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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Bristol or Southampton for English

62 replies

RedRoses1111 · 26/03/2015 16:48

Dd has an offer for both, been to an offer holder day at both and is really struggling to make her mind up. Bristol is the higher offer with A* AA, Southampton offer is AAB.

Can anyone give some advice/info about either uni. Pros and Cons? Accomodation etc. just looking for some first hand experience of either uni. I know Bristol is very highly regarded for English but Dd seems to slightly favour the course content at Southampton.

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

OP posts:
AmericasTorturedBrow · 05/04/2015 05:20

I graduated 10 years ago (sob) from Bristol doing joint honours in Drama and English. Course options were great in English, I felt spoilt for choice and I love pretty much every lecturer and now wish I'd paid more attention and given it more effort but those were the days when we thought we could all just walk into a job if we had a 2:1 degree.

Bristol is an amazing city to be a student in though, I truly loved my time there. I was in one of the Stoke Bishop Halls, then moved to Cotham after that, so not with the jolly hockey sticks lot but all the student areas are generally very naice. Bristol has a fab music and theatre scene too and we walked pretty much everywhere. Several of my friends stayed in Bristol - I would have done too if there were any decent opportunities in mine or DH's field

Original poster
RedRoses1111 · 06/04/2015 09:43

VirginiaWoofs- I have DMd you, thank you.

Thank you to everyone for the time you have taken to add to the thread.
I'm so worried that whichever choice she makes she will end up saying 'I should have chosen....'

Also, DD is not a 'clubby' out all the time , burning the candle at both ends kind of girl. She has a tight group of friends but they are more cinema, concert, meal out kind of kids than the clubby kind. She's also from a state school, not privately educated. Just wondering whether Southampton might be a better fit for her anyway?

Thanks again, and please be assured, the final decision will absolutely be hers, I will not be pushing her in either direction.

OP posts:
Littleham · 06/04/2015 11:59

My dd is from a large non selective state comprehensive. I asked her whether she has had any trouble fitting in at Bristol (she is a natural introvert / non clubber) and her reply is quite the opposite. Apparently everyone is incredibly welcoming & you can join any group.

Littleham · 06/04/2015 12:00

My dh went to Southampton from a state school and really enjoyed his time there too, so I don't think your dd can go wrong.

Millymollymama · 07/04/2015 17:10

Yes. Jeanne de whatever. It did come across as snippy! It may well be that my DDs friends have been unlucky but I think that English graduates do find it a bit harder than some (Stem graduates) to get work that they actually want to do so the university they attend could be important when realising their ambition. This is absolutely not the same as saying someone should not study English!

Regarding MFL, my DD did MFL at university and has successfully gone on to further study. I really do believe people should study the subjects they are interest in and will do well at. I also truly wish that all graduates could get the jobs they want and there was no graduate unemployment or graduates doing jobs they do not want to do for prolonged periods of time. Maybe I do come across as miserable and repetitive - my apologies to everyone for that.

There are plenty more repetitive people on MN but you just chose to highlight me, Jeanne! Is it your job to point out to others the nature of my posts in a derisory tone? Are you a self appointed guru of charm and tact?

JeanneDeMontbaston · 08/04/2015 14:37

milly, I am not judging your charm or tact. And I don't read every single post on MN, nor do I have any responsibility to do so.

I just notice that you constantly come onto these threads making vague claims about how bad Arts subjects are. On occasion, people ask you to justify your comments, and I've never seen you manage it.

It does get my back up, because it comes across as dismissive of those subjects, and scaremongering. I know people ought to take all posts on MN with a pinch of salt, but your posts do stand out as unusual to me. Most people really don't spend so much time naysaying.

UptheChimney · 08/04/2015 18:41

Parents who are worried about the employability of Arts graduates (they shouldn't be worried, but we're all human) might like to look at the HESA stats. THey offer some surprises: Drama/Theatre graduates are as employable as History graduates, for example.

www.hesa.ac.uk/pis/emp

Like all stats, these need to be taken with a huge pinch bucket of salt, as they mark employment in a graduate-level job within 6 months of graduating. The thing about Arts degrees is that it may take a little longer for the skills and knowledge to show through; but if the graduate is halfway intelligent, the extra knowledge, ability in analysis, critical thinking, and writing will become more apparent as they work through the levels of a career.

And as I say, people I was at university with, in Arts subjects, now run the country, or large organisations within it ...

17againmovie · 22/10/2024 20:13

Rascalls3 · 26/03/2015 23:23

I also have a dd at Bristol. Not doing English I'm afraid. Mine is currently in her 4th year (Masters) and has loved everything about living in Bristol and the uni itself. Has your daughter been to both uni's open days? I imagine both will have post offer open days so she should attend both of those. Personally I think she would be mad not to firm Bristol and use Southampton as her insurance choice. But I am a little biased??

Did your DD go straight onto a masters from their undergrad?

Thedogismybaby · 22/10/2024 20:50

MillyMollyMama · 02/04/2015 13:32

Bristol has a very different atmosphere from Southampton and is very favoured by independent school students (well over 50% I believe and one of the highest in the country on this stat). It has part catered halls (Wills and Churchill for example) and these are not in the city centre, but at Stoke Bishop. People who live in the city centre like being near the clubs I am told but the Stoke Bishop Halls have a different culture. After 1st year, Bristol is probably more expensive than Southampton but it has a lot of students wanting to live near the university so it pushes prices up. Also, many students there can afford it! Courses do change so deciding purely on course content is not always sensible and choosing to live somewhere where you will flourish is just as important.

The problem with an English degree is that many students do not know what they will do for a job afterwards. Therefore going to the best university possible might help on the jobs front, but only if the employer is bothered about university attended. Some are not but are looking for graduates with a specific training and not a generalist subject. All of my DDs friends who have done English have struggled to find suitable graduate jobs despite being highly motived to work.

These statistics are a bit wonky. Its NEARLY 40% privately educated students as undergrads at Bristol (Durham is a fraction higher).

https://epigram.org.uk/only-65-of-bristol-university-students-came-from-state-schools-in-2016-17/#google_vignette

Nearly 40% of Bristol University students came from private schools last year

The University has come in the bottom 15 of UK institutions for its admission of state-school students

https://epigram.org.uk/only-65-of-bristol-university-students-came-from-state-schools-in-2016-17#google_vignette

boys3 · 22/10/2024 22:20

Setting aside the somewhat bizarre resurrection of a thread from 2015…..

@Thedogismybaby Bristol has come along way (unlike Durham) since the 2016/17 data referenced in that link.

Thedogismybaby · 22/10/2024 22:22

boys3 · 22/10/2024 22:20

Setting aside the somewhat bizarre resurrection of a thread from 2015…..

@Thedogismybaby Bristol has come along way (unlike Durham) since the 2016/17 data referenced in that link.

Yeah, I know. I think the % of private & independent schools has actually gone down there. Sorry for the old link though.

boys3 · 22/10/2024 22:42

Gone down quite a bit, getting nearer to 25%

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