Leeds/Leicester/Newcastle for Media and Communication

[Bossydad]

My DD got offers from Leeds, Leicester and Newcastle for Media and Communication. Any comments re the Course, Uni and City highly appreciated.

DD needs to make her decision on 5 June. Any kind advice much appreciated.

Has she looked at the Times Education Supplement Uni Guide? It has a student satisfaction survey results in it-it's probably on line. My vote would definitely be Leeds but then it's our nearest city and OH works at Leeds Uni

Hi BossyDad, don't know if you're still checking this thread but what career does she want to go into? Has she had any careers advice/chats with anyone in those careers?

Unless the course carries industry-required qualifications, it may not be the best course for employability.

I work in the media and practical experience, a good work ethic and an ability to use technology tend to be weighted a lot higher than a specific media degree.

Ie a history student (shows good research skills) or broader subject degree like English or Psychology who blogs, writes for the student paper, understands social media and knows what's going on in the world would be miles in front of someone with a Media and Comms degree.

Hi Major Look, thank you very much for your comments and your points well taken. Apart from Media industry, we believe the degree would be helpful for jobs in Public Relations, Corporate Affairs and to a certain extent, advertising.

Meanwhile, we look forward to hearing from someone who had studied (or currently studying) this course in Leeds or Newcastle.

Cheers.

Has she visited them? If not, I would urge her to do that. The biggest cause of dropping out is students arriving to start a course having never visited.

Can't speak for the course but Leeds is a fantastic city to study in - very student-focussed (I think there are 4 or 5 unis there now), great night life, very easy to get to. It would also be a good place to look for those kinds of jobs as Leeds is now a bit of a hub for some major corporations, a bit like a northern version of the City.

May be worth calling someone like the CIPR www.cipr.co.uk/content/training to see if they value the courses at each uni.

Anyway, good luck to her - and to you!

Leicester is a great place to be a student. Big enough but not too big. Central, well connected, fairly cheap for rental property.

Most schools will tell the pupils to choose the best possible Uni they can get into, as this will affect job prospects down the line (please don't shoot the messenger here). So from that list, it should be Leeds.

Thank you for all the comments so far. Can anyone comment on Newcastle and Newcastle University?

Leicester is a great city and university but I am biased. I love Leeds as a city though I was up there recently for a 4 day conference and did not want to leave. The north is cheaper to rent but only slightly than Leicester really tbh. All are affordable places as a student. All have great culture and nightlife. I can see her problem now!

Newcastle is very popular with students we know. No-one ever considered Leicester. Leeds University is very popular too. The other Universities there are not really the best options. Leicester is definitely off the radar and considered rather parochial.

Newcastle is a good time city and suits outgoing types. Favoured by independent school pupils. Just the types that go into advertising, PR and Corporate Affairs (whatever that is???). These are very competitive areas for work and this course may not be best suited for recruitment into these sectors of work. You need to visit the universities to see which you feel are best.