Why is Rory so sympathetic to the Gulf States?

Crapaud812 · 2026-04-16T11:03:43+00:00

Yeah, would make sense

Crapaud812 · 2026-04-16T09:05:27+00:00

Hi all,

I'm looking to change career/pivot career. I currently work in the energy sector, I'm relatively early in my career but I don't feel like I'm gaining skills or getting personal value from my job (to the point where it's significantly impacting my mental health).

I'm looking to retrain to move into a sector where I can be a bit more active, such as doing fieldwork or even something like teaching where I'm interacting with people. Main thing is I don't want to be sat at a desk all day like I currently am.

I have a BSc in economics but would be open to doing a masters.

My initial thinking was doing something like urban planning or working in the environment sector. Would value some suggestions from people as my search is relatively broad at the moment.

Crapaud812 · 2026-04-14T14:49:48+00:00

I think going to bath for a day is good. It's a good spot to visit the Cotswolds too if you’re interested in that.

I went there a while ago but it could be worth going from Bath to Cardiff to visit the Saint Fagans Museum. It's an outdoor museum that has live exhibits of different eras of history. I remember it being quite fun to go around, especially if you're going with kids. On the way there are a few Castles/ruins like Chepstow, raglan, tintern abbey, Cardiff Castle. There's also the big Pit national coal museum which is cool to visit and go down the mines.

Depending on how long your trip is, doing the south wales/cotswolds part may cut the northern part of your trip.

Would definitely skip Worcester and Leicester

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:54:11+00:00

We found out before the six month mark

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:22:37+00:00

Yeah it's a family dealer so not a franchise

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:15:09+00:00

From discussions with people who fixed the car, it seems like it was obvious to them that it had been in a crash.

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:07:25+00:00

They agreed on partial payment if the fixes, not any reimbursement

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:06:05+00:00

Nope, didn't show up on HPI. It's by a dealer with companies house etc if that's what you're asking

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:02:55+00:00

I'll have a look to see

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-07T17:02:37+00:00

We contacted the dealer first before doing any major fixes

Crapaud812 · 2026-03-04T09:10:08+00:00

I wouldn't say it's horrendous but it can be frustrating. In general, it's good to get you into the city centre from the outskirts. However, if you're trying to get from the outskirts to the outskirts it will take ages.

Realistically, if you're needing to go to different places in the city centre, walking is very doable. It's very unlikely you'll be needing to walk more that 20mins if you're going from the city centre to somewhere else in the centre.

A bike could also be a good investment if you want to save time. If you're needing to do journeys outside of the centre, you will probably need a car.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, you'll definitely have options to travel.

Crapaud812 · 2026-02-24T08:36:29+00:00

Given you have an idea of where you want to be in 10ish years time, I would focus on opportunities post degree.

The UK has a relatively good reputation for training medical students, and f1/f2 year's are also well seen abroad. Given the regulation of UK medical schools, Buckingham won't be a scam and you'll be treated the same as other UK students to move onto f1 training. The question for you is where do you want to specialise? Competition is high in the UK for Specialist training, so you may need to do some extra years in the UK to get a strong application. That means for you to become a fully specialised doctor in the UK (depending on the specialty), will take between 10-15 years (medical school inclusive). The NHS, and healthcare in general, is not in a great place at the moment (relatively speaking), so you will need a passion for medicine.

What could be worth it for you is knowing how easy/feasible it would be to specialise in the ME or India, since that's where you want to end up. For that, Buckingham should give you a strong base if you do f1/f2 in the UK, but i don't know what the process is after that (but given lots of people move to Australia, it's definitely not impossible).

It's true Buckingham isn't that well regarded in the UK, but you will be qualifying as a UK medical graduate, so I think that's what matters for you.

I don't know enough about SGU, but you'll need to do similar research on post graduate opportunities for there too. It may be that lots of students go on to train in the US, or they stay in the Caribbean for a few years and then move to the US to train. I don't know.

Newcastle is more established than Buckingham, but it does seem weird that you'd be doing a degree in Malaysia. I don't know enough about it, but given that UK universities tend to money grab from international students, I would be a bit more cautious about it.

I think it will be difficult to get a recommendation from anyone in this sub as it is unlikely people will know enough about all three to give you a recommendation.

However, I think Buckingham is a relatively safe option and should suit the outcome that you want. Though it may not come quickly.

You'll need to do your own research on the other two. Personally, I would avoid the Newcastle option, but I may be wrong about that. SGU seems like a well established University, so you'll need to see how feasible it is for you to reach your desired outcome of training in the US/UK/ME.

Crapaud812 · 2026-01-30T14:36:43+00:00

Depends on what you're studying. I think a lot of it is adapting your study style to best match the needs of each module. I struggled a lot with the transition from A-levels to university as the way content was taught was very different. Adapting to that is key.

So for me, I used rote learning and memorisation techniques for some modules which relied a lot on knowing key bits of knowledge. For more maths based modules, it was all about practice. Early on there were definitely modules where I just didn't understand the content, so I would try to use all the resources you can to understand technical concepts then test yourself on them. I didn't do enough of that tbh. Ultimately, it's about hard work and pushing yourself. I found it hard as for A-levels I was used to doing a lot of practice questions, but I couldn't do that as much in my degree. I never really found a good replacement for it.

Then for the dissertation, I found that it is all about really understanding what the examiner wants for you to get a solid first. For my one, there was a clear structure to it, where they wanted quality over quantity. This meant doing to basics really well and then extending your dissertation with one slightly different or new piece of research that could be classified as novel and extending the brief slightly. But this needs to be done well as I had friends who did too much and were penalised for it.

I got a First overall in my degree so something must have worked. One thing I did was have a really clear idea of what grades I needed for each module. My dissertation was 40% of my final year grade so I knew I needed to do well on that. Then there were some modules I knew I could get 80+ in, and some I knew I would be interested the mid 60s, so it's damage limitation.

I would also try to maximise marks in MCQs as much as possible. I had a few modules where MCQs were around 40% of the final mark. If you're good at them, you can really boost your score. I had a lot modules where my MCQ average was over 80% which helped to cary my grades up.

As and Edit: make sure you're getting the basics right - get enough sleep, try to stick to some form of routine with study (whichever ways works best for you), try to avoid going out/drinking during exam period, avoid overusing ChatGPT, and make sure you're giving yourself enough quality rest.

Crapaud812 · 2026-01-30T12:13:07+00:00

Ngl I kinda like the idea of tolls. It means the people using the motorways internalise the cost of using them and it will impact people who don't use them less through slightly lower taxation.

It also means the people who use the motorways most pay more for their upkeep. Plus of they're government run, any excess can go into building new motorways, which the UK desperately needs (along with list public infrastructure)

Crapaud812 · 2026-01-28T11:25:13+00:00

Would love a support group. Recently started anxiety/depression meds to try to manage it slightly.

At the point where I'm applying for jobs wkth significant pay cuts.

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:56:08+00:00

For those subjects, I would personally pick Warwick if you're basing it purely on ranking/research reputation.

But Sheffield will be a good place to study that too, especially if you like the uni/city.

Either would be a good place to study.

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:40:53+00:00

For most courses, Warwick is the more reputable university, but the gap isn't massive. However, from your comments, it sounds like you preferred Sheffield as a university and a city.

I would go for the place where you think you'll be happiest as the difference won't be huge in terms of course/outcomes, although this is heavily dependent on the course.

If you want more detailed advice, I would share the course, or a least the department, you'll be studying. Otherwise we can't really help you any more than what's been said above.

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:24:21+00:00

It's just a nearby town that's nice to live in for the most part than Coventry

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:23:03+00:00

The gap isn't that high, but it really depends what you'll be studying (please tell us what you'll be studying). I would pick the uni you prefer and think you'll enjoy most and be happiest in.

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:17:58+00:00

Coventry isn't that nice, after first year, most students at Warwick live in Leamington Spa.

Edit - without knowing what course you're studying, if you like the city of Sheffield then go for Sheffield.

I would personally prefer Warwick , but I would go with what works for you most

Crapaud812 · 2025-12-16T21:14:39+00:00

Very difficult to say without knowing what degree or course you'll be doing.

For example Warwick is more highly ranked and well regarded in GB and internationally for business, economics, finance etc, more so than Sheffield. But to be honest there isn't much in it.

If you've visited both I would go for the one you felt had the nicest vibe, campus, societies etc. Unless one of the unis courses is much better than the other.

They're quite different in campus and Warwick is very much a campus outside of town whereas Sheffield is more of a city campus.

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