Durham, York, Bristol for History - which ones to firm and insure?

[easterb]

The countdown to finalising choices on UCAS has started and DS casually mentioned over dinner that he’s still not sure! He likes them all (but not bowled over by any one of them).

Anyone with DCs studying History at any of these Unis with feedback?

Which combo would you choose??

@easterb What reservations about Bristol? Real or imagined?

I don’t think it really matters now what they are as the decision has been made!

No @MeetMeOnTheCorner I don’t, I’m just pointing out that Bristol is always held up as being difficult to get into and high ranking when in fact I don’t think is necessarily is given it’s making low offers to schools where most pupils are actually very privileged.

Actually, I was dealing it down on that post. But much of it is very good advice - what exactly are you doing on the course, why do you want to do it? What do you hope to gain at the end of it? Does it give an opportunity to meet and mix with other students during it?

Yeah, I'm bitter about it - so what? I got into one of the then top 5 unis and I thought it was rubbish.

Seems to me you don't like someone having a negative opinion on anything, like it's not allowed - that is the kind of thing I abhor, but each to their own. There are plenty of positive opinions about Bristol on this thread, I don't jump in and disagree with them or take issue. If you go on Tripadvisor, do you take umbrage about any negative reviews?

Well done @easterb - all options were good so he can’t go wrong.

Probs a bit late now but my sister chose her college (Butler) because she was guaranteed her own room in first year - so (as I’m sure you’ve discovered) it is possible to avoid. Best of luck to your DS!

@NewspaperTaxis It’s somewhat odd to go on about your poor choice for you a long time ago. You should have known better or left. University is about what you put in and I read all the time on mn that everyone else is at fault: other students, lecturers, the course, the lack of hand holding etc etc. I think the person who didn’t like what they chose is at fault. If a dress doesn’t suit, we take it back. We do have personal responsibility for our choices and can change them!

@easterb DD firmed Durham and insured York last year for history. She was lukewarm and I couldn't understand why as I thought they were great options. It turned out that she just didn't feel ready for university - Covid, she was then very ill, hated sixth form. As soon as she got her A level results, which were good enough to give her options, she announced she was taking a year off.

Honestly it's been the making of her. I feel so much more confident about her going to and thriving at university. She's earned loads of money, made some friends (this is a big step), learned to drive, travelled, read a load. She realised she wanted to study a different subject (or a variation of) and has the lovely thing of knowing exactly where she's going in the Autumn because it's unconditional.

Obviously I don't know your son but I'd keep this as an option. Essentially we wargammed her results in August from a) really bad retake, b) quite bad clearing c) dropping a grade but Durham letting her in and so going there and d) good enough to take a year off with confidence.

The OP asked about doing History at Bristol. I mentioned my experience there - and emphasised it was a long time ago. Hey, maybe it's changed. I'm flagging up things to look out for. It may resonate, it may not.

I didn't research it ahead at the time because I was blinded by academic snobbery. I just thought - and you can see why going by the less tolerant responses on this thread - that you just couldn't possibly go to a top uni and not enjoy it, how could that be? But I didn't like it. I enjoyed school well enough, and enjoyed any temping work I did in the summer holidays, so it took a while to think it wasn't just me.

As for changing stuff you don't like - well, it's not easy to jump ships when it comes to unis. Drop out, and it's like you've thrown away a winning hand. Downgrading to a 'lesser' uni seems hard too given you worked to get great grades to go to a better one. But sadly, I did make an opportunity to leave and go somewhere else at the beginning of the second year - but I bottled it. I just couldn't quite visualise how it would be at this other place, and I think it was a case of once bitten, twice shy, and the devil you know etc. It's like if you're in a lousy marriage and then the person of your dreams comes along, you ought to snap it up but...

It's funny. I think only uni generates this kind of antipathy if you say you don't like it, to me there seems something almost cult-like about it. Ironically, there never is a time to say you don't like it, certainly not at the time.

@NewspaperTaxis Why would your experience be relevant now? If you didn’t research the uni then surely you were at fault? Plus the data shows lots of dc leave uni now. Even Oxbridge has a few. There’s every chance to say you don’t like it and it sounds that your own view of what’s elite and what’s not kept you there. It’s not unusual to have a false start these days and students do, mostly, take a good look at universities before they go.

Hi @NewspaperTaxis- I appreciated hearing your comments about Bristol warts and all. I wanted to hear from people with some relevant experience - which you had.

I’m sorry your time at Uni was so bleak. I had a bad first year at Uni and thought about dropping out many times - but I also felt the pressure to stay given its prestige / expectations etc. Fortunately, things improved a lot in the second and third years but that first year was miserable. I remember feeling a bit robbed because going to Uni had been built up as this amazing thing, but it turned out it wasn’t. And I agree that it’s not really acceptable to say it.

That’s very interesting and it sounds like your DD has a had a brilliant year! A special and memorable time in her life no doubt.

There is a bit of me that thinks it would be the right call for DS to have a year out. But we’ll have to let it unfold. I’ll certainly empower him to do it if he wants to.

Is your DD still going to Durham - or did she withdraw and reapply somewhere else?

@easterb It’s common to say it. I’ve no idea where carrying on if a uni isn’t pleasant. Look at the stats and mn debates. Plenty of dc leave now. It’s also very poor to advise a dc based on “poor me” experiences of 30 years ago or more. It’s one or two anecdotes vs thousands of students who were happy. Why not concentrate on them? Plus say dc can change if it not what they want? Most students who know their own minds don’t get it wrong.

Bit late but thought would add for anyone making similar decision in future but my son has just finished his first year at Bristol doing history and absolutely loves it. He turned down Cambridge to go there as thought it was a better fit for him. He has SEND and the university couldn’t have been more accommodating. He finds the course and his tutors interesting. He loves the city so overall been hugely positive experience for him.

I also didn't really like the liberal arts college I went to in the US although it is a prestige (albeit niche) brand. There were all sorts of reasons it made logical sense to go there at the time, and I did feel I was 'failing' not to feel like I'd made friends for life in my first year. As it happens, I am still in touch with some of these people but - in a Sliding Doors scenario - I could have been equally and very likely more happy elsewhere over the four years.

What I have taken from this is to tell my DCs not to freak out if this also doesn't happen for them the first time, that it can take a while to settle in. I think it really important not to be cynical but to try to take the pressure off somehow. It's hard.