The United Kingdom is home to some of the oldest universities in the world. Throughout their decades-old existence, these institutions have honed their teaching styles and cultivated large, well-respected alumni populations helping them garner prestigious reputations. Here at EDUopinions, we have compared two of these illustrious institutions to help you decide if either could be places at which you would be interested in studying. We have compared The University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge on several factors, so let’s see what we discovered!
The University of Edinburgh
What You Need to Know
The University of Edinburgh’s EDUopinions page contains a total of 11 reviews left by students with an average review rating of 4 stars out of five. Overall, students gave The University of Edinburgh positive reviews and you can check them out at Edinburgh’s EDUopinions page.
The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1582, and has a reputation for being exceedingly hard to be accepted to. The university is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and is divided into three colleges, which collectively host 20 schools. The institution’s stated mission is to discover, develop, and share knowledge – a mission which they have achieved through a network of over 200,000 graduates worldwide, and through the 400 live partnerships they have with institutions in over 65 different countries.
The University of Edinburgh boasts a diverse student population with over 43% of their students coming from outside the UK. This leads to a vibrant student atmosphere, with its student sport alone consisting of 67 unique clubs including rugby, football, rowing, and Judo. These factors combined have made Edinburgh one of the world’s top-ranked universities, with it ranking 18th in the QS World University Rankings 2019.
Most Frequent Comments
The comments about The University of Edinburgh are varied, but on the whole, they are positive. The reviews also have some common themes, the first of those being a high standard of teaching. The students praise the quality of the academic staff, stating that the university lives up to its prestigious reputation and that they felt like they received a high level of education. They appreciated the range of learning opportunities Edinburgh afforded them, both academic and non-academic.
Students also mentioned city life in Edinburgh as one of the key draws of the university. They found the city to have a welcoming atmosphere, and found that its historical nature lead to a wide range of cultural opportunities.
However, students did have a few issues with the university, with the key issue being the lack of communication and feedback from teaching staff. They found them to be unresponsive and that marks took a significant amount of time to be returned.
The Good
Overall, students enjoyed their time at The University of Edinburgh and left generally positive reviews. The main focus of the praise was based around Edinburgh’s exceptional academic record and the high level of teaching offered by the university staff. Given the universities notable alumni and world recognised ranking, this is no surprise.
University of Cambridge
What You Need to Know
The University of Cambridge was founded in 1208 and is the second oldest English university. The university has over 18,000 students, and a very strict admittance policy, making it a very elite university to achieve entry to.
Cambridge has achieved worldwide acclaim, ranking 5th in the QS world ranking and produces a large amount of critically acclaimed research from all thirty-one of its colleges. The university also operates eight museums, and has a remarkable 114 libraries. The Cambridge University Library is one of the largest central research libraries, holding over 8 million volumes. The institution is constantly striving for future growth with investments, the most recent of these being the North West Cambridge Development. This long-term plan will transform a 150 hectare site into a new district that will be part of both the University and the City, revitalising an institution that has recently celebrated over 800 years of teaching.
The University of Cambridge’s EDUopinions page contains 6 recent reviews left by students with an average rating of 5 stars out of five. Take a look at Cambridge’s EDUopinions page.
Most Frequent Comments
As to be expected of such a famous institution, the reviews of Cambridge University are excellent. Students generally have positive things to say about Cambridge’s teaching style, and almost all the reviews talk about how intense and in depth the courses are. Students seem to value the opportunity to have a close working relationship with lecturers and staff, and they describe talking to experts in their respective fields as a “fulfilling” experience.
However, this intensity also has its downsides and many talk about how the heavy workload was difficult for them to manage. Students describe struggling while working alongside degrees and complained of feeling drained and exhausted, indicating that Cambridge – while offering a rewarding intellectual experience – may also be a mentally taxing environment for students.
The Good
Overall, Cambridge’s 800 years of teaching experience have come together to form a great academic environment that students thoroughly enjoy. While they describe the courses as intense and demanding, students seem to respect this level of intellectual rigour, seeing it as a sign of tradition and teaching excellence.
In Conclusion
This concludes our comparison of The University of Edinburgh and The University of Cambridge. We looked at both institutions from several perspectives so let’s see how they compare overall!
- Edinburgh and Cambridge are both ancient institutions with prestigious and positive reputations
- Both universities have excellent EDUopinions scores, Edinburgh with 4 stars out of 5 and Cambridge with 5 stars out of 5
- Edinburgh is situated in a beautiful and welcoming city which provides students with a cultural education alongside their academic growth
- The teaching staff at Edinburgh live up to its reputation and provide a high quality learning experience offering students a wide range of opportunities
- Cambridge offers a close and intimate teaching style with some of the world’s leading experts that creates an incredibly intellectually stimulating environment
- The Cambridge experience can be intense which can exhaust its students but it is also described by graduates as an incredibly rewarding experience
What did you think of this comparison piece? Did it pique your interest in either of these prestigious institutions? Please let us know by leaving a comment! If you have personal experience as a student at either of these universities, You can leave a review about your time as a student on www.eduopinions.com. We can’t wait to hear your story!
Scholarships and Financial Aid
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh frequently introduces new funding opportunities, so they offer an easy-to-use scholarship and funding search feature on their website. By inputting your subject area, Nationality and study level you’ll be able to view all possible revenue streams available to you if you choose to attend their institution.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge believes students shouldn’t have to work alongside their studies as they focus heavily on academic achievement. To promote this they offer the Cambridge Bursary of up to £3,500 per year to any UK or EU undergraduate student with a household income of below £42,620. The Cambridge Bursary is not a loan and it does not need to be repaid, and your eligibility will be automatically assessed. Find more information about the Cambridge Bursary on their website. They also offer a range of graduate scholarships and financial aids.
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