Need suggestions for selecting univs

[Elle w00ds]

Hello everyone,

I am an international student(India). I have applied to the following univs for a master's in International Relations.. Univ of Birmingham, Glasgow, Loughborough, Sussex, Essex, St Andrews and Surrey.

I have received unconditional offers for September 2016 intake from Univ of Birmingham (international relations with Diplomacy only for Birmingham), Glasgow and Loughborough. So far Birmingham tops my list. Loughborough has offered me 25% scholarship and although I'm not allowing this factor to interfere with my decision sadly it is. 

I would like to know if there are others who have studied at these univs and can provide some insight. That way I know I'm firm on my decision.

Thanks.

Elle.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Elle w00ds
Additional info

[hippyscientist]

It depends what you want out of your time while doing a Masters. Birmingham and Glasgow are cities with lots of things to do outside of the university, whereas Loughborough is a town in the middle of nowhere which really only centres around the university. While it has reasonable public transport links to other places, these can become expensive if you travel frequently.

I am not in your field so do not know the reputations for these universities within it, but do know that all three you are holding acceptances for are well reputed generally. You mentioned the scholarship for Loughborough, which suggests cost of living is a factor. As I've previously said, both Birmingham and Glasgow are cities and thus there are plenty of housing options, lifestyle choices, many restaurants and easy access to specialist food stores. However, that comes with a slight price (although nothing like the cost of living down south!). If you want to talk to students currently in the programs, maybe email the department and say you're holding offers, trying to decide and would like to hear from current students about their experiences?

One other thing to consider is course content. Is it similar across courses? Does one place have a closer alignment with your own interests? Where has the best networking opportunities for afterwards (I would hazard a guess at Birmingham here)? These are all questions to ask yourself. At the end of the day, only you can make this decision based on many factors! Good luck!

[Elle w00ds]

Hello hippyscientist,

 

Thank you for your inputs and suggestions. They make sense. It's alright if you are unable to answer questions related to my course. Every bit of advice and information always counts. In the end its all the bits that add up to create a great picture.

Good luck to you too. :-)

[CakeTea]

Your unis are known for certain areas within IR:

ST Andrews: Security Studies, Terrorism, Russian Studies and Middle East. Excellent inter disciplinary IR department. Fair tuition for home students

Sussex: Development see IDS, Critical Theory, Peace/Conflict. Attracts many international students and lecturers, good student satisfaction in surveys, active student engagement. Nice seaside town location

Essex: Mostly known for Quantitative methods and policy analysis. Specialised and small department, mixed reviews about the parent uni

Glasgow: EU Relations, Eastern Europe, Governance and some other areas. Fair tuition for home students

No idea about the rest

[Elle w00ds]

Hello CakeTea,

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I have just received an unconditional offer from Univ of Sussex. Birmingham offers research as an optional component while the others offer them as a part of their compulsory module.

All my Profs have suggested Birmingham however I would like to choose the one which offers research methodology as one of the core components.

-Elle

[CakeTea]

Hi Elle,

 

Congratulations on your admissions. I guess each programme has its strength and weakness. it is up to you to look at each and find your fit. Birmingham as a parent uni is well known: Russell Group aka top 20 uni, founded in 19th century by local business leaders, the Brits call it a redbrick after its Victorian architecture and era, located in a large city. I am certain there are a group of Indian students in Birmingham. You can check the alumni chapter of each uni in india on various Facebook groups. They are normally a good source of information about housing, course work, living and finding jobs in India. I know a few international students from India in Birmingham who are in medical school.

Putting emphasis on research methodology makes sense to me, is it quantitative such as policy analysis or more qualitative? You seem to have a clear game plan and this will help you to gain the max potential from your course. If you have concerns, I am sure the programme manager at each uni will answer your emails. I have some interests in research design and can empathise. Good luck

[GradSchoolTruther]

1 hour ago, Elle w00ds said:

Hello CakeTea,

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I have just received an unconditional offer from Univ of Sussex. Birmingham offers research as an optional component while the others offer them as a part of their compulsory module.

All my Profs have suggested Birmingham however I would like to choose the one which offers research methodology as one of the core components.

-Elle

What difference does it make if research methods is optional?

Edited April 17, 2016 by GradSchoolTruther

[Elle w00ds]

Hello GradSchoolTruther,

The optional courses may not be available ever year. If IR theory and research is offered as a part of the core modules it is sure to be covered during the course.

TheIR(Diplomacy) course I've got an offer for at Univ of Birmingham offers IR theory as an optional course and it doesn't have a research methodology course. The others offer it.

-Elle

[Elle w00ds]

Hi CakeTea,

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I was planning to go with Birmingham until I had a hard look at the core modules. Plan to drop it off my list. So that leaves me with 3. Your inputs have been really helpful.

I want to study both qualitative and quantitative methods and then decide based on my area of interest which of these will suit my research. Sort of have a general overview of each of them. One never knows where life will take you and I'd like to be prepared.

Im not really impressed by ranks and ratings or how old or new a univ is. Whats important to me is the kind of work done and the attitude, dedication and passion of the profs towards their subject. 

I am an international student and must have a clear plan or else I will be running around in circles wasting time. I can't visit the univs on open days so the best option is to read, research and ask questions. Even then everything won't go as planned but atleast I will have a sense of satisfaction that I gave it my best.

Will write to the programming managers. Thanks for the tip. :-)

Good luck to you too. And may the force be with you and motivate you especially during those trying times in research when everything is going crazy and ur almost ready to quit. ;-)

-Elle

[CakeTea]

12 minutes ago, Elle w00ds said:

Hi CakeTea,

Thank you so much for your suggestions.

I was planning to go with Birmingham until I had a hard look at the core modules. Plan to drop it off my list. So that leaves me with 3. Your inputs have been really helpful.

I want to study both qualitative and quantitative methods and then decide based on my area of interest which of these will suit my research. Sort of have a general overview of each of them. One never knows where life will take you and I'd like to be prepared.

Im not really impressed by ranks and ratings or how old or new a univ is. Whats important to me is the kind of work done and the attitude, dedication and passion of the profs towards their subject. 

I am an international student and must have a clear plan or else I will be running around in circles wasting time. I can't visit the univs on open days so the best option is to read, research and ask questions. Even then everything won't go as planned but atleast I will have a sense of satisfaction that I gave it my best.

Will write to the programming managers. Thanks for the tip. :-)

Good luck to you too. And may the force be with you and motivate you especially during those trying times in research when everything is going crazy and ur almost ready to quit. ;-)

-Elle

I think you have a healthy attitude and are not too swayed by rankings and prestige, how refreshing. Some people on GC forum are obsessed by scores and rankings. I agree that the academic fit with course work and teaching quality are incidental to choice. I want to develop qualitative and quant research methods for a broad base, this was the advice from my supervisor. Another useful clue: I go through syllabus and build my classes based on core and electives. Then I check about reading list of textbooks to get an idea of content.

[GradSchoolTruther]

47 minutes ago, Elle w00ds said:

Im not really impressed by ranks and ratings or how old or new a univ is. Whats important to me is the kind of work done and the attitude, dedication and passion of the profs towards their subject. 

I'd look into placement. In the end, it doesn't matter what type of work professors do, or even their attitude in some cases. Do they place their students in good jobs?

[hippyscientist]

1 hour ago, CakeTea said:

I think you have a healthy attitude and are not too swayed by rankings and prestige, how refreshing. Some people on GC forum are obsessed by scores and rankings. I agree that the academic fit with course work and teaching quality are incidental to choice. I want to develop qualitative and quant research methods for a broad base, this was the advice from my supervisor. Another useful clue: I go through syllabus and build my classes based on core and electives. Then I check about reading list of textbooks to get an idea of content.

While this is great advice, you will be unable to build your classes in the UK as it does not work that way. There is a set curriculum of classes (called modules) that you take, and maybe one or two elective choices. This is for PGT programs (taught masters) such as the one it seems the OP is talking about. A

[Elle w00ds]

Hi hippyscientist,

Welcome back.

Thanks a lot for your inputs.

That was exactly my point when dropping  Univ of Birmingham off my list. Their core electives do not offer IR theory or a research component..just Diplomacy statecraft. IR theory is offered as one of the options. 

-Elle

[Elle w00ds]

Hello GradSchoolTruther,

Thanks a lot for your inputs.

I agree, placement support is important. And thanks to your advise, I will consider that too when further narrowing down my list. 

But for me, knowledge is also equally important. No point in breezing through classes, exams etc. and then struggling to get a grip over the basics at work.

Hence the importance to Profs as well. I think it will be nice to have a healthy balance of the two. It's an ideal situation but let's not give up soon. ;-)

-Elle

[Elle w00ds]

Hi CakeTea,

I hate labels and ratings.They define things and limit thought. I prefer to look past that because sometimes you end up finding the best stuff in the huge pile of labels left behind ;-)

And thanks to GradSchoolTruther, I will also consider placement options provided alongside my other evaluation criterias. 

I think your supervisor is right. That's what I would do too. It's best to have a broad understanding and then decide which ones to use.

I'm not sure I understand the last bit in your post. You've mentioned.."...build classes around.." towards the end of your post. Not sure I understand what you are trying to explain.

-Elle