To ask if Loughborough University is any good?

[Weekendwolf]

DD 17 is looking at uni’s for when she’s finished her A Levels (she’s going into her last year of A Levels in September). She’s looking at Loughborough as well as few others, is Loughborough any good? DD would be doing media and Communications with the aim of having a career in PR.

YANBU - Loughborough is a good university
YABU - it’s not as good as most other universities

The people I know who have gone to Loughborough tend to be / were very sporty and studied sports science and similar.

Seems to rank fairly highly overall, though?

Yeah I thought it was more of a sporty university to be honest. DD is not very sporty

I'd personally avoid doing a media degree. Not worth all the debt.

What other ways are there for her to get into PR though?? She was looking at doing the degree at Loughborough as they offer a placement year in PR roles too but think other uni’s do that too

My DS does engineering there - is very happy with it. Also know a graphic design graduate from there - also loved it.

This is good to hear, DD is very keen on Loughborough compared to the other uni’s she’s looked at

Dd went to loughborough and loved it, did very well with industry contacts and is doing amazingly considering the pandemic. She isn't sporty think more engineering side though not quite. Can't say what the media studies would be like though as it's not something I associate them with.

In general I'd agree with you @CountFoscoslittlewhitemice but a media and comms degree is actually a good way into PR.

And yes @Weekendwolf , Loughborough is a good university overall, and very highly thought of for media & comms. There will be a lot of sporty types though.

That is one of the best universities for media and communication. Some leading academics moved there a few years ago. Media and communication courses can be wishy washy (fun to do but you've nothing to show for it). Loughborough is solid with a strong focus on methods and research skills, which are great for any career.

Has your daughter visited unis at open days? That's the best way to find out. It does well in league tables, but that's only one measure.

I agree

Yes we’ve been to a few open days for different unis including Loughborough

This is very good to hear about Loughborough and glad to hear their media and communications degrees are really good

This is good to hear

Dh went to Loughborough. He did engineering. It has a lovely feel to it in terms of the accommodation halls all being friendly rivals. The sports teams play against each other etc so instead of it just being a random block it feels a bit like Durham and their collegiate system. Loughborough is ranked either 6th or 7th depending which site you look at, so yes, a great university.

OP I’ve worked in PR all my life, worked for companies like Virgin Atlantic, Disney (UK office in London), British airways and many more. The best PR’s I’ve worked with went to Loughborough University. Loughborough is one of if not the best Universities for Media & Comms in the UK

Glad there’s a friendly atmosphere, this is very very good to hear

Ohhh this is amazing, I’ll pass this on to DD

Are they any disadvantages to Loughborough really? Besides the fact it’s in the middle of nowhere

Is it? I lived there for a number of years and it's got great transport links to the cities of the Midlands as well as being a medium-sized town in its own right. It's close to countryside but it's hardly a rural location. One of it's appeals for students is that it's a compact place where all bars, etc are within walking distance. As others have said, it ranks highly it the league tables and sounds like it would be a good choice for her in terms of the course she wants to do.

It's not that far from Leicester.

The Loughborough campus is fab and the town is very cheap for living out in the 2nd and 3rd years

It's a great Uni and very high up in most of the league tables. My dis has just got a place and is over the moon.

It's better to have a specialty - nursing, IT, horticulture, whatever -- and THEN pursue a career in PR for that field. Build a network.

Media and communication are very, very soft skills that can be acquired without a costly degree. Really urge her to think this through.

It's in the top 10 of every UK league table. It is ranked particularly highly for chemistry which is all my two were interested in. My son got a 1st last year and was offered three research posts before he had his results.

It's in the middle of the midlands - which may be one of the reasons it's good for engineering, strong industry links. Maybe this is also helpful for your dd's course?