Cumbria uni V Durham

[Trixieboo87]

Hi my dd is applying to Cumbria & Durham uni & after doing some reading I’ve read that there are housing issues for yr 2 , does anyone have any experience please? Is Cumbria ok for housing ?

@Trixieboo87 That is a bit of a jump from Cumbria which sits below the 100 top unis mark and Durham.

There is always housing available in Durham but it could be further out and the walk is longer to whatever you think is important. Do they want to be close to town or close to where the academic buildings are? If they are doing History that department is right near the castle I believe, if they are doing maths then they are on the science site down South Road. It also depends on how much they want to spend too, if they are in a house share someone with a lower budget might dictate the area they can afford. So even though there is an initial "drop" by the letting agents there are still places available later on.

I don't know anything about Cumbria though, sorry.

Thankyou for your reply , yes there is a big difference between the two unis , my child selected these two with her teacher .
My child is in two minds about uni and also thinking doing an apprenticeship with a company that she had work experience with in the summer .
Im trying to get her to get organised & doing her research .

Woah those are NOT good choices together. Her teacher is giving really bad advice. What are her predicted grades, and what subject, or subject area?

I have a son in his second year at Durham. The accommodation has been stressful as it's a small city and numbers have risen but it's not insurmountable if you're organised and willing to pay to be more central.

Thankyou for your replies , I agree not good choices I’m going to email the school to arrange a meeting with the head of 6th form
My child isn’t academic predicted grades are C’s

Oh sorry she’s doing politics , psychology and geography. Tbh I’m worried as I haven’t got a clue about unis

Yes you do need to speak to the teacher - your daughter is unlikely to get into Durham with Cs.

What grades does she need to get into uni? I'd be surprised if Durham takes c's. What's she wanting to study?
If not academic I'd be asking if uni is the correct choice at all tbh, the amount of debt she'll be in. Has she looked at apprenticeships etc. ?

Do you think the teacher means a degree at New College, Durham rather than Durham University, which is similar to Oxford or Cambridge.

https://www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk/university-centre

She’s highly, highly unlikely to get into Durham with C’s. Which teacher is she speaking to? Is she Y13?

I think you need a meeting with school urgently to find out what’s going on

She was thinking about a foundation year which OH and myself are unsure of . She wants to study human and physical Geography.
We had a fantastic head of year who left the new one doesn’t appear experienced and new to the job . My dd did do work experience in a good company so she’s thinking about that as well

Yeah she absolutely won't get into Durham with Cs. Each uni website will have entry grades required for each degree. You both need a really good trawl of the internet.

Yes year 13 and I agree an urgent meeting is needed

If she's in two minds about uni she would be much better not going and saving her student loan allocation for if she wants to retrain later in life.

The school has a vested interest in shunting everyone into uni as it impacts on how good people think they are. As you're already finding, most teachers are clueless about how to choose a university and they generally have no idea about which different unis are better/worse for specific subjects either. Some of them offer brilliant careers advice, but this is the exception unfortunately as they're not trained in it unless they pursue it as CPD.

She needs to be from an under-represented group for the foundation year, or a Q1 POLAR postcode - she needs to check this carefully for herself, not all teachers fully understand it!

is there a UCAS lead, or careers advisor?

Geography is a great subject (I have a related degree) but it's hard to get a job afterwards if you're the first generation in your family to go to uni. Really with a geography degree you need help from someone very astute to sort out a decent career path because it's not a proper job title. Some students figure it out by themselves but a lot don't, and these days the big "buzz" degree in that sphere is of course environmental science, which is very similar but more employable as most companies are trying to meet sustainability goals to align with the UN's 17 goals for sustainable development.

I'd take the apprenticeship if it was a decent job with a good career prospect afterwards, but obviously if DD wants to do the degree that's up to her.

Leicester has a good geography department and takes people with lower grades than their stated offers. If I were in DD's shoes and definitely wanted to do a geography degree, I'd put that as my first choice. It's a reasonably prestigious option for if she does a little better than expected as it's a nice red brick with lots of history but it's a bit more achievable than Durham.

If your DC has the grades for Durham, why would you choose Cumbria? By 3 CCCs isn't going to cut it for Durham, I'm afraid. What is your DC's school telling her????

And if your DD is not academic, then why university? It's not compulsory & there are other kinds of qualifications for other kinds of careers. University isn't the be and end all

I totally agree , the class teacher discussed her grades and the fact that she would like to do a foundation year and sent her 3 unis
tbh I’m very worried I’ll be emailing the school this evening

Really with a geography degree you need help from someone very astute to sort out a decent career path because it's not a proper job title.

I'm a geography graduate (from Durham). I went into a big four accountancy firm followed by investment banking and I'd say geography was most of the most common degrees amongst my peers. It gives you the essay writing and numerical skills.

You are however doomed to a lifetime of colouring in jokes...

re Cumbria, it has several different campuses, so any question about housing depends massively on which campus (one is in Lancaster, I think 2 in Carlisle and 1 in Ambleside so vv different)

In that case, I cannot understand why Durham is on the list. She needs much better grades for Durham

I don't mean to sound mean, but why is your DD allowing teachers to 'send' her uni choices? I'm guessing they wren's choosing for her, but just sharing what was out there that she can look further at. She should be making choices? Have you/she been to any Open Days, for example?

Has your DD got any ideas about what she wants? Small uni? Small classes? Big city? Big classes ? Study abroad opportunities? There are so many different institutions that offer geography... I would agree this doesn't sound well thought out. Have you been to any open days?

I think the deadline for UCAS is end of Jan, so she has some time to think. Those are odd choices but you see that. What kind of a person is she? If she's very sociable etc, I'd go for a city, there are lots in the north and your two suggested are northern. Each university will have entrance grades on its website and yes, Durham with Cs is unlikely,

More likely to be New College Durham or UTC South Durham.