Help choosing unis!

Hello, I'm a bit confused now over what uni to choose for next year. I've had offers from Bath, Cardiff, Durham and Manchester for different forms of combined social sciences. How do the unis compare? What has the best/worst reputation?? Which has the best social and night life? Which has the best job prospects? Any advice would be greatly appreciated :biggrin:

Reply 1

Jelkin

I think it's great that you've distinguished between "social" and "night" life. Durham has an EXCELLENT social scene, but its night life might not suit all. (I'm perfectly happy with it, but some people choose to go to Newcastle instead, which is apparently awesome and really cheap to get to.) I don't think reputation should be a deciding factor, really, if only because I really don't want to get back into one of those debates! Though Durham would definitely not lose that fight here. I think job prospects are good for any of those unis, so long as you get a good degree!

I don't know a lot about the other unis. Bath is a beautiful city but I can't imagine it being that exciting, my friend goes to Cardiff and loves it, and Manchester - no idea. Check out timesonline.co.uk in the Education in the Good University Guide to check out the subject tables to see how each one fares for the subjects you're planning to take.

Oh, and DEFINITELY visit - you'll only really be able to decide where's best for you if you have a look around. For example, I knew when I went to Warwick that it wasn't for me, even though I'd been keen on it beforehand.

Durham University

Durham

Visit website

Reply 2

NickiM

Nobody can tell you which is best, you have to make your own judgement, as only you know what you like :smile:

Go and visit as many of them as you can, and good luck :smile:

Reply 3

AdamTJ

You are obviously going to get biased answers in the Durham forum. A lot of people seem to think Manchester is very up and coming. However in terms of sheer prestige at the moment the order would have to (for me):

Durham

Manchester
Bath, Cardiff

That is an honest answer. That is in sheer reputation terms. You should look at other factors. For instance if you prefer a large city existence to a tiny city existence go to Manchester.

If you prefer the collegiate system pick Durham.

There are so many factors to consider, Manchester is still a pretty good university.

Reply 4

Turdburger

Manchester over Bath???? Bath is a top 10-15 uni, I wouldn't say Manchester is.

I would say,

Durham(small gap)
Bath(big gap)

Manchester(medium gap)
Cardiff

Reply 5

pingwe

Why would you question Manchester being over Bath? I completely agree with AdamTJ, in terms of his choice of rank. But, bluesky5 what courses have you applied for in those unis exactly?

Reply 6

Itchynscratchy

Heartbreaker

Manchester over Bath???? Bath is a top 10-15 uni, I wouldn't say Manchester is.

Don't be silly, of course Manchester is a top 15 uni. I would rank it over Bath. Depends on the course though.

To the OP. Just visit them all and see for yourself. No one else's opinion should matter

Reply 7

AdamTJ

Heartbreaker

Manchester over Bath???? Bath is a top 10-15 uni, I wouldn't say Manchester is.

I would say,

Durham(small gap)
Bath(big gap)

Manchester(medium gap)
Cardiff

You rely too much on the league tables. These are not an accurate measure of prestige and job prospects. For instance Loughborough does well in them, but no one would argue that it was better than any of these universities.

I'll explain to you my reasons- Durham-very prestigious and established university. Definitely the best name domestically to go to.

Manchester- also established and also fairly prestigious, not quite so much as Durham, but is improving and will continue to improve. This is a university that is going places fast. Has a good international reputation as well, which is something to consider.

Bath- good, solid university, lacks the prestige of either Durham or even Manchester. Does well in the league tables, but not considered as good as Warwick, Nottingham or even York.

Cardiff- this is another red brick, again fairly good, solid if unspectacular.

They are all good universities. Please note, that this is a statement of their prestige, not their absolute quality. Some may argue that whilst Durham still retains its prestigious name, it fails to provide the teaching quality of other top UK institutions who are better funded, including Manchester. Whilst I would obviously dispute this, that argument is for another thread.

I have tried to be as fair and unbiased as possible

Reply 8

messica

Totally agreeing with timetravellerswife above, the Combined course here is like no other I found when searching for courses, the choice is UNBELIEVABLE.

Plus, I heart Prof. Smith. He's so fab.