Choices for Universities offering History

[Winstonny]

I am going to send off my UCAS form in the next week or so and I want to check the consensus here among mothers with kids doing the same or already at uni, about my choices for History. In no particular order:

York
Bristol
Edinburgh
Warwick
Kings, London

The rationale for these choices are a) course offerings & locations b) ranking of university generally. Anything else I should consider?

I have grades in hand A(star), A, A

They are all good choice @Winstonny i think I’d consider if you want a campus or city feel as Kings or Edinburgh might feel very different to Warwick. Bristol has a reputation for a certain culture to a certain extent. I’m not sure how deserved that is.

agree with PP about considering Durham. What about Exeter? Could straddle city/campus style quite nicely.

I’ve always thought York seems nice.

tbh with strong A levels and a 2.1 in history from any of those you’d be well placed to start your career off. Good luck

This discussion is interesting. There was another thread the other day that mentioned companies increasingly doing “university blind” recruitment where only the grade was listed, not the institution.

You would exceed their standard humanities offer OP. Why don't you go to an open day on 20 Sept? It may change your mind:

Qualifications
Most applicants for undergraduate courses at Oxford apply with A-levels, but we accept a range of qualifications. See entrance requirements and international qualifications.
If you are predicted top grades at A-level (excluding General Studies), or equivalent, you may be able to make a competitive application to Oxford. However Oxford usually only has around 3,300 places each year so even excellent grades will not guarantee you an offer.
Offers for Oxford places are between AAA and AAA at A-level, depending on the course. (See course pages.)
See a list of Oxford courses with conditional offers including at least one A*.

You could go anywhere. Those are all great . Think hard about whether you want (and can afford) to live in London. Exeter? If money is an issue I would check accomodation prices too.

Fair enough point about Cambridge and Oxford.

Durham has a very good rep for history, then again perhaps you’ve looked at their accounts and had pause for thought.

I've always thought York would be a nice place to study history (a lot of medieval history etc). I agree with also considering Oxford, and maybe Birmingham instead of Warwick.

oooh, no, I'm a Birmingham fan but I wouldn't replace Warwick with it!

I'd replace Edinburgh.

These places are far apart geographically , OP.

Have you really selected them because of their history offer?

Congrats on the A* in history. They can be like hen's teeth.

Which course(s) appeal to you most and/or which universities have lecturers or professors who are specialist in areas you're interested in? They're all excellent choices though!

Even with grades in hand, Durham is ridiculously slow to make offers for history.

Another vote for York, especially if you like ducks and geese. The campus is nice.

To me, this thread isn't about recruitment, though. There are still employability stats (eg Birmingham does v well on this) and the quality of the degree while one is studying.

York appeals most. There's a lecturer whose speciality is Japanese history and that interests me a lot (I went on a trip to Japan for 2 wks in 2023) and it ties in closely with my other interests including 20th Century British history - WW2 etc.

I get you, the shorter terms can mean a lot more pressure. Definitely look at accommodation costs, location and availability though. In smaller cities it’s not always an issue as nowhere is too far, especially if it’s walkable or has a decent transport system. Also, how will you get there and back from home and if you’ll want/need to get a part time job and how possible that will be.

Go to York then. (Just be aware that lecturer might leave)

You sometimes get a ‘feeling’ and any of your options you will have good quality teaching, rigorous academics and a peer group with similar grades to you. You’ll have a blast.

Another vote for York! My daughter is about to start her final year there studying History. She absolutely loves the course and her tutors are inspirational. The only downside is the high accommodation costs, so might be worth checking this out if its an issue.

Thank you everyone who replied, this was helpful.

Another York history mum here 👋
Agree with SkinnyLegend, rents are sky high but worth it .

https://www.york.ac.uk/study/accommodation/rooms-prices/#price

There are budget options if you are happy to comprise on bathrooms etc.There are a lot of room tours on You Tube to give you a feel for the different options. Check out the length of lease for each option too.

Your choices should cut off at about #9 or #10 because history is a very general degree with no clear-cut career avenue afterward.

To maximize your options with a history degree, you need at least a 2.1 at a leading university.

@mathanxiety aren't most degrees "general" unless vocational?
You have to be very self motivated to study a low contact degree like historg. I would go for the course that appeals to you the most.

I'm happy that these choices are within the top 20 out of about 130 possible options. There seem to be a variety of ranking tables I've found online, not all of them tallying up with each other.

And it has been explained to me that the surge in popularity for St. Andrews is tied in directly to the fact that Prince William went there, rather than being based on the quality of the teaching / courses, which doesn't really sound like a compelling enough reason to me.

My ds did History at York and has enjoyed it hugely. Great course, lovely campus, beautiful city (with history galore within the walls). Uni well covered for busses, accommodation very nice. Really couldn't recommend it enough.

My ds is doing history at Newcastle and is doing Japanese history as a module. Great city, cheap, lots going on,

It might interest you to know that this cuts (from that league table - as the OP says they vary) Edinburgh from the OP's list.

If (big if) employers are employer based on the university, it's more likely t be on their notions of prestige and cachet. Doubt they consult a league table.

If you like York the best and have grades in hand , you'll get an unconditional offer from them, OP. Probably doesn't matter much what the other choices are!

You are obviously thoughtful and clearsighted about what you want from your posts. I guess you have reasons for excluding UCL and Durham. Your info on St Andrews for reasons of reputation are a bit off the mark for teaching quality but you may be also put off due to its location. Are you applying for War Studies at KCL? Outlier not on your list would be TCD. What about offerings for a year abroad as a consideration since you got a lot out of you stay in Japan?