Quality and reputation

Most people want to go to a good university if they can, and this is where the League Table rankings are helpful. By bringing together a variety of measures they try to give a reasonable basis for deciding how good a university or a subject within a university really is. Differences of a few places in the table are insignificant, but a university in the top ten is doing a lot better than one in the bottom ten or even in the middle.
The Subject Tables rank universities on the basis of their research quality, the entry standards of their new students and how successful their graduates are at finding work or further study.
84% of students think the standard of teaching they receive is very or fairly good. UNITE Student Experience Report 2007

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.

The location.

Where do you want to go? Do you really like your parents or do you want to get as far away as possible? Do you want to visit your boyfriend or girlfriend every weekend (or, perhaps, want an excuse not to)? Do you want to find the cheapest way of going to university? One way or another, location is likely to be an important factor. If you want to live at home, the decision might be straightforward, though if you live in London there could easily be half a dozen local universities. If you want to go away from home, then distance or travel time will probably be a factor.
Going away to university and living at home will give you rather different experiences. Going away will be more of an adventure, taking you away from your parents and the town where you live, and any restrictions that implies, to a whole new city or region of the country. You will be free to study and socialise as and when you like, joining in with other students, without having to worry about getting the last bus to your parents' part of town. On the other hand, it will almost certainly be more expensive. You will also have to be much more self-reliant, possibly shopping and cooking for yourself, and generally not having any of the security and comfort of home. Your parents and their central heating can seem very appealing when you are trying to get to sleep in a cold bed-sit.
Incidentally, if you can go away from home it may be to your longer-term advantage to do so. Some recent research has shown that students who move away from home have better job prospects. This is probably because those who stay at home tend to end up with narrower horizons and have less self-confidence in new situations.
If a particular town or city is acceptable, you will need to look at the location of the university itself in relation to that town or city. Is it in the city-centre or several miles outside? The former will be handy for shops and transport but may be noisy and less than picturesque. The latter may be a beautiful setting, but if you have to live off-campus there could be high travel costs. Security is another factor: is the university in a well-lit suburban area or in a less desirable and possibly less safe part of town?
The facilities of the town or city may be important for you, too. Your sojourn at university will be a time when you can pursue your interests in a way you may never be able to again. Access to many things, such as sports facilities, will be very cheap and you will have the time to take them seriously. Whether you like to dance the night away, follow the Premier League or haunt the theatre volunteering to design sets, you will want to ensure you can do it.
Prospectuses frequently boast about the attractive surrounding countryside, so much so that it seems that every university is situated in the most picturesque region of the country. However, unless you have a particular interest that takes you there, such as climbing or fell walking, it is doubtful if you will spend much time taking in the sights.
Then, of course, there is cost. Generally, the south of England and London are more expensive places to live than the rest of the country, so if cost is significant for you, you will want to take this into account.

Choosing a University

Every course and every university is different, and each student wants different things, so the chances of finding a perfect match is not that high, despite the 150 or so universities and higher education colleges, and the huge range of courses that are available. You will almost certainly end up having to decide what is most important to you. Do you want the best course or one that is quite good but offers the options you really want? Do you want the ideal work placement or the course with least continuous assessment?
In the end only you can decide. It won't be easy, but after all the reading, visiting and talking, you have got to do it. You have to decide which universities or colleges will go on your UCAS application. Good luck!

So how do you go about choosing a university?

For some, the choice of subject and type of course will narrow down the number of possible universities to just a few. If you want to study veterinary science, there are only seven places you can go. If you want to study Burmese, there is only one. For many though, particularly if you are interested in one of the major subjects such as English, chemistry, law or mechanical engineering, there may be 30 or more similar courses. Research into the reasons why students leave universities early in the course often finds that choosing the wrong course was important factor, so it is crucial to do good research and decide carefully.