London or Manchester??. ?

Hi all! I've been admitted to the Uni of Manchester (apparently really highly rated for my field, research), to Brunel, Middlesex, and I anticipate Queen Mary.  I have to decide on which school to pick and a lot of that has to do with location.  I like the program at Manchester, it's actually my #1 pick for programs, but not for location (naturally i want to live closer to London).  I've never been to either, London nor Manchester so I wanted to get everyone's feedback.  What's Manchester like? Will London be okay for study?  Which would you chose?

I'd go with your #1 school.  Why waste your time and money on a program that is second best? 

You can always visit London - but you can't redo a graduate program.  You want to be in the best possible position when you get done - then maybe you can go to London and afford to live there 

Why do you say 'naturally I want to live closer to London'? Especially having never been there???

My university is in London, but I specifically didn't want to live there, so I'm doing a distance thing and living in Somerset.

I personally love Manchester and find it a much nicer place than London. (If I have a choice of places to work after I get my degree, it would be at one of the unis there.) But there are probably equal numbers of people who like each city. It's personal preference, and it's really going to come down to what you like.

That said, I do agree with hollyberry... If you're coming to the UK for a grad program, go for the program, not its location.

Also, in regards to Brunel, it's not exactly 'in London'. Yes, it's closer than Manchester, but folks I've known who went to Brunel rarely if ever made their way into the city.

When are you planning on starting? Do you have the time/resources to visit the campuses?

I say naturally because it's London, a pretty notable city.  True I've never been there and will probably visit in the next couple of months just to see what it's like and will probably make my choice based on that.  I'm just curious about people's experiences in either city.  Anyone live in either city and can tell me a little bit about their experiences? gripes? pleasures?

As a Brunel Alumni, I am happy to confirm that the place is sh*t and miles from London.  Not sure what your research area is, but I would be amazed if Brunel were better than Manchester Uni at anything.

Also, as has been said, it is not really in London, it is in Uxbridge.  We have discussed Uxbridge many times on this board, have a search, and you will see exactly what I and others who had the misfortune to spend three years of our lives there think of it.

If I had a choice I'd go Manchester every time, both on the basis of academic prowess and a better social life!



Vicky

Manchester is a great town to be a student in, I came here on exchange about 15 years ago, and I love it so much, I stayed! One of the nice things is that it is notably cheaper than London, there are a heck of a lot of affordable student housing, its a small city, easy to get around, really good food, lots of culture, and the people are amazingly friendly. I say Manchester

A potential downside to London is that getting home after a night out can take a long time and/or cost a fair amount of money pending if you can catch the right public transit.  Make sure to talk to some students in both locations to get a better feel. 

And don't discount location.  There's no point being in a great programme if you're miserable.  I wouldn't chose Brunel over Manchester but if you get into a London uni and your heart is set on London then go for it.  Manchester is a good city but it's not London.  And Manchester is spread out too.  A lot of students live miles away from the main part of Uni.  It's not a campus but is in the city.

Go with the one with more people in the specific subject you're wanting to study.  If your intent is to study underwater basket-weaving, go with the programme that has 3 people closely related to it rather than the one with 1 person vaguely familiar with it.  If that still doesn't settle it, look at the staff's research and supervisory interests and email them about studying under them.  Go with the programme that has someone interested in supervising your work and with whom you can get along.  It also helps if the potential supervisor is available during the majority of term time (I had a bad experience in my MA programme because of this one).

Just wanted to give an update and thank all of you for your invaluable feedback.  I've decided on Uni of Manchester!!! I'm super duper excited and can't wait to start in the fall.  Just wanted to ask you all, did you visit your school before you moved over to the UK?  I'm debating whether I should spend $1000 on visiting beforehand, or if I should just use that money for when I get there and for other expenses.  Does anyone have any suggestions about me visiting the Uni before I go for good in the fall?

I decided to take a trip over to visit Newcastle and Newcastle University campus to make sure it's everything I'm hoping it is. I'm heading over in February, timed to make sure I can take the cold, moist, dark winters of lore.

Just wanted to give an update and thank all of you for your invaluable feedback.  I've decided on Uni of Manchester!!! I'm super duper excited and can't wait to start in the fall.  Just wanted to ask you all, did you visit your school before you moved over to the UK?  I'm debating whether I should spend $1000 on visiting beforehand, or if I should just use that money for when I get there and for other expenses.  Does anyone have any suggestions about me visiting the Uni before I go for good in the fall?

I came to Manchester as a student in 1993 and I didn't visit beforehand, lucky for me I loved it so much that I am still here 16 years later! Its a brilliant city to live in, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I can give you some advice. I was down by the University today and it made me wish I was a student!

I came to Bristol for a visit about 5 weeks ahead of the date I was going to move here, but I needed to find a place to live.  I've got pets - for that and other reasons I wasn't planning living in residence halls.

It was my experience that during summer break, there wasn't anyone on campus to meet or greet.  I took some time to wonder around and get some bearings but that was it for the uni part.

Turns out that I'm very happy in Bristol, I'd love to stay here after I graduate, but that's going to depend on my ability to find work in my field.

So if I could have spent all the money I used on visiting first before moving and paying all the expenses involved - I would be no less content or settled. 

Hi all! I've been admitted to the Uni of Manchester (apparently really highly rated for my field, research), to Brunel, Middlesex, and I anticipate Queen Mary.  I have to decide on which school to pick and a lot of that has to do with location.  I like the program at Manchester, it's actually my #1 pick for programs, but not for location (naturally i want to live closer to London).  I've never been to either, London nor Manchester so I wanted to get everyone's feedback.  What's Manchester like? Will London be okay for study?  Which would you chose?

Hey there. I have lived in London and had the time of my life. Now i am living and studying in Manchester. Personally i prefer London. i like large cities. There are drawbacks but i chose Manchester cus i knew LDN is too distracting for me to live and study in. Its also HELLA expen$ive that lil dollar wont stretch to far in london vs Manchester.

the goal is to move to get a job and move to LDN after my program is finnished.

I visited Manchester and my uni for about a week in May 2006, and then came back for classes in September 2006.  I don't think it was strictly necessary, but I'm glad I did- it was nice to have at least a basic familiarity with the campus and department before I got there for real.