Manchester vs. Essex

[benitt]

Next year I am going to study International Relations with Politics but I still don't know which university I should choose,...
Manchester or Essex?
UM is really known.. but I think that Essex has a better department of Social Sciences.. so pleaaaaaaase help me.

[deissi]

Manchester should give you better employment opportunities, it's much better known than Essex. Have you visited the schools?

[Vvi]

My classmate got a conditional from Essex of 30 points for the same course and she put it as her insurance. She put Leeds first.

If you look at this webiste, [url="http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,15905,-5163921,00.html?start=0&index=3&index=3"]http://education.guardian.co.uk/university...x=3&index=3[/url] , you'll see that Essex is ranked above Manchester for Politics. However, Leeds is also ranekd below Essex but my friend still chose Leeds over Essex.

What are the differences in entry standards for Manchester and Essex? Generally the one asking for higher grades is better.

And a point about the rankings of universities in terms of subject: in England, people don't look at the ranking for the subject but the overall university ranking when considering you for a job. Only engineering students have to consider the ranking of their university in the industry. So if Manchester really is better known than Essex, go for that because you'll have a hard time finding a job from a university that's less appreciated.

[Abu]

They're both good universities for Politics, but with Manchester, I'd say you'd have better prospects when graduating. What are their offers like?

Would you be placing one as the firm and the other as insurance?

[benitt]

Thanks for the answers
Well, Manchester's offer is 35 points and Essex's is 29. I also got some offers from Kent and Reading but I think Manchester and Essex are better than those ones. I'm studying two baccaularates at the same time (ib and spanish) and I know I won't be doing so good in ib exams.
I'm a bit confused,.. I think I'm going to put as my firm offer Manchester as, as you have said has more reputation in England and all around the world, but like...I dont know what happens if I don't get the 35 points. Will I have place at the university as my insurance?
I am bit new.. in all that stuff of universities.

[Vvi]

When you reply to your UCAS offers, you have the option to put one university as your firm and one as your insurance. The insurance offer should have lower grades, so that if you don't get the required number of points for your firm offer and the university doesn't accept you even once you've called them up personally and asked if they still have a place, you can still be accepted into your insurance if you meet their conditions.

Be aware that if you are accepted into your firm choice, you can't decline it and decide to go to your insurance. The same applies for your insurance choice; if you miss the conditions of your firm chocie but get into the insurance university, you can't decide that you don't want to go there and apply for clearing instead.

This UCAS webpage explains it all: [url="http://ucas.com/students/afteryouapply/replyingtoyouroffers"]http://ucas.com/students/afteryouapply/replyingtoyouroffers[/url]

And if you don't meet the conditions of either your firm or your insurance choice, there is a process called Clearing which is explained here: [url="http://ucas.com/students/afteryouapply/clearing"]http://ucas.com/students/afteryouapply/clearing[/url] . It starts at the beginning of August and universities publish a list of their courses on UCAS which still have space. It says how many spaces there are for each course e.g. University of Essex, Politics and International Relations, 5 places. Some universities like Cambridge never have spaces left in Clearing, but most other universities do and the conditions for clearing are lower than usual. Some universities get up to 40% of their students from Clearing, and many students get places at good unievrsities through the process. You have to call universities up personally and ask them if they are willing to take you, based on your IB results. So even if you don't do well in your IB exams, you still have a chance to go to university next year.