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Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
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Bristol or Durham (Trevelyn)

Hi! I hold offers from both universities and am in a bit of a dilemma and would love your opinion, I am studying a Bsc in geography at Trevelyan by the way. I've visited both unis and liked them both.

As a person I enjoy the outdoors, cooking and reading philosophy.

Bristol offered me A*AA and Durham offered me AAA. However i heard Durham is stricter with their offers whilst Bristol offers leniency if you do not the grades. Because i am taking a gap year i don't have a back up.

I love the idea of the college system, it seems really friendly and inclusive. At Bristol (because i'm quite quiet, not shy, around new people) I'm worried i might not fit in. Also I am not majorly into the party scene, I like a night out but I also like a night in. But not on my own, I prefer to be with friends.

When I went to see Durham the town seemed very meh, a bit dingy to be perfectly honest with only one nice high street, whilst Bristol seemed vibrant. The city also has some amazing events going on throughout the year.

Durham is higher on the league table, especially for my subject. I failed to get into Cambridge (stereotype i know) but a prestigious university which will get me employed in important.

Durham is very far away from me. So is Bristol, but less so. My family and boyfriend (very long term, its worth thinking about him) support me going to Bristol for this reason.

Thats pretty much it, sorry there is so much!
Reply 1
Obviously this is the Durham forum, so don't expect unbiased views.

I'm a graduate of Durham (Trevelyan College) and am still involved as a member of the Senior Common Room and as a College Mentor (although please note I'm speaking personally and not as a representative of any organisation or employer!)

I also took a look at Bristol and went for an interview back in 2001 when I applied for Universities, but I didn't put it as one of my choices, either firm or insurance.

Durham (and Trevelyan in particular) offers a small friendly community, which has both advantages and disadvantages. If you were looking for a major party city with clubs through till morning, Durham isn't going to be the place for you (although Newcastle is only a 15min train away), but if you'd rather be in a place where there is a whole support structure built from the ground up to help you settle in and thrive, I don't think that anywhere does it better.

Personally, I love the place. It's big enough that you can find the shops and facilities you'll need day to day but small enough that you aren't lost in the crowd. The transport links are also good, with trains to London, Edinburgh, and cross-country to Bristol.

When it comes to your decision, only you know what's important to you, but I'm sure people will be happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

Finally, whilst it may seem that you have no backup plans, or 2nd chances; small set backs at this stage in your life are just that, not insurmountable disasters. I got into Durham twice, once just after 6th form, and once after I'd messed up my degree, dropped out and re-applied. If you don't get the results you're looking for this summer, there is time to apply again with your results in the bag for the 2016/2017 entry.
Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
Durham
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Durham a bit dingy...Where on earth did you go? The centre of it is a World Heritage Site. Did you not notice the Castle and the Cathedral?
Reply 3
One thing I noticed when looking round Universities is the ones where it was a bright blue sky and not a cloud in the sky went up in my estimations, and where/when it was drizzling and overcast I noticed all the 1960s concrete first, even if having been past in years afterwards I found myself thinking "Oh, it wasn't as grim as it looked..."
Hey!

I'm a second year at Durham (Castle). I have a friend from school who is at Trevs and she loves it, it seems like a place where everyone would find somewhere to fit in. If you like the countryside then Durham is a nice choice as it is surrounded by fields and woodland and the north east coastline is gorgeous.

Also in terms of vibrancy, it is true that the city has less to do, but since it is small that is kind of to be expected. HOWEVER within your college there are so many things to do! Because of the college system, there are more opportunities to try out new things at societies as well as playing low-commitment, casual sport (which you can't do at most universities because there are only university teams that are try-out only). There are loads of events throughout the year, as well as loads of uni-wide things to get involved in. Put it this way: you won't get bored.

In terms of distance, as was mentioned above, Durham has really good rail links and is also very close to Newcastle airport (I know some people who live in Cornwall and fly).
I'm from Bristol and I adore it!! Plenty to do if you're not up for the party scene :biggrin:
Then again, Trevs is my insurance (I'm starting uni this year) and I LOVED the look of it when I visited, especially from a jazz musician's perspective (apparently they have a festival called 'Trevstock' - can anyone confirm this??)
Put it this way - I was worried Durham would be too small coming from Bristol, but I'm a pub (rather than club) person, (I also <3 philosophy) and I'd rather get involved with college/society stuff than go out every night anyway :biggrin:
Hope this helps :smile:
Original post by JosieBakes
I'm from Bristol and I adore it!! Plenty to do if you're not up for the party scene :biggrin:
Then again, Trevs is my insurance (I'm starting uni this year) and I LOVED the look of it when I visited, especially from a jazz musician's perspective (apparently they have a festival called 'Trevstock' - can anyone confirm this??)
Put it this way - I was worried Durham would be too small coming from Bristol, but I'm a pub (rather than club) person, (I also <3 philosophy) and I'd rather get involved with college/society stuff than go out every night anyway :biggrin:
Hope this helps :smile:


Can confirm that Trevstock is a thing as we also have loads of music nights and other concerts throughout the year as well :smile:
How did you mess up your degree?

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