Views on Universities please.

[Guest55]

My DS is also in Year 13 ... heading for engineering degree.

[Fran17]

Thank you for all your replies and pms, you have all been very helpful.

Hi Fran,
If it's not one DS, it's the other eh?

No wonder my trips to the hairdressers to have my grey roots covered are becoming more frequent!

[Belinda]

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[menagerie]

My info on two of the unis is out of date, but I do know Newcastle and Oxford very well: lived in both cities for years and would say they are ideal places to go to college. Newcastle is a very happy, vibrant city and many students stay on and put down roots there. It's so beautiful with the coast and Northumberland nearby. Housing is far cheaper than Oxford. Oxford Brookes used to feel a bit like a poor relation to collegiate Oxford, but students did integrate for drama and hospital radio, running clubs etc. There was so much on offer. This was years ago but I'd be surprised if either uni has lost its verve.

[Fran17]

Thank you menagerie. I have been to Oxford many times over the years as we used to have family nearby and I must say I am a fan of the town. We visited Newcastle for the first time on the day of the Uni open day. We loved it. My eldest is a friendly young man and liked the fact that everywhere we went people chatted to us. I could have stayed longer as I have a soft spot for the Newcastle accent, particularly the male version!

[pheasantchick]

I don't know anything about the course. However, my niece enjoyed her time at Oxford Brookes a few years ago, and my nephew has enjoyed his first few weeks at Newcastle.

[Amber]

You will already know that I am a big Newcastle fan, Fran (!). Living in the north east was a life changing and very positive experience for me and has coloured and enriched my life right up until now. Northumbria university is an old polytechnic too and had a good reputation in the 80s when I was at he uni - and there were good links between the two, and with the local community too. I live pretty near the other 2 you mention and they both have good reputations too; but with shameless bias I would say if your son has a chance to go and live in the north east he should do so. He can then see for himself that some of the awful stereotypes peddled by those who have never been, and certainly not lived there, are untrue; and a friendlier, more hospitable city he could not wish to find.

[Rob Clark]

Hi Fran, funnily enough I have a nephew at UWE (third year English student) and a niece (his sister) who has just started at Northumbria, studying food science.

My nephew has really enjoyed both the university and the city of Bristol – my Y11 son has been to stay with him a couple of times there. Early days for my niece, but she seems to be having a great time too – she took Amber’s advice and decided to explore the north east, being a southern girl, and loves it. She also chose it on the basis of a third year out in industry.

[Fran17]

Thank you for all the positive feedback. UCAS application has now gone off and I will keep my fingers crossed that all our DCs will get lots of offers.

[Bougalou]

Hi Fran - sorry got to this late - Northumbria University has a very good reputation for all business related courses and demand for places is high.
I wish you all the very best,
Bouga