Lancaster versus Birmingham University- anyone with opinions please?

[glitterbiscuits]

These are my DSs front runners.
We went to an Open Day at Brum and I was more impressed than I thought I'd be. (He liked it too!)
Haven't seen Lancaster yet
Has anyone any got any experience of either Uni please?

Ah sorry @Bubblesbuddy I have badly worded my post. I did not mean to reference you. So without trying to be very outing my brother works in a field which works with MH problems & is paid by Lancaster University to do so. I was just a bit ticked off at the comment about 3 students suicidal 20 years ago - or whatever. Bristol has had a bad rap for depression amongst students ( in certain tabloids) - if I had a child now would I dissuade them from Bristol for that reason no. DS went to Oxford and the world and his wife will tell you it is hard and pressurised ( which it is) and many become ill. Well most don't. Look - I am the last person to say that MH issues don't exist - they do - but no university has cornered the market. So I shall breathe and just say - if anyone is considering Lancaster - don't worry about it being somewhere where students get depressed - of course any student can but as long as the course and the environment is congenial - it is a lovely place to go to university.

Just understand my post is very specifically about Lancaster is not a place which you should worry about your DCs becoming depressed etc more than anywhere else. My brother researches and speaks at Lancaster on this subject, If anything I reckon they have huge support.

Enough. Just choose the course & visit the city. FWIW my great friend's nephew loves Lancaster - He is also a bit up for Exeter - so we shall see

@cowjumping - some of my son's tutors were very friendly & helpful - did he miss a trick

Ha ha ha! That's great to hear - we do try. We're only human, like everyone else.

DH grew up near the Birmingham campus in Edgbaston, it's a lovely university from that point of view.

For me a major consideration would be that Birmingham University has its own railway station, so travel is incredibly easy.

But Birmingham is a big university on the edge of a very big city, while Lancaster is a mid-sized university outside a very small city. Each will appeal more to certain people and less to others. I grew up on the edge of Birmingham in the sixties/seventies and would never have considered going to university there because the city was a dump. The city has improved beyond measure since then and I'd happily live/work there now. I personally find Lancaster a bit bleak, although it has been raining or blowing a gale most times I've been there.

Lancaster is right next to the Forest of Bowland, very close to the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, and within easy reach of Morecambe Bay. Birmingham is surrounded by motorways and as far away from the sea as it's possible to get in Britain. Depending on what his leisure activities are, these details might make a difference.

In terms of quality I think your son would need to look very carefully at the details of the respective courses and who teaches on them. I don't think he'll notice a huge difference in the kinds of people who study at the two institutions, except that quite a few students at Birmingham will live at home while hardly any at Lancaster will, and Birmingham will have far more international students (especially postgraduates).

It's never occurred to me that Lancaster might be bleak or damp ... I guess we choose to go there when it isn't!

I wonder if the relative strengths of the geography courses are at all aligned with the locations - b'ham for 'human', urban ; Lancaster for physical? (I think my DN who did Geog at Cambridge with a heavy bias towards physical had Lancaster on her shortlist)

Lancaster railway station isn't miles away from the campus though.

I can only speak for Lancaster as DS turned down his place for Birmingham. Ultimately he's more at home in a quieter environment than a big city. That said, there seems to be lots going on on campus, he does a quiz night, plays badminton and has another club on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. None are based around drinking though, or rather partying and night clubs etc.

His flat mates appear to have been well chosen in terms of his character and quiet but sociable like him, they stay in a lot and have a drink or two etc. His accommodation is clean and only refurbished a year or so ago so really modern. He pays £96 a week for non catered, so cheap, if that is a factor. Next years house rental isn't much more, in Lancaster itself.

He's doing Maths and the department would seem to be large and well run. Lots of contact time, but I think that's the subject. All the course material is provided so he's not had to buy any books.

All the communication he had pre arrival was prompt and clear, acceptance letter on the doorstep on results letter etc.

The campus seems friendly and welcoming. The sports facilities are amazing. I think there's a lot of interaction between colleges but DS likes the collegiate system also.

Ultimately it will suit some and not others I think, being a campus a little out of town.

WiFi is good too.😂

Lancaster railway station isn't miles away from the campus though.

Well... technically it is, about 4 miles.

Fair enough Errol. 😁

The buses from campus run extremely regularly though.

Only on page 2, but I see your DS wants to study Geography. Lancaster has an excellent reputation for this and the department is great. My DC is currently in her 2nd year and is loving her time. The social life is good, the town and campus are linked by a good bus service or a cheap taxi after a night out. Everyone is friendly and it is full of normal people, mainly from the north. They go out into the dales and the lake district, all that subject matter on your doorstep.

We looked around Birmingham and found the campus and living areas bleak out of normal daylight hours.

Unlikely to be a deal-breaker, but from the mutterings of one of my friends when kitting her DD out for her first year at Lancaster, some of their beds are a seriously weird size...

Said DD seems to be very much enjoying herself there, though. As have all the others from here who have gone there, as far as I know. Similarly, DS has enjoyed his time at / in Birmingham; having graduated last year, he has stayed on to work and -
assuming he gets round to applying - hopes to do his Masters there next year.

(NatSci and Biochemistry, respectively, though - no idea about Geography at either university, I'm afraid).

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Birmingham is getting a reputation for handing out unconditional offers like sweets

It doesn't matter even if that's true, which I don't think it is.”

To be fair - as is Lancaster!”

It was in today’s news that Birmingham hands out more unconditional offers, at nearly 20% of offers, than any other Russell Group university.

Just came back from Open Day at Lancaster yesterday and got a really good impression as it seemed very friendly, supportive and accepting of all kinds of people. The course was particularly impressive. The town was gorgeous and good access to countryside. Accomodation was amongst the best we've seen. They did make particular comment on the unconditionals due to the press attention to them and stressed that they are only given out to to the very best students on paper who are all A, A candidates from their past academic profile and already predicted all A,s and As at A level. The course DD is looking at said the offer is generally ABB if firmed and the lowest they would potentially accept is BBB and that happened only in the case of one pupil last year because they said they won't drop below that for any course as are keen to keep their top ten position UK uni ranking. Weirdly though if you put potential grades into the UCAS offer rate calculator, it doesn't cut off to 0% of an offer if below BBB so am not sure on how accurate that is.

The library was amazing - very airy with loads of natural light and a massive tree in the middle with study pods all around so even if it's grey and raining outside, your mood would be lifted working in that space. The design of the study pods was really good as well.

DD's favourite is still Exeter though but mainly because of the connection the campus has with the city - you can walk between all campuses and the city and she liked the character of the buildings. Also there is a surf club which has just tipped the balance. I think she'll be applying to both though. Everyone at both places was extremely friendly and welcoming and both courses looked to be excellent. We are due to look round Birmingham later this year so can't comment yet.

With regarding the public transport to the campus - from the city centre it incredibly frequent.

A6 route is 6 times per hour, the other A road 4 times per hour plus other routes on top of that. It's a 5 minute walk from the train station to where all the buses go through although there are services that pick up from the station anyway.

Lots more city centre accommodation built recently and due to be finished for September plus another new lot on campus for Sep 2020. There is so much purpose built accommodation it's hopefully that the current HMOs will turn back into family rentals.

I like Birmingham as a city to visit but no experience of living there - but I would say suit very different types of people.

All the suicide stuff is over 20 years ago! You can no longer get to the top of Bowland tower or probably any of the other buildings tbh!

The Health Innovation Campus is going to be a great thing if that's your area of study plus a new super huge lecture theatre about to built in the campus centre.

Good cycle route around the back but it is hilly!

What course is it for? And is it actually Birm Uni or one of the others there?

I have been to the top of Bowland Tower in high winds. I was surprised how wobbly it was!

The college system at Lancaster is more Hogwarts than Oxbridge. There's a common room for each college with a bar and each college has their own sports teams etc so there's a lot of friendly rivalry between the colleges and a lot more opportunity for people to participate in stuff than if there was only a single university team that only the best could get into. However if competing against other universities in sports or university challenge they compete as Lancaster University not 'Lonsdale College, Lancaster'.

You generally stay in the same college the entire time you are there so even if you move off campus etc you have a common room 'home' on campus.

We never even bother checking bus timetables the buses are that regular, there's buses to Lancaster at least every 10 mins, plus good cycle routes.

There's also part time jobs actually on campus too, in the college bars, sandwich shops etc.

The suicide stuff is partly to do with the way it's recorded, it's much easier to capture suicide rates at a campus university as the students are a defined population away from the local population.

Lots of students stay on in Lancaster after they graduate so it can't be that bad.