Sheffield Hallam or Aberyswyth for MFL with business?

[ComeonArsenal]

We haven't visited either uni and they both want BBC so would be DC's insurance. Which one to pick? Is one more prestigious than the other?

Agree with everyone, they are two very different places. Aberyswyth is lovely town but it is small. Sheffield is a vibrant busy city.

What does yr ds enjoy @ComeonArsenal ? If he likes clubs, theatre, concerts, gigs, shopping, suspect Aber may be a massive disappointment, esp coming from London.

A student I know is at a very good uni in a v small city that they have gone to from London (and having enjoyed the London cultural offer all their life). They found it hard to find their pattern there as their normal pastimes are not available. They’ve actually joined the uni am dram scene and that’s been great. Suspect similar interest (sporting, musical, theatre) that could centre on the student body would help for Aber. Or a passion for surfing or walking. Tho in fact there is amazing walking and hiking all round Sheffield too.

I did MFL at Aber. Looking back, it wasn't very good, but that was 30 years ago. It's not known for languages. As a pp said, she could try to also think of a uni with slightly higher grade requirements in case she can go there through clearing, assuming there is a similar system now.

Most students who go to Aber really enjoy the experience. It was mixed for me, but in general it does well for student satisfaction.

Do you think there are lots of Welsh students there? I wonder if this is why students like it there? I would assume it’s also actively chosen by students who like the quiet environment there. Putting it for insurance needs careful thought though.

Yes. This @TizerorFizz - if you knew it was what you were looking for - smaller student body, NOT a big city, good for the outdoors bc you love sea swimming - great. If you end up there bc your first choice of Nottingham (Warwick, Birmingham, UCL, Newcastle) wouldn't have you, probs not so great. Why did DC put Aber down OP? What was the draw, I mean?

Sheffield Hallam has a few departments under threat so I might be wary of MFL there to be honest.

I have visited both locations on Open Days. Do NOT UNDERESTIMATE the journey to Aber. My DS1 hated everything about Aberystwth, and we come from a very dreary place. It was mostly its remoteness and also the town seemed run down to him. But it often wins awards for student satisfaction

I actually thought Aberystwyth did have a good reputation for MFL? It certainly used to.

Lots of Welsh students, yes, but also lauds from the Birmingham area as that is the most direct train journey and perfectly straightforward. It is easier to get to Aber from Birmingham than it is from Cardiff!

We visited Sheffield Uni with DS2 and we all liked the city but he didn't pick it . Two of my ex students have dropped out of SHU this year : various issues, but both lovely students - there have been accommodation issues which might be more marked for insurance students.. Another one has just graduated in business and loved it.

I can't compare as I know nothing about Sheffield but absolutely adored Aber from 1987 to 1990. Made fantastic friends to last a lifetime and because of the transport links referred to in this thread, few students tended to leave at weekends. I did accounting and law, and joined one of the big four (then the big eight) in London immediately afterwards - along with several Aber course friends. It was my first choice university.

@Piggywaspushed Lots of universities cannot get well qualified MFL students. Look at the grades for MFL at many top level universities and they are much lower than Law or History, for example. You cannot ask for high grades as not enough students have them. Not sure what the OP’s DS is predicted for his MFL, but it might help that he’s doing one. MFL and business might have a MFL curriculum for business. Bath is good for this but it’s not considered a great university for breadth of MFL.

Even sought after universities like Exeter reduced MFL offering some years ago. University of Sheffield too. Not so many offer true breadth any more.

Is this the same DC that is also looking at Newcastle and Nottingham? Who likes a bit of fun! Op thinks too much fun so Aber might make him concentrate as fewer distractions? Leicester, Reading and UEA are also thrown into the mix. Same subjects and I could be putting 2+2 and making 5….

Lots of Welsh students

Perhaps surprisingly the majority of home full-time undergrad students (eg UK domiciled) at Aber and Cardiff Uni are from England. Not a huge majority, at around the low 60s percentage for both.

Swansea around 50% from England

Cardiff Met 40%

South Wales and Glyndwr (Wrexham?) a couple of points above and below 25%.

@ComeonArsenal

Whilst the whole comparison of Aber v Sheffield is relevant - as an MFL student, your DC will be spending a large part of their degree abroad.

You really need to look at the content and the length of time abroad. AFAIK, SH offers both a Semester at a European uni in 2nd Year, and then a full yr abroad in industry in the 3rd year - is that the same at Aber? Look at the actual European Unis that are on offer, the placement options and how much support a student gets in finding those placements.

Also look at what other courses do at both unis - AFAIK, the vast majority of courses at SH (particularly business courses, whether with MFL or not) are 4 yr courses - so all your DCs friends are likely to be following the same pattern and be returning to Sheffield in Yr 4. I have 2 friends who went to Aber - both did 3 yr degrees which were the "norm" - so perhaps a narrower friendship group for that last year?

Sheffield Hallam is considerably easier to get to by road, rail or train than Aber, the nearest town of any size is Shrewsbury so that might be something to bear in mind. However you travel to Aber it takes a very long time from pretty much anywhere, even most of Wales. If your DS is thinking about longer term job prospects at this point then Sheffield is also pretty accessible for Manchester, Leeds, and the East Midlands amongst others.

As others have said, best option is to visit them both and I see you're planning that. Also see what students say on The Student Room website.

I can only comment on Aber in the 00s

But we partied hard and a lot. Plus beach days etc etc. Being so far from other places going out js CHEAP compared to what big town Uni friends experienced. Plus everywhere was walkable so we weren't limited on what we did by transport.

Aber js a decent enough size. Shopping, cinema, pubs and clubs etc etc. It's a pretty typical British seaside town.

I wouldn't say any uni anywhere is without distractions if you want to be distracted.

@AberLondoner
Well exactly. Why think some universities have a quiet student population? M

All courses with MFL should have a year abroad and be 4 years. Yes, the 4th year means many friends have left. Don’t expect any university to get Dc a job abroad. They will have to do the research themselves, establish contacts and it’s hard!

If it’s “with French” at SH, the placement abroad is 24 weeks. Not sure a university is an option.

"Yes, the 4th year means many friends have left."

Some will have left. Even in my time there were plenty who stayed - IT students who had a sandwich year in industry, students doing post grad courses, some who failed a year, etc.

"Perhaps surprisingly the majority of home full-time undergrad students (eg UK domiciled) at Aber and Cardiff Uni are from England. Not a huge majority, at around the low 60s percentage for both."

That was the same when I was there and even with quotas for Welsh students.

"I actually thought Aberystwyth did have a good reputation for MFL? It certainly used to."

When? It didn't particularly when I was there 25 years ago.
It had a good reputation for politics, geography and physics.

It's alwsys had a good reputation for media, drama and English in addition to those you list,and am pretty sure about 10 to 15 years ago it was regarded as decent for languages.

Certainly more so than SHU.

If it’s “with French” at SH, the placement abroad is 24 weeks. Not sure a university is an option Just checked, SH still has the option of a semester at a European uni AS WELL as the placement. The placement did used to be a full year, can see that it's only 24 weeks now.

My point about friendships in 4th yr is that the vast majority of friends you'll have made in 1st yr / 2nd year will also havd done a 3rd yr out at SH - even if they're not MFL students, so 4th yr is great. That's not the same at Aber.

OP asked about the 'prestige' of the universities but most posters here are talking about the towns. I notice this is a thing on MN where people tend to focus more on what the uni town is like rather than the university itself. I think there are a lot of people, me included, who place the university and the course before the town. Frankly speaking, my dc couldn't care less how vibrant the town was if the university itself or department is rubbish. They would hop on a plane for a very prestigious university for their subject though.

I think they are both equally as important @TheCatch

On the contrary, I think generally on MN the focus tends to be more on the prestige and ranking of the institution. But in this particular case, where there is such a massive contrast between the locations, it seems a pretty essential factor to take into account.

@TheCatch
I gave info on where these two are ranked. Given that they are insurance, with ok grades, not very high! So not much difference there. Obviously they are not prestigious hence the conversation has wandered. Employers won’t be bothered much but the time in industry might distinguish them.

@Piggywaspushed DD looked for MFL in 09 for start in 2010. I can assure you Aber wasn’t on her radar as being remotely prestigious. It’s simply not highly ranked and I suspect l, therefore, a fairly limited MFL dept when compared to the best.

@RampantIvy I disagree. I think the department and university are of much more importance, after all they're not going to live in the town forever unlike the quality of degree they will be getting.

@TizerorFizz I noticed you did. You were the only one who did so. I just seem to notice more and more that whenever anyone asks about universities, posters seem to just launch into comparing the towns and the entertainment in the towns which I find odd, as if the university itself is just a side distraction and the town is the main topic.