Check out the campus
Never, if you can avoid it, accept the offer of a university place without first visiting the campus. The feel you get about a university from their website or prospectus, teachers or friends may differ quite radically from the reality you discover on an open day or any other visit, or indeed if and when you join. Do not become one of the many students who leave university within their first year because they chose the wrong place. And, when you do visit, we recommend you also tour the surrounding area so that you can see what facilities the local town or city offers and also where you might be living when you move off campus in your second year.Proximity of the campus to home, friends, airports, etc., can be extremely important.
Some universities have totally integrated campuses on the edge of towns or in the countryside with all the facilities and accommodation together. You may find this very appealing and it can certainly help you to make friends quickly. Other universities occupy sites in the centre of large towns and cities. This may mean that student accommodation and sports facilities lie some distance away. You will have to consider the costs of urban transport and how safe it is to travel around certain areas after dark. On the other hand, large cities offer a whole range of social and cultural facilities that smaller areas do not. It may also be useful to find out what percentage of the students is of your age group, study full-time and live locally. This can have an important impact on the social scene.
Where is the degree course being offered? Many universities are based on a split site and a number franchise out their degree courses to other colleges. In such cases be very clear where your course is being offered. The actual site could be some distance from the parent campus.