Universities to do English Lit for quiet/shy DD

[Kimmerer]

Would love some recommendations please. I am trying to encourage her to take a Gap year as she's a summer born and could do with growing up a bit in terms of her confidence, but I'd also like to start looking at unis and would love to hear some recommendations for universities that might suit a very shy girl, going into Y13 in sept. Thanks so much.

Lancaster an excellent shout, again depending on where OP is. Collegiate which is good for support.

A modern university (post-1992 or maybe a 60s uni) might suit her best? At an RG uni she’s likely to be in a year group of 300 or more, which is tough for shy kids trying to make friends!

She should try to be honest with herself about how able she’ll feel to contribute in tutorials and seminars. Picking a course that awards marks for tutorial contributions, or requires lots of small group working, won’t suit her if she’ll struggle to speak up!

Maybe consider Surrey, a small/medium sized campus and Guildford is lovely. My DD currently doing English Lit and CW at the moment and really enjoying the course.

Laughing at the idea of Exeter specifically for a quiet, shy person. Obviously everyone might find their tribe, but from what I’ve heard (currently) it is Party Central.

I’m bemused by Lancaster or Chichester! Huge difference in quality! Or Worcester. Slightly odd choice too. League tables really do matter. Also you have friends from hall of residence. Few meet everyone on the course anywhere.

I'm the complete opposite

I'm trying to deter DD from taking a gap year

She wants to apply then defer her place

I think she'd be better off keeping her head in the academic game

Uni is full of completely different personalities and they muddle along find their feet and confidence

I don't think any parent should decide when or where or what a child should study

As for what uni for a shy DC

That's just ridiculous imho

You go for the best uni the DC can get into and likes the vibe of on open days and offer days

Leeds, Manchester, Brighton and Bristol are massive party unis

Oh, UEA. Norwich is a lovely, small city and they have a superb, long standing reputation for English Lit and related courses. Many successful writers came out of their MA programme.

This shy girl did English at Leeds and it turned out I wasn’t shy at all!!
I was in catered halls for my first year and quickly formed a close friendship with a group
of girls.
Although we all live in different parts of the country now we are still in regular contact and meet up once a year.
I loved every minute

Another suggestion for UEA ( based just outside Norwich). Lovely campus. Uni has a very friendly feel, and it has good support services. Standard offer of AAB, but they are generally flexible come results day if they are your first choice.

@LightFull You forgot Newcastle! And Sheffield! And Nottingham! Plus most others. That’s the point, it’s easy to find party people and quiet people. No uni will be universally quiet. Bigger unis have quiet halls. Ask for one. Also at 17, DC don’t always know who they are. Uni gives alternative experiences and quiet dc become less quiet. That’s positive and they grow in confidence.

I have just finished at UoR as well (although not English), I was incredibly shy when I started and not a party girl / drinker, but the environment was one that encouraged growth and community and I found friends who also didn't drink / like nightclubs. I know I can't speak for everyone's experiences but on the whole Reading always felt like a friendly university 😀.

Surely friendly students can go to clubs too? Or have a drink?

Yes I think they’re slashing lots of module options in English, certainly something to ask about.

It’s like a 2hr direct train from London. Obviously depends where the OP lives but I wouldn’t say it’s a real pain to get to.

Haha my inside info is currently about ten years out of date! From the other grads I worked with I understood it to be kind of... posh? Horsey?

I think basically any university is going to be party central though! They are teenagers after all. God knows Bristol and Bath were.

Winchester is a lovely smallish Uni which is quite quiet imo.

St Andrews is very quiet

I am from Worcester too! Great city!

I went to Exeter - fab uni. Plenty for people who aren’t party lovers (I wasn’t at all).

I'm so pleased that you had such a good experience too @kaylangrish 😊

Chichester is small, and in a 'nice' area.

Royal Holloway is up the road from the not so lovely Egham and is a ghost town most days and always at weekends. The poor girl will stay a shy girl her whole 3 years there because they’ll be no one around to be friends with!

Agree about Lancaster and UEA as good for English and not overwhelmingly urban, huge and with a party reputation. Also perhaps Warwick or York? Both amazing for English Lit and quieter campuses.

Those are both in the top 10 for English. Most students at Warwick and York have A stars and As , which is why I asked about general ability. York especially is hard to get into for English.

They are both selecting unis.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. I'm an Englosh teacher though so have a bit of knowledge. I do have 4 ex students at Warwick with lower grades, mind.

DS has a friend at Warwick who is a lovely quiet, very intelligent boy. He's found the social scene a bit excluding and can confirm to take care over accommodation choices.