your views on these unis please?

[frazzled74]

need to choose ds insurance uni. southampton solent, university of bradford, manchester met or keele? we havent been to any of these so would welcome your views.

What subject?

business, i have looked them up in the times university guide, and manchester and bradford come out best but i wanted views on the universitys in general and the city, nightlife etc.

I think Keele has a good reputation .
Have you looked here
www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=307
in the Student Room ?
I find the site a bit cumbersome to find my way around ( + I spend ages terrifying myself by reading the unhappy posts from people at Uni ) but I think it might be helpful.

The Guardian guide is quite good
www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2009/may/12/university-league-table
If you click on the name of the Uni on the table ,it gives a good description .
I know when I'm looking ,I'm always trying to assess what the chances are of DC getting into accomodation are .

This year, insurance choices turned out to be quite important - lots of students didn't get into their firm choice but did get offered their insurance choice, so worth a visit if possible.

Any chance of visiting?

Manchester Met has excellent student support staff and a union very hot on student activities, involvement and employability. I know a couple that work there.

I considered and visited Keele. Felt quite a nice place to be a student from what I remember.

It really matters which subject and also what areas of that subject he's interested in. Check out the staff research interests and the option courses offered (particularly in the latter years of the degree) to see what parts of the subject they focus on. He'll be very disappointed if he turns up to study physical geography hoping to get lots of glaciology and hydrology and discovers that all the staff have interests in paleobiology and macrogeomorphology (for example).

For a place to study I'd choose Keele. But - it is very much a campus university and the nearest towns (Hanley/Newcastle under Lyme) are hardly the glittering metropolis.
Also consider the department in which the subject is taught - is it taught within a larger business school or is it just part of (say) the social sciences faculty.
Manchester Met is big and in a big town. I don't think Southampton Solent is much rated except for maritime subjects (though I may be wrong) and I don't know anything about Bradford except that it is a pre-1992 universithy.

My dd started at Keele in September and is doing Maths. She is really enjoying it and making the most of things going on. The campus is lovely and she has got very involved with the Chapel (mind you this is a hideous building).

thanks, i think ive persuaded him ,manchester met. Looks the livliest and has a proper business school.

ooh well done frazzled - wish my DC would listen to a word I say !