OR 22 - Edinburgh, Warwick, St A, UCL, Durham, Nottingham, Bath and more

[Valleyofthedollymix]

Following on from the Oxbridge rejects thread but I've got rid of those two words. I for one am interested to know where they all end up and when Durham might finally deign to reject/offer DS...

@nativityplayreject I totally get where you're coming from but I think student finance will fund all four years if that helps.

All my DC have had to borrow the full amount available from Student Finance for both fees and maintenance and actually Durham (who I know offer some integrated Masters) perhaps surprisingly were brilliant - DD got an extra 2k a year for every year of her course with no extra application just on the basis of her student finance application.

I may be being naive but I think the courses tend to be less subscribed mainly because many DC fancy a change after 3 years or don't want to commit to 4 years at the start. I really don't believe they're intended to be a back door in that only the wealthy can access.

Anyway I thought it was the less well off on the 4 years because of some doing a foundation year, rather than the better off. Some 4 year courses include a year in industry or abroad and I don't think that costs you as much as 4 normal years. (Scotland can be 4 years).

I just think some people pick a subject - PPE at Oxbridge because they want to run the country and don't think about their odds and particular subjects and what may be less popular and that it can be worth picking something the world and his wife is not itching to do.

My DS didn't apply to any Scottish unis because he didn't see the point of being 4 years in one place to earn the same qualification as he could in 3. The way he saw it, in that extra year, he could be doing a Masters. However, he did apply to two courses at Bath and UCL that both offered a year abroad in the third year as he thought that was worth doing for the experience. Bath and UCL in particular seem to offer an 'international year' (either study or work placement) on many of their courses.

P1lar

Scottish universities offer a 4 year course as it's tailored to the Scottish education system (Highers are the same standard as Alevel but only 1 year so not as broad). English students can apply to 2nd year if they so wish - or apply to the myriad of English universities.

Many still offer a year abroad and it doesn't add another year. We're a small country mainly catering to our own students, which is perfect for Scottish applicants. Sorry to sound defensive, but this annoyance that the Scottish system isnt correct/ is problematic irritates me.

Apologies @Puffalicious . I certainly didn't mean to say the Scottish system is 'problematic ' at all and of course it's geared to the Scottish school system. I was just saying he, personally, who has not been through that particular system, didn't want to do a 4 year undergrad degree unless a year out was part of the course. Same reason he didn't want to do a 4 year degree in US (not that we could afford that anyway)! Having said this, he knows people who have gone to places like Edinburgh and really enjoyed the additional year. It's just personal preference.

@Puffalicious i wondered if they’d posted accidentally. Seemed to be a bit out of context.

That said I think that the benefit of 4 years will come into its own for this cohort. So much disruption to their education. A broad church that is years 1&2 will suit many, both educationally and socially.

Has anyone seen the job cuts to some arts lecture positions. Forget which institution.

That said I think that the benefit of 4 years will come into its own for this cohort. So much disruption to their education. A broad church that is years 1&2 will suit many, both educationally and socially

Absolutely eightytwenty. I know that thr breadth of years 1 and 2 suited me: I went to do an English & History degree and hated History and the way it was taught immediately. I ended up taking psychology, a hitherto unknown subject to me back in 1989, to honours level as the flexibility allowed it.

P1lar yes personal preference.

I think the job cuts are at Roehampton uni here in London. It's a huge number - I read 70 in one place and 90 in another. I'd been considering a masters there myself but am now quite wary!

The whole Scottish universities are crap/exclusive/easy thing has come up every time I've been on one of these threads (3 dc). It is fucking tedious. I recall once there being a fairly heated debate where a load of English people declared Scottish MA/MSc as not worth the paper they were written on. It's pathetically predictable.

@puffalicious I did exactly the same thing…went to study Economics and Management at St Andrews and ended up taking Psychology at Honours in the end. I loved the breadth of choice in the first couple of years…

Snap Igglepiggle. I did do English too but far preferred psychology, particularly the more cognitive and science based aspects (which was not me at all beforehand!).

It's my first thread A Close Match and it's tedious already. How fucking dare people declare an entire country and system inferior based on nothing more than their impressions gleaned from hearsay and MN comments?

Cos, aye, Scots aren't notable for much (the telephone, the ATM machine, golf, decimal points, the flush toilet, vacuum flasks, the refrigerator, MRI scanner, GTA, the BBC, coloured photographs, fingerprinting, electro-magnetics, the sticky plaster, the steam-engine, the pedal-bike, telegraph cables, tarmacadam, penicillin...I could go on, but most important of all Gin and Tonic!). I know I'm being goady, but so what?

Another feeling the love for Scottish universities. Started with politics. Dabbled in history and social policy. Contemplated joint history and politics and ended up back with politics. Great to be able to explore subjects. DH took some very 'outside' subjects line Swedish and Canadian Studies as part of his Geography degree.

As a student coming from England year 1 wasn't very challenging but it was very enjoyable.

Swedish and Canadian Studies sound awesome!

How funny that so many of us who went to Scottish universities changed courses. I did European Studies and French and moved to History. Wasn’t brilliant at that either but my French was definitely not up to scratch. At the St A open day they told us a huge number of kids change their degrees. They sold it as one of the benefits of the ordinary / honours approach.

And my MA might not be a post grad qualification but I reckon it confuses most of my American colleagues. 😁

😀😀😀 Unfortunately I have a BA(hons). Loads of my mates have MAs from other unis and it's wonderfully misleading.

Hey @HoneyMobster hope you're well 🥰

DD just chose St As over the LSE for the flexibility and the breadth. I think she is very lucky to have the opportunity to explore other subjects.

I'm well @TangoWhiskyAlphaTango - willing you all on. DD finishes her exams tomorrow and then is free until October 😊

@EmpressoftheMundane congratulations- amazing to have the choice between the two. What subject will she study?

Sustainable Development- but who know in the end.

Sounds awesome and relevant.

Fantastic, I bet she will be so relieved! DD starts hers next week so full on revision here. She seems to be pretty calm (until next week!). Good luck with results I will be routing for her O place 🤗Come back and let us know how she has done x

Last day here too @HoneyMobster - History? Hope all goes well. 🤞

@Eightytwenty you make an excellent point about the benefit of an extra year for this cohort. Yet another reason why I will be thrilled for DS if he makes it to Edinburgh.

Scottish universities offer a 4 year course as it's tailored to the Scottish education system

I think this bears repeating. Nobody says of Harvard, say, 'oh it's rubbish, having to spend 4 years there rather than 3'. That's because it's geared to the American education system. Obviously a country's universities are going to be set up in a way which best suits inhabitants of that country, no?

There are pros and cons of going to university in a different country and if you choose to do that, you have to accept things might be done differently!