Help! Goldsmiths vs. Cardiff

Hi, all.  I'm Dahlia from Alabama. My husband and I hope to move to the UK sometime this summer.  I plan to start grad school in September.

I've been accepted to the MA in Journalism programs at both Cardiff University and Goldsmiths College. I'm having a difficult time deciding between the two, and I thought y'all might have some words of wisdom.  I plan to go into Health Editing (hopefully for a magazine or medical journal) after school.  My undergrad degree is in Nutrition Science.

Cardiff is considered one of the top two journalism programs in the UK.  It's cheaper, and the cost of living is lower in Wales. 

Goldsmiths is in London (New Cross), it's more expensive, cost of living is more expensive. But it's in London.  My husband (a civil engineer) would have an easier time finding a job, I would be able to intern at magazines and journals during the holidays, and we really want to live in (or around) London.  We won't have a car, and I get the impression that it'll be easier without a car in London than in Cardiff.

I'm leaning toward Goldsmiths, but I keep reading about how highly respected Cardiff is, and I lose some resolve.  Do any of you know how well respected Goldsmiths is in the industry? 

Any advice?  The UK Yankee boards have been extremely helpful so far, and I plan to print off the entire "Wish you had brought" and "Shouldn't have brought" lists before I start packing! 

I lived in London for 9 years and have been working in Cardiff a lot recently (plus have friends there too), so here are my observations for whatr they are worth ....

The cost of living is signifcantly lower in Cardiff than in London.

Public transport in Cardiff, although not as extensive as in London, is pretty good and cheap ... plus it's only 1.5 hrs by train from Cardiff to London. You may not need a car in Cardiff.

Cardiff is generally a very 'liveable' city - easy to get around, pleasant, with a lively arts/sports scene ... see www.cardiff.gov.uk.

London is huge and can be challenging to live in, BUT it's one of the world's great cities, with an endless variety of events, people, places, great transport connections for visiting Europe.

The job scene is probably brighter in London for journalists and the London kudos may help your career!

New Cross (where Goldsmiths is located) could be described as the 'arm pit' of London and is not particularly easy to get to by public transport, unless you live in South East London.

Good luck!

Can't help you with deciding on which one... but just wanted to say that 'internships' as we Yanks know them are, in my experience, not the same as in the UK. The 3 months 'summer internship' as I knew it in the US in graphic design is non-existent over here... If you haven't already, check with each Uni to see what sort of opportunities they provide or help you pursue during term breaks. That could also play a big part in your decision.

Good luck!

Thank you both for the replies!

Yorkshire/Virginia- Cardiff looks gorgeous in my school brochures, and it sounds like a wonderful place to live.  The cost of living and the cost of school are a great draw for my very responsible side, but my other side is slowly winning, I think. 

I think that as far as my career after school goes, that London is a better bet.  I'm just sort of trying to justify the cost to myself.  Heh.

balmerhon- That is great advice. I will email both schools about it today.  As far as internships being different-- I guess I'll deal with that when I get there.  I know a girl who had short internships (one month or so) at magazines there when she studied abroad, so I will probably talk to her about how she went about it.

Thank you!

Great - so it's London!  You will have a great time! I loved my time there - if I were to do it all again, I'd not worry so much about the cost, try and live as central as possible and make the most of it!!!

London is nothing like Alabama so there are great things about and there are naff things about London. I am a student at Middlesex Uni in London . I get a bursary but even with that I have to work to supplement my income. Internships can be found if you look at the BBC website there are always post for interships there but there is a lot competition and long waiting lists for them. It never hurts to give it a look early. You probably have more employment options in London but sometimes I crave just some greenery and proper sunshine  Years ago I was in the US making this same choice : London or Liverpool ...I chose London and I haven't regretted since

good luck

Yorkshire/Virginia- I've been receiving that advice (don't worry about the cost) quite a bit lately. Unfortunately the flat rental prices scare me to death! 

Do you have any suggestions on areas of London? Where we get a flat will depend on where he gets a job, but it needs to be convenient to New Cross, too.  I think that the ease of public transport will be the biggest priority for us.

Alicia- Thanks for the advice! I will definitely look into the BBC internships. It's nice to know someone in the same situation would choose London again.

As far as sunshine and greenery? I think my husband will miss those more.  If that's the trade-off for Alabama humidity, I'll take it! 

Well, a few words about London's public transport system - it's big, busy, blimmin' expensive to use, sweaty in the summer (NO A/C), varies from ramschackle to super efficient, but generally gets you around reasonably painlessly (except maybe in rush hour !!). See www.tfl.gov.uk for inforamtion on tubes/buses/trams/trains/boats/taxis etc.  Basically, the whole system is integrated in that you can buy one ticket for a day/week/month/or longer that will cover all forms of public transport.  The city is divided into 6 concentric rings (Zones) - so you buy a ticket for how ever many zones you will cross on one journey), or else you just pay as you go, i.e. from station to station.

My advice would be to plan your location carefully to avoid long/difficult commutes, with the fewest changes possible - I speak from experience of living in Muswell Hill (North) and working in Kensington (West) - a 70 minute long epic walk/bus/tube/walk journey - I changed jobs!  However, rents are highest around train/tube stations.

New Cross is in ZONE 2 on the East London tube line (funny little line that doesn't really go anywhere too useful - see Tube map!) and the North Kent overground line (run by South Eastern commuter trains, see www.setrains.co.uk - very high frequency trains to London Bridge and Charing Cross in central London and out to the suburbs and onto North Kent).  New Cross is also a bus hub, with buses coming in from all over SE London.

Places to look for a flat in SE London ... try the following ...

Greenwich - green, historic, very expensive, touristy in centre (but still pleasant)
Blackheath - ditto above, nice village feel, but still very much London
Rotherhithe/Canada Water/Surrey Quays/Docklands/Isle of Dogs - modern, watefront area, spacious - rents can be cheaper away from the main stations, but you might find a good bargain if you travel by bus
East Dulwich - Victorian area, mixed, good shops/cafes/bars - some bargains to be found?
Bermondsey - closer into centre of London, high density area, up and coming?
Woolwich - cheaper area, further out - some areas nice, others not so nice

Thank you so much for the London recommendations. I've had a bit of a difficult time getting info about different areas beyond west London. I will definitely look into those. (And I will check all addresses with the commute predictor site as well!)

70 minutes, yikes. That sounds horrible. We are used to driving for 30 minutes to get anywhere in Birmingham, so I think  that we won't mind the commute too much. I'm very, very excited about the possibility of walking places around our flat, though. 

Thanks!