Why I chose UoB & reasons YOU should too!

I’m Liv, a 2nd-year business management undergraduate at University of Birmingham… and here are my top four reasons for why I chose to study here.

Reason 1: Convenience

I live in Cardiff, only a 2 hour journey to the West Midlands. I am very close with my family, so it was important for me to be a commutable journey from them, but also have enough distance to branch out and start my own life. But most importantly, I am a big supporter of Welsh Rugby, so I had to pick a University close enough to commute back for the international games (I have my priorities straight).

Top Tip: apply my thought process – choose a commutable distance or it’ll be challenging when you want to go home for reading weeks! But Liv, what are those?

Reading Week 101: a week out of learning, where you can have personal study time to catch up, read around the topics or have a break. So, when choosing a university, choose one with a commutable distance from home so you can have that extra time with family friends at home (or who knows, maybe even a holiday… who says you can’t study in the sun).

Reason 2: The course.

When choosing a university, your main factor should be your course. You have probably heard it multiple times, but choose something you love. I love business, so I researched and filtered my search to find my perfect one. For me, Business Management offered everything I wanted; variety, good assignment/exam balance, and flexibility. I knew with this course, I would gain knowledge across many different departments/sectors of business – so I wouldn’t be pigeon holed for future employment. But what really stood out was the year in industry offer. My degree is a sandwich degree, where I have two years of education, one year in industry and my final year of education. This means I am able to go and work in the corporate world, before deciding what I want to do with my life. How cool right?!

So, top tip! Apply my thought process – make sure you research what your course offers before you apply… or you could be like my friend Emma who turned up at university and didn’t realise she’d signed up for a course with a year in industry

Reason 3: The Campus

I mean… this is a given! Have you seen our campus?! Who wouldn’t want to study here?! The red brick, old school buildings, mixed with the modern library and cafes adds a perfect work/life balance. Without sounding cringe, it really makes you romanticise your life. I grab a coffee each morning, head to the library, get a few hours of work done, all whilst doing it on this beautiful campus. It is lush.

When I was visiting UoB, the campus really stood out. Its green and leafy, even though its in the centre of Birmingham. The study rooms are endless, the atmosphere is booming, and there’s even a Starbucks… (and I’m sure my vanilla oatmeal iced latte girls can agree, this is a must). I also loved the walk from campus to accommodation. Just a 20 minute walk away, you hit the Vale, one of UoB’s three accommodation villages. This is where I stayed, but most importantly one of the reasons I chose UoB. I loved how friendly everyone was, how energetic the social areas were, and also (weirdly), I loved how close the utility services where to accommodations – there is nothing worse than lugging your dirty washing around accommodation areas.

Apply my though: check out the campus on Open Days, see what it has to offer. If you don’t you won’t experience the stand out features like I did for the first time.

Reason 4: The sports

I am a sporty girl. I’ve played netball for years, and love fitness. When I say UoB accommodates to that, it would be an understatement. The sports centre is massive, with a commonwealth sized swimming pool, work out class areas, tons of indoor netball, tennis (and more) courts, a two-story gym and… wait for it… a costa. It is on campus, a short walk away from the heart of it – so you can get your workout done and head straight to class. It is also open to the public, so when I was looking around, I saw people my age who weren’t students, I knew from there how easy it would be to make friends, not only in University, but outside of it. I didn’t know it when I was applying, but I can tell you now that the sports societies is hands down the best part of my university experience. The people I’ve met, the standard of sports I’ve played at… are without a doubt life changing. I can confidently say, I don’t think I would have this at any other University.

Top tip: look up UoB’s societies and sports facilities in advance to see what we offer and experience the sports. You can be part of this all – UoB doesn’t have to be a dream, it can be reality too!

Thank you so much for reading! Hope my tips help

Liv