Agonising between university offers

[Redhotchillipeppers]

DS had narrowed his university offers down to Warwick, Durham and Leeds. He has applied for maths and is predicted 4A stars. Warwick is ranked considerably higher for maths than the other 2, but not keen on the travel from leamington spa/coventry in years 2&3. It is 2.5 hour drive from us. Durham seems like a great student experience, but heard some stories about lack of student accommodation in years 2&3, coming with a very high price tag. Leeds is on the doorstep and several of DSs friends are planning on going there. Both he and us are struggling to decide on what would be best.

@clary I knew there was another one! Brain failure!

Several students at my school have applied to Brunel. All engineering.

@Piggywaspushed The huge problem with Brunel is location and league table position.Also what type of Engineering? They are doing a lot of environmental engineering and these courses are useful.

However it is not London and is right at the end of the Piccadilly line. It feels remote from London and plonked in the suburbs. If you apply for Brunel you are not really going to get to Sheffield for Civils. Or Bristol. Its tariff is lower but, as with many engineering grads, they will be employable. It’s just a location that’s not appealing but DC have to decide this for themselves and whether it suits them. As was said on another thread, these unis around London have lots of home based students.

@LadeOde To answer you - I think Brunel was less appealing to SE students. It’s too close to home. It’s Uxbridge so not very appealing to northern students either I suspect.

Warwick has punched higher for decades and for many, it is a better platform for a career. However most engineering grads will get work. Warwick was always associated with the motor manufacturers who sent employees there and at the same time built up its engineering courses so that they now ask for Maths and Physics for civil engineering. Brunel asks for maths and a science for their courses and that includes geography. It suggests it’s a less academic course. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good course but not all the 1960s CATs have a high place in league tables. Warwick was never a CAT - college of advanced technology. Surrey, Bath, Loughborough were and have a higher position in league tables than some of the original 10 CATs. Wikipedia lists them if you want to see how they are doing now.

Brunel is quite well thought of by the locals in West London area i.e Acton, Ealing, Hillingdon etc, if that's where you are. Clever (by local standards) students used to apply there right from the start in my time.

@LadeOde Brunel was well thought of in my time too - 90s

Brunel BAME is 78%. That’s much higher than the general population. It’s seen as a local uni now.