How can I use reviews to assess my higher education options & are they still relevant?

With Clearing well and truly underway, many of you have some big decisions to make. Over the coming weeks and months you will find yourself comparing universities, along with the many courses that have become available through 2020 Clearing.

But what’s the best tool you can use? When comparing your options for universities and courses, one of the most valuable tools you can use is the 200,000+ student reviews we have on our website , allowing you to make the most informed decision on both where to study and what to study.

How Can I Use Student Reviews?

Comparing Universities

Deciding where to study requires you to take into account elements of university life such as your accommodation options, the local life, quality of facilities, availability of student support and the likelihood of valuable job prospects. Our reviews provide transparent, honest insight into how current students have found their time at university. Everyone has their own expectation and requirements for what the ‘perfect’ university looks like. Our reviews will allow you to compare the categories that matter to you.

Comparing Courses

Wondering what to study is common. Our reviews give you the ability to filter your search so you can see what students from a specific course, at a particular uni, have to say. If you’re a student set on studying in London, but are still figuring out what course you want to take, you can compare what students have to say from the respective universities you’re considering. Whatuni reviews have a ‘Course & Lecturers’ category which provides insight into what the course structure is really like, how engaging lecturers are and how many contact hours you can expect. This breakdown of course information will allow you to filter the best university which match your individual learning needs.

Comparing Course Delivery Options

As a prospective student, you may be looking for a course that is heavily lab-based, or possibly a course which is a mix of both theory and practical work. If you don’t like exams, dislike coursework or prefer a course with little lecture time, reviews can give you the inside knowledge. Many students won’t hesitate to comment on how engaging they find their course lecturers and how responsive they tend to be to their emails.

Going Through Clearing

Using student reviews in Clearing will help to alleviate much of the stress that comes with this decision-making process. Reading what current students have to say will enlighten you to particularly important aspects of the student experience that you hadn’t even considered. If you’re sporty, you may wish to know more about the range of sports on offer. They can also confirm, or squash, any drawbacks you have. When you phone up any university during Clearing, you can use student reviews as inspiration for any questions too. Use reviews to narrow down your options based on what you care about most.

Are Student Reviews Still Relevant?

Student reviews still hold immense value for prospective students. The student reviews that Whatuni collects are multi-dimensional. Students are asked to both rate and comment on nine different aspects of university life. Thus if you are concerned that the reviews won’t be able to accurately reflect what to expect from student accommodation in the coming year, you can still get an idea of what the university’s facilities are like, how well the university prepares you for the working world or what to expect from your lecturers.

Although the start of this academic year will feel different, this won’t last forever. It’s unlikely that your course will adopt a blended approach to learning throughout your entire time, nor will you always have to restrict how often you are allowed on campus. Eventually universities should begin to operate much closer to how they were pre-Coronavirus - with the appropriate health measures in place. Whatuni’s 2020 reviews were collected pre-Coronavirus, but can still give you an unmatched insight into what to expect for most of your university journey.

In order to prepare for your final decisions on where and what to study, read student reviews. As incredibly relevant pieces of user-generated content, they will provide you with the most unbiased and authentic insight into what to expect from each institution.

As we move into the Clearing period make sure you are looking wisely at all your Clearing options. Make a list of what you’re looking for in a course, find universities which meet your criteria and use student reviews to see whether the course is right for you.

Continue to keep up-to-date with all of the latest advice to get you as prepared as possible on our website.

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Clearing 2020: 50 Questions Answered

League Tables & Student Reviews: A Valuable Tool