Best ex-poly Universities?

[McNutty]

So DS is looking at choosing an insurance universit. What are the top 5 from the ex polys in your opinion across the board? I don’t want to name any yet as it will skew things a bit.

Last but not the least, wish there was a poll function on MN.

Bangor Uni's Computer Science degree (96-120 UCAS points) is BCS approved and has 100% employment. DD has just left (didn't study computing). She absolutely loved it there. It is in a stunning setting on the Menai straights with the mountains of Snowdonia right behind it. All societies and clubs are free but it is a quiet city with only 2 nightclubs so perhaps not for everyone!
DD turned down Durham to go there and has no regrets.

Thanks Serin and thanks all, for your continued comments. I am looking up all the places recommended.

What I have discovered today is the UEA (definitely a 'proper' university) does some degrees with foundation years, which I did think was the preserve of perhaps more lower ranked institutions. Happily they offer this in politics with CCC requirement. I know it's more debt but the only like my DS has ever really expressed is fro Norwich as a place and it's not 100s of miles away from us.

I understand it's more notional debt and am not sure how accommodation works but as my DS is a rather reclusive summer born boy, it definitely appeals. They can even choose a different degree after year zero.

Anoyne got any thoughts or experiences? I am struggling to see the disadvantages...

Piggy sounds like lots of advantages - the foundation year would include study skills and really could help him a lot.
The only downside looks to be financial but sounds like it could be worth it.

I went to Liverpool Hope albeit 20 years ago. Although there was a Catholic campus and an Anglican campus, there really wasn't any difference. I think the chapels were there if you wanted them but the history of being Christian colleges really didn't impact on the functioning of the university at all.
It's in Childwall, a few miles out of the city centre and a lovely leafy suburb. Liverpool is a great place to be a student and Hope students used to get access to Liverpool uni library too.

I'd say the only real disadvantages to foundation years are: (i) being a year older when you graduate; (ii) having an additional year's tuition-fee & maintenance loans to pay off; (iii) the fact that there will inevitably be some repetition of stuff in the foundation year that you did at A-level, although for some students this is a good thing, especially if they didn't engage first time round because they hated still being at school.

I am hoping that the repetition will be useful. The foundation year at UEA allows them to start a new language. Rather frustratingly, they cna't carry on with one thye have post A Level , but he could pick up French again or pick from a range of interesting langauges : or do some media stuff.

The being a year older, given he will barely be 18 in October 2019 is not an issue to me; in fact, it's probably a good thing!

Of course, Scotland also does 4 year degrees with caps at £27000 and it's a shame that can't be done here.

Actually, as an ex-Aberystwyth student, @BubblesBuddy, I find your 'warning' quite blinkered. Yes, it's a small town, but that's part of the charm of the place.

The InterPol department, particularly, is internationally renowned and I have alumni friends working all over the UK and, indeed, the world in all kinds of fields so no-one need worry about only being able to work in Wales at all .

OP, please feel free to PM me if you want any further information about the place, I was a sabbatical officer for Aberystwyth Students Union once upon a time...

That was me rather than OP ladymonica . Thanks for the offer! I do know how renowned Aber's IR dept is as I mentioned upthread so I am really pleased my DS might might be in spitting distance (with a potential contextual offer) of such a good course. I, too, have no problem with a town : I was brought up in a city but that is far from DS's experience. It is probaly only its isolation from us and only otehr relatives that concerns me : not for all students but my DS is -well- dependent....

Had you heard of City University, OP? It was originally Northampton Poly, although it was already a University pre-92. It’s in the City of London and has links with the City as you’d expect. It’s now part of the University of London. Lots of people were doing Computer Science there back in the 90’s.

With regard to Hope, I work in research at the University of Liverpool and our TEF rating was silver, whereas Hope and JMU were both rated gold. (We’ve just been updated to silver upon appeal!) Would recommend all three Liverpool uni’s tbh. An amazing city in which to live and study.

Kent (definitely a proper university, last time I looked) also offers various courses with a Foundation year. Sadly, not its Politics and IR ones, though.

Thanks marching : I was surprised politics was being offered by UEA . Many other unis seems to favour 'useful' subjects but I think UEA are going for their popular ones.

I'll look up Kent anyway to see what gives! Another university in a lovely place. I recall, back in the day, it always used to call itself 'The University of Kent at Canterbury' !

Piggywaspushed

Has he considered Sweden, Germany and Holland? All teach in English and have significantly lower (0 for Sweden) fees.

I did a foundation year, it did not repeat anything from A Levels because it was basically a year of learning British Sign Language and some Deaf history.

Foundation years can be really helpful, some are for more than one subject eg Keele has a joint foundation for medicine, nursing and some other medical / HCP degrees.

Oh and I was 32 when I started, so an extra year didn't really matter.

@Artisan, Have I heard of City University? , Yes, I did my Masters there, also in the 90s . Very good lecturers, always surprised it’s not ranked higher. The environment wouldn’t suit DS though, London in general wouldn’t suit him. DS very quiet and introverted and would prefer a campus type setting.

On the subject of foundation years, what happens if you do a foundation yr and at the end of it, decide you want to go somewhere else? Are those units transferable to another institution?

Foundation year - in pretty much all cases completing with decent marks (maybe 60%) will get you into year 1 elsewhere.

sassh he is unlikely to go abroad to study. At the moment going to the (frankly pretty shit) university in our local town seems a bit of a pipe dream. I wish he was more adventurous! Other than ideologically, I don't see the fees as a problem. Or any more of a problem by virtue of one more year.

Thanks for the info though. I did just look at Keele!

UEA's foundation year is interesting because its grades aren't that low (CCC) whereas Essex , for example, has grades of DDD and you have to wonder how they get those students up to scracth in a year with 'normal' required grades of BBB.

Swansea does something,too, but its website is clear as mud!

NP Piggy

McNutty

Have you and DS looked at Keele - no I'm not obsessed but I did do my PGCE there.

They have a foundation year for BSc Computer Science and it is the ultimate campus university. You could spend 3 years there and never leave the campus.

Actually I did, can’t remember why we discounted it. Will have a look again. Thanks.

I went to Liverpool Hope -30!years ago!. It was very much focussed on teacher training then. It's religious character didn't impact although there was a chapel and services if you wanted to attend.
It is in Liverpool - not in the city centre but in a leafy suburb. Some of its accommodation is closer to the centre though.