While choosing the right course might be at the top of your To-Do List, you need to take into consideration the actual university. Is it a campus university or a city university? Is it the right one for you? Each uni comes with different pros and cons and you need to make the right choice for you.
What Do You Want?
University life consists of more than just your course and you need to think about what kind of experience you want to have. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself before committing to a university:
Do you want to live with people from your university?
Do you want a single sex flat or mixed?
How much of the nightlife scene do you want to be involved in?
How far are you willing to travel to your class?
Do you want to be close to home or does that not matter?
What is your budget?
Of course rent prices need to be thought about. Figure out what percentage of your maintenance loan needs to be set aside to pay for accommodation. You don’t want to spend it all during freshers week and then realise you need to get three jobs to pay for your rent.
You will also need to consider how much you are willing to spend on travel. If you live on campus, you can walk to class. However, if you go to a city university or live off campus, you will need to think about how much a train or an uber will cost you weekly. A £4 journey may not seem like much, but it will all add up over the weeks. Also, think about how much you will want to go clubbing or out into the city. You may want to invest in a railcard so that trains are less expensive with your student budget. Trainline have a short form you can take that will show you the best railcard option for you.
Pros and Cons
To help you make a decision, here is a short breakdown of the best and worst aspects of each university option.
Campus Pros:
- Everything is in one place
- Lots of greenery
- Sense of community, with lots of likeminded students
Campus Cons:
- Much quieter and calm than the city
- Have to get transport to get into the city
- Won’t meet many people that aren’t students
City Pros:
- Vibrant nightlife
- Diverse people
- Always something to do
City Cons:
- Have to travel to get to university
- Noisier than campus would be
- May not feel as included in student life
