How to Choose a University

Knowing how to choose a university can be bewildering. After all, it’s a huge decision to make and will impact your entire future. I know that sounds dramatic but you only get to leave school and go to university once in your life, so you need to choose wisely.

Not only that, but you’ll be spending at least three years at university, so you need those three years to be spent somewhere that’s not only the best for your long-term future but also enjoyable for the next three years too.

With that in mind, let’s have a look at how to choose a university.

Does the university teach the right subject and course?
A bit of a no-brainer, really. If you know what you want to study, you’re only going to be looking at universities that teach it, aren’t you? But just because you find what looks to be the perfect course at the perfect university, that doesn’t mean the course content is actually what you need. What appears to be the same course at different universities can turn out to contain very different modules, so make sure to study the course outline carefully.

University rankings and reputation
Personally, I think there’s more to universities than their rankings or reputation but if you’re after a fancy highfalutin job in banking or something, some employers will only employ graduates from the posh Russell Group universities. Unfair yes, but there you go - just something to bear in mind.

Student accommodation
If you’re choosing a university far, far away from your parents, you’ll need somewhere to live. So, if you’re fussy about where you live, check out what accommodation is available to you before committing to a university.

Most student accommodation is either in halls on campus or around the city. Alternatively, you might already have teamed up with friends to rent privately or opted for an all-inclusive room especially for students, such as this student accommodation in Southampton.

Location, location, location
Another factor to take into consideration is where that student accommodation is based. Not just if it’s handy for the takeaway but does the town or city cater for your needs?

For example, if you want to go out clubbing every night, is it a lively city with plenty to do, such as Liverpool? Alternatively, if you’re more of an outdoorsy type, are there trails, parks and forests to keep you occupied?

Also, if you’re planning to go home to see friends and family every weekend or so, are the transport links good for that?

 
How to choose a university
So, after finding a course in a cool city, you’ve studied the university’s website and prospectus and you think you’ve made up your mind.

Hang on a minute though. Don’t rush into anything just yet. Make the effort to go to open days so you can visit the campus and the city, soaking up the vibes.

Search the internet for blogs from students and forums where current and former students are chatting about the course and university you’re interested in.

As I said at the beginning, how to choose a university is bewildering but it’s something that needs careful consideration.