How to choose between universities

basketmaker

My son has just been offered unconditional places at Heriot Watt and Strathclyde universities to do Electrical and Electronic Engineering but is not sure which to choose. Does anyone know where does he get information to help him decide which will be the best place to accept or have experience of this course at these universities?

Gingernutmeg

The best place to look is on the university websites, most will have lists of the course content etc and your son can see which will suit his interests/aspirations best, it's surprising how much the 'same' courses can differ at different places. Also, nothing beats going on an open day, it's a great way to get a feel for a place.

celyn90

I'd say visit to, if you can - have a look at the local areas too around the uni as well as the college itself, the amenities and transport links and whereabouts your son would be living. Try and find the student union parts of the uni website too - they are often quite honest about the places.

shopndrop

I agree with what has been said above and definitely visit the university. Just looking at the accommodation available maybe enough to help make a decision. I know when my son was choosing, the course content was quite similar between the two unis he couldn't decide between, but the accommodation was the deciding factor. One of them had accommodation for 1st years about a half hour bus ride away, the other was on campus.

Bamber19

Sometimes looking at guides like the times university ranking league helps, but in this case both universities are very close (Strath is 44th and Herriot-Watt is 45th) but Strath has a higher percentage of good honours.

cannygal

Have you looked at the unistats website? This records each university's graduate employment rate (very useful) and also their National Student Survey results. The survey is carried out by the government to assess the views of final year students on their own university. So, this is a record of student opinions - straight from the horse's mouth! You can even compare universities by subject. I see that the graduate employment rate for Heriot Watt is high, but the satisfaction scores for Strathclyde are excellent (95% satisfied).

geekgirl

My son is going to university next year and we are planning doing what we did with our daughter.

We booked a cheap travelodge room in advance so that it is cheap in the town as close to the uni as possible. We then visited the uni and had a chance to have a look around in the eve as well to see how busy the town is, what places were open, what places students congregated in etc...

Worked well as it gave us a good picture of the uni and the surrounding area.

Diminutive

just to echo what everyone else said... visiting them is so important.
I was incredibly sure that Aston was the university for me.... until I visited there and Loughborough. Just feel in love with Loughborough and couldn't be happier here now.
Nothing beats a visit... Talking to current students, seeing their attitude. Seeing the facilities, accommodation etc. It's just silly to commit to spend 3/4 years of your (or your sons life) at £3k a year in a place you've never been.

mumtoj_2

I would also look at unrelated websites including the local government one for each area. This will give you a better idea of what the area has to offer without the "selling to students" stuff. Aa a parent look for crime rates ect to help the pain of child leaving home thing. as prospective student look at cost of living in area i.e. public transport cost and stuff.
Hope your son enjoys uni where ever he ends up going.

Kilty_2

Strathclyde is renowned for being very good for EEE and it's in the perfect location in the heart of Glasgow city centre for either accessing by public transport (1 minute walk from Queen Street station) or for staying in Glasgow and enjoying the related social life.

I've just had my place confirmed for Computer and Electronic Systems there (joint EEE/computer science degree)

CreditMaster

Another tip would be ask freinds and family for advice, as they might know people who have experienced this, they might know from going to a particular university, which one is good.