Rural or coastal uni for animal behaviour?

[BonnesVacances]

DD is adamant she wants a uni in the middle of nowhere or by the sea to study Animal Behaviour but the options are limited.

So far I have found Aberystwyth and Exeter (Penryn) which are both perfect, apart from being hours from home by car and train. Harper Adams is a better location but the animal options are very focussed on farm animals and companion and DD is more interested in wild animals. Plymouth looks like a contender but their links are with captive animals and she's more interested in natural habitat. I've also looked at Hartpury but she's not sporty at all and is put off by all the rugby lads. They also focus on farm animals.

Are there any good ones I've missed? Apparently this year they had to put a minimum of 5 choices but she doesn't have 5! She really doesn't want to be in a city and isn't into nightlife or anything like that. She just likes nature.

Does the university of Nottingham offer anything she's interested in? Their animal, agriculture etc courses are generally based at their Sutton Bonington campus, which is pretty rural.

Kent Uni offers a great animal conservation degree. I believe there are options to go to Borneo !

Merrist Wood College (near Guildford) and Brinsbury College (West Sussex) do HNDS and you can then do a "top up" course to get a BSC?

to be fair Aberystwyth is both in the middle of nowhere and by the sea 😀. DS3 just finishing first year, not on a course in anyway linked to that your DD is interested in, but quite niche.

It was his first choice, and I'll admit the distance did concern me a bit - around a 6hr drive for us to get there, and even longer by train with all the changes needed from where we are. Train also not a real option when part of the line between Aber and Shrewsbury essentially got washed away by one of the winter storms, although all back in service now. However ideal course for him; he has had a great first year, and tbh distance, assumimg the DC has no issues with it, I'd suggest should not be a particular consideration if both course and location are a really good fit.

First year halls seem a lot less than many places, and Aber even has a michelin starred restaurant.

Bishop Burton - either their East Yorkshire or Riseholme Near Lincoln Campuses?

Neither of mine are doing animal related courses but I have a DS just about to leave Aberystwyth and a DD just finishing her second year at Penryn. Both of them have thoroughly enjoyed their experiences and they have loved living by the sea. So just from a quality of life perspective, they both seem great places to be!

What's Plumpton like these days? I know it's not a traditional uni but it's in a lovely setting and near enough to Brighton for any bright lights.

Again, Hadlow may not be a traditional uni but the accommodation is really cute and they work quite a bit with exotics.

Moulton College in Northamptonshire does a few animal related degrees, and ticks her 'middle of nowhere' box.

Thanks all. Will look up the ones suggested.

I'm struggling to find any that suit better than Aber and Penryn tbh. Both have the perfect vibe for her. Though having looked up somewhere to stay for the open days, Aber is edging it at the moment in terms of cost!

Out of curiosity, what do graduates with an Animal Behaviour degree do after uni?

It is a maximum of five uni's on the UCAS form, I think they can apply for any number under five and add others after if they want. Or if they apply to five and get rejected by them all add more.

Not sure whether it will do the desired course, but Sparsholt College, Hants feels like the middle of nowhere but isn't and has a university centre.

Bangor is an option.
It's a beautiful place. Far more so than Aberystwyth. We looked around both for a different degree course mind you.
The University buildings are beautiful old buildings and it's very friendly. The Menai Straits are stunning & are the view from his subjects lecture halls.
DS has put Bangor down as his insurance.

Plumpton college near Lewes, East Sussex? I went there for an animal behaviour degree about 16 years ago. May have changed since I went but maybe worth a look?

Lincoln used to run their behavioural course at their riseholme campus, not sure if they still do.

Brackenhurst campus at Nottingham trent does all the animal courses, is in the middle of nowhere but close enough that they can be bussed into the city within an hour or so for events.

They do it at St Andrews and that is by the sea. Would she consider Scotland? It will be a 4 year degree.

Bangor or Reaseheath.

A quick note on Exeter Penryn. My dd got good grades and went to Penryn as it asked for the highest grades, best employment opportunities, and had good reviews. This was during COVID so all the open days were online. We visited all the universities she was interested in but couldn’t go inside.
She started at Penryn and quickly became disenchanted-

Nearly all of the lectures were online (>80%)

There was a problem in her first year flat which the university did not help with. The person was eventually, independently arrested and detained by the police.

There is a strong alcohol based culture at Falmouth. Probably is at most universities, however, it is very strong at Penryn.
When dd questioned this she was told ‘there is nothing else to do’.
I didn’t believe this at first but it turns out that Penryn is so far from anywhere that sports are not competitive because there is no competition.

Hiking expeditions are usually cancelled due to weather.

Little/no choir due to COVID… problems with orchestra rehearsals, and no practice rooms.

At Easter she went on a month long internship and met 7 other people doing the same course at different universities in the UK. She realised that they were having a much better uni experience.
She is now leaving Penryn to start again elsewhere.
This has been a difficult (not to mention expensive) decision. Of her 6 flat mates, 2 have also left during or at the end of their first year.

When she contacted her tutor to inform him that she was leaving he said ‘I am not surprised and if you’re not interested in being convinced to stay, then who am I to stop you.’

Exeter Penryn is very, very different to Exeter. If your child is considering going there please do your research carefully.

@Teal1100
If you know Cornwall, none of that surprises me. Falmouth was set up for local people to access university. On MN and elsewhere it is sold as the same as Exeter and no one knows it’s not Exeter. It really is different. Students who like surf, sea and drink are well catered for. What else goes on there? Not much. Lots of people see it as learning in a holiday area and they like it. My DDs would have been bored stiff. I hope your DD is happy elsewhere. Many courses there are lower tariff than Exeter for a reason.

@BonnesVacances I would suggest your DD does look at potential careers with this degree. It’s very niche. What employers want it?

@BonnesVacances - I did Animal Behaviour at Aberystwyth (about 10 years ago though...). Assuming the structure hasn't changed too much it's good because all the biology degrees follow the same basic structure, then just a couple of more specialist modules in 2nd and 3rd year. So you basically end up with a biology degree with a specialism in Animal Behaviour which is probably more employable. Having said that my career is nothing to do with biology now, but know people from my course who have ended up in research, conservation or science teaching.

I loved Aber to - beautiful location, lots going on but not an overwhelmingly big city. Beautiful countryside nearby. We used to have BBQs on the beach in the summer. So many happy memories!

Distance was a bit of a downside, but we just got used to going home less often at the weekends. I think it's really bonding in a way, because you all feel you have uprooted yourselves and moved to the ends of the earth!

@AwkwardOrca makes a good point. Often specialist degrees like animal behaviour are actually biology degrees with a few specialist modules because you need a wider understanding of the subject to be able to study the specialism IYSWIM? You might find that many biology courses offer the same options as the specialist courses. FWIW about 20% of my biology degree was animal behaviour/behavioural ecology and my college tutor was an ethologist. It could have been more if I had chosen animal behaviour for my dissertation field.

Maybe look at a Wildlife Conservation degree instead if she's only interested in wild animal?

@BonnesVacances My daughter is looking at Animal behaviour too :)

Shes looking for somewhere thats either town or city, so her choices are
Bangor - Zoology and animal behaviour.
Chester - Animal behaviour - its the zoo and the course is superb lol
Reading - Zoology (which has loads of animal behaviour modules) and the campus is so so nice with lots of nature.
Lincoln - Animal behaviour and welfare - its the course that appeals.
Lancaster - Zoology Campus well away from the city(accessible by bus) lake district.

One thats worth a try is Zoology at Cumbria. Lake district on your doorstep.

So far we have seen Lancaster, Chester and Reading. Reading is the fave followed by Chester. I would suggest Bangor would also be a good one, because it is on the coast also.

DD and I went to Kent Uni Open Day on Sat to look at their Wildlife Conservation course and really liked it. Lovely green leafy campus a short walk from Canterbury, and the course was very interesting. Definitely on the list!