Lifestyle / How to go about choosing your university?

Choosing the perfect university for you is a very personal decision to make. It's also one you have to live with for however long your course is! So make that choice yourself, it doesn't matter where your friends are going, it doesn't matter which destination will look impressive on your Facebook status, it doesn't completely matter where they rank in the leads tables. What matters is that you can visualise yourself being happy there. Happy with the course, with the accommodation and the social life. All those things are vital for a university life and it may sound strange but they do all have an impact in your overall success with your course.

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Open Days

The best way to get a feel for the place is of course open days. All university's hold these and I'd really recommend going to every university you're even the slightest bit interested in. There was one at the top of my list that after visiting got crossed off my list! There are tons of fancy pictures on websites but you can't really tell the size of the rooms or what the buildings look like with all the clever filters and angles being used! When at the open days try and visualise yourself walking around whilst studying there. Ask all the questions in the world to the tour guides and any students working in the studios. I'd also like to point out if you want to go for an interview at the university it will look really bad not to have gone to an open day.

Check the town out

Whilst at the open days I'd recommend checking out the local area. See what's around the university or in the local town and if you like the atmosphere and environment.  When I did this, this also made another university drop from my list! Obviously don't choose a university because they have Topshop and a Mac store in town but just get a feel for where you'd be hanging out in your free time.

Accommodation

Where you live throughout your university life will either make or break the experience. If you can get halls for first year then do, if you can get halls for every year, then do! There's nothing worse then arriving at a friends student house and seeing how filthy, cold and mouldy it is. Not to mention the many arguments that happen over seemingly tiny things like toilet roll and water bills! You need to spend your time focussing on your work! Halls allows you to have your own personal space in your room and then share the kitchen. You can even live in a studio in halls and have everything in your own space, which isn't entirely social, but may work for you. I think halls gives you the right amount of privacy and sharing a living space with others. They are also generally quite modern, well kept and clean. Something you're probably not even thinking about now is that in halls you get your post collected in an office so can get it any time, whilst if you live in a student house you have to wait in or get a dreaded red card through your door. This is incredibly handy when you're in university for long hours but have a book ordered for your course and need it pronto. Also consider how far it is from university/ the nearest bus stop and the supermarket!

Social life

Whilst at university it's really great if you can enjoy your life outside of your course. My university offered no clubs or societies to join and I'd say that's something I feel I missed out on. They're a great way to make friends with people with similar interests and give you an activity every now and then. So definitely check out what the university's have to offer outside of the course. I think people assume a university social life is all about clubbing and drinking but when you actually get stuck into your work most people I know do more movie nights and game nights, but if dancing the night away is your thing then checking out what that's like in the area is a good idea. It's basically all about seeing if you fit the university.

I hope some of these tips are helpful and good luck in making your choice!

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