Why is the University of Birmingham shunned by applicants?
David Eastwood has an unenviable task – to make Birmingham University cool. To the cognoscenti, the original redbrick university may have one of the loveliest campuses of the Russell Group and its finances may be rudely healthy, but it remains unfashionable in the minds of students. Its new vice chancellor is under no illusion that he has his work cut out. But he declares boldly: “I think Birmingham is the coming destination.” He reels off a list of the amazing things about the place. It’s a Renaissance city with new buildings, new bullring, al fresco dining and everything a student needs. It’s the most ethnically diverse British city, with the youngest population of any city in Europe. “There’s no reason why Birmingham shouldn’t be as attractive a student city as, say, Manchester,” he says. Has Birmingham undersold itself, then? The answer is yes, and Professor Eastwood is going to change that. He has been in the post just over two months, having come from the top job in British highe
