Edinburgh , Warwick or Bristol?

[clover6]

DD has narrowed down her uni options to these three choices for her firm with Liverpool as an insurance for history. She's visited them all and liked them but is still a bit indecisive so if anyone has any experience of these unis it would be much appreciated! We live in London for reference and DD is mixed-race POC and was leaning more toward Bristol/ Edinburgh any insights on diversity would also be helpful! Thank you all

Out of those 3 'Warwick' is the most diverse & a great uni. What's the reason it was discounted?

I would have voted Warwick out of these three, it’s a great uni and lovely campus setting.

Edinburgh. It is such a beautiful city and so much going on.

There is a massive difference between the campus experience and living in a city though, so that is really what it hinges on. Personally, as I said above I much prefer Edinburgh to Bristol as a city, but if your dd would be happier on a campus then obviously, Warwick.

She really liked the course but I think she preferred the idea of a city over a more campus focused university!

Warwick is highest ranked and very diverse. It has better accommodation prospects for year 2 onwards as well.

I think she would be bored after three years on the Warwick campus, especially coming from London.

Bristol and Edinburgh are great cities. If finances are an issue then consider the financial impact of the Edinburgh course potentially being a year longer.

Warwick is extremely close to Coventry, a very vibrant and diverse city! Not as pretty as Edinburgh though.

I was a student at Bristol and it was utterly non-diverse. Massive caveat: this is 40 years ago. But even so. I never saw a single non-white face at the uni in three years there.

I am sure it is much more diverse now. I hope so! Did you get that feeling when you visited? My dd went to a very diverse uni and it was really obvious when you walked along the road through it that there were fewer white faces than PoC. I don't really know about Warwick and Edinburgh on that point. Well tbf I don't know about Bristol in 2025 either! Apologies to my alma mater if I am being unfair to it.

Bear in mind if finances might be an issue that accomm in Bristol is £££. A friend's DD is at UWE and her room in a shared house not in any way fancy will cost my friend £10,000 next year. So errrm more than the full loan. For context DD paid about £100 a week and Ds2 pays about £6k a year for his room – both in cheaper towns/cities. I think Warwick has a better range of cheaper accomm tho not sure on Edinburgh.

As others say you are comparing two city unis with a campus so there's that to consider. Warwick we loved on visiting. But if she loves a city then perhaps not.

#helpful (sorry). Does she have a gut feeling?

Sorry but Coventry is an absolute dump.

If my daughter was looking at uni choices I would be avoiding Warwick despite its academic reputation. I’d be concerned about its other darker reputation when it comes to female students tbh.

I'm a lecturer and work at a campus university and have been there 20 years. Both my observations and the Census confirm that it's more diverse now than then.
I know both Coventry/Warwick and Edinburgh well. Cov is diverse and 40 years ago noticeably more so than Edinburgh/Scotland in general. Warwick Uni has never been diverse in the way Cov has been.
Edinburgh is probably more diverse - though maybe not the students - Bristol city is likewise more diverse than Edinburgh but again, what about the students?
You may be able to check the 2021 census for the University wards (Edinburgh will be 2022).

My (mixed race) Dc had a fantastic time in Bristol. Loved the city and everything going on. And cheap quick (ish) coach service between Bristol and London

DS read history at Edinburgh and loved it.
It’s not very diverse though.

Edinburgh isn’t known to be a diverse university. It’s very middle class too. Bristol has a very generous offer to contextual students and the city is diverse in the first place. From y2 onwards you can of course choose to live in a more diverse area and that will cost less.

Warwick students like living in Leamington Spa from y2 onwards but if you want diverse you might prefer Coventry.

All of these are great universities and Bristol of 40 years ago is not remotely like it is now. It’s far less private school and substantially more diverse.

If she is not familiar with Scotland, then it would be a very good “education” for your daughter to live in a different nation in the UK for a period of time. She could get a glimpse into Gaelic culture, as well as hear “Scots” dialect on the streets. Glasgow, the bigger city, is a short bus/train journey away and has also a thriving scene, with a very different flavour from Edinburgh. Even though Edinburgh has a large cohort of “establishment” and small ‘c’ conservative types, she will no doubt encounter lots of different social attitudes and narratives compared to the norm south of the border. It may even be a revelation. There’s rain, wind, darkness, but when the sun shines on Edinburgh, its beauty can take your breath away.

Bristol is a vibrant and diverse uni. My DC loved it and had friends doing history who enjoyed their courses and gone into law/consultsncy in London.

I am glad (I really am) to read that Bristol is much more diverse than it was. I mean I would hope so for sure.

Yes the city was diverse even in the 80s but I am sure I was not unusual in only meeting ppl from the uni rather than the city itself. I bet that is still true for most students. Certainly my two at uni and all their friends just knew or know other students.

It was very heavily full of people from public school when I was there, and no doubt a result of its big push to WP which I heartily applaud has gone a long way to reverse that. Sounds like Bristol may be the badger then.

Gosh they are all very different. Warwick definitely campus based, prob cheapest. Bristol closest to home, vibrant city. Edinburgh beautiful place.

Avoid Edinburgh.
Not diverse at all.
Lots of bullying behaviour from " pony club" types in halls.
Edinburgh Napier however is v different

My ds is at Warwick studying history . IMO the course is excellent. The module choices are diverse at Warwick, but lean a bit more modern. However Ds has chosen a Renaissance stream, so will be doing some earlier period options next year and spend term one of Third Year in Venice https://warwick.ac.uk/about/campus/venice/.

Warwick certainly appears on the surface very diverse as a uni and the published stats put in higher than most other Russell groups. It’s definitely campus based or in Leamington Spa for socials , so no London or Liverpool comparison, but lots going on and clubs to join. I’ve always liked Edinburgh as a city but both Edinburgh and Bristol have reputations for accommodation shortages/high rents for students which isn’t an issue at Warwick.

I think you have to look back at the courses and revisit the campus/city and go on where feels ‘right’ for the next three years. The trip to each will help also in deciding the journey home, as it has been an easy journey back from Warwick for Reading weeks and Christmas/Easter.

@clover6Warwick is 20% private school, Bristol 25% and Edinburgh 32%. She would presumably be in the majority group anywhere in terms of school. Warwick isn’t necessarily more diverse when compared to Bristol though and don’t forget overseas students everywhere.

They don't exactly spend 3 yrs wandering within the campus . They go out into town too, Coventry, Birmingham but its not for OP as they said.

Edinburgh is diverse enough ... I have a dc there. It's not as diverse as Coventry but it's a million times more beautiful. The posh faction I'd say is about the same at Bristol as at Edinburgh and easily avoided, my dc never had to deal with the so-called pony club types as they tend to stay in their own group. Go with whichever of those two cities speaks to your dc the most, they're both great options and I don't think there's a "wrong" one.

Warwick university isn’t really at Coventry though. Lots of Warwick students don’t go there at all and many don’t live there either. I tend to think Warwick suits students who aren’t bothered much about going out but make their own fun on campus. Not all of it healthy! Therefore being in a beautiful city is of secondary importance. They haven’t chosen Warwick for that.