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Durham or King's?

Hey,
Had an offer for Durham and King's to do philosophy, both offering ABB...but unsure over which one I should take? Views pls?

JoKing.

Reply 1

TheWolf

15

JoKing

Hey,
Had an offer for Durham and King's to do philosophy, both offering ABB...but unsure over which one I should take? Views pls?

JoKing.

Durham obviously

Reply 2

Mysticmin

10

JoKing

Hey,
Had an offer for Durham and King's to do philosophy, both offering ABB...but unsure over which one I should take? Views pls?

JoKing.

Whichever university you feel you would be happiest for the next three years. Bear in mind however that King's College for philosophy is rated 4th in the UK, and has full marks for teaching and reasearch, whereas Durham is 11th (slipped up on research, but not by much).

Reply 3

TheWolf

15

Mysticmin

Whichever university you feel you would be happiest for the next three years. Bear in mind however that King's College for philosophy is rated 4th in the UK, and has full marks for teaching and reasearch, whereas Durham is 11th (slipped up on research, but not by much).

ive been to both universities - durham is much nicer imo. And about the rankings - well again it differs from one ranking to another. In guardian'sranking - durham is 7th kings is 11th. So i think the general reputation, ranking and environment is nicer in durham, and philosophy imo is not like other subjects such as Economics, in this case it is not that important to be in London for occupational reasons, but ofcourse you get better social/club life etc if you go to kings

Reply 4

Mysticmin

10

TheWolf

ive been to both universities - durham is much nicer imo. And about the rankings - well again it differs from one ranking to another. In guardian'sranking - durham is 7th kings is 11th. So i think the general reputation, ranking and environment is nicer in durham, and philosophy imo is not like other subjects such as Economics, in this case it is not that important to be in London for occupational reasons, but ofcourse you get better social/club life etc if you go to kings

I think philosophy has a more distinguished history at KCL (you can't beat oxbridge for it though). The guardian...the guardian have somehow managed to rank BATH above oxbridge in the general tables because of their value added system (cheap rooms etc).

Hmm where's Gnostic? :biggrin:

Reply 5

TheWolf

15

Mysticmin

I think philosophy has a more distinguished history at KCL (you can't beat oxbridge for it though). The guardian...the guardian have somehow managed to rank BATH above oxbridge in the general tables because of their value added system (cheap rooms etc).

Hmm where's Gnostic? :biggrin:

yea lol i dont like the guardian table personally but i just used it to back up my choice :biggrin:

damn

Reply 6

Mysticmin

10

TheWolf

yea lol i dont like the guardian table personally but i just used it to back up my choice :biggrin:

damn

I know, i totally understand, I tried to find as many tables as I could but apart from the guardian and the sunday times they don't seem to exist. And I'm prone to taking everything the prospectuses say with a pinch of salt.

Durham.

JoKing

Hey,
Had an offer for Durham and King's to do philosophy, both offering ABB...but unsure over which one I should take? Views pls?

They are very different unis environment wise, do you prefer a very large or a small city?

Reply 9

Mysticmin

10

Gnostic

Another thing - almost all of my law tutors and professors at KCL were once teaching at Oxbridge, two direct from Harvard. Likewise, during my time at KCL I am aware of at least two of our tutors transferring to Oxford to teach.

Do you develop strong loyalty to your institution once you've been there for a reasonable amount of time? Or you could feel indifferent to it for ages?

Reply 10

Kirki

1

To be honest, this is only undergrad, so if you're planning to go on to further study then it probably doesn't matter from a reputation point. I don't know much about the London Unis, as I didn't apply to any (I live near London, wanted to spend at least three years somewhere else, even if I return for postgrad), but Durham is very good for philosophy. A lot of people put Durham down, saying it doesn't deserve the reputation it's got, but most people will admit that it is good for some subjects - philosophy is one of them (It's recieved full marks on teaching for the Times Guide for at least the past few years, and that's really the important part IMO).
I'd base your decision more on where you think you're going to be happiest. If you like clubbing etc, go to London - you won't get a better place anywhere. If you're not into that kind of thing, you might prefer Durham. Visit them both and then decide. From a reputation point of view I really doubt it will matter, so just go with more where you can see yourself for three years. Of course, I'm probably biased because I'm thinking of going to Durham for Philosophy.

Reply 11

Bigcnee

11

Gnostic

KCL, and here's why (the following is my reply to bigtwat's - a Bath student - attack on KCL) - simply insert "durham" where it says "bath":

During my time at King's College I was taught by two Lords (one of them was Lord Plant in the House of Lords). I'm also aware that several Lords and Sirs and indeed Generals teach in other departments of KCL. How many members of the House of Lords teach at Bath, eh? Did John Ashcroft, US Homeland Security Secretary (his office is opposite Bush's), give a lecture at KCL, or Bath last year? Has the Queen visited Bath? Are Bath law students invited to dinners by Law Lords? Did the King AND Queen of Syria graduate from Bath or KCL? Did the Duke of Wellington fight a duel with pistols to defend the honour of Bath? Did King George IV establish Bath University?

The Times League Tables are seriously flawed - they favour universities with big facilities and ignore the actual distinction and prestige universities have. That's why they favour Warwick etc even though Warwick has not one distinguished alumni or made any contribution to civilisation (KCL, inter alia, contributed half the team that discovered DNA). KCL, until recently, was cramped into a small but beautiful Georgian Building on the Strand next to Somerset House (ignore the 70s building). Hence why the Times League Tables always devalued the institution. But in reality KCL is far, far, far more distinguished than Warwick, and infinitely more than Bath.

REALITY CHECK – Bath is not the 5th best university in the country – as the Times believes. Anyone who blindly follows the Times League Tables without considering the actual prestige of the universities in question is a fool.

As for medicine, KCL has THREE medical schools. Heard of St Thomas Medical School? It's 500 years old. It's a medical school of KCL. Heard of Guy's Medical School? It's 400 years old and, you've guessed is, under KCL's belt. Inter alia, Lord Owen is a graduate of KCL's St Thomas Medical School. In contrast, the only notable alumni of Bath is Dr Fox of Pepsi Chart - grrrooovey.

Stick with Dr Fox - I'll stick with Lord Owen.

Hahahaha. What a f***wit.

Reply 12

hildabeast

7

I'm waiting for Gnostic to realise that the word 'alumni' is actually a plural.

Reply 13

Bigcnee

11

hildabeast

I'm waiting for Gnostic to realise that the word 'alumni' is actually a plural.

I don't think reality is his forte. Hence, facts are lost on him. :wink:

Reply 14

W.A.S Hewins

Gnostic

I am only defending my personal honour – I went to a prestigious Law School – any attack on the KCL School of Law’s distinction is an attack on me.

Durham is a mystery. After researching the subject, and even running a thread on the subject here, I have been unable to come up with any really famous Durham academic names.

We can only conclude that it's prestigious because people say it is: by every criterion-teaching and research ratings, famous alumni, famous faculty, faculty honours, it doesn't deserve to be regarded as special. Its persistently good reputation is a triumph of PR over substance.

King's is the opposite: from the discovery of DNA to the invention of antiseptic surgery, it has a huge history, and not just in the natural sciences. In law, music, philosophy, classics, history and theology it has real standing. Even the dept of war studies is the reference point of choice for journalists..

Yet it has not promoted itself and pays the ultimate price in reputational and league table terms (not that Durham does very well in league tables either)..

Reply 15

Bigcnee

11

Gnostic

There are no facts, only interpretations, save for this fact - you're a twat bigcnee.

Straight out the "prestigious" KCL Law textbook. :rolleyes:

Reply 16

hildabeast

7

Gnostic

I'll do that when you theologians stop translation the Greek 'aion' as (1) world and (2) eternity - 'aion' means "age", not "world" and "eternity".

Well as I'm not a Greek scholar I don't think I can be held to account for that. I would have thought, however, that someone who appears to have as 'extensive' a knowledge of Classical languages as yourself would at least recognise a Latin plural.