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I applied to both as an international student. have received conditional offers from both. Which is better (reputation, environment, surroundings, classes)? I have not visited England before. So I have based all my choices on league tables and pictures. Any input would be appreciated. thanx

By Nop86 (Nop86) on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 10:03 pm: Edit

I would say Nottingham. It's supposed to be very much more international and friendly. It also depends on what you're planning to do though.

By Magd (Magd) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 06:49 pm: Edit

Isn't Bristol the university where Tony Blair's kid goes? I think that sorta says something. Usually Bristol is one of the places favored by Oxbridge rejects. But again, it all depends on what you plan to read.

By Zymosan2004 (Zymosan2004) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 07:13 pm: Edit

i want to major in Mechanical Engineering. Guardian says Nottingham is better, and according to various league tables, Nottingham is just a notch better. On the contrary, my parents' friends say that Bristol is better. Have anyone visited the universities or gone to the cities? What r ur impressions?

By Labyrinth5 (Labyrinth5) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 09:16 pm: Edit

I think Bristol is overall more prestigious than Nottingham but I am not sure. Are you an American or Briton?

By Nop86 (Nop86) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 09:22 pm: Edit

Bristol is known much more for business. Academically, I'm sure both will be good so why don't you visit their websites and see what kind of atmosphere you would prefer.

By Zymosan2004 (Zymosan2004) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 09:38 pm: Edit

Thanks for the input so far. I have applied from America. And if anyone knows, for UCAS, if I put Bristol as my firm and Nottingham as my insurance (both conditional offers), and in the end I fulfill both of the conditions, can I choose my insurance over the firm offer? PS. Nottingham is offering a busary, does that happen often, is it a big deal?

Thank you all for the inputs, I do not have any bristish or european connections, so any info would be highly appreciated!

By Voigtrob (Voigtrob) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 09:40 pm: Edit

I *think* (not certain tho) putting firm means that if you fulfill the conditions, you are agreeing to attend (like the commitment of ED over here)... so no, if you fulfilled the conditions you probably couldn't choose the insurance.

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 03:09 pm: Edit

I'm from Surrey, England, and I reckon Bristol definately holds a higher prestige, but at the end of the day, it's not prestige that counts. I have been given an unconditional offer to study English at Royal Holloway University of London, which is 8th in the country for English! What you should do is view the Times subject tables and see where your Uni ranks in regards to your desired subject.

I applied to both Bristol and Nottingham and although Bristol is in the top ten Universities in Britain, it merely makes the top 20 universities which are excellent for English Literature. I will soon have to decide whether I want to attend Royal Holloway for the fantastic English course, or Bristol for the slightly better overall ranking. It's a toughy! Although I'm still waiting on NYU- My dream school.

Visit www.timesonline.co.uk and view the student/university section- you will find alot of info and rankings there. I also recommend dooyoo.co.uk and search the universities you are interested in. There are some frank and honest reviews written by both past and present students which I think you will find really very helpful. I hope this has been a help!!

Jennifer

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 03:13 pm: Edit

I also go to Bristol alot to visit my friend who goes to University of West England in Bristol. It's a great city although honestly, I haven't seen that much of it- just the bars, clubs and then the bathroom floor! hahahaha Great for going out and having a good time if that's what you're after. Then again, Nottingham is just as good!

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 03:22 pm: Edit

One more message: a firm acceptance means you are agreeing to attend that university of you achieve the required grades. An insurance option is given so that you may have a "back-up" incase you don't achieve the grades you expected to.

If you need any other help or advice email me (h0neymoon@hotmail.com)- I know the UCAS system like the back of my hand, since it's my second year applying. I totally changed my plan last year when I got much beter grades than the courses required, so bumped up my Uni choice this year! Bristol, Royal Holloway, Nottingham, Southhampton blah blah blah

By 22157 (22157) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 04:09 pm: Edit

There's a snobbish comment above about 'Oxbridge rejects' at Bristol. This is unfair. It's often the other way around. I know quite a few Oxbridge people who were rejected by Bristol. In fact there was a fuss last year when the private schools (termed 'public' schools, with typical English logic)in the UK complained that Bristol was prejudiced against applicants from fee paying schools. Part of the evidence for the allegation was that a number of these individuals were later turned down by Oxbridge, as are considerable numbers of people who later go to Oxford or Cambridge.

Bristol doesn't have the name recognition of Imperial or Oxbridge or LSE, but it has very high entry standards and big research and far more applicants per place than Oxbridge.

By Redcat (Redcat) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 05:48 pm: Edit

Both are prestigious, but they have different atmospheres. At Bristol the lecture buildings are in an old Victorian section of the town, which blends imperceptably into the rest of the city whereas Nottingham has a separate 'campus' more like an American uni, which is nevertheless near other areas of the town. Both are attractive in their own way. However, student housing is probably more convenient at Nottingham, as there are a lot of residence halls on the campus, whereas for Bristol, most student halls are a *long* way from the lecture buildings, and it's a hilly place so bike riding is a bit of a pain. Both are probably equally prestigious - Bristol has more of a reputation for having a lot of rich snobby kids, though obviously that's a stereotype and not everybody there is like that. Nottingham has more international students. They're really pretty equal prestige-wise, though each has a different atmosphere. Just go with your gut instinct plus which one seems to offer the course options that are closest to what interests you.

By Zymosan2004 (Zymosan2004) on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:48 pm: Edit

wow, never had I expected so many responses. Thank you all, I really appreciate the input. I am looking forward to go to school in England at either one. Unfortunately, I rushed my application and failed to apply to Imperial. I have checked with Guardian, Times and the Daily Telegraph, but to what extent are the rankings based on their grad schools? How do the undergraduate studies as these universities compare?

By Magd (Magd) on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 12:09 am: Edit

"Oxbridge reject" comment was simply a matter of fact. No snobbery intended. The idea that students "often" turn down Oxford and Cambridge for Bristol is rather far-fetched. Doubtless there may very well be a few students who opt for Bristol (why?), but to claim that this is a frequent occurance is definitely misleading.

By Yahni (Yahni) on Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 09:26 am: Edit

Why are you talking about LSE, Oxbridge or some other schools? He is applying for mechanical engineering and Bristol is very good at mechanical eng. I don' t think Oxbridge has the name recognition in mechanical eng. There is only one better known school in UK in engineering, that is Imperial. And since you missed to apply to Imperial, don' t worry, I think Bristol is also a perfect university to study mech eng.

By 22157 (22157) on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 05:59 pm: Edit

Hey Magd, you say the 'Oxbridge reject' slur is based on fact-but you don't supply any facts. However if you check the internet you'll find the news stories, which nobody disputed, about how people accepted by Oxbridge were turned down by Bristol-tell me why that's not factual. Or maybe you're not sure about what is meant by a 'fact'.

On newspaper rankings-watch these-they are notoriously subjective and slipshod.

By Hanyemam (Hanyemam) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 08:39 pm: Edit

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I WANNA STUDY THERE BUT I HAVE NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO DO THAT.
PLEASE GIVE ME THE CHANCE TO PROVITE THAT.
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