University of Exeter

I would say it's pretty good for Economics, certainly nowhere near as low as 33. I would put it 2nd tier (so below Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick) along with places like Bristol and Bath, and I believe this is also how employers view it.

Honestly, league tables aren't always the most accurate, and from a quick look at the Guardian's, it looks fairly ridiculous. I wouldn't look at that list too much. They have Queen Marys at 4 and LSE at equal 6th with Surrey...

I'm at Exeter for economics, I'm just finishing my first year. It's the only Russell Group University to offer Economics without having maths as a pre-req so for me it was perfect. The lecturers are all good, the course is very thorough, and there are a lot of really fantastic opportunities here as well as an incredible careers team.

I agree that it is second tier- not Oxbridge but certainly spillover. We have a lot of international students, as it is really an excellent university. We are first for student satisfaction according to UCAS and we are tenth in the UK (as mentioned).

I particularly like how thorough the course is. We do macro and micro, but we also do history of economics and statistics in our first term, and we do maths for economists in the second term which is very useful as the course is very heavily maths based in every module. (There is plenty of help with maths - I didn't do a-level maths but I'm managing well.) Lots of universities don't offer the history, and many less academic universities don't do much maths, which is essential for research and post-grad.

Exeter is also based 20 minutes from the city centre, and half an hour from the Quayside, it's a small city near the seaside, and has a really comfortable feel. There's no pressure to drink or go clubbing, but there is plenty of chances to if you want. There's lots of good shops- from high end (think House of Fraser and L'occitane) to your standard discount shops, and supermarkets galore.

I would certainly recommend it, and I know that lots of people are very happy here. Certainly there's advantages and disadvantages to every university, but I think Exeter is easily one of the best.

Very much so. It definitely sets you up for further study. The maths is pretty much a-level and its use for economics and an extension of alevel for the first year but then it becomes considerably more challenging from what I know. It's integration, differentiation, matrices, uni and multi variate functions etc.

Exeter was my first choice for economics but I did also apply for PPE at Oxford as my first choice. I got 4 As at A-level but was expected to get two A*, due to serious health reasons I didn't.
However I think the course here is suitably challenging- you can make it as difficult for yourself as you like, the lecturers are more than happy to give you extensions if you wish, or help if you need.

it sounds like you're very academic, but I would convert your grades into UCAS points and see how you compare. For the intake year this year (2014/2015) there were 6 applications per place which gives you an idea of how competitive it is.

I chose Warwick and Oxford for Politics Philosophy and Economics (PPE) and Exeter for economics. My insurance choice was Royal Holloway for economics, however that was just in case I really mess up my exams.
I would recommend looking at Warwick, Durham, St.Andrews, Loughborough, LSE, UCL as some excellent universities but look at The Times University League Tables and UCAS website for other good universities.

Further advice would be look at employability, the surrounding area (shops, libraries, facilities etc), general satisfaction and modules/topics.

Durham only offers a BA, which I don't think I'm interested in. What do you think about UEA, I heard it was really good for Economics. And Leeds?

UEA I've not heard much about, and Leeds was one I did consider applying to, but it does really depend on what you're looking for in a university (City/countryside, academic requirements, large/small etc) so I'd weigh up what's important to you and use that as well as academic standing

By the way, I am living in Leeds atm, and it's not that bad compared to Manchester for example. I didn't really like it, I'd rather have smaller cities (like Exeter) and now I'm very happy to be able to return there and study. Like @Erudite says, you have to take into account quite a few stuff before really deciding. Goodluck!

it sounds like you're very academic, but I would convert your grades into UCAS points and see how you compare. For the intake year this year (2014/2015) there were 6 applications per place which gives you an idea of how competitive it is.

I wouldn't worry about Durham offering only BA. It's better ranked than Exeter up there with UCL and Warwick for me. I would look at York, similar in reputation and sort of place to Exeter and slightly lower entry requirements