Loughborough vs Bath

[Icelolly999]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience of the above two universities?

Dc has offers for both in natural sciences and is very sporty as well. We have visited both twice and both have a great feel. These seem to be the top two currently (still 2 more offer holder days to come though).

Any pros and cons or previous experience to help dc make a decision?

thanks!

Is the grade requirement the same?
Does one ‘rank’ above the other for Nat Sci on complete uni guide?
I know Loughborough highly regarded for sports degrees but I’m not sure about other courses. Bath is highly regarded in general, I believe.
Does he want to do a placement year as I think Bath may have the edge re helping (no guarantee) them find something.
Are these two up against each other as firm choices?

Oh another thing to consider may be his sport and possibility of being in a team and playing regularly. It may be tricky to obtain a place on a sports team at a more sporty university like L’boro with their elite sports teams. You probs need to be pretty good to get in their ‘Z’ team. Albeit Bath could be tricky too.

I am a former Russell Group STEM school admissions tutor. (Personally I don’t think the RG designation means much. Neither B nor L is a member). I haven’t spent much time at L but it is famous for student support and sporting opportunities. I do spend time at Bath and I think the campus vibe, particularly amongst the undergraduates, is wonderful. Of course there are exceptions everywhere, but on the whole I get the sense that students are happy, and student support and sporting opportunities are good.

I don’t know how the Nat Sci programmes compare; for me, that would be crucial information which you can find online in the various league tables. Bath is The Times University of the Year this year and generally a stronger research university in STEM.

To complement information from other sources I suggest your DC join the online forum TheStudentRoom. It is mostly populated by undergraduates and they can address specific questions to Nat Sci students and sports enthusiasts at both universities.

Hi poetry. Not sure that would apply to the E bit of STEM!

I realise that's irrelevant.

These are both very good unis, with high student satisfaction ( both known for it). Both are ultra ultra sporty.

I suspect this could come down to location.

I went to Loughborough, albeit years ago.

Pros:

EXCELLENT for STEM subjects in general. It used to be called Loughborough University of Technology years back. High in subject league tables for STEM. And high ranking in league tables in general.

Excellent sports facilities and lots of different sports represented. Opportunities to play at all levels (eg from Hall of Residence Teams in intramural competitions to University A teams.) But, as previous posters have alluded to, standard in A teams is very high. Many past and present Olympians have gone/go there:

Nice campus feel - which is good as a fresher - everything is easy to find and within easy reach.

Lots of Uni accommodation. Virtually everyone is in halls in first year. In my day most people went back in halls in final year. Not sure if this is still the same.

Cons:

Loughborough town itself is small and hasn't got much going on.

Campus is cold and windy!

Lots of the halls in my day were catered - may want to check if this is still the same. Food was OK but not very exciting.

Student body wasn't very diverse in my day. U.K. students tended to be white, middle class and either sporty or sciencey.

Actually astonishes me that people on here generally unaware of Loughborough's reputation in STEM. Someone in marketing Dept at Loughborough isn't doing their job. It was famous for science before it was famous for sport....

Thanks,@HuggingtheHRT I am more of an S and I am not British, so still learning about British academic history. I appreciate this

I know it's famous for science and engineering ( and design). It keeps surprising me that it is high up league tables for English!

My DD went to Loughborough Uni and we also visited Bath Uni at the time.

My DD was a sporty individual who was a good school player but certainly not elite. You can get a place in Loughborough at your level in many sports as there are just so many teams. Even the halls have sports teams so there's the opportunity for all to play. The training is all on campus so whether this is early in the morning or after lectures it's all doable.

Other positives - rent is cheap and houses plentiful for the 2nd and 3rd/4th years.

Their careers advice is excellent- there are practice interviews / practice Group Exercises for / advice and review of CVs etc available if the students are motivated enough to take advantage of them. This is because they have many courses with Industrial placement years for the 3rd year - and if this is an option on that course I would recommend it. Bath may have this too of course - but it's something to consider.

However Bath vs Loughborough could not be more different as towns. Bath of course is gorgeous- Loughborough is not !

Thanks for your reply…

Grade requirement is higher for Bath but should be doable (on a good day!).

I think Bath ranks higher. Both offer placement year.

Yes both are up against each other.

Re sports, dc would make the first team in Bath but probably not in Loughborough, would likely be in b team.

What sport?

Thanks for your reply, that is useful.

We are struggling to compare the courses specifically so will have a look at this thanks.

Bath is higher in the league, but I would rather dc was happier with the course content in general.

Yes they both have excellent satisfaction. If it comes down to location Loughborough is much closer and easier to get to.

Thanks that’s very useful!

Have been to the town and agree it’s a bit small and unexciting, such a hard decision!!

Thanks, you have pretty much summed up the dilemma!

Yes both have placement years!

I think both sound fab, it’s a nice problem to have!

Athletics

OK. Bit surprised as Bath literally has all the sprint teams!

I don't have experience re the academics.

However ds has trained at both unis through his sport and spent time in both areas. (Not athletics so can't comment on that actual sport either).

Ds has said Bath by far has the better sports facilities. It has a massive sports building which looks very new and the gym facilities are far better. Also the area in general has a better vibe and more around for students to do.

I asked him if he was going to finish his foundation degree at either uni and continue his sport which one he'd choose. He said Bath. No contest.

However I also admit ds would prioritise the sports facilities over the actual academics!

Not a sprinter!

Now I'm picturing a hammer thrower!

Closer now!

Thanks, that’s helpful!

We probably agree that the sport’s building is nicer at Bath!

Loughborough is streets and streets ahead of Bath for athletics, literally on a completely different planet.

That is no longer the case in all sports as some universities have started to specialise and offer incentives to elite level sportsmen and women but it remains true of athletics.

Although I do agree with PPs that Bath is a much nicer location!

I sympathise with your dilemma - my DD went through similar Exeter vs Loughborough. (She chose Loughborough in the end based on shorter distance from our home)

Having had two children go through the university system I would also think it's worth investigating how the courses are examined - course work vs exams and the weighting given to each for each for the years of study. Also - for the group coursework I would query if is there the opportunity for peer reviews.

The latter is quite an important point - my DD had the ability to 'rate' the contribution/effectiveness of her team members at Loughborough for coursework. My DS does not have this for his course at Imperial (just finishing up his 4th year) - and there are members of coursework groups that contribute nothing which is frustrating.