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.

English , obviously!!!

York was at the top of the league for English Lit in recent years (they may still be) so ABB might not cut it as they have so many AAA and above applications, but York is great in terms of pastoral care. They really go the extra mile to build resilience without mollycoddling their students BUT as any other university, they can only do this if the student is willing and able to access the opportunities on offer.

In terms of a going to a quiet university. There is no such a thing, every university has every kind of student from those who spend the time studying and eating alone in their rooms to those who are out with their friends partying all the time and are hardly ever at the classroom.

She needs to find her niche so, if she is very shy, having a year off working to allow her to become more confident before going to uni, is an excellent idea.

She should aim for the best university she can get into, and one of the elements she takes into account when deciding what makes a good university should be support in finding graduate level employment when she graduates.

All universities are not created equal. All universities have a wide range of personality types among the student body.

One of the goals of a student contemplating third level education should be stretching herself or challenging herself, perhaps exploring beyond her self perception or the image of herself she has established in school thus far. Finding a university where she would be comfortable doing that might be a good idea?

We have female students at Lancaster and York who love it. My cousin went to Nottingham very successfully. Get her to look at the societies list as well when she’s exploring courses

@Kimmerer Some universities do run campus tours during the summer (Kent certainly used to), but has your DD actually been to any open days at all so far, or at least looked at universities online / chatted with schoolfriends who have been to open days, to form some opinions of her own about potential places to apply? It seems a little odd if she hasn't, if you are the one who wants ger to plan for a gap year. Open days will start up again in September, but there will be more than one on a given weekend and many schools have a cap on the number of school days which can be taken off for university visits.

The UCAS site has a search facility for courses and can be filtered by region / grades / year of entry etc.

However, moving on, I would also suggest she looks at UEA (although there are cuts happening there, too, of course, but she needs to be mindful of the possibility of modules being cut for this reason anywhere, plus lead academics do move on or go on sabbatical etc). DS2 has just graduated from there, though not in English. There is a reasonable amount going on on campus, and lots of spaces to just chill (the LCR is a venue played by major bands, but she can avoid that), plus lots of quirky arty places and events in the city centre, which is an easy bus ride away (or walking distance, if you're DS2).

Yes, I was going to say something similar. Quite a few of the suggestions on here would be unlikely to offer to a student predicted ABB.

If your DD doing an EPQ, OP? Quite a few universities will drop an offer grade if there is an A or A star in EPQ. (Birmingham offer is ABB with a high grade EPQ, for instance).

I would also suggest not focussing on the "party" aspect of the university so much. Most universities will have a mix of lively and quieter people. I will also tell you that I would very much have described my DD as "not a party person" at the end of Year 12, but once A Levels were over she suddenly made a whole lot of different friends and was out practically every night. It is an age where they can change a lot!

My dds were both quiet, non party types.

One went to Swansea for Eng lit and ended up changing course to include a year abroad. Was encouraged to stretch herself gently and she loved it.

One went to Bath, STEM based course...loved the place, hated the course... very good pastoral support got her through it.

Neither were "forced" to go out, both chose their housemates wisely.

I’m always bemused as to why posters don’t read that DD is likely to get ABB. Then go on to suggest St Andrews, York and Exeter. However both York and exter have English in clearing. This is no longer the competitive subject it was. I doubt they would offer on ABB initially though.

Equally why suggest unis that are 61st, 64th and 79th in the CUG for English! Surely somewhere in 10-40 range would be better and forget the quiet student bit. There are all sorts of students everywhere. As for no parties at St Andrews! Really!!!

Have you a suggestion?

Depends how much you rate the league tables really.

Some lower ranking unis can actually offer a good experience and outcomes.

Exactly. No idea where swansea is in the leagues but it offered the course content she wanted to study and offered her a place with A* Eng lit and C and D in art and music...

Swansea is highly regarded for lots of subjects, including English.

Why bother with league tables then? As there are clearing vacancies in English at top 10 unis for English it’s telling you these degrees are not that highly sought after. York to be in clearing does matter as the value of the degree from York is dropping in the eyes of applicants and is no longer selective. Swansea is also in clearing.

The big question is what work will follow this degree? What’s the goal? Could the DC at lower tariff unis get equivalent work via another route? The reason English isn’t as popular is earnings and careers afterwards are causing issues. Dc are swerving into perceived more lucrative degrees, eg Law.

Swansea is 36th on Cug but one of the worst for grad prospects. 1/3 not doing anything grad related after 15 months. Maybe not enough good employment in Wales? However a big element in this isn’t what literature you study, it will be more about what skills dc get and what else is on the cv, eg work experience, volunteering etc.

@Piggywaspushed By whom? You do always use this phrase but looking at employment prospects, it’s not employers in vast numbers. Only those in education ascribe “highly regarded” to middle ranking unis. Employers are not rushing to employ Swansea English grads. What do you say about an English degree rated 79th? Very nearly highly regarded? It’s words without substance in the wider world. With English, uni ranking overall might matter if employer is not recruiting uni blind but skills and aptitudes will matter more to employers, not the literature studied. It’s a means to an end.

Tizer, I totally get your point but you gave yet to make a suggestion. Throw out a few names in top 20 of league tables. Plenty of us might know what it's like to study or live in those places and I am likely to know some people who went there. That's why I have cautioned against Kent, for example.

League tables are helpful but the CUG is only one.

The OP's DD wants to do English . I'm sure she knows of pros and cons.

People have suggested Birmingham, Lancaster, UEA, Leicester , Surrey inter alia. All have their merits.

I think OP just wants a longlist.

It's definitely true that there are party unis. I have had students apply specifically to eg NTU. That then frontloads that uni with a type of person.

it always amazes me that some posters can’t understand that maybe the Uni isn’t all
about how well it’s doing in the league tables but what is the best fit for the student.

Stirling? Small campus university.

Lancaster. Collegiate/campus uni, small city, good for EngLit.

@Piggywaspushed I think CUG is used by IFS and is considered to be reliable. That’s why I think it’s best to look at them and not The Guardian.

I would look at a number of factors. Highest ranked for ABB/AAB entry. How many get into the top 25 with that tariff? I think, for example, Newcastle and Nottingham at 16 and 17 have a lower entry tariff than Lancaster. All three have English in clearing though. In future, these could be more forgiving for applicants. Surrey is a lower tariff again so definitely look there. Cardiff and Liverpool are asking for lower than Newcastle and Nottingham but not by much. All are in top 25. Then sift through next 25. Obviously decide on city or campus too. Even Edinburgh is in clearing.

It seems highly likely the published tariffs are too high at many unis. Between 7- 25 ranking, only Bristol isn’t in clearing for English. So many tariffs are clearly too high if only 7/25 are full. 25-50 ranking - only Stirling isn’t in clearing. So 8 out of 50 unis offering English are full. Clear case for some mergers and more course reductions it would appear.

The Times GUG is robust too but the top 20 won't be much different.

There are some unis with medicine in clearing!

Clearing doesn't mean what it used to.

There's no cap on numbers. Most unis will hoover up as many students as they can.

I would recommend York over Lancaster. I have experience of both and feel York is a much more interesting place, small friendly campus and has a very good English department (if she gets the grades of course).

Not disputing. I went there! Out of this poster's DD's grade range.

There is no way to predict what the best fit for the student might be. A lot of what looks good on paper can turn out to be very different when it comes to lived experience. Students can develop and grow in terms of personality and maturity, too.

Therefore, getting into the university with the best reputation for your subject is important. Other factors to take into account would be support in the job hunt and pastoral support for the tough times.