#StudyAbroad #StudyInLondon A First Look at the University of West London 🇬🇧

Hi everyone, I'm Abai 🦙

I'm currently doing a master's in Music Industry Management at the University of West London 🎵

In this post I want to introduce a school that most of you have probably never heard of: the one in the title, the University of West London (UWL), and explain why I ended up choosing to study here :)

First, here's the official website: www.uwl.ac.uk

🏷️ What kind of university it is

The subtitle on the website already tells you it's a Career University, so I think most Taiwanese people would assume it's a "vocational school." But a career-focused university here is very different from what that means in Taiwan

UWL is built around students' careers. Every course syllabus is designed to pave the way for students' careers, so the university is especially strong on career support, from the on-campus careers center to job fairs held every month. A figure the school is very proud of is that over 90% of UWL graduates find employment each year (I really hope I'm not in the other 10% 😂)

That doesn't mean the school only focuses on practical skills. On the research side, its overall research quality ranks among the top 100 universities in the UK, so it still holds its own academically

The university is made up of many schools in different fields, including business, hospitality and tourism, aviation and management, computing and engineering, nursing, biosciences, media and the fashion industry, and the one my program belongs to, the London College of Music

For more on the school's history, check Wikipedia

🏷️ Rankings

I think a lot of Taiwanese people still have a big-name-school mindset, so universities like this rarely make it onto people's lists. Yet UWL does very well across many overall measures in the UK. In the 2022 National Student Survey (NSS), it ranked first in the UK for student satisfaction, student voice and academic support, and in the 2023 survey it was first in London and fourth in the UK. In The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, UWL was also named University of the Year for Student Experience and University of the Year for Teaching Quality

Overall, UWL sits in the upper-middle range in the UK, but that kind of ranking probably still can't compete with the halo that long-established prestigious schools have in Taiwanese people's minds XD

🏷️ The area around campus

As the name says, the University of West London is in west London hahaha. The campus is in Ealing, in Zone 3, about a 30-minute Tube ride from central London. Most of the school's partner accommodation is within a 15-minute bus ride of campus

There are two campuses, St Mary's and Paragon House, with free shuttle buses between them and to each one's nearest Tube station. Central Ealing is a mix of homes and shops, quite safe by London standards, and the area feels pretty laid-back, so if you dream of a campus right in the city center, you might find the surroundings a bit dull

🏷️ Campus culture

There are really, really a lot of international students. Proportionally, Indian students make up about 40%, which is a huge group (all my friends studying in the UK and US tell me there are tons of Indian students everywhere 😂). Students from Europe and the Americas are probably another 40% or so, then about 10% are local British students, and the last 10% are Asian students, mostly Chinese and Japanese. There are almost no Taiwanese students XD (sob, any Taiwanese friends at UWL out there? Come say hi 🥹)

At the master's level, most students from Europe and the Americas did their bachelor's at UWL and stayed on for the master's (and their bachelor's only takes three years, plus one year for the master's 🥹). Because there are so many international students, the campus is very friendly and inclusive. UWL's Students' Union was even named the best students' union in London in 2016. From Welcome Week on, the school and the Students' Union run all kinds of events, including games and parties. On the academic side there are orientation sessions for international students and workshops on all sorts of study topics you can join

Student clubs are pretty active too. There are sports clubs for popular sports like basketball, soccer and rugby, and recreational clubs for things like film, dance and paintball. Of course, there are also volunteering and career-focused groups you can join 👍

I'll cover the campus facilities in my next post~

🏷️ Tuition and program structure

UK master's programs are either full-time or part-time: full-time takes one year, part-time takes two. According to UWL's website, tuition for full-time master's programs should currently be a flat £14750, but it goes up every year, sob. Still, compared with other UK universities offering master's, it's basically pretty affordable hahaha

The school also offers various scholarships. To apply, you only need to fill in the online application system once. The school automatically records your eligibility and enters you for any scholarship you qualify for, then lets you know when the awards are announced

🏷️ Summary

Overall, since starting at UWL I've been very happy here. The courses are solid, and the campus and student life have been really great

I chose the University of West London for three main reasons: its career focus, its London location and, finally, the tuition 🥲

When I applied to music industry management programs, I actually got offers from Leeds, Sheffield, Southampton and a few other schools Taiwanese students love, but I turned them down because they aren't in London. In London, I also got offers from UAL and Goldsmiths, but reluctantly gave them up because of tuition XD. For Westminster, I was lucky enough to talk with the program director online, and after weighing my strengths, weaknesses and career direction, I decided to pass 🥲. So I ended up choosing UWL, and it turned out to be the school that best fit what I needed

Many people might think of it as a university you go to just to get a degree, and honestly, I won't deny it XD

But I personally don't care about prestige. A big reason I came to the UK for a master's was simply to experience living abroad for a few years, and I care more about the music industry connections and resources a program and its courses can give me. That made UWL the best fit for me out of all those schools :)

So I hope my experience shows that figuring out what you need really matters! That's how you find the option that suits you best and fits your goals and situation among all the choices out there~

Wishing everyone aiming to study in the UK the best of luck making your dreams come true!

If you have questions about UWL, feel free to DM me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/eliza980101/

Next time I'll introduce my Music Industry Management master's program and the campus facilities!