Edinburgh or Durham for History?

[Gardener13]

Please does anyone have any thoughts or DC with current or recent experience on this? DS struggling to decide and deadline is tomorrow! Same offer for both -
pros for Edinburgh - flexibility and potential to change course and/or explore different modules. Bigger, interesting city with great nightlife. Better world ranking and recognition…Cons for Edinburgh - bigger university - too impersonal? Seems student satisfaction levels are not great?

For Durham - pros - history course has a better reputation, college system and small city may be more welcoming and offer holder day much more engaging than Edinburgh but cons - less flexibility to change/explore other subjects, too snobbish (state school pupil)? Small city may feel claustrophobic after a while?

They are both great options so I’m sure either will be good, if he is lucky enough to get the grades, but currently agonising about making the best decision.

Why reconsidering? My DD is second year. Edinburgh and absolutely loves it and like OP’s son enjoys the flexibility of the courses, she’s covered various modules she never would have dreamed of - looks like she’ll be going to a US Ivy League next year which is exciting. Many students come from far away ie South of England (plus all over the world) – I actually think it’s turned out to be a good thing, because very few people go home at weekends and a lot of fun is had then, DD‘s friends at other unis, especially in London find that these days with the cost of living places empty out a lot. Has your dd visited? Would it be a serious second choice or further down the list than those others, because it’s so there’s no point putting it as the offer will be high

My DS applied for HSPS too (last year). His other choices were Bath sociology, not Durham, but also Birmingham policy, politics and economics , York SPS and Sheffield sociology with quantitative methods.

@EntertainMee she has three A stars already plus an A star EPQ. She has MS and initially wanted unis within three hours (of London). She has not visited, and as she rejected applying to Bristol due to it being spread out with no apparent heart, I wonder if Edinburgh is the same. Part of me thinks she's attracted to the look of the place as much as the course. But she feels she needs to put a fourth at least. Currently Bath is her second choice, but though she knows the city has not been to the campus (Bristol open day clashed). We plan on going over half term. If she likes it and gets an offer soon she may not bother with anywhere else.
@Piggywaspushed she's not interested in economics and prefers the qualitative over quantitative. We have looked at York, and I quite liked the look of Warwick but she's not keen.

Ah, yes, unfortunately research these days is biased to quants so nearly everywhere focuses on it. I would say with a sociology degree she does also need to focus on employability too so a degree with research methods modules is a good idea.

When my DS applied, Durham was going through a rocky patch for sociology in all the league tables but they have shot back up again. Birmingham does do sociology and social policy, too.

Good advice from @Piggywaspushed. Government social research requires 30% social research methods in degree course (needs to cover qualitative and quantative methods) so worth making sure you've added enough methods options.

I have a DD at Edinburgh who started out in economics but switched to social policy which is the same college (SPS) as sociology. Has found teaching to be good and reasonable range of options (for DD health, education and energy policy). Options only run if sufficient student interest. Edinburgh research focussed so low contact hours for undergraduates. Maybe this affects student satisfaction. . DD loves the city. SPS is in the central George Square area and most students stay around the Meadows area so more like a campus within a city (my home town Glasgow is similar. Uni area beautiful. Used to be good for sociology).

Edinburgh guarantee a summer internship for their with quants students. Four year course (5 in my DDs case as she's doing a placement year). Other unis like Birmingham, Bath, Durham, Manchester build a placement year in so are only 4 years.

I get you. As pp said the student area in Edinburgh is concentrated so it feels very studenty within that area and as if there’s a definite heart, but I don’t know Bristol so can’t compare - dd didn’t like Bristol but I wasn’t at the open day so not sure what objections were to it. You get very personal vibes with each uni - dd adored Edinburgh’s liveliness and beauty and is v happy there. Only you and she can decide if a 4hr train journey is too much - we find it fine. I’m sure she’ll have a blast wherever she decides

@Piggywaspushed yes I think all the degrees require modules in both qualitative and quantitative research, the BSc more quantitative.
That's interesting about the 30% @SandyIrving - that's a fair chunk! Y2 seems to be the year for research methods but I don't see it being one third of any course we've looked at, even the BSc ones. Maybe it's made up from optional modules too. Thanks for the info about the summer internship. The course being four years is a factor as well as she's already doing a gap year, though she'd do a four year with placement if going to Bath.
@EntertainMee it's over five hours for us (wrong side of London), though we had a two hour train delay coming back from Exeter turning the three hour journey into five! If she adds Edinburgh snd gets an offer we'd definitely have to go before she made a decision.
Anyway do not want to take away from the OPs thread.

OP’s thread is ancient and OP said he’d chosen Edin. Yes if she gets an offer go and visit- you’ll then know either way. At the very least you can have a fab weekend there, plenty to see/do/great food

Here is the info on what they need to cover. There are other government options eg policy which don't have this 30% requirement. I think you are correct that components of these in other modules including dissertation count (they asked DD for detailed course info)

Social Research Method Degree Content Criteria

To qualify as a relevant subject, a degree must include quantitative research methods including research design, data collection (i.e. questionnaire design, sampling, weighting) and data analysis (e.g. statistical analysis).
It must also include at least three of the following:

• qualitative methods, including research design, data collection (i.e. interviewing, focus groups, ethnographic), data analysis (e.g. thematic analysis)
• study design, hypothesis formation, testing and evaluation
• systematic/literature reviews
• interpretation of data (qualitative and quantitative), presentation of results, provision of recommendations/ conclusions
• application of ethics to research

DDs placement department has 10 students this year. One is from Durham so their course must be sufficient methods wise.

Thanks @SandyIrving - yes I can see how that all adds up and is covered in modules that aren't specifically titled as quantitative/qualitative methods.

@mondaytosunday my DS is enjoying Edinburgh on the whole - loves the city. Good social life and lucky with his flatmates (8 sharing kitchen in large hall). Academic side is a mixed bag - some courses/lecturers very interesting, others dialling it in, but he got all the modules he wanted. I think the size is a bit overwhelming and he would have benefitted from the college set up at Durham (assuming he could fit in ok), but overall he’s very happy and not regretting his choice.