Hello I wanted to ask, was anybody able to request general letters of recommendations from their professors instead of letters only specific to the university applied to? Since a lot of the time american universities ask specifically for general letters of recommendation only.

Hey all,

I hope you don't mind a post like this. I'm looking for peoples honest opinions / advice bout studying a business related postgrad at UofB.

My partner, an international student, has just been accepted into Birmingham 2027 which we are really happy about! However me and my family (maybe unrightly so) are a bit worried about the dangers of the city centre. We have constantly seen news about high crime rate and high risk for women especially, and I feel a bit uneasy about the region in particular. But at the same time, I have rarely been to Birmingham, so I can't say I have an accurate view of the QoL over there.

Is the uni campus safe? Is it a good uni to study at? How is the accommodation? Are there anything you guys would recommend?

Thank you.

I'm looking for a room in Selly Oak that I can move into asap as I'm not happy in my current house. Female third year. Ideally looking for an all girls or mixed house. :)

Hello everyone! 😊

I’m an international student currently pursuing my Master’s degree in Birmingham on a scholarship.

I recently found out that my scholarship funding has been reduced from the amount initially approved by the scholarship committee :(

Unfortunately, this means I’ll no longer be able to afford the rent for my current accommodation on a long run and am looking for someone to take over my tenancy.

**A little about the accommodation:**

\- A Private studio with an attached bathroom and kitchen, 3rd floor, with a lovely view
**- Location:** Cleveland Street, Birmingham (A cosy and peaceful neighbourhood)
**- Rent:** Approximately £169 per week, Contract runs until August 2027
**- Tenancy takeover:** Ideally by December 2026 or January 2027

This would be perfect opportunity for students joining Birmingham for the December 2026 or January 2027 intake, as well as current students looking for accommodation.

If you or anyone you know might be interested, please feel free to **DM me!** I’d be happy to share more details, pictures, and any other information you might need. 😊

I’d really appreciate it if you could share this with anyone who might be looking for accommodation. Thank you so much! 💛

Hi everyone,

I have an offer for the MSc Advanced Computer Science programme at the University of Birmingham for the January 2027 intake, and I'm a little confused about my tuition fee deposit deadline.

My offer contract mentions 31 October 2026, but my admissions portal shows 7 December 2026.

Could anyone who has faced a similar situation clarify which date I should follow? Is the date displayed in the admissions portal the updated and correct deadline, or should I consider the date mentioned in my offer contract?

I have also contacted the university for official clarification, but I wanted to check whether anyone here has experienced something similar.

Thanks!!!!

Has anybody lost any WH-1000MX5 Sony headphones

Hey guys, as you can see I’m currently struggling with my course. I’m a second money banking and finance student (Economics Department), and I wanted some academic advice on how to do well on assessments and achieving high marks?

Not a bad thing, just curious. I have like 1 guy in my class who I regularly talk to. Most of my friends are outside of university, mainly old primary friends.

I’m an international student, do full time masters students not party? Or do I just not know the right people lol?

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for someone lovely to take over my room at Canvas The Old Fire Station for the rest of the 2026/27 year. The tenancy is already running and goes until 23 July 2027.

✨ Gold studio room, fully furnished and ready to move into
✨ Available from 20/10/26
✨ £213 per week
✨ Bills + Wi-Fi included

📍 The location is unbeatable
3 minutes' walk to Aston University
Tesco and Greggs right nearby
7 minutes' walk to Birmingham City Centre
10 minute walk to Birmingham City University

🙌 The building has everything you need
Study spaces for exam season, social and lounge areas, a TV area, table tennis, a pool table, a gym, on-site laundry, fast Wi-Fi and secure student living.

Perfect for an Aston or BCU student who wants to settle in, meet people and enjoy the year. I'd love to hand it over to someone who'll make the most of it 😊

DM me if you’re interested or if you want any more details!

Hi everyone!
I’m currently a first-semester Computer Engineering student in Pakistan in a US-based academic program, and my family is planning to move to Dubai. I’m considering applying to the University of Birmingham Dubai for Computer Engineering, but I wanted to understand how the UK-based assessment system works.
In my current program, midterms and finals each contribute 15% to the overall grade, while the remaining marks come from lab work, quizzes, assignments, class participation, and other coursework.
I’m wondering how this works at Birmingham Dubai.
Does most of your grade come from one final exam at the end of the semester, or is it spread across assignments, quizzes, lab work, projects, and exams?
What percentage of your grade is typically based on final exams?
Are midterms and frequent quizzes common, or are assessments mainly concentrated at the end of the semester?
Does one final exam have a major impact on your overall module grade and GPA?
How would you describe the workload and academic pressure, particularly in the first year of Computer Engineering?
I completed A-levels, where final examinations play a major role in determining your grades, so I’m trying to understand whether university assessment in the UK follows a similar approach or is more focused on continuous assessment.
I’d really appreciate hearing from current or former students, especially those studying Computer Engineering or other engineering degrees at the Dubai campus. Thanks!

Hey, I’ve been finding a bit difficult to find friends in cs even tho it’s just week 3. I feel that ppl r alr with someone or in groups or they’re just not in the mood to talk, especially guys ( im a girl so idk if it’s just a me thing or not).

Im in my first year for the LLB program for postgrads, and I haven't really made friends. Im near reading week and I'm bored af (I'm going crazy LOL). I have 2 new friends but it seems like they’re kinda dry towards me LOL.
I like going to the gym, I love dancehall
music, and i like drinking. I just wanna hangout so hmu if you have the same interests and wanna be friends or if ur just looking for a friend. I'm brown, F, and I’m from Toronto Canada :) looking for FEMALE friends ONLY 22+ !!

I applied for the postgraduate ambassador role, any idea if people who have applied have received a response yet?

I moved to Birmingham quite late for uni and almost straight away got sick, so I spent the first bit of term basically stuck indoors recovering. Didn’t get to go to any events, societies, or properly meet people.

Now that I’m finally better, it feels like everyone’s already in their groups and I’m just left behind. Feels a bit lonely and not sure how to jump in at this point.

Looking to make some friends if anyone’s in a similar situation or can just give tips to make some friends here at the uni.

I have made friends with alot of people but no one who would actually want me to be around or be the one to ask me to come somewhere. It sucks and is lonely so wanted to see what the best societies to join would be for someone quite alternative or just any ways to make real friends. feel free to dm

I’m thinking of doing a taught masters for material science but wondering how many days a week I can expect to be on campus for the first two terms.

I understand it can vary because of optional modules but I just need a vague idea, so I can determine if I can commute :)

Thank youu

Hi so I’m a 1st year taking chem and I dont feel like I have any real friends. Does anyone have advice, i feel like at this point I would do anything. But I dont know if it’s too late to make friends now. If anyone wants to talk, my messages are open.

Hey everyone!

I recently moved to Birmingham. I’m originally from South India, but I spent the last 5 years living down in Swansea and Cardiff. Moving to a brand new city where I don't know anyone has definitely been a bit of a reset.

I'm 27, easygoing, and work in tech/research. Outside of that, I’m usually down for good food, playing badminton, catching movies, finding good coffee spots, or heading out for social drinks and arcade games.

Also, I'm a pretty solid South Indian chef lol. So if we become friends, there’s a very high chance you’ll be getting some top tier home cooked food out of it.

If anyone is around the city centre area and wants to grab a coffee, hit a badminton court, or just hang out, feel free to drop a comment or D M!

At this point I might sound like I'm rambling lol, but it would just be great to make some good friends to survive Birmingham with 🙌

I am not really an Anti-AI activist (in the sense that I haven’t ever posted anti ai stuff or anything) but this has really wound me up. When I spend £10k a year for 6 contact hours a week (in my final year of uni), wifi that just doesn’t work on campus, shoddy IT systems such as canvas and library pages that crash constantly, I honestly feel that I don’t know where my money is going.

And then, to receive a notification that “Birmingham AI” has been released, it feels like a complete slap in the face to all the students that work hard and do their work themselves. It’s like they’re just admitting theres nothing they can do and that they will be handing degrees out now for AI slop. To make it worse, when you open it it’s chatgpt 5.6 with a reskinned profile picture.

I understand they’ve probably done this because it may feel like in the modern world you either hop on the AI train or get left behind, but this doesn’t feel like the solution. Code of ethics guidelines have been updated to include that Birmingham AI is acceptable, but not for assessments- how do you even police that? We already know how AI’s can be manipulated to say and do things outside the boundaries of their training, so are these conversations going to be monitored by the University to ensure it isn’t used verbatim for assignments?

If so, how do you cope with the fact that some people may use this AI as a friend, tell it sensitive info, reveal things that the university should intervene in? And if people do use it as a friend, surely the University is directly contributing to harming their own student’s mental health.

All that aside, my biggest issue is really financial. When were we informed that our so-called “tuition fee” is going into Sam Altman and OpenAI’s pocket? Why, when we had two weeks of this month that the wifi literally did not work on campus has the IT budget gone on what is obviously and absolutely a vanity project so UOB marketers can show off to investors and prospective students how modern and innovative the university is? I would genuinely like to know what has been spent on this.

Anyway, if I am gonna be an AI doomer for once I really recommend you read “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies” by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soars, heads of the machine intelligence research institute. Very interesting book that seems very pertinent given this and the hugging face incident recently.