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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Nottingham or Loughborough?

46 replies

Fossie · 18/02/2019 21:10

DD deciding which to put as 1st and 2nd choice. Same grades required. She looking to do ‘finance and management, at Loughborough or ‘finace, accounting and Management ’ at Nottingham. Loughborough looks a better course but Nottingham would seem to have a better reputation as a university. Has anyone knowledge of these courses? Do you think her employment chances are more influenced by degree or university?

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missminimum · 18/02/2019 21:16

It may be better to have a university with a lower offer as her insurance, rather than one that needs the same grades. Obviously, the insurance one should be one she is happy to go to, but one with a lower offer will act as an insurance, just in case her results are not as she expected. That 's what the advice from the Head of Sixth form at my children's school was

TwittleBee · 18/02/2019 21:20

Has she visited the two unis and the town/city they are in.

I lived in Nottingham (with ExBF, who went Nottingham Uni whilst I was studying at Sheffield Uni) and we both had friends at Loughborough so have been to both campuses and town/city. They are both very very different places and I would recommend she check out the places she would be living in for a while of she hasn't already.

Original poster

Fossie · 18/02/2019 22:51

Thank you. We are heading off tomorrow to see them over the next two days. I don’t know how much we can see in just a day in each.

TwittleBee can you expand on the different towns?

missminimum DD knows she is meant to have a lower offer insurance choice but won’t consider anywhere else. She is take a gap year/retake an A level than go anywhere else.

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MarchingFrogs · 18/02/2019 23:20

I don’t know how much we can see in just a day in each.

In a way, it's a bit irrelevant how much your DD manages to see at this stage; if she refuses to contemplate anywhere else but two universities she has never set foot in, the course must surely be the most important thing to her? And the course isn't going to change, whether or not she knows that the one is in university part of a bustling city and the other, a not quite so bustling town.

It might be worth asking current students at both universities if they know whether the course was in clearing for 2018 - this would give a feel as to whether might make the more sensible insurance option.

g0bbledyg00k · 18/02/2019 23:26

Honestly between those two it won't make any difference to employers. Also Loughborough is leaguing better than UoN (not that those tables mean anything). She should choose the course she likes the look of best. Being somewhere an employer might like the look of in a few years time isn't going to stop her from dropping out if the course is awful. Doing a course she enjoys, getting a good grade and getting loads of extra curricular experience and fun is going to appeal more to an employer.

2rachtin · 18/02/2019 23:32

They are both good unis so would go for the one she gets the best feel from. I did a very similar course at Loughborough (management sciences) and I don't have a bad word to say about either the course or uni. Absolutely loved it. All my uni friends are doing well in their careers.

Jsmith99 · 18/02/2019 23:39

I know both Nottingham and Loughborough well. There is simply no comparison whatsoever.

Nottingham is a large multi-cultural city of comparable size to Bristol or Sheffield. It has two large universities, two theatres, a tram system, a huge arena, two shopping malls, two football clubs, an international cricket ground, arts, culture, clubs etc etc. It is ideal for any student who wants to enjoy everything that city life has to offer.

Loughborough is a fairly quiet, but pleasant medium-sized market town. It is smaller than some Nottingham suburbs. The centre of the universe it is not. For a student who really doesn’t like the idea of living in a big city, it could be a great choice. The countryside around Loughborough, particularly to the west & south west of town, known as Charnwood Forest, is among the best in the Midlands and is a magnet for cyclists, runners and horse riders.

2rachtin · 18/02/2019 23:46

@Jsmith99 agree with this. I chose Loughborough as I liked the community feel and not being absorbed into a city. The students union was brilliant and so much going on. I loved that Nottingham and Leicester were so easy to get to and went to them when we wanted to but preferred Loughborough. I also really liked Warwick.

It's definitely personal choice to which appeals most as a location or course but academically I think either will be good.

BubblesBuddy · 18/02/2019 23:51

My younger DD had friends at Loughborough and they had a tendency to go home quite often. They were not sporty and felt a bit chlaustrophobic. Nottingham has more to offer as a place to live.

BackforGood · 19/02/2019 00:20

What jsmith99 said.
There's not a huge difference between the "reputation" of the universities, they they have a very different 'vibe'. she needs to visit both and decide which place she would prefer to live in for 3 years. No-one can tell her that, but it will make a whole heap of difference to how much she enjoys her time there.

TinselAndKnickers · 19/02/2019 00:37

I am at Loughborough currently - pick Nottingham!!

TwittleBee · 19/02/2019 07:01

I think previous PP has summed up the 2 places nicely.

Loughborough was originally a choice I considered for myself but decided against it as I thought I would be too smothered and trapped the whole uni feel. I wanted to study but not be fully immersed in a student lifestyle which I feel you have to do to have any entertainment at Loughborough. Of course for many many students that is the perfect life and what they really thrive on. The uni puts loads on and has a very active student union.

Nottingham is a brilliant City, so much to offer and loads going on throughout the year that isnt student orientated and so many other beautiful places on its door step e.g. Sherwood Forest and Bakewell were frequent haunts for us.

Maybe another thing to consider is if she will need or want a job during uni? I should imagine there are many more part time jobs available at Nottingham than Loughborough?

Xenia · 19/02/2019 07:41

If it is Nottingham University rather than Nottingham Trent then I would go for Nottingham U.

MarchingFrogs · 19/02/2019 07:43

TinselAndKnickers, did you originally pick Loughborough on the basis of the course and visiting the university and area and feeling happy with it, but then something about one or all these has started to pall?

Thirty plus years ago, someone I knew described finding Loughborough 'so boring that she jpined the TA for the sake of a bit of excitement', but from the description given by more recent undergraduates, I got the impression that things had changed.

Mamia15 · 19/02/2019 07:48

Both reputations are just as good as each other.

Agree its the vibe /experience that's very different.

Loughborough is great for sporty types but there's very little variety in terms of socialising/entertainment. Nottingham has much more to offer to those who want a student nightlife and social/cultural scene.

hellsbells99 · 19/02/2019 12:40

I looked around Nottingham Uni with my 2 DDs. I personally liked it as it is a lovely campus but it is close to the city for a night out or shopping.
One of my DDs picked Leeds Uni for a similar reason. She is not a party animal and only has the occasional night out in the city but loves the life around the campus.

blametheparents · 19/02/2019 17:51

@fossie - DS has exactly the same dilemma. We went to an offer holder day at Loughborough a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. We are off to Nottingham tomorrow. Then it's decision time ...
Loughborough has made a lower offer than Nottingham for the course DS is interested in, so it will make a great insurance if nothing else.
Loughborough had an option to take a placement year in the 3rd year, which I don't think Nottingham offer for DS's course. However, he could apply to go to China for a term which would be great, especially as he has studies Chinese for 7 years.

Good luck with your decisions.

Somethingsmellsnice · 19/02/2019 18:16

Not always necessary to chose a uni with lower grade offers because some will accept if you miss the grade offer.

It may be worth seeing whether either has accepted people on to those courses with a missed grade.

Original poster

Fossie · 19/02/2019 18:33

Just visited Nottingham and now driven to Loughborough to stay overnight ready for a day at the university tomorrow. I have some misgivings about Nottingham. The business lectures are on the Jubilee campus not the main University campus. The Jubilee campus seemed very quiet and full of Chinese students. It was a surprise and slightly worried me as groups of students were not speaking English as we passed them. My DD didn’t think that would be a problem but I wondered if she would feel isolated. The main campus seemed very lively but huge. The city centre looked good, lots of shops for a start. Lots of buses to get around. I wondered how much time she would spend travelling between campuses though. Loughborough tomorrow.

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Original poster

Fossie · 19/02/2019 18:36

Thank you for the comments. They are really helpful.

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peteneras · 20/02/2019 15:54

Don't ask my why. . . it's a no brainer.

Nottingham

Great reputation in the East - where things are happening (not the EU which is dying a slow death). Also has campuses in Malaysia and China.

Firefretted · 20/02/2019 18:39

Loughborough is an utterly depressing town with very little to do. She'll have a far better time in Nottingham, which is a much livelier, student-friendly city :-)

Firefretted · 20/02/2019 18:41

Oh and there's a regular hopper bus between campuses, so it's easy to get over to the Uni Park one

KatnissMellark · 20/02/2019 18:50

I loved my time at Loughborough. Quite a collegiate feel. Many many clubs and societies, lots of which are not sports-oriented. I studied economics which is housed in the same building as the business faculty and it was a great course, very enjoyable. The SU is huge- think it had 13 bars in it when I was there. I worked at the SU too. Lots of nice countryside. 4-5 clubs and a few ok bars for a night out in town if fancy a change of scene from the SU. There's a cinema too but no theatre. Shopping naff but can get bus to Nottingham or Leicester, or drive if she has a car.

Totally different experience to Notts I would guess which is much less of a 'campus' uni.

Definitely no difference in prestige from an employers point of view (have been recruiting grads for the last 8 years).

Oh and I met my husband there

Original poster

Fossie · 20/02/2019 20:23

Thank you for all your comments. I think Loughborough will suit my DD better though that is up to her to decide. She is going to think for a few days longer first.

blametheparents could I ask you what you thought of Nottingham? Although we looked around yesterday, it wasn’t the offer day so we haven’t heard the information which you will have heard today. We were able to chat to someone in the business department but obviously that’s not the same.

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