I need help moving to England?

Show all answers

hannaha235

I've been dying to answer this question.

In terms of universities all the ones you've highlighted have very good reputations. They're all part of the Russell group of universities which is broadly similar to America's Ivy League. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Group). One thing to be aware of that in each of the cities there are several universities. One will be the original "University of X" which is the well-respected one, and others will be newer universities or former polytechnics (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytechnic#United_Kingdom) which are not quite so well-respected (although I'm sorry this is a generalisation - some former polytechnics are very good, particularly when looking at individual subjects rather than as a whole). The "1994 group" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Group) are also generally well-respected but tend to be newer.

In other words: be aware that there is a difference between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores/Liverpool Hope/Edge Hilll. London has several very good universities (University College London, King's College, Imperial College, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway - I may have forgotten some!)but maybe less respected are the University of Westminster, London Metropolitan, and the University of East London.

I'm not saying this to offend anyone, just to make you aware that in terms of reputation, not all the universities are equal.

I'd second some of the others who've recommended resources such as the Times good university guide - whichever subject you're interested in, have a look at the league tables, and make sure the universities you are interested in do well for that subject.

In terms of areas I'd say there's probably not a lot in it. All the areas you've picked are fairly big cities. London is by far the biggest, being the capital and there is a lot to recommend it in terms of things to do, tourist attractions etc. but beware it's size can also make it seem quite impersonal/lonely. Another downside as other people have rightly said is that it is quite expensive and the cost of living is high.

Manchester is smaller but has a similar cosmopolitan feel, and is unofficially referred to as the capital of the North.

Sheffield and Liverpool are smaller (and maybe friendlier? - completely debatable!) They are also cheaper to live in than the bigger cities.

Culturally I'd say maybe Liverpool and London are the most interesting but then those are the two that I know best, so that may be entirely my personal bias.

To get a bit of a feel for the areas I'd check them out on wikipedia and recommend the website www.upmystreet.com for comparing areas and postcodes.

Now excuse me while I have a bit of a personal rant.

I notice some of the answers have been mysteriously removed but to answer one comment I spotted about Liverpool being "crime city" - this is a stereotype about Liverpool that often rears it's ugly head. However, if you actually look at the crime statistics [see the crime section of www.upmystreet.com] you'll find that crime rates are actually higher in Manchester than in Livepool, (and Liverpool is pretty similar to London).

bornwithplasticspooninmouth

I'm really sorry about this scousers, but I have to agree, Liverpool is the pits. Lived there, moved away asap. I'd go for London if I were you, but as others have said, expensive just doesn't cover it....

jobless in the uk

London. Mancs at a push. Take a bit of advice and stay away from Liverpool.....

cutie_tweety_pie

yeh all UK universities accept over seas students. It depends on what subjects you want to study as to what uni would be the best choice. Oxford and Cambridge have the best reputations but they are the hardest to get into.

As far as where to live id say london but im probably biast :)
Its a great place to live but its a great deal more expensive than the rest of the UK, especialy in the centre :)

Lisa B

Hey! I just moved to the UK myself and I think it's a great place to live. If you're thinking of Universities: Cambridge and Oxford are the best ones out there. They accept all students around the world, you just have to have the right grades to get accepted! I personally like London the most, since I enjoy all the sites, etc-but the others are great too!

Jessica

hey there

If you look at this website www.ucas.ac.uk it shows you what universities teach the subject you want to study....

...then if you look at either the guardian or times (newspapers) ranking to find out which uni is the best in that subject

http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2008/0,,2027789,00.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/

I know people that have been to Manchester, liverpool, london and sheffield and they've all loved it. Ignore the people slagging off liverpool- like all cities there are good areas and bad areas- although you might struggle to understand their accent :)

After looking at UCAS and the league tables you will need to have a look at the individual university website to find out about the universities and the cost of living (London will def be the most expensive!).

Hope that helps

jammygal

All UK universities accept foreign students. Foreign students have to pay more though, unless they are on a years international exchange.
As for the best university, that depends on your subject.
I would avoid Manchester Metropolitan University like the plague. If you want to study in Manchester, go for Salford University which is excellent or University of Manchester.
London School of Economics is also very good. It really depends what you want to study.
So tell us what your subject is.

Yeah course they accept foreign students. I wouldn't think about London as it is just too exspensive. Liverpool is a brilliant city with great advantages. Manchester, is good also but I would say sheffield, I dont live there but i visit my sister alot. Its a brilliant city that is always modernising. There are always new construction works happening developing new apartments for people just like you. I would also recomment Hull Universtiy. Although it has a bad reputation its university was one of the first in the UK. It also helped developed the Wii console aswell as the LCD television screen, therefore it has alot of facilities due to its high funding.

http://www.ucas.ac.uk/

David S

There are other universities in the London area besides London University . London is our capital city, large and multicultural with marvellous music venues, art galleries, museums and parks and green spaces. Sheffield is a perfectly pleasant provincial city in South Yorkshire close to the beautiful Peak District National Park. Obviously it is not going to have the range of cultural and other activties that London has. Sheffield is 2 hours 20 minutes away from London on an hourly train service. If I were you I'd avoid Manchester and Liverpool. Manchester is large and somewhat drab; parts of the city are rather high crime areas. Liverpool is the sort of place that people love or hate; its our current 'city of culture' probably because of its association with the Beatles; after years of economic decline because of the fading and failing port of Liverpool the city is obviously trying to re-assert itself. I still don't like it or its atmosphere; look at the place carefully before enrolling in a uni there.

ukok

If you wish to study you will need the money to pay for the course and your board/food etc. Contact the relevant uni to find out admission requirements. If it were me I would consider either Liverpool or Sheffield. London is very expensive and you wont get a good feel for england as it is mostly lived in by immigrants.

ThePixiesDidit

woohoo lol all depends on which uni you wanna go and what course you wanna do, i think the average cost is around Â£6000 -Â£7000 not sure what that is in dollars! Well it will be weird for you due to accents etc the best uni's in england are places like Oxford, Stamford etc they're for the VERY brainy people who wanna be surgeons etc

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: