@Piggywaspushed
The Edinburgh thing is surely class related? It is viewed as posh/ refined (and probably not very Scottish...). Even as a Glaswegian, objectively, it's a beautiful city. The same sort of upmarketness is attached to St Andrew's and Durham. To an outsider, somewhere as big as Glasgow, with its grittier reputation might seem a step too far for many English young people. It is, after all, a long way from home. It's all about the social bubbles.
DS was attracted to course at both Edinburgh and Glasgow but both just seemed too far away in the end - it's generally a fairly confident, well travelled, perhaps even quite monied sixth former who chooses a university more than 3- 4 hours from home. ( I did, but I hated my family!) Shouldn't overlook the fact that lots of students at Edinburgh (and Durham), if not from the NE of England are from Home Counties - quite a direct route on high speed trains from London.
Piggy you've summed it up beautifully. I suppose I had only really thought of the class aspect, but your other points really make sense. That self-perpetuating bubble situation is so true
stockpot.
I commented in jest that Glasgow is a better city
. I really do love Edinburgh too and don't buy into this rivalry. I'm there fairly regularly, and spent a glorious summer teaching EAL after I graduated, as well as performing in the fringe 2 years in a row when I was a bit younger (jeez, that was a lifetime ago
). DH has worked in Edinburgh quite a bit too and we like a jaunt for shopping/ mooching/ eating away from the tourist areas.
Same as you, everyone at my school went to Glasgow/ Strathclyde/ The Art School/ RSAMD , a few to Edinburgh/ Aberdeen/ specialist places in the Borders, but noone to St As/ England. There is indeed a huge tradition of staying at home in Glasgow, in direct contrast to everywhere else/ RUK. An interesting way of looking at it as similar to a London University. The 40% quoted by Eighty sounds exactly right. All my friends at uni were from Glasgow and the surrounding areas, except for one from Belfast and one from the NE. I rarely came across a Southern English accent.
It is grittier, bigger and further away and much more working class, similar to Manchester, I think. I suppose it really is just geography that's the negative. It means that people that do decide to come here are made of strong stuff, just the way we like them .
DS really, really is a big city kid- loves the countryside we have, but essentially at almost 18 likes very much to party . I think it's drawing him but I don't want him to make this decision based purely on where has the best clubs!
. It doesn't help that all but two of this friends are staying at home. One is off to Dundee (wants to escape) the other grew up in London so is comfortable heading back.