How to decide between Bristol, Durham and York

[PortTable]

DD is very lucky to hold offers for the Unis above. The courses are different, but she pretty much likes them equally. She hasn't been to visit any of the Unis or the cities, though obviously has viewed their virtual open days. She's also posted on TSR for opinions.

I was hoping that parents on here could offer me their views on either what they think of these cities as places to live, and/or pass on the views of their DC who have recently attended.

DD is state school, bit quiet, sporty, not into party stuff that much but really wanting to spread her wings. Her bf will also be going to Uni this year but (I think luckily) hasn't got similar Unis on his list so that isn't a factor. We are in Kent, so all of them seem a long way away!

What insights can you pass my way?

They are slightly different. Durham is perhaps the most prestigious. So that might be a factor when it comes to employment. It’s a small city and is, of course, collegiate. Newcastle isn’t far away if she wants to spread her wings.

York is campus and obviously near a historic city as opposed to being a central part of it like Durham. I would say overall not quite up to the other two but others will disagree. Good for quiet students quite possibly.

Bristol is probably more buzzy and it’s a lively bigger city. First year students have three distinct areas fir halls of residence. Near the university in Clifton, city centre or at Stoke Bishop which is a bus ride away. Sports facilities are nearer here and more entertainment is home grown. The city centre halls are handy for bars etc.

She should also consider the courses and when she might want to do afterwards. I have never met a single young person who didn’t like all these three. All were popular with DDs friends and all were happy. All popular in combinations with Oxbridge!

There’s a dedicated Durham thread in this section OP so I’d ask or have a look in there if you haven’t already.

One starting point is whether she wants collegiate or not.

Durham is the smallest town of the three and I know a recent grad who found it too small. I don’t know it personally but have lived and worked in Bristol and York. Both fantastic places. York may be smaller and not as buzzy as Bristol but it can be lively! So of the three options, my hunch would be that Durham might be the quietest all round, especially as it’s collegiate.

Brilliant - thanks @PresentingPercy and @JunoTurner. That is just the kind of info that is helpful. So Bristol is biggest and most buzzy, Durham the least?

Any thoughts on what post first-year accommodation is like in terms of cost, distance from the Unis, quality?

Are they all pretty similar in terms of diversity? Similar balance of state vs private ed?

Are there many differences in terms of sporting opportunities?

If DD did a placement year, are they all big enough places to find something not to far away?

Bit outing - do they have decent women's hockey teams!

Durham has excellent hockey and is the most prestigious, followed by Bristol then York.

One of mine went to York, both my DC looked at Durham as well.
York has an abundance of halls, enough so they can stay in halls after the first year if they choose. Some very new luxury halls and some more modest ones. Almost all self catering.
The campus is just outside the centre. He loved the city and in fact he moved there after graduating as did many of his fellow grads.
Socially it's lively enough and the city is lovely. Big sports centre at the uni. He was state school and found a mix at York.
He was massively put off Durham at the offer days because he felt it was dominated by public school types. People who go there will say this isn't the case but that's what he felt after staying there for two days. In the end he preferred the course at York.

My dd1 also has offers from those 3! She knows that Durham is her first choice but she can't decide between Bristol and York for her insurance (York is lower grades but is also not as highly regarded for her subject). She really loves the collegiate set up of Durham and that combined with the course is why it's her first choice.
I think a lot of the sport is done in colleges so maybe wait and see what college she is allocated in February?

Sorry just saw you asked about post first year accommodation. If they want to move out of halls there is plenty within easy walking distance. DS shared a house with his first year flatmates for years 2 and 3 then went back into halls for year 4.

It's so hard to advice when everyone's priorities are different. Bristol is a great city and will probably feel more cosmopolitan than Durham and York, I think. City-wise, I think the key difference is that in a lot of ways, Durham sometimes feels like a city made up entirely of students - the other two not so much.

I think Durham is still regarded as more prestigious than the other two in some circles but reputation-wise, personally I don't think there's much in it. (I think it depends whether she wants to go into hedge funds or venture capital...)

Sports-wise, Durham has a niche for everyone IME and sports are taken very seriously. It's also useful to be able to play at college-level rather than for the University if you don't want to out in quite so much time and effort!

What are the courses she's looking at?

Sorry, forgot to mention colleges, which is really the best part about Durham! It is a genuinely special experience, I think, to be able to be part of a college (your first allegiance, as it were!) whilst also being part of something bigger. Having said that, they differ wildly so choose carefully.

Have a look at the cost of the halls for first years to see if that will sway her in any direction. Durham does seem to have very expensive halls. Ds1 has an offer from them, it is the catered element that may push the prices way up.Think about finances and how much money she will have in terms of maintenance loan and any parental contribution. Also collegiate so different from York and Bristol.

Again the distance you have to travel to take her there and back or visit might be another consideration. I have no idea how south you are in terms of Kent, but it is a fair trek from Kent to Durham. I think a lot of parents would choose to stay over and drive back the next day.

Ds1 had a cut off criteria for distance for uni from home. Within 7 weeks of me starting uni I was incredibly ill (hospitalised) but a whopping 6 hour drive from my parents. I think me telling him this years ago has influenced his decision

Glad that was helpful. For targeted info and questions, you’ll find that Google is your friend

For example a quick search shows that in answer to your hockey Q, Durham is much better then the other two (and indeed one of the top UK universities for hockey).

Placements being near is going to depend on what the subject course is!

Durham is the most prestigious for some subjects people should say.

Yes Durham for her hockey and if she is quieter.

Another factor is where in Kent you are. If in or near Canterbury for example, then York as town is going to feel very similar and it’s beauty won’t be such a novelty. That will obviously be a plus if you want the same environment you’re used to, and a con if you want some here completely different.

Dd was put off Durham because of the collegiate system. Had enough of being in houses at school!

DD is at York at the moment and really enjoying it.

It has two campuses - West campus is the original and main one and the newer East campus. West campus slightly nearer the City and takes about 20-25 mins to walk to the centre. A lot of students live on the campus that their subject is based on but not all. There's a free shuttle bus between the two campuses.

York has colleges and accommodation is within the colleges (on campus). Colleges also have their own sports teams/social events/freshers week/bars/cafes/admin services but students are able to use the bar/cafes etc in other colleges too.

Re: placements - Leeds is, I think, about 15 mins on the train from York so I would think there would be good opportunities there, if not in York itself.

DD has a house half way between uni and the City centre which seems a good price - there seems to be plenty of accommodation around. It's also possible for 2nd/3rd years to stay in uni accommodation if they want to.

Hope that helps.

This is such useful information! Lots of DD t think about. She is unsure of the Collegiate system is a good thing, or creates separate groups iykwim?

Re hockey, when I mean a decent team, I was sort of thinking friendly and fun, not just robot players. I imagine the team would be her first social starting point so it will be important.

I have looked at rental prices in all three places, but it is hard when you don't know where these houses are compared to good transport links to the Unis. I don't imagine it will be a huge factor, but I know when I went to Uni (northern town which shall remain nameless), pretty much all the affordable private accommodation was really, really poor, cold and damp, and I hated it.

Without saying too much, DD won't be swayed so much by the beauty of the place - it is the vibe that is the most important thing. I didn't realise Durham was quite so student-dominated for instance.

I think in terms of distance, all three will probably all require a stayover - I would prefer that DD wasn't quite so far away, but so far she has made choices based on how much she likes the course. These other factors may just pin down the next bit.

Thank you!

Re: collegiate system in York DD's has many friends from her College as they obviously make friends in their accommodation. She also has friends in other colleges that are studying the same subject as her and friends in different colleges that she knew from 6th form/secondary school.

DD isn't sporty but it seems that the sports societies are very social - I think there are very often inter-college sports events and there is a big sports competition each year Vs Lancaster uni called Roses.

Hi OP - wider family member here had offers from all and ended up going to York and is very very happy there.

But you really need to say what course your DD is interested in, as they have different reputations. So for example, for the following I would choose:

English / History: Durham or York
Economics/ Politics: Bristol or Durham
Computer Science: York or Durham

I was at Durham in the 1970s & found it intriguing because I like old & quirky places. I chose a small college which I felt at home in. Most of the students in my college were grammar school/minor public school kids like me, with a couple of working class guys & a couple of upper class (as in titled) guys.

But from what I've read of Durham now, you can't choose which college you go to (& in my day each college was regarded as having its own character & type of student). And many people report that Durham regards itself as upper class now & that state school students felt out of place at open days recently. I find this rather sad.

As to accommodation, I lived in college for three years, although some people lived out in their second year.

Sorry my experiences are antediluvian but I hope they contribute something! Well done to your daughter on getting such good offers.

Try searching MN for the three uni's. I remember discussions on open day experiences.

Re the collegiate system: groups form around subjects as well as in colleges. And there should be uni-wide societies for people with common interests in all sorts of things.

Is she good at hockey? I only say because when dd1 went to uni she tried out for the hockey team - had been county standard backnin the day and was in the school A team. She made into the 4ths actually more fun, 1st team hockey at uni requires a huge commitment

PortTable which subject has she got an offer for?

One very useful thing about sport/ Durham is that you can play at a college level or uni level which makes sport vastly much more inclusive. If she's applied to Collingwood and gets allocated there next month then she's on to a winner, on the college sports front (very strong sport, with college teams somewhere between uni and general collegiate so ideal if you don't want your life dominated by practices but are nevertheless very keen).

Hah @Frodont DD sounds similar. She plays for County, but is in the squad because of natural skill, she doesn't really put the work in if I'm honest! Hence wanting to know what the hockey clubs are like - she loves to play but won't want to be doing strength and conditioning five days a week!

@goodbyestranger DD has applied for Psychology. Shh! Feels very outing now

She just isn't sure whether Collegiate is a good or bad thing. Maybe that's because the answer is that it depends! She didn't apply for Oxbridge because of the posh/private school thing, so that makes me wonder if Durham might be the less good fit?

She didn't apply for Oxbridge because of the posh/private school thing, so that makes me wonder if Durham might be the less good fit?

Forgive me, but that’s an unintelligent reason for not applying to Oxbridge. Especially since she’s applied to Durham and Bristol (especially Durham) and plays hockey; rest assured she’ll be coming across a lot of public school students at either of those. There are a lot of state students at Oxford and Cambridge. They’re more mixed in that sense then Durham.