This is not a good uni filter is it?!!!

[Tinygardener]

NC as don’t want to embarrass DD or her school!

DD is looking at unis for applying to this November and school had a year group meeting last week. They gave good advice about how to narrow down uni choices and then chucked in this (probs meant light-heartedly): “a deciding factor could be proximity to what matters to you (eg. restaurants, shops, sports)”. It was also written on the PowerPoint handout.

DD has taken this very seriously (she has ASD) and has now decided she wants to be by the sea in a place with a Nando’s and a Zara! I only found this out after seeing tabs open on the family PC of Zara stores and Nando’s locations and gently enquiring what she was up to (not expecting AT ALL for it to be uni related!) What’s worse is that she says she has actually found some unis that meet these requirements! Seeing the look on my face she then clammed up and won’t tell me which ones though so can anyone hazard a guess? I can then look them up to see if they are good for her course which is Maths. I am both amused and exasperated!

Good on her. I wasted a lot of time when I was at university locating shops in Belfast that sold houmous, quiche or bombay mix. (Granted it is a LOT better now). I could have got a first if I'd done my research properly.

See my OP - I literally said I would check maths courses/standing of unis that meet her first filter of Nando’s/Zara/sea!

Swansea?
cardiff?

@QuintanaRoo Swansea looks really good as right on the beach. Is it a decent uni?

Dd used location to narrow her list down. It wasn't her first filter but it was probably the most important final filter. They are going to be there for three years so they need to want to live there.

My exH chose to do maths at Swansea ‘because of the beach.’ Singleton is right on the beach and the new bay campus is too. It’s a mid ranking uni, I’d say. Not RG but in the next tranche down.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/mathematics

Swansea 28th for maths vs Exeter at 23rd on this table for maths rankings.

I went to St Andrews for the first time last summer and it's beautiful, and right by the sea! It was also the first time I'd ever had Nando's. Didn't notice a Zara though.

My dd chose hers based on the local accent 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I think location is as important as course, to immerse yourself you have to want to be there. Zara, beach and best standard of maths for her grades are excellent filters. Discover uni is the gov website similar to compare schools that tells you what grades actually got in versus what they say in the course guide etc.

I went to uni by the sea in a place with great coffee shops - it wasn't criteria for me, but it almost should have been! The atmosphere of the place and the chance to escape to the beach for some quiet time and a bit of perspective was a central part of how good my experience was. I wonder if you can find places that fit at least one of her criteria, and also more objectively sensible criteria...
Having quiet, natural, countryside/seaside places to escape to rather than just being in the middle of a big city could make a difference, I think. Possibly.

Edinburgh and Bristol seem quite highly ranked for maths. Both have beaches nearby, although not "seaside towns". Edinburgh has Zara & Nando's I think! Portobello is nearby and has a sandy beach.

Cambridge and Oxford have rivers if she's willing to compromise on the amount of water, but I'm not sure about Zara & Nando's 😬

I am only commenting because I really love this neuro spicy approach! I hope she finds one that ticks all the boxes!

There's no Zara in Swansea? I don't know about the uni, but it's a fantastic place to live though. People that come tend to never leave! Beach on the doorstep and lots of different beaches to try nearby. Surfing, paddleboarding, sea dipping, kayaking, walking, seals in the water all summer and sometimes porpoises, a lighthouse, etc..

My DS discounted one of his 5 offers this year on the basis of no Nandos. I mean, fair enough in a way, they've got to live there for 3 years.

The beach directly in front of the uni at Swansea isn't the most picturesque bit or the nuxest bit for swimming, but Langland and Caswell are a 15 minute drive or 25 minute cycle.

I think this is really quite sweet. I decided my uni based on the prospectus and one of the things that struck me was it had a really nice picture of a stone gateway in it. When I got to uni I discovered the gateway was permanently locked and was never used. I never got to swan through it like the glamorous “student” in the brochure. Enjoyed uni though.

My bet is Bournemouth or Brighton!

Wow - 5 places between them is negligible. I’d have expected Exeter (where I went) to be much higher. Swansea also cheaper for accommodation too. I really hope DD has it on her list. Just looked at the campus - there is a new one and it looks amazing and is right on the beach!

Google maps says there is, on Princess Way opposite Miss Selfridge. Could have shut down, of course, but it was there whenever the Streetview camera went past.

Reading with intrigue

There is absolutely a Zara in Swansea. And a Nando’s. And a beach. TEF gold for teaching (RG Cardiff is TEF silver). Cheap accommodation. Great student satisfaction

If she wants a beach, I would suggest Swansea. There's a lot of student accommodation off Bryn Mill Lane, which is right next to the beach and a short walk to the uni. Ds has had a really good experience there, got into surfing and climbing, goes running along the beach. There are probably places with a lot more student life, but he's had a great experience and his student loan has stretched further as accommodation is cheaper than, say, Brighton, which would also be my other suggestion (or Sussex).

Agree, students in Swansea rate their university experience very highly.

Bay Campus can be a bit of an arse to get to during heavy traffic, as it's a bit out of town - most students get the bus. Good option if the course is based there though.

My DDs uni choices are currently boiling down to what the student hall accom looks like so I hear you.....