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Original poster

Which Uni?????

90 replies

UniMum2012 · 28/05/2012 10:51

Not sure if I have posted this in the right place....

My DD is 17, in the lower 6th at school and is now thinking about University. Her favorite so far is Durham because she likes their mix of liberal and traditional outlooks. If she can't go to Durham she wants to go to a University in the south because that is where we live and she would therefore be able to visit home to see us and her home friends easily and as frequently as she likes. She also doesn't want to got to a London university because we live in London and she wants a new experience. She wants to study history.

Here are the 5 possible choices we have picked out so far (in no particular order) but she needs a 6th choice....

Durham
Cambridge-not banking on getting in, just want to apply to see what happens
Sussex
Bristol
Kent

We were thinking of warwick but apparently you have to study a language alongside history and this is not something DD wants to do.

If anyone has any suggestions they would be much appreciated. :)

OP posts:
UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 28/05/2012 10:54

Exeter - fab uni.

WoodRose · 28/05/2012 11:05

Which area/period of history appeals to your DD? It might be worth finding out where the "authorities" in her area teach and applying to those universities.

dreamingofsun · 28/05/2012 11:11

think about cost of living in a city. rent in bristol is much more expensive than where my son is studying. have you investigated train times? depending on where you live you might find some unis in the midlands easier to get to than ones in the south? Bath - i would guess its quite similar from conversations i've had with kids to bristol? Do they all want similar grades - do you have a fallback option in case she doesn't do as well as she'd hoped?

BringBack1996 · 28/05/2012 11:25

York is a fab uni for history and, given it's on the east coast mainline, is only 2 hours from london so probably easier to get home from than universities like Warwick. Similarly have you considered Sheffield or Leeds?

In the south I would suggest Southampton and if you're considering Cambridge then worth having a glance at Oxford too.

As a PP poster said though the most important thing is that a uni offers the course your DD wants to study.

sue52 · 28/05/2012 11:27

How about Royal Holloway? Beautiful campus and near to the M25.

sue52 · 28/05/2012 11:35

I would keep 2 fall back options just in case, hence my suggestion of Royal Holloway. Are you sure about needing a language for Warwick? I've just looked at their website and although they have lots of joint honours with history they also have it as a stand alone subject.

CarrotsAreNotTheOnlyVegetables · 28/05/2012 11:45

Warwick Uni is actually in Coventry which is on West Coast main line so quicker to get to London than from York.

BringBack1996 · 28/05/2012 12:03

Oops wasn't aware of that! However the point still stands that places like York are surprisingly accessible at just 2 hours on the train away.

hermionestranger · 28/05/2012 12:06

I know you said south but have you looked at the universitys in manchester? We're on the west coast mainline too, just over 2 hours to get from here to London.

There are some really interesting history courses across the uni, met and Salford. (have applied for them recently for myself.) Grin

startail · 28/05/2012 12:07

Baths a pain as it's on top of the hill and a lot of digs are 600 ft. below in the town. Trains often mean changing at Bristol.

Birmingham (the proper Russel group one) is a lovely campus, brilliant transport links and not a rough city centre (recent riots are not typical) sensible priced accommodation.

There are some really rough bits of Bristol, probably worse than Brum. The traffic there can be truly vile.

Cardiff is a nice city, reasonable trains.

You need to go and look. I fancied Kent, but on trip from home to Canterbury was quite enough.

startail · 28/05/2012 12:09

Manchester is ok now, my unbelievably neurotic and tenuous uncle has retired from the history deptWink

VivaLeBeaver · 28/05/2012 12:10

Definetly agree that different unis will teach different history courses, she needs to look at the course content and make sure its what she wants to do.

My brother has just done history at Salford or possibly Manchester, he wanted a military history course.

VivaLeBeaver · 28/05/2012 12:12

And also look at what the overall satisfation with that specific course gets for that uni. There is some body like the National Student Survey or similar which collects this info.

hermionestranger · 28/05/2012 12:13

He'll have been at Salford, that's why I didn't apply there, military history is not my bag at all.

pommedechocolat · 28/05/2012 12:14

I did History and a language at Durham. Durham is a good uni and the history department is strong. I enjoyed my language more but that was just personal preference. History I focused on modern history - Stalin/Hitler/post WW2 rebuild etc and French history as per my language choice.

The college thing worked for me and having Newcastle nearby for shopping/nights out meant that when you needed to escape the 'smallness' of the city you could. Matriculationa dn Graduation in the cathedral is amazing too.

My second choice was Sheffield.

VashtiBunyan · 28/05/2012 12:15

I would recommend York as a city, as long as your DD doesn't mind a campus based university. People who are drawn to Durham also generally like York.

Vagaceratops · 28/05/2012 12:16

Come to Leicester and study with me :o

BringBack1996 · 28/05/2012 12:16

If you have a look Here it lists all history courses and ranks them. You can also change the filter so see which are best for student satisfaction etc.

UnnamedFemaleProtagonist · 28/05/2012 12:16

Yes, military history is at Salford. I'm doing English Lit and we are in the same school. Funny lot they are. Wink

AdventuresWithVoles · 28/05/2012 12:30

I'd go with last RAE results. High RAE does NOT = good teaching, but it does mean the most funding & passion within dept; more money & enthusiasm generally trickles down even to the undergrads; Depts with high RAE tend to keep it, too.

2008 History RAE results, ranks (higher = better):

Durham 2.7
Cambridge 2.95
Sussex 2.8
Bristol 2.6
Kent 3.0

So, Kent wins, and places comparable would be Liverpool, Sheffield, Southampton, Hertford.

Theas18 · 28/05/2012 12:33

DD1 doing ghistory and ancient history at Nottingham and loves it. Pm me if I can help

NarkedPuffin · 28/05/2012 12:38

If your DD has Durham, Cambridge and Bristol on her list then places like Sussex and Kent don't really fit at all. One lower offer as an insurance plan, so Kent or Sussex. Then add somewhere like Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester, York etc. Obviously she can only apply to Oxford or Cambridge.

Original poster
UniMum2012 · 28/05/2012 13:54

Thank you so much everyone. This is so helpful. She prefers older historical periods to modern ones. She is particularly interested in anything before the 1700s but is aware that she will probably have to do a modern module at some point, which she doesn't mind.

We will definitely consider York. Beautiful city.
And that Nottingham course sounds very interesting Theas.

OP posts:
Original poster
UniMum2012 · 28/05/2012 13:55

Also one of the other things which attracts her to Durham is the college system. Does anyone know which other unis have this?

OP posts:
outtolunchagain · 28/05/2012 14:12

Another thing about Durham is that their offer this year includes A* specifically in History,very difficult.

I went to Durham and loved the college system but I think it is quite a conservative with a small C University.

Would second York as a good choice and possibly UEA as an insurance

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