Bristol or Exeter

I discouraged all of mine from applying to Exeter as it’s a pain to get to unless you live in the SW!

Bristol definitely used to have a very good reputation, lots of unsuccessful Oxbridge graduates used to go there.

I would say it depends on what your Dd is like. Exeter is very small, Bristol much bigger & grittier.

Both my ds’s had offers from Bristol. I did not feel it would suit Ds1 as he was very young & unworldly. The city centre certainly has an edgy feel. He went for Bath instead. Though he will be working in Bristol after graduation & I know lots of young people who have moved there for work. It seems very popular

Ds2 decided to go for a northern uni instead. He would have been fine at Bristol.

@andwhy I think lots of posters are out of date. Bristol did have a poor reputation for pastoral care as some parents went to the national press. Likewise about behaviour of some students at Warwick. However Bristol has responded well to criticism and frankly, there are student suicides everywhere! Not just at Bristol! Of course most students never need pastoral care. If dc might, look into provision.

Back in the dark ages DD went to Bristol and had friends doing Economics. As a student DD didn’t go into the Centre much and mostly stayed around Clifton. All cities have homeless people. Have you never been to Oxford! Who turns a uni down based on this? I could show you “gritty” in Oxford too! In Bristol, students stay in the city centre halls if they want pubs and clubs. Clifton is slightly different with very expensive real estate so prospective students don’t have to be in the centre and can go somewhere a bit more laid back.

Exeter is campus but obviously students are in the city after that. Less going on but obviously that suits some. CUG puts Exeter above Bristol but in terms of jobs, probably not much difference. Dc have to want the city jobs! And the long hours. Friend’s DC didn’t and stayed on for doctorate and teaches Economics at Bristol. Bristol does have a reputation regarding being on the radar of employers though. The students who were friends with DD all made huge efforts to get very good jobs.

Have done degrees in both and therefore lived in both, and have recent experience of both. As others have said it depends very much on what your dd is like as a person and what she wants. Bristol- city, Exeter- feels a bit provincial. Bristol - a bit spread out but pretty easy to get around, Exeter - campus etc. Overall despite not being a party girl I preferred Bristol as a place to be - beautiful in lots of places, green, lively, loads to do, good connections.

Exeter over Bristol.anyday. Bristol has a really seedy and grim feel to it at night. Exeter has so much less crime and more of a friendly vibe.

Dd is at Bristol and absolutely loving it.
my niece was at Exeter and we went to visit a couple of times, the centre is a bit… I don’t know, dull? (Not sure if that’s the right word!!!) in comparison.
We’ve been down to stay in Bristol a few times and had a great time.
Sure there are homeless people - same as in my much smaller town, and drug issues - ditto, she has never said she felt uneasy about going about her travels to uni and back and coming home from nights out etc.
She’s doing really well academically and loves going to her lectures.
Housing is criminally expensive but she’s currently working out if she can afford to rent in Bristol once she’s finished (spoiler alert, she can’t 😂).

If your dd is outgoing, confident and self-sufficient, loves to party and won't be fazed by the urban grittiness then Bristol.

If she's more quiet and hoping for a supportive and nurturing environment then Exeter.

I would get her to make a list of pros and cons as she sees it. Don’t try and push her either way to what you feel is best-just try and tease out of her what’s more important to her. Ask her to think about the type of university-my daughter was adamant she wanted a city with good nightlife and lots of sporty societies and chose accordingly. My son wanted to go where he felt really wanted as a student. Both had valid but different reasons. I did have doubts about my son!s choice but a wise friend told me not to pressure him to go somewhere else. She said if it doesn’t work out for him, he’d blame me-so I butted out and my son loved his uni. And if he hadn’t, he could put it down to experience and own his choice rather than resenting me!
I know people who have been to both-and have really enjoyed their time there. That was over 5 years ago though.

Historically Bristol was the better university but now Exeter is ahead in the league tables for economics and would say there's not much in it. Where I worked did not recruit blind but we wouldn't have favoured one over the other and would have considered both fine.

DD has applied for economics and preferred Bristol to Exeter but don't think there is much in it, for her Exeter would have offered much lower grades than Bristol but it depends on circumstances. In the end she applied to Bristol and not Exeter. Exeter she ruled out on being too far from home and too far from jobs she wants after university. I don't think from an employment point of view it will make much difference even if not blind. DD also knows lots of students at Bristol and all are very happy there though they are the sporty / party types and it seems to be the partying they are enjoying.

Exeter lovely green campus, easy access to beach and moor, lower crime rate, decent train connections from Exeter st David’s, feels pretty safe although city centre starting to look a little run down imo.

I note that course satisfaction measures, such as staff engagement with students, appear better for Economics at Exeter than at Bristol. Does DD's offer at Exeter include a placement year (not offered at Bristol, I think)? These might be factors to consider ahead of the (very clear) locational differences.

DD is at Exeter, and she chose it due to the campus, and the greenery. It is very compact, everything is walkable, even in second year,so you don't need extra money for buses etc, but it is expensive for accomodation.

I have to say I have been blown away by the pastoral and tutorial care. DD has needed some help along the way and they have been excellent. Always available, prompt replies to emails, office drop in sessions.

As for rankings, they obviously count in terms of educational value, and both Bristol and Exeter will be good. As far as recruiters are concerned, many applications are now uni blind, so not sure going forward if that makes much difference any more.

I went to Bristol and had a good time - I also had an offer from Exeter funnily enough.

This was 1,556 years ago tho. Bristol’s rep as others say is not great atm in terms of pastoral care. I would say in general it is perhaps better thought of - in the tier just below Ox and Cam, with Durham, Warwick, UCL? But I know nothing of economics. Neither is top tier for that (I would say LSE, imperial, UCL, Leeds) so it probs makes no odds.

I really wanted to live in a big city which Exeter is not. Also Yy Exeter is a campus and despite being told otherwise on mn threads, pretty sure that Bristol uni still sprawls across the city - I lived five mins from the union but 20 mins from one department.

So she must have a view - small city campus, big city non campus? Also yes to distance from home.

Exeter is a campus uni and is absolutely gorgeous - I'd choose that any day.

DS is at Bristol (first year) and having the time of his life. He got halls in the heart of Clifton and can walk everywhere. (Yes some did end up in Newport but most of them transferred to city centre if they wanted to) Accommodation for second/third years is expensive that is true. But not sure Exeter much cheaper (I live in the south west)
Bristol is a fabulous city with masses going on.
Both are great universities so it's a nice problem to have.

There’s a massive issue with housing in Bristol - I believe last year the university couldn’t provide student accommodation for all the first years so ended up renting a block of flats in Newport (which is in wales). They did provide a commuter bus service but it really wasn’t the Bristol big city experience the students were expecting.

I went to Exeter and loved it, so I'm biased, but my brother lives in Bristol (and DS1 had an offer from Bristol, tho went elsewhere) so I know both places.

I think as others have said, it depends on the course rankings - if a STEM subject then I would imagine Bristol ranks higher - however, living costs will be higher in Bristol and it will be a 'grittier' experience than Exeter, which is a campus and very green, leafy and safe (comparatively).

I would also be wary of Bristol's record on pastoral care/mental health support.

I live not far from Bristol, I would definitely choose Exeter!

Natasha Abrahart case.

Also see how they treat women and those students wanting womens only groups.

Google Raquel Rosario Sánchez

uk.style.yahoo.com/bristol-university-bans-public-feminist-144657670.html

Ranking for her subject - uni ranking varies quite a lot for different subjects

Exeter - lovely green campus
Bristol - vibrant city, but this also brings overcrowding/more crime, like any city

I'd personally go to Exeter. Depending on subject, Bristol may be higher ranked though.

Grade differences?

The cities have very different feels to them, Exeter is pretty pedestrian, feels very provincial whereas Bristol has a more exciting and gritty feel. I spend time in both regularly and much prefer Bristol but I'm not a poor student and I live 8 miles away with a view of yachts, hardly a bad lifestyle!

DD has an offer from Bristol and we went for the Open Day.
The building for her subject was nice but she felt the Uni was very spread out. There was also a bit of a "take it or leave it" attitude from some staff - she didnt say they weren't nice but apparently they were the "least nice" staff and students she met on all her Open Days.
I felt Bristol was a bit grotty as well, we went into the City Centre and encountered lots of homeless people (I often work in big cities so its something I am used to but I felt Bristol was worse), I almost tripped over a rat on the way to get a taxi and while we waited for the taxi we discovered that the flower bush we were waiting next to had been used as a toilet.
Maybe we were unlucky though
No idea about Exeter