university parts of the cities and see which one 'feels right'.

I wouldn't study in your home city if you're trying to branch out in life and gain more independence. It will always be too tempting to go home at the first sign of trouble (and settling in will be hard wherever you go).

I would also look at the rankings of the universities and think about what you want to do later in life and how that might impact.

Of your choices, I would choose Liverpool. I really like the city and the university is highly respected.

I think you need to make a pros and cons list for each one, and see if that helps to consolidate your feelings.

Thanks for giving me other things to think about. I think the reason I’m more focused on the cities is I genuinely like all the courses equally. With English I have a wide range of interests and don’t prefer a specific course since they all have positives and negatives and specific modules that are more or less interesting.

I didn’t research much into the years abroad/ placement opportunities though so thank you I’ll have to do that right away since it’s an important factor to consider.

You've still got time to visit. Can you do a mini tour by train? Are there any course options which particularly attract you or lecturers who have researched any authors/genres you enjoy? Do you know anyone who is at any of those or taking English?

Actually just looked it up and both Sheffield and Manchester are ranked higher than Liverpool. Manchester is in the top 10 UK universities. I think studying at home would mean you would miss out on a lot of the student experience though and all of these places are close enough to pop back from but with enough distance to make you think about it.

Yes I wish I could have seen the departments but it just didn’t work out right since I was very ill last year with covid for months and had other distractions.

I have visited all the Uni areas though and honestly I like Manchester the best but as you say, it’s better to move away from home since I have a really good relationship with my family and I know if I had trouble they would say at the first sign oh come back home for a bit, and I won’t figure stuff out myself. I live like a 5 mins drive from both Manchester unis, and the accommodation is a 5 mins walk from my grandma’s house!

the rankings are all very good for English, Manchester and Leeds are better than the other two but they’re not far behind. I don’t know about jobs yet but I’m looking into journalism, the police, marketing, the RAF, I feel like I’ll slowly figure it out during Uni.

i’m going to make a quick visit to Liverpool next week to check it out after last year so I’m sure I’ll like it as much as I did last time. Appreciate the advice :)

www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/english

I wouldn't put Liverpool or MMU in the same league as the others academically tbh. What are the offer grades?

OK, my kids haven't reached uni age yet, but as a UCAS Advisor for a large sixth form, I have some insights into this. It is a big decision but rest assured you're not the only one struggling with the decision.

One thing I would suggest, which you haven't mentioned in your post, is to look at course content. Find out more about the modules offered at each university, as courses in English Literature vary wildly from one university to another. Some may have lots of Chaucer or Shakespeare, others may have very little and prefer to focus on modern authors. The course needs to be right for you. Now is the time to call unis if you have questions about this.

If you weren't impressed with the lecturers at, for example, Leeds, then rule it out. You want to enjoy your lectures and feel inspired to learn more.

Think about where you'll be based in terms of accommodation. If you want to be close to a buzzing city centre but campus accommodation is miles out in the sticks then you might want to reconsider.

If you want to spread your wings a bit and go somewhere new then I personally wouldn't recommend going to uni in your own city. But staying close to home does have obvious advantages, especially if you love the city where you live.

Make a list of what's important for you then see which university ticks the most boxes. Things like location and amenities, ease of getting around on public transport, course (this should be the biggest factor imo), cost of living - look at typical accommodation prices etc. You may need to get your skates on with research as you need to accept offers before 9th June. It sounds like you will make friends easily wherever you go, and I'm sure you will settle wherever you choose- all the places you have offers from are great cities for students.

Liverpool are ABB and MMU are BCC, I’m doing well at a levels considering covid but I don’t want to assume I’m going to do very well just in case and was going to use one of them as insurance. Predicted grades are AAB at the moment.

Also forgot to mention having a first choice as one of the ones with higher grades and a backup you will still be happy with, just in case you don't achieve your predicted grades. (I imagine Liverpool and MMU will have lower offers)

I went to Liverpool. For me it's the best city in the UK because of how easy it is to make friends.

I did not make any lasting friends from uni because I was so quiet, that was mostly me.

What I like a lot about Liverpool is the cost of living is very low and the job opportunities are still plentiful.

You can have a good standard of living on a low wage when you graduate, and then progress to a wage that will make you quite well off here.

I know the other cities, not as well, but they are more expensive and they do not have the same culture of friendliness that Liverpool has, nowhere does.

Might want to consider using paragraphs OP, especially if you're studying English.

Haha I did didn’t I? Just extremely long ones. You’ll have to trust me I don’t type like I write academically 😂

I can see ops paragraphs. Think it is a MN app problem.

OP if manchester is your favourite uni you can still live out in manchester and you will see your home city in a different light as long as you know your parents will back off from getting involved.

She has??

Just to add an alternative perspective, I went to uni near home. I commuted for the first term and moved to halls after that as I wanted to enjoy more of the social life. I felt more secure knowing it was easy to go home for a weekend if I was over-whelmed with work, just needed a break or a decent Sunday roast!

I loved it and from a career perspective it was great that at the end of my degree I was offered a job by a local company that had links to the uni.

I can see paragraphs. But it's a widely known quite of the rubbish new MN "upgrade" that some users can't. So perhaps reserve your snark for the platform, yes?

Manchester would be my top choice from those five! If all the courses (and they way they are assessed!!) are completely equal I’d pick the UNI I wanted and not worry about the city. Once you graduate you can move to whichever city you’d like for a year or two to experience something different

It's a well known issue that MN seems to remove paragraphs on the app. What a snotty comment for an 18 year old seeking advice 🙄

Have you looked at the specialisms of the staff? I know your dissertation is a long way off but if you are really interested in Austen, say, and there's an Austen specialist among them that might be something to consider. Though your interests will change and they may leave, so don't base it 100% on that.

A different perspective. I went to a uni an hour away from home. I stayed in halls for the 1st 2 years. Whilst it was ok, I made friends etc, it was a bit too loud and chaotic for me. I'm quite shy and introverted and whilst I enjoyed it, it wasn't the best experience of my life, particularly when you include the cost of living there.

For the last year I travelled from home. Most of that year was on placement which was half an hour from home, and closer to home than placement company. I much preferred living at home and travelling than living in halls.

If the university i really wanted to go to, and was highly regarded, then I'd live at home. It really does depend on your personality.