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Higher education

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

Original poster

History/ politics Uni recommendation please

53 replies

meridithssister · 21/09/2016 21:43

Can anyone help please? I am on the Uni open day circuit with DS. He is struggling with his short list for UCAS form. If I tell you want he wants can you tell me where he can find it please? Smile

He liked the library at York, the accommodation at Royal Holloway, (the beautiful building with the turrets!) the course structure at Brunel. He didn't like anything about LSE.
So far, York is his favourite but he wasn't sure he liked the course structure. (I can't expand on that as I am out of my depth here)
We are looking at Warwick on Saturday.
Any ideas?

OP posts:
angieloumc · 22/09/2016 07:21

Have you thought about Lancaster? Their course structure in the first year means they choose from 3 courses eg say history, politics and philosophy.
My DC is due to start there next week; it was our wild card but he fell in love with firstly the course structure and then the place itself; everything is on campus including accommodation and Lancaster itself is nearby.
Good luck with whatever your DC decides.

Abraiid2 · 22/09/2016 07:39

I have a very happy second year offspring doing history at York.

NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown · 22/09/2016 07:44

Is Durham out of the question? I know some people have very strong feelings on the collegiate structure but in terms of the accommodation and library look and feel it could be right for him.

My sister did history and politics at Newcastle and absolutely loved it, but I'm not sure what changes might have happened in the last decade.

mouldycheesefan · 22/09/2016 07:50

Durham is highly rated.
Warwick too.
Exeter

mouldycheesefan · 22/09/2016 07:51

Don't choose on the basis of accommodation as there is not guarantee which accommodatin he would get. He could be allocated a different one. Avoid London unless you have th cash to fund high accommodation costs.

leoniethelioness · 22/09/2016 07:54

I applied to do this course some years ago now at Warwick, Exeter, Manchester, Aberystwyth and LSE. I was quite taken with Warwick because I think the campus environment suited me the best. (I ended up doing a straight history degree somewhere else.)

leoniethelioness · 22/09/2016 07:55

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/history-and-politics

New course that he might not know about yet.

Original poster
meridithssister · 22/09/2016 08:54

Thank you for your thoughts, there are a couple we haven't looked at. London isn't out of the question as we have family that are more than willing to put him up at mates rates.

He is torn because he is very interested in the study abroad option, which Brunel do in spades but as a possible AAA star student it wouldn't be the best degree of you see what I mean.

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 22/09/2016 08:58

Sheffield?

Horsemad · 22/09/2016 22:00

Newcastle have given the best History talk out of those I've sat through this year, OP.
The campus was nice too.

Nottingham's History talk was very hard work.

Leeds also is quite high on my DS's list.

Mine still can't decide between History or Geog!

boys3 · 22/09/2016 22:54

Only the History side I'm afraid. DS1 has friends at both Warwick and York reading history and enjoying both greatly. Another at Newcastle not quite so gushing (but nothing particularly negative either). Ds1 disliked the course at Warwick, York did at least make it onto his UCAS form, whilst Newcastle ruled out from outset. He is reading History at Cambridge and had Durham as his insurance - strongly favoured both from the outset because of the breadth of choice that each offered, and had the benefit of the grades to make both very realistic options. No year abroad as a standard option, however a lot of travel bursaries and awards available if a link back to the course can be established.

RustyBear · 22/09/2016 23:02

DS did History & Politics at Warwick, 2006-9, and enjoyed it immensely. Nearly all the first year accommodation was close to the campus; I think the farthest was only about 10 minutes walk away. The second and third years he spent in shared houses in Leamington Spa.

Coconutty · 23/09/2016 07:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

goodbyestranger · 23/09/2016 07:55

boys1 you can't do hist/pol at Durham except through the 'liberal arts' route.

Yes how about Oxford? Incidentally is he predicted three A* or one (not that it will make a big difference to where he can reasonably apply).

Poppiesway · 23/09/2016 08:01

My ds1 wants to do politics at UEA, he liked the lecturer there who is also a government adviser apparently.. I have the issue that he won't look anywhere else!! the only financial bonus is he will be able to live at home and go to uni but I really want him to go and move out and experience life a bit more Grin also ds2 has eyes in his brothers bedroom 😂

Original poster
meridithssister · 23/09/2016 09:04

Poppies, my son is completely the opposite and wants to move as far away as possible!

He ruled out Oxbridge some time ago. He did visit on open days with the 6th form and decided it wasn't for him. He said he couldn't explain it, he just didn't feel at home at Oxford. I think his personal politics didn't quite fit.

OP posts:
LamppostInWinter · 23/09/2016 09:06

Warwick history grad here, I highly recommend it! I was there about ten years ago so it may have changed, but back then there was the opportunity for history students to spend a term at the Venice campus, if study abroad is his thing. My friend went and loved it,

Good luck!

LittleHoHum · 23/09/2016 09:25

dd is studying history at York. She absolutely loves it.

BertrandRussell · 23/09/2016 09:28

"He is torn because he is very interested in the study abroad option, which Brunel do in spades but as a possible AAA star student it wouldn't be the best degree of you see what I mean."

Why not?

PikachuSayBoo · 23/09/2016 09:32

My brother did history at Manchester and enjoyed it. He's just done a masters in history following his undergrad degree.

Original poster
meridithssister · 23/09/2016 09:46

Bertrand, only because Brunel isn't as highly regarded as somewhere like York on paper. How much difference that makes in the real world I don't actually know. He loved it there but his college Politics lecturer told him it wouldn't be the best choice. This is why we are finding it tricky!

OP posts:
goodbyestranger · 23/09/2016 09:50

Aberystwyth? Known as a beach too far, if he's keen on getting away. Also, very good at hist/pol.

BertrandRussell · 23/09/2016 10:05

Brunel is a well regarded university. If he loved it, loved the look of the course and loved the opportunities it offers to study abroad it sounds like a no brainer to me! Particularly as we have no idea how Brexit will affect studying abroad- an institution which already has a serious commitment to it looks like a safer bet than one which can just quietly drop it if things start to look difficult.

Original poster
meridithssister · 23/09/2016 10:30

Very good point thank you. A professor at York suggested he 'speak to admissions' when he was asking about the study abroad opportunities. For me this was a red flag, but I'm not qualified to have an opinion .

OP posts:
WrongEndoftheTelescope · 23/09/2016 10:42

Brunel is a well regarded university.

Really?! Not in my area - closely related to History/Politics. It's pretty dire in terms of research reputation in the humanities, although I know they do some good things in applied/vocational disciplines.

A 'waste' of high A Level achievements