Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester or Warwick unis for MFL

[MsFogi]

DS has offers for these unis and literally no idea which to choose. Does anyone have any valuable insights? I am worried about the cost of accommodation in Bristol but also wouldn't want to put him off going there if that would be the one that is the most highly thought of/best prospects for grad schemes etc. He doesn't seem bothered about the usual city vs campus etc. either so no help there and we have visited all of them!

I would second everything @Piggywaspushed was pushed has said about Brum, but especially this post. DS is currently on a year abroad at Freie Universitat in Berlin and having an amazing time (though if I'm honest I think Brum could have been more helpful in enabling this - while being prepared to admit it might just have been DS's failure to seek help rather that the university just leaving him to his own devices!) He has just secured a house for his fourth year with a group of friends for £465 a month - in Selly, close to the uni and without the en suites which he's now realised are really not all they are cracked up to be (better late than never!)

Ha! DS is going back in to halls for his fourth year at Brum, up in the Vale, after always saying a) he wouldn't go out of Selly, and b) wouldn't be without an en suite but having just had to cope in Germany without an en suite, and realising that it's over £3000 cheaper than he paid in his first year in Bournbrook and he'll be gone by late May/early June, he has decided he can manage. Like you, LillianGish, glad he realised this in the end. Mind you, he had worked hard in his gap year and earned the money to pay for Bournbrook, so it was his choice in every way.

He's lucky he got it! My DS applied for halls and was rejected...

For a languages degree I would always look at what the options there are for the year abroad, eg would your DS be able to work as an English language assistant in Germany or would he have to go to a university? Where would he go for the Russian part of his degree?

Sounds like my ds was lucky. I thought they gave the 4th years who had been abroad priority, but seemingly not. That's not great, especially as they aren't around to go round properties themselves.

No, I don't think they do. My DS is not MFL but applied by the deadline . He was only offered one, maybe two options of halls iirc and was told 'he'd be lucky' if he got a room, and 'not to keep his hopes up'.

Many unis have no 4th year accommodation at all. When on the year abroad, make totally sure your fellow 4th years remember and include you! DD went in with MEng students. Network and keep networking! Be amenable and not fussy.

That's not great, especially as they aren't around to go round properties themselves DS said next year (his 4th) has been the easiest ever - he formed a group before leaving of other people who were having a year abroad and he says they didn't need to visit houses as they know exactly where they all are and had actually been in many of them for parties or visiting friends in previous years. He's finally managed to get some cheap and convenient accommodation! I actually take my hat off to Easy Lettings in Selly Oak as they have truly lived up to their name (and they also returned all the deposits in his second year house). It feels like he'll have fully got the hang of Birmingham just in time to leave!

Easy Lettings are good. That's why they get snapped up so quickly.

DS currently with them. Next year (after failing to procure uni accommodation) it's the dreaded Oakmans...

Exeter also v good for German, French and Russian.
Bristol v good for Russian.

Oh God. Oakmans...

What's Oakmans???

@StrikesAtticFlat
its a lettings agent!

Ah!!! I'm guessing they're BAD!!
DS starting at Birmingham in September!

There can’t be just one letting agent surely?

No there are quite a few, obviously.

They have certainly gathered a bit of a reputation. A lot of these letting agencies aren't great - but it's often more the landlords who let through them.

So go with other agents! It’s not a monopoly.

It's just a Birmingham chat , tizer. No need to intervene. I am not in control of the choice my DC makes about his third year accommodation, which has a back story that really isn't for this thread. Luckily , both my DCs are pretty good with budgets and managing recalcitrant letting agencies.

I hope he enjoys it!
What is he planning on studying?

Well, obviously.

@Piggywaspushed - politics and int relations. He had offers from Nottingham, Southampton and Exeter but fell in love with Bham and the course looks amazing.
I used to visit a boyfriend at Bham Uni in the 90's so I have good memories!!
Is your DC enjoying it?

Might be stating the obvious but has he had a really good look at the syllabus for each one, for the whole course not just first year? Not all MFL degrees have the same content, there may be too many modules he really wouldn't enjoy or a course with more modules he would love

On the whole, yes! He really likes the campus and most of his department. Ups and down like all students.

He was originally doing some politics btw (changed course for good reasons) and loved the politics elements.

This is good advice. Some MFL courses are heavily literature based while your DS might prefer something with more politics and culture.
@StrikesAtticFlat my DS is majoring in politics and international relations at Birmingham as part of the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences programme . He chose LANS because he wanted a bit of flexibility, but loves the politics and international relations so is mainly doing that. He chose Berlin for his year abroad because the programme offered some great politic modules - now he's planning to add some German modules to his final year when he gets back to Brum. As @OMGitsnotgood says, course content is so important because at the end of the day that's what you are paying for and that's what you will be doing.