Queen's University Belfast for Science - any information appreciated

[Selok]

DD's options constantly changing, we could only go to two open days - so now she likes the modules in Queen University Belfast for medicinal chemistry. Also torn apart between Loughborough vs Southampton for Chemistry. Her other choices are Exeter and Sussex for neuroscience, Nottingham for biotechnology. Do you have any insights in these options? Any current experiences of DCs who are in any of these above or anyone applied and got offers yet? Anyone thinking of Belfast - the distance worries me but it looks like a very good university, amazing campus and in the middle of Belfast. They also give scholarship for applications from England, Scotland and Wales £3,000 if they get ABB in the exams, and I hear the accommodation is fairly cheaper. Due to our household income (of course they only look at the collective income but not account for the outgoings every month), she will not be eligible for full maintenance loan so this bursary is good. Any information is appreciated.

RE QUB. Good points:
Affordable - lower cost of living than most UK cities, and fairly low crime/safe.
Buzzing social / night life.
High average standards on entry / lots of bright students (fewer of the brightest local students go to oxbridge or similar, so average standards in the classes are higher than the required grades would suggest).
Bad points:
Realistically it is seen as one of the poor relations among the Russell group unis, so reputation-wise graduates are at a disadvantage to graduates from the top dozen unis. (Exeter and probably Loughborough and Southampton are seen as stronger choices. Nottingham has slipped down the rankings a bit in the last 10-15 years).
Lecturers can be a bit complacent and do nothing to stretch the brightest students. That is a shame because, as remarked above, there do tend to be some very bright students. It would be worth looking at National Student Survey to see what current students think.
Distance is a matter of perspective. From London or anywhere else with an airport, journey time to Belfast is shorter than to e.g. most of Devon, Cornwall or wales.
In summary : has several advantages and offers a pleasant student experience for middle-of-the-road students but high flyers should be aware they won't necessarily be pushed that hard.

DS is considering Queens too. We are going to visit soon. We feel a connection as family are from Northern Ireland so we have been there lots over the years and don’t fear the travel as much as for say Newcastle.

The grades are a bit below other Russel Group unis so it feels like a good possible insurance or maybe even first choice depending what he thinks when we visit. Amazed by the scholarship you mention - found it on the website now - that’s great 😀.

Do you know the demographics of the students? Are the majority from Northern Ireland?

Thanks all! Yes,we thought this could be a good insurance choice as you said the entry requirements are lower than other RG ones but I only read good things about Belfast- one potential issue is that the majority of the students are apparently local so many go home over the weekend and the halls can be empty - considering it is a small place, might be good to be friends with locals, safer maybe I don't know! We have been looking at all others I am getting confused as to where/what/which/grades/safety a lot to think 🤦‍♀️

QUB does have a very good reputation for most subjects, although not a 'top-flight' RG uni. Belfast is a fabulous city - very vibrant with loads of pubs, clubs and very good cafes and restaurants. Accommodation is very reasonably priced compared to most other UK cities, and of a very high standard too. A big majority of the student population are Northern Irish though, and many have a tendency to go home at weekends, which is worth bearing in mind. N Irish students pay much lower fees to study in NI than RUK students (about half I think) which might explain why QUB offers an enticement to strong RUK students in the form of a bursary. That might also explain why many NI students stay in NI for university.

I agree with @extrastrongmints that many students at QUB are academically strong, arguably because the grammar school system is alive and well in NI. According to Oxford Admissions statistics, has the highest percentage of AAA students at A level out of any region in the UK, but the lowest percentage attending Oxford.

We have been to look and the accommodation and student union are really lovely and new. Beautiful old buildings and the botanical gardens. Great sports facilities. We really liked it. Yes I think most of the students are from Northern Ireland but we were shown round by a happy English student who seemed to have fitted in well.

Also there doesn’t seem to be pressure on the availability of accommodation in Belfast.

I did my post grad there and really enjoyed it. I must say though compared to other capital cities (and even large cities) it has a very pariochial feel about it. The vast majority are locals and it was very White compared with English unis. I also didn't find it to be very 'alternative', on another thread people were saying blue hair, tattooed faces and openly LGBTQ+ was standard in most universities, but this was not my experience there at all. Just something to think about.

My DD's friend has gone to visit last weekend, they were very impressed by everything they have seen. My DD has submitted her application for Queen's

But it's a regional capital, not an international capital, and the population is about 600,000, so not particularly large. As a city it has more buzz and nightlife than e.g. Cardiff and in my experience is on par with somewhere like Newcastle or Leeds. Perhaps you had your expectations set too high.
Yes, the majority of students (about 80-85%) are from NI and it's pretty white - more so than anywhere (?) in England. South Belfast (where the Uni is) is about 10% non-white which, while low, is similar in demographics to e.g. Dundee or Aberdeen.
Re: LGBTQ+, might be worth saying overall attitudes in NI society are more conservative/religious than other parts of the UK, though the university area is/was more liberal. But blue hair / tattoos etc. are so normalized these days I'd be surprised if anyone batted an eyelid.

@extrastrongmints I didn't have any issues there, I enjoyed my time, but just pointing these things out in case it might be an issue for OP. Culturally it was a very different experience from my undergrad years.

I did my UG at Queens many years ago and absolutely loved it. Has a great reputation amongst employers, students tend to be very bright, and the campus is beautiful. The city, a 10 minute walk from the campus, is great - big enough to be called a proper city, but small enough that everywhere is walkable. I’ve worked and studied since at a few RGs and still love Queens best. It has a stronger sense of community than the others.

@ShandaLear are you from NI?