Newcastle university - motorway noise?

[hermanmunster]

Sounds like we could be heading to Newcastle for a short break! Of Amber's '10 hardest' only Durham is an option for DS's current choice of biology and psychology - it has very limited availability. (Ok, we haven't actually checked the Scottish universities, but Durham is quite far enough!)

If he likes small places then look at St Andrews who do Biol and Psychol, not really that much further from wherever and no motorways

[Y]

Aah! Getting further and further away! Now I've got to go back to Google maps. DD's friend visited St Andrews and loved it, and can't decide between it and UCL. You could hardly pick two more different universities!
DS did look at Keele, and initially rejected it as quite low down the league tables, and it looked like it was in the middle of nowhere and some distance from its local town (though geography is not a strong suit in this household.) But very willing to be persuaded if anyone can do as good a sales job on Keele as Amber has on Newcastle.

[Guest55]

Keele is a niche uni as it offers a lot of joint degrees that others don't.

A friend's niece is there and loves it ... I was just thinking that if he doesn't like big places it might suit!

I would also look at each subject separately as some allow a very broad choice of modules so you can end up with the same 'content'.

[Y]

St Andrews - 8 hours by train! 8-9 hours by car (presumably without stops), and 455 miles. An hour and a half by air, plus an hour and half by road. That one takes the crown as the most distant. Must ask my DD's friend how she got there. Don't think DS would consider that. He's anticipating that we'll be helping him with transport, and that's further than I'm prepared to go. Don't love him that much.

I think it was St Andrews my DH and his friend were heading to many years ago, when they realised they'd been driving the wrong way down the M1 and were heading back to London. As I said, geography not a strong suit in this household.

[Y]

WRT modules - I've spent since October nagging him to look closely at the courses. I expect it might happen about the time he completes his UCAS form. Probably just in time to decide he wants to study something else entirely (we've already had one major change of course). I shepherded DD into studying modules at the universities offering her course, and it paid off, as it is definitely right for her. I've heard too many horror stories of 'I didn't realise I had to/couldn't do x,' from current students.

[hermanmunster]

St Andrews - 8 hours by train! 8-9 hours by car (presumably without stops), and 455 miles. An hour and a half by air, plus an hour and half by road. That one takes the crown as the most distant. Must ask my DD's friend how she got there. Don't think DS would consider that. He's anticipating that we'll be helping him with transport, and that's further than I'm prepared to go. Don't love him that much.

I think it was St Andrews my DH and his friend were heading to many years ago, when they realised they'd been driving the wrong way down the M1 and were heading back to London. As I said, geography not a strong suit in this household.

about 25% of St Andrews are from much further away than that, plenty fly in and use the shuttles. But if DS wants transport then sounds like it is a non starter - shame as scottish unis are great for flexibility and being able to change track during the degree

[Y]

DH should be able to manage the drive. The full story of the detour to St Andrews was: London area to Birmingham, wrong exit at Birmingham all the way back to Watford gap, stop off at Glasgow to make a delivery, and on to St Andrews. No overnight stops, no shared driving, though it later turned out that his friend was insured to drive the car. Think he slept well that night. Aah, the folly of youth. (Wouldn't let my two do that, though. Nor would I let them drive all the way to Cornwall with three friends, as I was permitted to do in my mother's golf. Can't believe I was competent. Keep death off the roads.)

[2childmum]

St Andrews - 8 hours by train! 8-9 hours by car (presumably without stops), and 455 miles. An hour and a half by air, plus an hour and half by road. That one takes the crown as the most distant. Must ask my DD's friend how she got there. Don't think DS would consider that. He's anticipating that we'll be helping him with transport, and that's further than I'm prepared to go. Don't love him that much.

I think it was St Andrews my DH and his friend were heading to many years ago, when they realised they'd been driving the wrong way down the M1 and were heading back to London. As I said, geography not a strong suit in this household.

about 25% of St Andrews are from much further away than that, plenty fly in and use the shuttles. But if DS wants transport then sounds like it is a non starter - shame as scottish unis are great for flexibility and being able to change track during the degree

My friend's son rode his push bike the last time he went back up to St Andrew's - from south London!! He meandered up the country, stopping off at different friends along the way!

[Amber]

St Andrews is undoubtedly very beautiful - one of my favourite places in the UK. It is also rather isolated and consists of literally 3 streets. The nearest station is 6 miles away and in bad weather the Forth Bridge gets closed, preventing access by road to and from Edinburgh. I would strongly advise a long weekend there before taking a final decision - while it is utterly gorgeous, it isn't everyone's idea of the best place to spend 4 years as a student (courses all 4 years there).

[ToadMum]

If you could steer your DS towards something on offer there (Biology and Psychology as a joint degree isn't, unfortunately), UEA is in a beautiful setting, on the fringes of the manageably-sized city of Norwich. It was one of DS1's favourites until Birmingham eventually won him over.