Bristol or York for Politics & International Relations?

[MilouSnowy]

Bristol or York for Politics & International Relations?

London state school DN cannot make up her mind. Bristol (the city) would be the easier choice as it’s just London-lite, her words, not mine.
But she doesn’t want to make an important decision on the basis of just
lifestyle, at the same time she knows next to nothing about York, or how competitive the course is in Uni of York.

Not visited York.

She is very independent. Has quite an impressive CV already, for a 17 year old student.

She is desperate for an offer from LSE but that’s their most competitive course so she is trying to psych herself up to leave London.

milou as I understand it you have put some quite shocking comments in , maybe unawares of their impact. I only respond to what you have stated. Think nomatter what is said on here you dn needs to go to these cities herself and make her own judgement unfettered by adults on MN after all she must be almost ( if not already) an adult herself. If you had just stuck to asking about the cities and not going on about pet ' projects' then you would have not got the responses you have.

Milou perhaps people are upset because of the tone of some of your posts and the apparent generalisations you yourself are making. You have made it sound like you DN is going to treat her university experience as a social experiment, recruiting private school kids to help out in various charitable works. A pp said unthread that Bristol will be what she makes it, living in Clifton it might seem very Islington like but I can assure you that she won't have to go far to see that it is a very diverse city.

It's a boring point but really, at university no one really cares wether you are state or privately educated and the differences are really very small, people are people, some people volunteer, some don't. Some care, some don't, some hav time, some don't (depends on your course load)

I disagree I have raised the hackles of those with DC in both universities. I’d say a small sub-set got upset by what I posted.

And yes, you did initially provide constructive input for which I am grateful and I have forwarded that to my DN.

Your sarcasm about the chess classes is unnecessary. Plenty of kids in London would not get this opportunity within their homes and so there’s no difference between them and those in remotest corners of Cornwall.

Chess is good for developing problem solving skills for the very young. Some of the kids we know who attended the free chess classes (And DN has only worked with kids whose families rely on food banks or are looked after) have gone on to become very good coders and some of them write apps (paid work) whilst still students.

What your dn needs to do is actually look at both Unis on her own and try to dismiss her preconceived ideas about the people attending them and concentrate on the courses she's applied for and whether they are what she wants.

This is sensible advice.

HuaShan

I don’t disagree with anything you have said in you last post.

Different students are looking for different things. Yes, life is what you make of it.

Okay so how many times am I going to post that my DN will visit York and make her own judgment instead of relying on what strangers are telling her ?!

I disagree I have raised the hackles of those with DC in both universities.

I can assure you that you have, but not in both universities, but at both ends of the educational divide with your comments and assumptions. For every wealthy private school pupil, there is an equally wealthy state school pupil. In fact, private schools have many students who can't flash their cash in the way you describe as they are on bursaries and scholarships. Meanwhile many students from all ends of the social spectrum contribute a lot back to society, but they tend not to select a university based on how much they feel they can bring to the local community. Instead they try to decide if they will be happy in their halls, will be able to build genuine friendships and leave having learnt something about their chosen subject.

You sound suspiciously like someone I encountered on another thread milou

Sost

Never seen your name before. Then again I haven’t seen most of the names posting here today.

Not sure if anyone has read Bleak House but I am reminded of Mrs Jellyby!

Tbh hua that wasn't really mu experience (at the egalitarian York, of all places). After a while it did die down but I did spend the first term or so being quizzed on what school I went to. I actually witnessed three young women turn their back on a Scottish friend of mine when they discovered the St George's she attended was not he public school in the south of England. little knowing that it's a very select Edinburgh school! This experience has put me off unis with even higher %s of privately educated southern English students, I will admit : but if DS2 wants to apply I will encourage him to go with an open mind.

As I said it wore off, and you then find your own circle. Some of this was regionalism , rather than schoolism, of course. But I do wonder how far the DN will get in terms of befriending people if she intends to question fellow students on their social and educational backgrounds!

Reaching out @MilouSnowy, if your DN is interested in Social Anthropology, the course at Manchester is excellent, 5th in the Complete University Guide if you like that sort of thing and thrillingly Northern *.My DT2 found it all by herself while her helicopter mother was distracted by DT1’s application .

• I’m from Durham so its ok( I hope).

Well Sost has been posting for a very long time, whereas your name only registers against this thread Milou.

Thrillingly Northern? I'm secretly hoping I can head for the cafe society famously provided by Betty's in York. Their Jamaican Blue Mountain is a delight. I did enjoy the poached egg & bacon on scones at the Riverview Cafe in Durham though.

Hobbema

Thank you very much for reaching out. Much appreciated.

Manchester is a university we like very much. And I think would have been a natural fit for DN (after LSE). No idea why we picked Bath when she has no intention of going there. Bath is a good university before I offend anyone else

We? she alone picked Bath and all the other unis.

Uni of York is big on volunteering https://www.york.ac.uk/students/work-volunteering-careers/skills/volunteer/ and it's easy to get involved. Make sure she visits both East and West campus -you can walk but most students get the bus- as most new

accommodation is being built there and several
study and social spaces are being expanded into there.

West campus is duck central and 1960s breezeblock architecture to contrast with the pretty historic city centre.

It's a small city culture very different to London, and I would expect Bristol which is a lot larger, but there are loads of cafes to sit and work in . Whilst a bus/bike ride into the city, it is easily accessible and most students buy a bus pass so pop in most days.
I would recommend she visits brew and brownie and walks to get a feel for the city. It is definitely small town feel for a Londoner and most students never go to Leeds! It

strikes me as a city that is aware of its affluence compared to surrounding areas and tries to help

Headunderthecovers

Thank you for link. Excited about that.

Re accommodation she found this in TSR:

1. Alcuin - the quiet people on the hill

1. Derwent - rowdy. Everyone hates them. Everyone also wishes they were a Derwent student.

1. Halifax - at the other end of the universe. Enormous.

1. Vanbrugh - the central college. Good JCRC.

1. Goodricke/Langwith - the two that moved to Hes East

1. James - posh (ish)

1. Constantine - brand new in September with the most expensive accommodation. Probably the new quiet/posh college.

Written by a student in Vanbrugh.

Hes West is said to be central so she is planning to have a tour (no idea this is allowed).

They are pretty similar univerities - I think Bristol does more subjects than Yokr which is probably why some of my 5 didn't consider York (I am from the NE of England so York and indeed Durham are familiar territory so it wasn't because we were in London that 3 went to Bristol particularly although it is closer to London).

Both are very nice places. She will probably do well in either.

They are pretty similar universities

Thanks Xenia I’m glad to hear that.

This morning she thought she would firm Bristol. Now she wants to do more research into York.

The Bristol Hub is what she needs to look at. It involves the Bristol university students with volunteering projects. Tailor made for her I would have thought. She would be part of a team and not recruiting others. This would provide valuable experience and be focussed.

Ps: if wasn’t me that first mentioned Lincoln. I cannot think why it was mentioned?!

Genuinely would like to know - where does the notion come from that if you attend a middling state school, the sort that needs schools like Eton to do outreach at, that you instantly get re-labelled “privileged” How does that work? Is it privilege by association?

Thanks BubblesBuddy will look into that.

Only on MN would that be thought of as a privilege! It’s not. The basic school provision hasn’t changed. Neither has the post code.

No, outside of MN many would recognise that an articulate, clearly highly educated and invested family member, access to summer schools and workshops from many of the country's top universities, support from a top public school, and guidance and input based on various social media networks , such as MN and TSR , all speak of an element of social and cultural capital that is not available to many. These are many of the things that schools in deprived areas of London try to replicate (using very helpful extra funding) or introduce in order to close disadvantage gaps : so of course they are trying to access a position of privilege!

Interesting how the school is described as middling. Surely, if Eton is involved then their outreach is targeting an area of high social deprivation and a school in need of support? I'd like to hope so.