Mumsnet University League Tables 2021

[Aslockton]

Just as a bit of fun, but also because Mumsnet has a wealth of knowledge and experience, would you be able to compile your own university league table. This is on the back of people saying Durham is better than Manchester.

This can be for all universities, or for a specific subject or area (top 10 Northern universities). I would love to see Xenia's top 10 law universities, or the best universities for engineering or marine biology etc.

I'll start...

My top non-Russell Group universities:

1 St Andrews
2 Bath
3 Loughborough
4 Lancaster
5 City
6 SOAS
7 Surrey
8 Sussex
9 Reading
10 Dundee

Top 10 London Universities

1. Imperial
2. LSE
3. UCL
4. Kings College
5. Queen Mary
6. City
7. SOAS
8. Royal Holloway
9. UoA

10. Brunel

Durham seems weirdly popular on MN given its reputation.

DS highlighted it is well known at his school as the choice (with another) for "Oxbridge rejects". It's given a wide berth.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/sep/28/students-staff-durham-university-apathy-complain-bullying

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/19/students-from-northern-england-facing-toxic-attitude-at-durham-university

@DampSquidGames think all Unis do that 😊

mumsneedwine, I agree but I have a slight bias to that uni!

I'm surprised no one has yet tried to rank universities based on 'dealing with Covid performance'.

I know DS (Oxford) had an 'ok' time but experience varied between colleges. Reading threads on here it sounds like Edinburgh was, and continues to be, a nightmare. Manchester also sounded pretty poor.

It’s fairly well known that state male pupils have “competitions” to bed the “hot posh” girls! Honestly! Do you truly believe all sex pests are privately educated? It’s click bait to get you to think it’s one way when it absolutely is not!

@TizerorFizz

It’s fairly well known that state male pupils have “competitions” to bed the “hot posh” girls! Honestly! Do you truly believe all sex pests are privately educated? It’s click bait to get you to think it’s one way when it absolutely is not!

I think it's a bit more than that:

"University student ambassador Jack Lines also reported being belittled. “On a night out, I was approached by a female student who said that she would sleep with me as she had a ‘poverty fetish’, and asked me to start a fight to impress her as ‘that’s what you people do, you fight whenever you get drunk,’” he said.

The student, who has been refused entry to college bars by staff who didn’t believe he studied at the university, added: “In the college dining hall I have been called a ‘dirty northerner’, and a ‘chav’... A fellow student asked me: ‘Are you going to take the spare food home to feed your family?’

“I have worked for the university for two years as a student ambassador. On multiple occasions, people from my college have photographed me working on campus and have then sent these photos into group chats to make fun of me as I have to work to support myself financially during my degree.”

Appalling.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

Very surprised at Bristol turning out cool students. Are you sure you don't mean UWE?

IME, UWE is full of biology-denying bullies …

A league table for universities who don’t go in for bullying feminist staff or students who understand biology would be interesting. Sussex would appear nowhere near that list.

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good @KaycePollard.

That behaviour sounds outrageous @ErgonomicallyUnsound. DS has several times expressed his relief that he didn't end up Durham (it was his firm choice but he ended up at his back-up option). I'm glad he didn't if that type of behaviour is manifest.

@DampSquidGames that’s music to my ears!

VanCleefArpels do you have a DC there or hoping to go?

Do you really think all students behave badly at Durham? Or UWE? It’s just that it’s handy to have a go at people based on class but ignoring your class has some pretty objectionable people too who bully and are macho types. This behaviour is in all classes and is everywhere. It’s not helped by division being hyped up and sides being taken.

Agree with TizerorFizz. I've never quite got the Durham love, either on MN or in RL tbh, but it's naive to think that any particular 'class' of student is de facto worse than any other 'class'.

Just don't see that level of bullying reported at other unis I guess. No smoke without fire?

Durham has had a lot of bad press the last few years because of it.

Reported by whom to whom? What about Warwick? It’s utterly naive to think unacceptable behaviour is only found in one minority class.

@DampSquidGames DD in final year- adores it, has had a great experience, even during lockdown I was impressed at the accessibility of the academic staff, the continuation of seminars online with emphasis on student participation, administration of exams etc. Now all pretty much back to normal

Top 5 Universities that cause arguments of MN

1. Durham
2. Warwick
3. Oxford
4. Cambridge
5. London ones

[quote Eightytwenty]@SandyBayley my understanding is that the amount of F2F tuition is at least partly due to the reliance from overseas students. So some universities are maintaining online so not to risk a drop in income from students who decided to stay overseas. Not sure how accurate that is / whether all institutions playing those rules.[/quote]
Not sure the international student numbers is an issue for unis and covid measures really. The London unis eg seem to be doing lots of face to face and they have high numbers of internationals. Edin we think just overbooked and can’t fit them in the teaching rooms.

@mumsneedwine

Top 5 Universities that cause arguments of MN

1. Durham
2. Warwick
3. Oxford
4. Cambridge
5. London ones

😂

[quote Eightytwenty]@SandyBayley my understanding is that the amount of F2F tuition is at least partly due to the reliance from overseas students. So some universities are maintaining online so not to risk a drop in income from students who decided to stay overseas. Not sure how accurate that is / whether all institutions playing those rules.[/quote]
DD has F2F lectures which are also recorded. You can choose to attend, most do, some don't. Those that don't or can't due to illness or location, catch up when they like. It is completely possible to do both.

@mumsneedwine

Top 5 Universities that cause arguments of MN

1. Durham
2. Warwick
3. Oxford
4. Cambridge
5. London ones

I would add Exeter to that list.

Bristol always leads to an argument imo....

Always thought Bristol got quite chilled responses ! But we shall add Exeter and Bristol to the list 😊.

Top 5 favourites in my school

1. Leeds (party central)
2. Newcastle (also party central)
3. Bristol (they nearly all get contextual offers & if get on Insight are guaranteed an offer)
4. Oxford (massive outreach last few years has resulted in huge numbers applying)
5. Portsmouth (easy to get home and lots of parties)

How about decent bursaries for poorer households?
=1 Bristol £2k
=1 Nottingham £2k
=1 Manchester £2k
=1 Birmingham £2k
…and all the others DS didn’t apply for.

@mumsneedwine

Top 5 Universities that cause arguments of MN

1. Durham
2. Warwick
3. Oxford
4. Cambridge
5. London ones

🤣🤣🤣