 How to choose a good university
Choosing a university and a course from the thousands
of potential combinations available is very much like trying to
find your way through a maze without a map.
How can you ensure that the selections that you make are the right
ones for you?
Choosing the best university means finding the one that’s
right for your needs and requirements.
Each student is different so- chose the best university…
FOR YOU!
By paying attention to the following aspects, you will improve
your chances of successfully negotiating the maze and finding the
best match in a university, where you can have an enjoyable and
successful university life.
Factors to consider when finding your best match
The 120 or so universities that currently exist in the UK have
their origins in two distinct traditions.
Charter Universities were established as universities
by Royal Charter and have very strong academic traditions.
Thus, the courses at these universities tend to have a theoretical
and academic approach, and generally the universities place great
emphasis on their research activities (in addition to their undergraduate
teaching).
Statute Universities developed in response to
demands by local industry for specialised training courses for their
employees.
Gradually they expanded and developed to offer high level academic
courses, eventually teaching up to degree level.
These institutions became polytechnics and finally, in 1992, were
given the right to award their own degrees and call themselves universities.
As their development was in the running of technical training,
their courses tend to be more practical in approach, and generally
they concentrate their resources on quality undergraduate teaching
rather than research activities.
Scottish universities
The educational system in Scotland is different from that found
in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Students have only one year in the 6th Form and therefore degree
courses at Scottish universities are one year longer.
However, with good A Levels you can apply for advanced entry (credit
transfer) to the second year of many course, thus reducing the programme
to 3 years, as in English, Welsh and Northern Irish universities.
The same division between statute and charter universities exists
in Scotland.
Scottish universities accept Canadian and Australian pre-university
qualifications for most subjects.
It is also often possible to obtain advanced entry (2nd or 3rd
year), for appropriate qualified diploma and HND holders.
Other factors to consider when choosing the best university are:
Environment
Campus Universities – are located in their
own separate areas of the towns and cities or close by.
They contain the facilities for every aspect of university life:
academic, residential, social, sporting, etc.
Campuses can be located in the very heart of the cities or on green
field sites short distances from the city centres.
There is a strong feeling of living in a university community.
Compact City Universities – although not
situated in single separate locations, these universities are in
clearly distinguishable precincts within towns and cities and are
easily recognisable as universities.
All aspects of university life are readily accessible nearby to
each other and to the facilities of the city and its community.
The feeling of living in a university community is preserved but
with ordinary city life easily available too.
City Universities – the growth of these
universities has been dictated by the space available within the
cities so that the various departments and facilities are dispersed
across the cities.
Whilst a distinct university community is sometimes more difficult
to engender, many students enjoy the sense of normality of life
in a big city.
Collegiate Universities – Cambridge, Durham, Lancaster, Oxford
and York
Here each student is a member of a college as well as of
the university and life is centred on the college.
With their high level of social and sporting activities, the collegiate
universities offer much the strongest opportunity for community
living of UK universities.
London Universities - most universities in London,
do not have campuses and are examples of city type universities,
where facilities and departments are dispersed across the city.
However some universities in or near London- Brunel, Queen Mary, Roehampton,
Royal Holloway, have campuses and therefore, offer the atmosphere
of a university community and security of a campus with the attractions
and facilities of London, close by.
Course style
Whilst all UK degrees are ‘honours’ degrees, they are
taught in a variety of ways and styles.
You must pay careful heed to this and choose the style of teaching
that suits you best.
For example, does the course offer:
- a theoretical approach?
- a practical approach?
- project work?
- sandwich/work experience options?
- continuous assessment?
- assessment based on final exams only?
- management/business options?
- opportunities to learn new languages?
It is also important when choosing your degree, to find out how
much flexibility it gives you.
For example, choosing a degree but being able to change to a related
degree, when your knowledge of the subject, or your interest and
skills become clearer, as you progress through the degree.
Course content
UK universities are self-governing, thus they themselves mainly
decide what they will teach and how they will approach a particular
subject.
Course content very much depends on the specialist expertise of
the lecturing staff employed.
So, don’t expect that all courses with the same title will
offer exactly the same content.
Accreditation
To practice your chosen profession in Malaysia, be sure that the
degree course you follow is accredited locally.
This is especially important for those of you interested in Law,
Engineering, Medicine, Architecture, Dentistry, Optometry, especially
when involved in twinned or franchised programmes.
Location
Many Malaysians are interested in studying in London, a huge cosmopolitan
city with a very distinctive lifestyle of its own, that very few
other cities in the world can rival.
However, this is not the only city in the UK and the other numerous
large towns and cities can offer you an equally exciting city life
experience.
Remember that both fees and living costs are likely to be higher
in London than elsewhere, and you may have to travel some distance
between your accommodation and the university.
Most universities in London, do not have campuses.
Their departments, accommodation and support facilities are dispersed
throughout the city.
There are however some exceptions.
For example, Brunel, Queen Mary, Roehampton, Royal Holloway are campus type
universities in or near London and offer the attractions associated
with a campus- living in a university community, security, convenience
and lower costs, as well as the attractions of London close by.
Entry standards
Lower entry requirements at a particular university does not mean
that this course is substandard compared to others that ask for
higher grades.
You could take advantage of the lower entry standards of some of
the less competitive courses and universities by having these as
a safety net for yourself when applying.
Entry standards are often related to the course style, so you need
to assess both factors hand-in-hand.
Costs
Fees, costs and recommended living allowances vary significantly
between universities.
The implications of this are very important for you to consider
carefully.
Please refer to the costs and fees section of the MABECS homepage
for more details on this.
You should also consider the financial benefits of a sandwich course.
Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) exercise
The Teaching Quality Assessment Exercise was set in place by the
British Government to monitor the quality of the delivery of degrees
at universities.
This relates directly to undergraduate teaching.
However, be warned that this survey mainly aims to assess whether
the universities actually achieve the teaching aims and objectives
that they laid down for themselves for each course.
It is not necessarily an objective comparison between the standards
of teaching at different universities.
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) ratings
This assessment of the research standards of all universities by
department (cost centres) was set up by the British Government with
the main aim of providing research funding bodies with the necessary
data to fund research selectively.
The assessment is based on research work only.
Whilst it is accepted that good quality research will attract the
highest-level experts in a given field, this does not necessarily
result in the highest excellence in undergraduate teaching.
So be careful how you use this data and its influence on you.
League tables
Be very wary of using this kind of information as a basis for your
choice of university and course.
The criteria used for compiling these league tables are often unconnected
and inconsequential.
They are not done according to strictly objective and scientific
techniques, so use them with a great deal of care – if at
all.
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