Australian with choice of 3 unis in UK and no idea. HELP pls!

[marvellousmaple]

Asking on behalf of my son who is doing a university exchange semester next year . The 3 uni's that fit in with his law subjects are Reading, Liverpool and Glasgow. I've never been to any of these areas but I said I would ask if anyone here has an idea . Basically he wants to know which would likely be the best thought of upon his return to Australia ; and which would be the most fun. Also anything he should know as 21yo living there for 6 months. I am jealous and have offered to come over in his suitcase but I don't think I'd fit. Thanks !

Can only comment on glasgow.
brilliant traditional university. Great music scene. Active university outdoor sports clubs such as mountaineering, kayaking. More traditional sports clubs too. 1.5 hours to ski slopes, mountains near by. Large parks throughout the city. Edinburgh 45 minutes away. City small enough to walk around. Uni halls in decent areas. Massive arena which attracts international acts etc. most of the large acts play Glasgow as part of tours.it’s generally friendly, relaxed sort of place. International airport 20 minutes from the city, flights to europe, Dubai, London etc. less than 5 hours direct by train to London.
Guarantee once he’s in the quadrangle he’ll fall in love with the university. i

Such a good post. The quadrangle is so beautiful. My friend's wedding photographs there are something else.

Will glasgow not be scottish law? if so will be 4 years vs 3 and will also not apply in england etc so depends what his next step plan is

He's only there for 6 months so 4 year vs 3 wouldn't matter and don't see why an Australian studying 6 months of Scottish law would be different to English law (although many posters upthread have said by the 3rd year which is when he'll be visiting they wouldn't be doing Scottish law anyway)

I would vote Glasgow or Liverpool although my gut says Glasgow.

I think being in a vibrant city with loads of stuff to do is better than being a train ride from London.

If I only had 6 months visiting Reading wouldn't be my first choice.

I went to Liverpool and loved it. Great city with a very friendly vibe, loads to do and academically, Liverpool has a great reputation. I have so many great memories and still feel a little tug of pride when I see it on my CV.

I don't know about Glasgow Uni but the city itself is another great place.

Definitely Liverpool then, close enough for day trips to outdoorsy place like North Wales, the Lakes, the Dale’s

Really ? Where is your evidence for this
www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/where-to-study/how-safe-is-your-city

Thanks for this Runnerdown eye-opening.

I did my undergrad and PhD at Glasgow Uni. It's a great place to be a student. The uni is in the heart of the West End, a vibrant part of the city with lots of pubs, cafes, restaurants, museums, as well as the Botanic Gardens and the large Kelvingrove Park. It's an easy city to get around (subway) and it's close to Edinburgh (1 hour on train approx) and the Highlands. I had to laugh at PPs comment that 'it's so far away from the rest of the UK' 🤔. It's much closer to a lot of the UK than London. It also has a major international airport - easy access to other UK cities, Europe, or even Australia (Emirates via Dubai).

I didn't do law so I can't comment on the course content. But FWIW during my undergrad I had a group of German, Dutch and Greek friends who were in Glasgow for one year as part of their undergrad law degrees and they all loved their time in the city.

I would recommend your son contact each uni and ask for specifics of what modules he would be doing, how they are taught (lectures? seminars? How big are tutorial groups? Online or in person? Etc etc). Also worth asking his current law professors in Oz for their opinions of the courses.

Sure he'll have an amazing time wherever he chooses.

Meant to add, Glasgow Uni has a great student sports centre and library - much better than either of the other two unis I have studied/worked at.

(Also should add that I've never studied or worked at Liverpool or Reading Unis so although I think Glasgow is a great city to live and study, in no way am I implying the others are bad.)

The OP's DS will be there til May and June. When it is light til 10 pm in Glasgow and sunrise is at about 4am...

Some people even prefer relatively flat.

Did you read any of OP's post at all??

OP said he's a keen camper not a keen mountain climber.
Is this one of those threads where we are supposed to make up stuff read between the lines?

Ok, then, my wild guesses what matters to the lad, based on the camping/outdoors comment, are:

Definitely Don't go to Scotland because they have so many midges.
Definitely do go to Scotland because they have cheaper beer.
Definitely do go to Scotland because they have wild roaming and England doesn't.

Definitely don't go to Scotland because bivvying there is much tougher due to the rainier climate & cold temps.

I mean the possibilities are endless, based on what I could invent he cares about, derived from he likes "outdoors & camping".

Honestly ragged, if you are going to bass opinions on Scotland on strange comments sbout Trainspotting and Andrew Cotter (? The athletics commentator?) you might not be a reliable source!

Whereas Glasgow is notoriously far away from stunning wild scenery and outdoor activities? 🤔

You've missed yours
Definitely don't go to Scotland because it's more like Trainspottjng than Andrew Cotter. I can't even figure out what that means though.

Another vote for Liverpool!

If he is outdoorsy then that's another vote for Glasgow. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs on his doorstep, the West Highland Way starts on the outskirts of Glasgow. Short distance to the islands and coast. Camping galore.

www.westhighlandway.org/
www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/
www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/argyll-forest-park-p330751
www.visitarran.com/

In that case, Glasgow is a good bet. You're never far from countryside or hills in Scotland and there is Right to Roam. You can also camp freely so long as you follow some basic rules. In England there is a different concept of private land and you cannot wild camp (i.e. camp for free). If he has proper gear he can go outdoors at any time of year, even in Scotland. Although personally I'd camp in spring or summer months! He is likely to find plenty of like-minded people, lots of Scottish of unis have some form of climbing or hiking group whether they are in bigger cities or not.

A final thanks to everyone for their ideas and input. Bizarrely , in regional NSW today I met someone who told me that he had the best time in Glasgow for the last year of their degree. DS doesn't actually find out for a few weeks if his uni accepts the other uni's subjects as a straight swap so may all be all for nothing!
I sent him a link to this thread and he has been following it carefully.
Ta everyone - all 3 sound awesome.

Can you bring me over some haigs please?

Look I think I have the perfect solution.

OP's son, you need to get your uni to agree to a longer visit, half in Liverpool half in Glasgow.

I mean this in no way of an insult to either the people of Glasgow or Liverpool but can I suggest he might struggle with both accents.

^

Simultaneously insulted both Liverpudlians and Glaswegians.

I'm sure he'll enjoy his horizons being broadened once he gets down Smithdown road on a pub crawl

Going to Reading over the other two would be like the equivalent of going from here and studying in Canberra instead of Sydney or Melbourne. A bit of a wasted opportunity!