University of Bristol

Bristol

Exeter or Bristol?

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Sorry, but you are not correct. In the 4 main rankings in the U.K.(The Sunday Times,Guardian,Complete University Guide, Times) Exeter is ahead of Bristol.

Surely OP (and most sensible people) should be looking at subject rankings and league tables, not general ones. Subject specific tables are much more relevant to someone as they'll define their own experience, not an average of everyone elses.

University of Bristol

Bristol

Reply 21

Film

Original post by Delphinus

I agree with you, but think both should be looked at to help with the decision.

Reply 22

user45854

Original post by Film

I was speaking about the 4 main U.K. rankings for the U.K. Universities, and not the silly International rankings that put Sussex and Royal Holloway ahead of Warwick and Essex and East Anglia ahead of Bath.(these are a few of many examples). For U.K. Schools, you really need to look at U.K. Specialized rankings.

I'm not sure I really understand the idea of segregated rankings. You might as well use "Exeter Rankings", in which case, Exeter is No.1!

Reply 23

Film

Original post by user45854

I'm not sure I really understand the idea of segregated rankings. You might as well use "Exeter Rankings", in which case, Exeter is No.1!

Segregated rankings??? Was just saying that it is better to look at U.K. Rankings for U.K. Universities. Logical, no?

Reply 24

user45854

Original post by Film

Segregated rankings??? Was just saying that it is better to look at U.K. Rankings for U.K. Universities. Logical, no?

No.

Reply 25

Birkenhead

Original post by Film

Sorry, but you are not correct. In the 4 main rankings in the U.K.(The Sunday Times,Guardian,Complete University Guide, Times) Exeter is ahead of Bristol...I agree with you, but think both should be looked at to help with the decision.

No, they shouldn't. Anyone who uses a league table to help in their decision to choose a university is a fool. Take the discrepancy between Exeter and Bristol in the overall CUG ranking, the former having recently overtaken the latter. If you actually look independently at the criteria, you will see that Bristol is ahead of Exeter in every single factor: entry standards, student:staff ratio, research income, percentage of good honours, graduate prospects, completion rate and academic services spend - apart from facility spend, student satisfaction and green rating.

Let's just spell that out, shall we?

Bristol superior in:

- Entry standards
- Student:staff ratio
- Percentage of good honours
- Research income
- Completion rate
- Academic services spend
- Graduate prospects

Exeter superior in:

- Facility spend
- Student satisfaction
- Green rating

Do you now see the problem with these tables? Not only are they pumped full of factors that are totally removed from the undergraduate experience, but the way they prioritise the factors is entirely subjective and, most would agree, totally ridiculous most of the time. Facility spend is a valid win, as is green rating (although not exactly helpful in aiding students decide their university choice, eco-freak or not). Student satisfaction is not. It is not just subjective, it's totally arbitrary and unquantifiable. Students have entirely different expectations of their uni and so you end up with those at Heriot-Watt being more satisfied than those at Imperial College London, despite the near certainty that the student experience at the latter, whether or not teaching can be distracted by research, is superior. Put together, I and most other sane humans would conclude that all three are not nearly strong enough to counter Bristol's victories in percentage of good honours and graduate prospects alone, let alone the other 5 as well.

What should matter to students when deciding their choices is not the arbitrary and often malprioritised overall rankings but their environmental needs, the feel of the place, the entrenched impressions of employers (Bristol would, it being irrelevant whether fairly or not, place higher in most employers' minds than Exeter), course content and the nature of its assessment, and reliable individual criteria in these rankings such as student:staff ratio. No thinking student looks to the overall rankings for a reliable picture.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 26

Meat is Murder

It is Bristol hands down. Kids these days get so caught up in league tables. 10 years ago, in those same league tables, Exeter was nowhere. Exeter doesn't nothing internationally. To say Exeter is a top 10 uni based on domestic league tables is absurd. Bristol is one of the UK's leading institutions.

Reply 27

GinaLaMalfaisant

Exeter & Bristol are really not that far from each other. They are of comparable teaching quality. Exeter is coming up very fast, both domestically and internationally. Many predict that both unis will be in the same league in a year or two.

So why battle over which is better so fiercely??

Reply 28

Inazuma

From what I understand Bristol does have the prestige and Exeter is rising quickly. But Bristol will still have the edge for repute when it comes to employers. IMO.

Reply 29

GinaLaMalfaisant

Original post by Birkenhead

The battle was centred around the validity of league tables when trying to make a decision, rather than between the quality of the respective universities.

Exeter is a good place, but if you were to tally up the qualities of each uni, as CUG did, you would find that Bristol is ahead. I suspect your objectivity may be a little compromised by your being an Exonian.

I see no subjectivity whatsoever in my comment. Me being an Exonian does not mean that my statement is incorrect.

And anyways, since when praising a university that one currently attends undermined the validity of a fact.

Reply 30

username1221364

I'm honestly in love with both. And I keep flip flopping, but there's just something about Bristol that I'm charmed by. I've never even visited.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 31

GinaLaMalfaisant

Original post by Birkenhead

The fact that most people on this thread, even some from Exeter, are disagreeing with you suggests that you are over-hyping Exeter, the most obvious motivation of which is that you go there yourself and increasing the status of your institution will indirectly increase yours.

This is not for you to tell me about the reasons that pushes me to praise a university. And judging by your suggestions of my motivation, you should really mind your own business.

Thank you :smile:

Reply 32

Film

Original post by Birkenhead

Birkenhead, I agree that Gina goes overboard sometimes, but no more than you with Bristiol. I don't think you read your own posts.

Reply 33

craftsman

Original post by Birkenhead

You have an unfailing ability to assert the premises of arguments and then fail to follow these premises up with any explanation or evidencing.

It is only because you are so puffed with hot air for Exeter that when the reality of the situation is made clear to you you can only accept that this reality is a mirror image of the overhyping you are giving to your university.

Try to explain how I am overhyping Bristol. Make specific points. Everyone who isn't a troll in this thread has agreed - apart from you, and including Exonians - that Bristol is superior.

Having read your posts, it's pretty clear that all you seem to do is either hype Bristol or bash Exeter. I've just had a look at the league tables, and Exeter is higher in every single one. (The Times; Sunday Times; Guardian; Complete).

Reply 34

craftsman

Original post by Birkenhead

I haven't 'bashed' Exeter; this is a cheap tactic of invalidating what I'm saying through misrepresentation so that you don't have to respond properly. Several times now I've said that it's a very good university. Neither have I 'hyped' Bristol out of proportion. What I have done is corrected the several troll users above who are intent on hyping Exeter up out of proportion. Crucially, I've not only stated a premise, as you are also capable of, I have explained it and evidenced it, which you and every other opponent of what I've said have not.

Your post would carry a little credibility if it explained and evidenced itself and its opposition to what I've said, instead of merely stating its opposition, as if that inflicts any impact on this discussion whatsoever.

League tables are totally redundant, and if you place any weight in them you shouldn't be at a Russell Group at all. (And there's why).

Hmm. So you dismiss the findings of four independently and empirically researched studies as 'totally redundant', yet when a handful of TSR users agree with your view, you're happy to use this as evidence of Bristol being 'superior'. Come on, mate..

Reply 35

Snowjon

Original post by Birkenhead

Try reading the post, and then you might be in a position to respond properly. I didn't say that the views of other poster's was evidence of Bristol's superiority, (again with the misrepresentation), but it must say something when even Exeter students are agreeing with others, when it is against their every interest to do so, that Bristol is an overall better institution

No one is misinterpreting, nor trying to invalidate your opinion. But it still stays what it was since the beginning: an opinion. It's not by rewriting your confusing facts that you do not even state the origin, that everyone is going to suddenly believe that Bristol is the best university ever. Bristol maybe used to have an edge some years ago. But now they are on a par for sure. I know of many people who chose Exeter over Bristol for many subjects.