Cambridge or Durham?

Before you start screaming 'Cambridge of course, are you insane?!' let me explain my situation a little.
I've been fortunate enough to recieve unconditional offers from both. At Cambridge I would study English, whereas at Durham I applied for a Combined Arts degree, which means I can study English, History, Philosophy and Maths in the first year and narrow down my subjects in the second year.
I got a really good feeling from both places, and after looking at both courses carefully I think I'd really enjoy both (if the Durham course works as its supposed to, that is; I worry about the modular approach being a little disjointed). The main advantage with Durham is that I could take subjects which I feel might be more useful in finding a job later on (like maths, which I also really enjoy, and which is otherwise very difficult to combine with english at university level) alongside more arts-based subjects. But then, of course, Cambridge is Cambridge. The name on your CV alone makes a huge impression.

So which one do you think I should choose and why?

Oh, also, in terms of jobs, I don't know what I want to do. I've been considering different types of writing, further study and law, but am really not sure yet.

whereas at Durham I applied for a Combined Arts degree, which means I can study English, History, Philosophy and Maths in the first year and narrow down my subjects in the second year.

Jobs-wise, it won't matter much, Cambridge might give you a slight advantage just because it's Cambridge, but most graduate positions just want a 2.1 regardless of university and after you get past that filter, no one cares much where you come from. The maths module you might be able to take at Durham won't open any doors since it's just a module, so I'd say go for Cambridge, because, it's well Cambridge - if you really do think you cannot choose. Honestly, though, do the ol' tossing the coin trick - decide which is which, toss the coin and then see, as it falls, which choice you're secretly wishing it was. If it's neither, go with Cambridge, or the actual coin-toss outcome.

Bull****. Yes, most graduate positions won't look at you unless you have or are predicted a 2:1, but with tens of applicants for each place, which university you were at also makes a big difference to whether you get an interview/job after you've ticked the '2:1" box. Not that Durham isn't good, but nowhere (actually nowhere) will turn you down based on university alone if you come from Cambridge, unfortunately the same can't be said for Durham (though there are probably less than 20 institutions in the UK who might...)

Umm, for the most part, no - the 2.1, just like the other academic requirements (e.g. some places requiring a B in GCSE English), are automatic filters - no one assesses them, what is assessed might be things like job experience and what you've written in application form. The reason for this is very simple - coming from Cambridge might (and even there it's not guaranteed) probably mean you're very strong academically. However, unless you apply for a research position, it doesn't matter much to employers. Take a look at all the large graduate programmes requirements, and they'll tell you this as well, I'm not just saying this.

Try actually applying. You think that the stuff these people put on their websites is how they actually recruit?

Of course, they have to say "anyone from any university can apply" but that doesn't mean that those people are all assessed equally. Try doing an internship or starting to work in a high-flying institution - the numbers of people from various universities speak for themselves.

This stuff about research positions is clearly rubbish - most people from Cambridge don't go into research positions but still tend to get the best-paying graduate jobs. Now, I'm not saying that the best paid job is the one that is automatically the most desirable, but there's a reason why the top banks, law firms, consultancies and corporate graduate programmes are full of Oxbridge graduates. It might just be down to prejudice rather than any legitimate reason, but the effect is still there.

Before you start screaming 'Cambridge of course, are you insane?!' let me explain my situation a little.
I've been fortunate enough to recieve unconditional offers from both. At Cambridge I would study English, whereas at Durham I applied for a Combined Arts degree, which means I can study English, History, Philosophy and Maths in the first year and narrow down my subjects in the second year.
I got a really good feeling from both places, and after looking at both courses carefully I think I'd really enjoy both (if the Durham course works as its supposed to, that is; I worry about the modular approach being a little disjointed). The main advantage with Durham is that I could take subjects which I feel might be more useful in finding a job later on (like maths, which I also really enjoy, and which is otherwise very difficult to combine with english at university level) alongside more arts-based subjects. But then, of course, Cambridge is Cambridge. The name on your CV alone makes a huge impression.

So which one do you think I should choose and why?

Oh, also, in terms of jobs, I don't know what I want to do. I've been considering different types of writing, further study and law, but am really not sure yet.

Myself working at a Big Four firm, and having been to assessment centre in another, and having through my work talked to a lot of people that have worked or are working in top firms, I have to say you're incorrect. While it is probably true there is a higher proportion of top university (e.g. top 20-30) graduates than those from the bottom of the league tables, this would practically never make the difference between Cambridge and Durham - it would be completely pointless for recruiters to discriminate based on this because, as I already said, the fact that you're great at university does not mean you're going to be great at whatever job you're applying for.

Try actually applying. You think that the stuff these people put on their websites is how they actually recruit?

Of course, they have to say "anyone from any university can apply" but that doesn't mean that those people are all assessed equally. Try doing an internship or starting to work in a high-flying institution - the numbers of people from various universities speak for themselves.

This stuff about research positions is clearly rubbish - most people from Cambridge don't go into research positions but still tend to get the best-paying graduate jobs. Now, I'm not saying that the best paid job is the one that is automatically the most desirable, but there's a reason why the top banks, law firms, consultancies and corporate graduate programmes are full of Oxbridge graduates. It might just be down to prejudice rather than any legitimate reason, but the effect is still there.