Help me choose a uni.. [+rep]

I know this is a long thread, but I really need help!

I got accepted into 3 Scottish universities, and I'm having a lot of trouble to decide about two of them. The options are Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh Napier University, and there are many pros and cons about both, and I'm awful with decisions, seriously! So mainly anyone who lives in Scotland or goes to any of these unis ( @RyRy; lol), please help me with my dilemma! >.<

Course:
In Queen Margaret, I'd be taking International Hospitality and Tourism Management with the following modules:
Year One: Introduction to Marketing/ Business Management/ Financial Accounting/ Intensive Practical Classes in Hospitality and Tourism/ Practical and Advanced Cooking Techniques*
Year Two: Preparation for an industrial placement that may last for up to nine months and may take places in either the UK or overseas.
Year Three: Sustainability Issues/ Management of Hospitality Enterprises/ Strategy and Tourism in Developing Countries.
Year Four: Management Insight Activities/ Contemporary Issues/ Challenges for Managers/ International Destination Management/ Dissertation
*These will be delivered at the prestigious Edinburgh New Town Cookery School (which seems really interesting)

In Napier, I'd take Festival And Event And Tourism Management, with the following modules:
Year One: Introduction to Hospitality, Tourism & Events; Intercultural & Organisational Management;, The Business of Festivals & Events; The Global Tourism Industry; plus two option modules
Year Two: Business and Management Challenges; Tourism Impacts; Conference Management; Facilities Planning for Hospitality, Tourism and Events; Visitor Attraction Management; Event Management
Year Three: International Tourism Policy and Planning; Service Management; one option module; plus either Supervised Work Experience, or a Live Project
Year Four: Leadership & Innovation for Tourism, Hospitality & Events; Planning and Public Policy for Festivals and Events; Dissertation; plus two option modules

Accommodation:
In Queen Margaret, the houses is like 2 minutes from the University, the problem is that the University is in Musselburgh, even though it's right outside Edinburgh, it's not really.. xD Anytime that I wanted to go to the city, I'd have to go according to bus or train schedules, which I'm not a fan of.. Apart from that, the rooms are nice, with a shower and toilet for myself and everything like wireless, etc. Living room and kitchen are shared by 6 bedroom flats, but unlike Napier, they don't tell what else they have in their flats, for example like a vacuum cleaner and stuff like that that is really helpful for someone who hates to clean and is going to live alone in a few months.

In Napier, I'd study in the Craiglockhart campus. It's IN Edinburgh, but the accommodations are further from the campus.. There are several accommodations to choose from, but the nearest one is (according to google maps) minimum 17 minutes, by bus, but even NEARER the center of Edinburgh. The problem with this is the fact that not only I'm also not a fan of waking up earlier and have to be on time to catch a bus, but also the amount of money that I'd spend in a year due to it.

Cost:
I won't to go to University, but living somewhere always has its costs. In Queen Margaret, the accommodations are £3880 for 40 weeks, in Napier they are from £3838 to £4370 for 38 weeks. Also I'm guessing that living closer to the center makes the price of other stuff be higher? (Talking of food, for example, get your head out of the gutter. xD)

girl i travel an hour and a half each way for uni, stop complaining about your travel ;) Napier has work experience so id be inclined to choose that.thats all i can say tho sorry :( im sure u,l figure it out! how long do u have to decide? they have a date u have to decide by right? and they're both unconditional then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by buttons

girl i travel an hour and a half each way for uni, stop complaining about your travel ;) Napier has work experience so id be inclined to choose that.thats all i can say tho sorry :( im sure u,l figure it out! how long do u have to decide? they have a date u have to decide by right? and they're both unconditional then?

---

But you have a car! :( I have to decide until June 6th, they have the same conditions, one was to get my IELTS exam, which I got more than the grade they asked for, and the other is to have an overall grade of 14 (and my overall grade is EXACTLY 14, so I'm afraid it will go down with final exams). Either way, my backup option will be West Scotland if I don't get the grades to any of these two, so basically I'm already 100% sure I'm going to Scotland so you can be 100% sure you're getting that drink. xD

First off, I thought you were like 13 so sorry for that.

Second I wouldn't attend any universities in Scotland. But you're from Scotland I'm guessing? So cost wise that would be best.

Third(ly) lol. A degree in tourism? Why don't you go be a holiday rep somewhere or go and work for a company that deals in tourism. Business modules at uni are stupidly easy and a lot of it is common sense - so I can imagine tourism will be somewhat similar. I think experience would far outweigh a degree in your situation!

Personally I'd study a worth while degree then you'd have something to fall back on if what ever you want to do doesn't work out! :)

If you want to go to a university I'd chose Napier on the modules alone. You might want to look at the universities ranking too.. That might help with your decision! I'm not trying to be horrible in this post I am just trying to use my experience to help you :)

Good luck to which ever you choose! :D

Sorry for editing/misspelling .. On my phone!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zak

First off, I thought you were like 13 so sorry for that.

Second I wouldn't attend any universities in Scotland. But you're from Scotland I'm guessing? So cost wise that would be best.

Third(ly) lol. A degree in tourism? Why don't you go be a holiday rep somewhere or go and work for a company that deals in tourism. Business modules at uni are stupidly easy and a lot of it is common sense - so I can imagine tourism will be somewhat similar. I think experience would far outweigh a degree in your situation!

Personally I'd study a worth while degree then you'd have something to fall back on if what ever you want to do doesn't work out! :)

If you want to go to a university I'd chose Napier on the modules alone. You might want to look at the universities ranking too.. That might help with your decision! I'm not trying to be horrible in this post I am just trying to use my experience to help you :)

Good luck to which ever you choose! :D

Sorry for editing/misspelling .. On my phone!

---

Wow thanks, I'm 17... Also I'm from Portugal, meaning Scottish unis are free for me.

Also, tourism is something that still exists a lot even with this crisis, and people who get jobs are mostly still the ones with degrees anyway.. And not going to uni isn't an option for me

About the rankings, you are right I didn't said anything about that because if I'm not wrong, one is like 84 the other 85 in the UK ranking.

Thank you anyway!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LiquidLuck.

Wow thanks, I'm 17... Also I'm from Portugal, meaning Scottish unis are free for me.

Also, tourism is something that still exists a lot even with this crisis, and people who get jobs are mostly still the ones with degrees anyway.. And not going to uni isn't an option for me

About the rankings, you are right I didn't said anything about that because if I'm not wrong, one is like 84 the other 85 in the UK ranking.

Thank you anyway!

---

84 & 85 are pretty bad as far as rankings go :P I would try and get into a top 10 university in England and pay that little bit extra!

I suppose the fact you can speak portuguese and english is a pretty good selling point already :P and I know a lot of people think ohhhh uni have to go or won't get a good job. That just simply isn't the case :P .. Esp with like Art and Drama and stuff xD

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zak

84 & 85 are pretty bad as far as rankings go :P I would try and get into a top 10 university in England and pay that little bit extra!

I suppose the fact you can speak portuguese and english is a pretty good selling point already :P and I know a lot of people think ohhhh uni have to go or won't get a good job. That just simply isn't the case :P .. Esp with like Art and Drama and stuff xD

---

Yeah, I don't have the grades to, or they don't have any course that I want. You can join Spanish and French to those languages, and one semester of Mandarin, that's probably why I got accepted into Hospitality and Tourism Management like only a few weeks after I applied, when it took ages with the others. I do think that, and yeah I mean with Art and Drama, you probably have more value with experience, but it isn't the case with these courses, and even with Art and Drama, not going to uni would still not be an option. xD

That sounds like you're catching a bus either way, so travel shouldn't matter. I too have to catch a bus to Uni there and back every day, a nice 1 hour 15 min journey on a bad day.

Also, unless anyone has done specifically those courses, which I'm sure Ryan didn't, we can't advise you on which course to pick. Also, the first one sounds like it has a placement for the second year? That should be a big considering point whether you want to do a placement or not.

Not sure how applying for British Unis work overseas, but here we pick two universities, a first choice and a back-up. If this is the case for you, it does make sense to put your first choice as the one with the higher grade requirements (although I didn't do this since I wanted my Uni or nothing by the end of the application process).

Also, presumably you have knowledge in Tourism, so surely you should know a little something about some of the modules. Which ones interest you more? At the end of the day, it's your choice. I would find it more annoying to catch public transport to the Uni from your accommodation, then catching public transport to town for the odd weekend.

---------- Post added 02-05-2013 at 11:12 PM ----------

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zak

84 & 85 are pretty bad as far as rankings go :P I would try and get into a top 10 university in England and pay that little bit extra!

I suppose the fact you can speak portuguese and english is a pretty good selling point already :P and I know a lot of people think ohhhh uni have to go or won't get a good job. That just simply isn't the case :P .. Esp with like Art and Drama and stuff xD

---

Pay that little bit extra? £36,000 isn't a little bit :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kardan

That sounds like you're catching a bus either way, so travel shouldn't matter. I too have to catch a bus to Uni there and back every day, a nice 1 hour 15 min journey on a bad day.

Also, unless anyone has done specifically those courses, which I'm sure Ryan didn't, we can't advise you on which course to pick. Also, the first one sounds like it has a placement for the second year? That should be a big considering point whether you want to do a placement or not.

Not sure how applying for British Unis work overseas, but here we pick two universities, a first choice and a back-up. If this is the case for you, it does make sense to put your first choice as the one with the higher grade requirements (although I didn't do this since I wanted my Uni or nothing by the end of the application process).

Also, presumably you have knowledge in Tourism, so surely you should know a little something about some of the modules. Which ones interest you more? At the end of the day, it's your choice. I would find it more annoying to catch public transport to the Uni from your accommodation, then catching public transport to town for the odd weekend.

---

First I was like ''catch a bus either way what?''. But the final sentence helped me to understand it. xD Well yeah, you're right about that, but the idea of just living so far away from the city, I don't know.. I've always lived right in the center of Lisbon, everything is nearby and I love it this way.

And yeah I answered that to Jen, my back-up is chosen, now I need to choose a main one between these two, because the conditions are the same, so if I don't get into one, I won't get into the other. (Also not really sure how it would work if someone doesn't get the grades they need but the uni still has places to fill?)

Also, I don't really have knowledge in Tourism.. I barely know how unis work here, I don't know anything about how they work in Scotland. S:

I'd love to know which one of the courses will be more probable to give me better job opportunities once I finish uni..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LiquidLuck.

First I was like ''catch a bus either way what?''. But the final sentence helped me to understand it. xD Well yeah, you're right about that, but the idea of just living so far away from the city, I don't know.. I've always lived right in the center of Lisbon, everything is nearby and I love it this way.

And yeah I answered that to Jen, my back-up is chosen, now I need to choose a main one between these two, because the conditions are the same, so if I don't get into one, I won't get into the other. (Also not really sure how it would work if someone doesn't get the grades they need but the uni still has places to fill?)

Also, I don't really have knowledge in Tourism.. I barely know how unis work here, I don't know anything about how they work in Scotland. S:

I'd love to know which one of the courses will be more probable to give me better job opportunities once I finish uni..

---

According to one site, Napier is ranked 9th in graduate employment, but this is as a University as a whole. Really you should look at your specific degree.

Where are you looking to work after your degree?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kardan

According to one site, Napier is ranked 9th in graduate employment, but this is as a University as a whole. Really you should look at your specific degree.

Where are you looking to work after your degree?

---

How can I find it out about specific degrees? And I don't really know, isn't that something you think about when you're finishing uni? xD I can only take one thing at a time, but I guess I plan on working wherever I get a better salary.

To me, the first one would interest me the most in terms of the course (with the 9 month work placement) and the accommodation seems better as they give a better description anyway... I wouldn't worry too much about buses and trains, I don't think it will matter to you too much - you'll most likely be traveling with your uni mates anyway, or one might drive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LiquidLuck.

How can I find it out about specific degrees? And I don't really know, isn't that something you think about when you're finishing uni? xD I can only take one thing at a time, but I guess I plan on working wherever I get a better salary.

---

I guess searching around on the net might work. Looking for whoever does those big student surveys, I'm not entirely sure as I don't look too much into them. Perhaps actually emailing the Uni could help, although I don't know how much they would know or tell you.

And I don't know, I think the majority of students know what they want to do in life before they start university, I mean, there's no use going 'I've took a degree in Physics, but I'd love to manage a golf course...'

I guess some people do get inspired for other career paths, but personally I don't know anyone who doesn't know what they want to do after their degree is done. Clearly you want to do something related to Tourism. Have you looked around for possible careers and what degree classification they require? If you know what you want to do after University, then it can make your Uni choice easier if one of them caters towards your specific needs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kardan

I guess searching around on the net might work. Looking for whoever does those big student surveys, I'm not entirely sure as I don't look too much into them. Perhaps actually emailing the Uni could help, although I don't know how much they would know or tell you.

And I don't know, I think the majority of students know what they want to do in life before they start university, I mean, there's no use going 'I've took a degree in Physics, but I'd love to manage a golf course...'

I guess some people do get inspired for other career paths, but personally I don't know anyone who doesn't know what they want to do after their degree is done. Clearly you want to do something related to Tourism. Have you looked around for possible careers and what degree classification they require? If you know what you want to do after University, then it can make your Uni choice easier if one of them caters towards your specific needs.

---

LOL 3 days before applying, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. Having to apply so quickly before the deadline really didn't give me much time to choose, but I'm happy with my opinions. I hate making choices so I just let it flow and see where things take me, but this time I really want to make sure I don't regret it because it's a 4 years thing to start the rest of my work life.. it's a giant decision, and I'm happy with the courses, but both have pros and cons too..

Festivals and Events even though it seems incredibly amazing to organize one, it's something that works a little bit more with connections, and I don't really have any in that area.. And to be totally honest, I'm not quite sure what Event Organizers do... I mean they have to obey to someone before they start giving orders..

About tourism, I have the languages, I have the personality, I like welcoming and helping people.. but again what if the only job I get it's for example to sit on a desk all day in a travelling agency? Couldn't think of anything more boring..

Ugh, I would hate to wait this whole month until I only have one day to choose and take a quick and stupid decision and regret it forever. :/

---------- Post added 03-05-2013 at 01:08 AM ----------

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by e5

To me, the first one would interest me the most in terms of the course (with the 9 month work placement) and the accommodation seems better as they give a better description anyway... I wouldn't worry too much about buses and trains, I don't think it will matter to you too much - you'll most likely be traveling with your uni mates anyway, or one might drive.

---

Lol let's hope so. Thank you for your opinion. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LiquidLuck.

LOL 3 days before applying, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. Having to apply so quickly before the deadline really didn't give me much time to choose, but I'm happy with my opinions. I hate making choices so I just let it flow and see where things take me, but this time I really want to make sure I don't regret it because it's a 4 years thing to start the rest of my work life.. it's a giant decision, and I'm happy with the courses, but both have pros and cons too..

Festivals and Events even though it seems incredibly amazing to organize one, it's something that works a little bit more with connections, and I don't really have any in that area.. And to be totally honest, I'm not quite sure what Event Organizers do... I mean they have to obey to someone before they start giving orders..

About tourism, I have the languages, I have the personality, I like welcoming and helping people.. but again what if the only job I get it's for example to sit on a desk all day in a travelling agency? Couldn't think of anything more boring..

Ugh, I would hate to wait this whole month until I only have one day to choose and take a quick and stupid decision and regret it forever. :/

---------- Post added 03-05-2013 at 01:08 AM ----------



Lol let's hope so. Thank you for your opinion. :)

---

What worked for me when I had two Universities to pick between was to go and see them and get to know the department I was working with. Although I'm not sure how that would work for you being in Portugal. Would you be going over to Scotland any time soon?

And are you saying you literally just picked a course in 3 days and thought 'Yeah, I'll do that'. I have no knowledge in tourism, so I can't advise you much, and I wouldn't know what a tourism degree would get you. All I know about Tourism is that I knew a few people who took it at A-Level (UK's 16-18 qualification) and pretty much everyone thought it was a cop-out subject and none of the people are doing anything related to tourism at Uni. But A-Levels are different of course.

I can't speak about tourism, but I can try and speak about degrees. Personally I feel you need to really be passionate about what you pick, because doing it for 3/4 whole years every day does get boring pretty quickly and it takes a lot of hard work. The best thing with Uni choice is just go for your gut instinct, there's not much else to do unless you visit both of them before hand. Have you even been to Edinburgh or that smaller town on the outskirts you mentioned? That smaller town might have all the things you need and you might only need to go to Edinburgh rarely :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kardan

---------- Post added 02-05-2013 at 11:12 PM ----------



Pay that little bit extra? £36,000 isn't a little bit :P

---

Yeh I don't think I was really with it yday on my phone. I regret some of the things I suggested tbh :P Hasn't the interest rates on the loans gone up to 6.6% now too? I probably had an £18,000 loan and I'm paying back £35 a month atm :(

Napier sounds good

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kardan

What worked for me when I had two Universities to pick between was to go and see them and get to know the department I was working with. Although I'm not sure how that would work for you being in Portugal. Would you be going over to Scotland any time soon?

And are you saying you literally just picked a course in 3 days and thought 'Yeah, I'll do that'. I have no knowledge in tourism, so I can't advise you much, and I wouldn't know what a tourism degree would get you. All I know about Tourism is that I knew a few people who took it at A-Level (UK's 16-18 qualification) and pretty much everyone thought it was a cop-out subject and none of the people are doing anything related to tourism at Uni. But A-Levels are different of course.

I can't speak about tourism, but I can try and speak about degrees. Personally I feel you need to really be passionate about what you pick, because doing it for 3/4 whole years every day does get boring pretty quickly and it takes a lot of hard work. The best thing with Uni choice is just go for your gut instinct, there's not much else to do unless you visit both of them before hand. Have you even been to Edinburgh or that smaller town on the outskirts you mentioned? That smaller town might have all the things you need and you might only need to go to Edinburgh rarely :)

---

I thought this thread stopped being answered to. :'( Yeah, when I go to Scotland, I'll have my Uni chosen. I need to choose until the 6th of June and I'm only going in September so that's not an option.

I literally picked a course in 3 days yeah. I only checked the way to apply in Scotland on the 13th of January and the applications closed on the 15th. I had everything done and ready to pay on the 15th at 11:55PM. xD

I never went to Scotland and the idea of being in the smaller down doesn't really excite me. I'm from Lisbon, if I want to go anywhere I'll be there in 20mins top mainly with the underground. I'm used at living right in the middle of the city.. But again being 2mins away, walking, from my class way better than having to get a bus that is 20mins away, even though I'd be in the middle of the city.

I know that Uni is very different there and there are less exams and more assignments, I'll have a lot to do and probably won't even have that much time to like go out and stuff (like my friends will do here every weekend), but what if I have free time and just spend it all on Habbo.. I actually want to have a life there and I don't know if being in the suburbs of Edinburgh will help. S: