2007 V100 Entry Requirements

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I wouldn’t be looking at Durham as insurance; it would have been my second choice after Oxford. My brother went there, and I loved the place when I visited it. I understand that Durham has to differentiate between the better and the best, and that stipulating at least 6A*'s and A's in the rest of the GCSE subjects you take inst necessarily discriminating against people unfortunate backgrounds. However, if they're trying to emulate History at Oxbridge in terms of research and applicant quality, then maybe they should adopt the selection process Oxbridge has, as their policy has selected the absolute cream of the crop for many years. Then again, interviewing costs an awful lot of money and I suppose Durham doesn’t have the type of endowments Oxford colleges have.

I totally understand your argument that with a little bit more work I could have gotten A*'s. However, I was only really taught everything at foundation level to achieve a C, so all the higher order stuff I taught myself anyway. It was just down to the luck of the draw on exam day whether I got A*'s or not, and a few dodgy papers meant I missed the A*'s on alot of subjects I should have really gotten them on.

I too believe with determination you can achieve what you want, but only to a certain extent. I think the type of institution you come from can genuinely put a cap on what you achieve in some ways. Anyway, enough feeling sorry for myself, I’ve just been phoned by my Classics teacher who said my AS B has been remarked up to an A!!!! So that’s AAAAA for me!

Would applying to the same college my brother went to at Durham have any benefit?

Reply 41

Lizj

I don't think the college you choose makes any difference at Durham. You get an offer from the department first, and if they want you then you are passed on to the college for their decision.
If your brother took history, then that might make a difference.

Reply 42

NickiM

Lottie

Lancaster looks like it has some interesting courses: Part I and Part II. Eric Evans is a Professor Emeritus there, which I find sort of cool as I used one of his textbooks in class. :p:

Other sort of cool things? James May (from Top Gear) and two Coronation Street writers are amongst the alumni. Here's Lancaster Uni's Wikipedia entry.

Thanks!

KerriT - did think about Exeter, but I think it asks AAA?

Reply 43

KerriT

Not Exeter Exeter, Exeter has a campus in Cornwall which asks for lower grades, something like BBB or ABB for History.

Reply 44

NickiM

Oooh. Yes, it has two campuses. I don't know. I am unsure whether to put Nottingham down...

Reply 45

Consie

Nottingham's got an enjoyable course, if that counts for anything. Its an uber competative place though, i think one of the most popular unis in the country. Actual quality may not be proportional to populaity though.

Reply 46

KerriT

My friend applied for joint honours History and French at Nottingham and was offered BBB but got in with BBC.

Reply 47

Alexii

Nottingham is competitive but it's not too bad for History, they had places on UCAS Extra for V100 last year...

Reply 48

Lizj

KerriT

My friend applied for joint honours History and French at Nottingham and was offered BBB but got in with BBC.

Joint offers are almost always lower than single honours offers, and especially so when one of the subjects is a language, because there is a shortage of language students. Many top universities are offering BBB or even BCC for language courses this year.

Reply 49

NickiM

Which would you say was better for History, Nottingham or Sheffield?

Reply 50

JohnStuartMill

I would say it depends on the area you want to study. Sheffield has the better reputation overall and is most definitely better for studying Nazi Germany as they have Professor Kershaw.

Reply 51

NickiM

Oooh, THE Professer Kershaw? Wow. I'm not sure...I have never visited Nottingham, but although I liked Sheffield, I didn't think "Wow"..

Reply 52

belle_27

You should go and visit Nottingham as its one of those places that you either love or hate so if you hate it then its better to find it out before you apply rather than waste a space on your application.

Reply 53

KerriT

I decided I was only going to go to a uni in a place I thought I could definitely live in and with a course that interested me. I was not going to go to a city I hated just because the course looked slightly better. In the end I visited something like 9 universities, applied to 6 and only loved York, St Andrews and in a way Oxford so I knew that I couldn't settle for my insurance choice because I would not be happy. Visit the places but if you like it still apply because it might grow on you. In terms of wow professors for Nazi Germany, Exeter now has Richard Overy.