Campus/Collegiate/Smaller Uni ideas

[nacras]

Hi - my anxious DC wants to go to smaller collegiate type uni. Keen on Durham because of collegiate system which makes everything less intimidating. However its 6 hours away. Also liked Bath but doesnt do sugject. Any suggestions of campus type Unis appreciated. Thanks

The Falmouth campus at Exeter is a good call. Small, shared campus with Falmouth Arts. Is he/could he be outdoorsy?

In 2nd year, students find a student house with friends. I’m not sure any universities let you stay in a hall for more than one year. I don’t think Exeter do either. However when you make friends in hall and on your course the size of the university seems irrelevant. You don’t meet or socialise with 12,000 other students. You can live very close to the university in 2/3 years at Bristol and few students go elsewhere! It’s all there!

I am sorry - I assumed Geo was geology. Geography is available everywhere but if he’s Oxford/Durham I would honestly look at Exeter/Southampton/Bristol. My friend’s DD did Geog at Nottingham. That’s a highly regarded course. Or try Loughborough. I think Surrey at Guildford would be friendly too. I don’t know what the Geog course is like though but it’s a fairly genteel city!

DD1 is looking at Keele for Geology. She also needs a smaller campus style Uni due to ASD. She's dismissed London for the same reasons as you.

Some universities certainly do allow 2nd and subsequent years to request rooms in halls - the applications usually open earlier in the year than those for incoming first years. Possibly more likely, if one has a documented medical need for on-site accommodation.

Btw, according to the university itself, Kent is a collegiate university.
www.kent.ac.uk/locations/canterbury/campus-life/colleges

Only Human Geography is offered there, though.

@fairyfield

Aberystwyth for excellent Geography/Earth Science degrees and a small university town. Or Exeter (Falmouth campus)?

I was going to say Aber for exactly these reasons. Strong geography dept in an edge of town campus - but the town is so tiny that half the population is connected with the university in some way. Some people would loathe it and feel trapped, but those who love it really love it, and the sense of community is great because everyone knows each other. You can't step out your door without bumping into someone you know. It always comes out very well for student satisfaction and teaching. Just a very long distance from anywhere which does put people off.

Just seen your update which suggests distance from home is also a factor. So probably not Aberystwyth then!

Have a look at Nottingham - looks like a very nice campus .. I think we have very similar DDs !

Oops sorry that might be too far.. also I wouldn't recommend Southampton for the environment you are looking for although it is an excellent Uni

My daughter graduated from Exeter last year. She loved the university, the city and the surroundings and was very happy there. She didn't do geography herself but one of her friends did and is back for her final year having spent the last year abroad.

Loughborough is a campus in a small town.
Leicester Uni is small and although not a campus per se, the halls are all within the same small (nice) area of the city.
And although it is at completely the wrong end of the uk for you: St Andrews would probably be an excellent fit for your DS, if he can get past the journey (1.5 hours on a bus then a flight to Southampton) about 4 hours total.

Why recommend St Andrew’s when OP had said Durham is too far! There are few universities in the South that meet his educational objectives if you look at Oxford and Durham where he didn’t want to accept places. Southampton is friendly enough. Definitely very different to Aberystwyth. A relative left Aberystwyth. Hated it!

I do think most students don’t really notice the size of the university outside their course and closer friends. You have separate departments in somewhere like Bristol and they are not all in the same place. You don’t go to other departments. You live in halls and they are not on a campus. Some of them are quite small. I would question why the university has to be small because it can never be like home and school. Exeter is the nearest to a school in my view!

It's not campus based but my Daughter went to Swansea which is a lovely city University for those who are quite anxious. All the benefits of city life but not overwhelming.

There are very good geology and environmental geoscience courses at Cardiff and Southampton which are not small unis but the departments are very small, cohesive and because of the high level of fieldwork etc cohorts become very close very quickly. In Southampton first year is split between the main campus and the national oceanography centre and from 2nd year onwards is entirely at NOCS. Has its own cafe and great library etc and the geology, geoscience, oceanography and marine biology students make up one biggish but close cohort.
In Cardiff the earth and environmental sciences edit is smaller and very cohesive with only about 150 geologists, exploration geologists, environmental geoscientists, marine geographers, environmental geographers and physical geographers altogether. I think both are worth a look. I’ve been impressed by the very involved professors and teaching team and the academic support looks excellent. Both regularly get 97-100% student satisfaction scores for env geoscience. In Cardiff you can move from environmental geoscience to geology or exploration geology up to the end of the first year. In both you can choose smaller halls and those together with the close cohort and ease of access to home might be what your ds is looking for.

Swansea is a campus uni, surely??

Given where you are in UK, and the desire for a smaller campus uni, I'd go with Loughborough -it's north of London but very accessible from M1. Southampton is excellent for geography, but not a small university.

Exeter is a good shout but quite a long trek from many places.

The OP is in the south so accessing the M1 isn’t that easy. M25 beckons! Depending where in the south, Exeter and Bristol are ok. Wales isn’t much further!

Can you consider Southampton? Excellent geosciences department on a campus university. Whilst Soton is a large city, as a student you really only see the same small bits of it and it has an excellent bus service. The main campus is lovely and some of the geology stuff happens at the National Oceanography Centre which is small.

Ahhh just read your update. I think you should take a serious look at Southampton. I enjoyed my time as a student there (and I came from very rural West Country so was intimidated by the ‘big city’).

RHUL strong on Geosciences. Lots of new accommodation being built locally, compact campus.

Loughborough has a train station so not that hard...

From the south it’s not that easy to get to Loughborough. Across London by train I think.

Many thanks everyone, some really helpful ideas.

@Treeoutside

I don't think York and Lancaster have actual colleges?

They do. they are a collegiate uni. Lancaster has 9 colleges - Graduate college, Grizedale, Pendle, County, Bowland, Fylde, Furness, Cartmel and Lonsdale College. my DD is a second year there.

York if I remember from the open day, there is Alciun, Goodricke, Constantine, Langwith, Halifax, Derwent James, Vanbrugh

@BreadInCaptivity wishing all the best for your DS.
DD1 is there for second year and lives in Lancaster city which is less intimidating than other big cities and she loves it :)

@sammyjoanne

Thank you!

So far so good 😊

I must admit I've been really impressed so far. His college and accommodation is really nice and he says everyone is really kind and helpful.