Choosing the right university
If you're planning on going to university, it's very important to choose one that's right for you.
Choosing the right course is the first step.
Most people start by thinking about the course they're interested in. Sometimes, if you're still at school, this is based on the subjects you're studying at A level or you might want to try something completely different. If you're coming to university as a mature student you'll probably be thinking about which course is going to be the best for your future career.
There are hundreds of courses to choose from and at Derby you can study more than one subject in a joint honours degree.
Choosing a university to suit your needs.
After the course, students tend to look at where they'd like to be and this depends on how close (or far away) from home you want to be.
Different kinds of things are important to different people so you might be looking at:
- how much sport or live music is in each city
- you might want great shopping or culture
- or you might want to be close to the countryside to get away from it all.
It's the feel of the University (and the city) that's most important.
Whatever you're after, we think the best way to see if a university feels right for you is at an open day. This will give you a real feel for what the next three years of your life will be like.
We also think that customer feedback is an important thing to consider when choosing a university. After all who is better to tell you what a university is like than the students?
What makes a good university?
When you are considering which university you want to go to, there are some important factors you need to think about, including:
- do the courses offered meet your interests and career plans?
- are the staff and students friendly and welcoming?
- is the university customer focused? For example, is the open day well-run and how well do staff treat you at the open day or on the phone?
- is there plenty of support available to students?
- are the general facilities and the facilities for your course good?
- are there extra activities available? e.g. Students' Union events
- does the university care about the environment and the local community?
