What type of university do you want to go to?

Universities are not all the same, and nor is it easy to put them into simple categories. At one extreme is an ancient collegiate university, a world leader in terms of research, offering traditional academic courses, having most students with AAA at A level, and with large numbers of postgraduates, many from overseas. At the other extreme is a very locally-orientated university which does little research, but offers more vocational courses to largely local students, many of whom are mature and do not have A levels. Both universities may be very good at what they do, but what they do is very different and they will feel very different to attend as a student.
94% of undergraduates think that going to university is a worthwhile experience. UNITE Student Experience Report 2007
Generally, older universities will do more research, recruit a higher proportion of school leavers and offer more traditional academic courses. Newer universities will be more locally and vocationally orientated and recruit more mature and part-time students.
Universities also vary greatly in size, from fewer than 2,000 students to over 30,000. A small university will be more personal and cosier but will have fewer facilities and non-academic activities; a big university will be busier and more impersonal (lectures may be to hundreds at a time) but there will be a lot more going on. Student numbers are only a guide to where a university lies on this spectrum. Some large universities are divided into colleges, creating a small university feel within a big university context, while others are on several relatively small sites, but have all the advantages of a large university.