York or Durham

Hi!

I’ve been debating where to go for uni (to study physics) and have narrowed it down to Durham (Trevs) or York..... I was going to go to the visit day at Durham (which obviously now has been cancelled) and then make up my mind about which is better for me, so if people could reply with their opinions studying at either uni, that’d be much appreciated!

I enjoy a lot of music (I play violin) and so if people know about music societies and that sort of thing, that would also be really useful!

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

I've been to visit days at both and am similarly choosing between them (although for my insurance). I initially preferred Durham due to their reputation, but throughout the process started to prefer York as their marketing is excellent and Durham's is generally quite weak. However, after visiting them both I have decided that I much prefer Durham, as York just had the wrong vibe. Sorry, I know that isn't very helpful, but Durham felt much more academic and York was fairly underwhelming (although I preferred the city of York to Durham).

Reply 2

A Rolling Stone

20

Original post by stressed0ut

Hi!

I’ve been debating where to go for uni (to study physics) and have narrowed it down to Durham (Trevs) or York..... I was going to go to the visit day at Durham (which obviously now has been cancelled) and then make up my mind about which is better for me, so if people could reply with their opinions studying at either uni, that’d be much appreciated!

I enjoy a lot of music (I play violin) and so if people know about music societies and that sort of thing, that would also be really useful!

definitely York, although Trevs may not be ideal.

York is a wonderful city, but the campus is a bit meh and the students won't be as musically cultivated as at Durham which is populated with middle class types.

Reply 3

username5021294

9

I went to Durham and I had the time of my life. The formal dinners, the strong academic reputation, the nature, the proximity to Newcastle, the college bars, everything was just so great!

When I visited York, I thought it was quite dull and boring tbh.

Reply 4

musicstudent64

8

Original post by stressed0ut

Hi!

I’ve been debating where to go for uni (to study physics) and have narrowed it down to Durham (Trevs) or York..... I was going to go to the visit day at Durham (which obviously now has been cancelled) and then make up my mind about which is better for me, so if people could reply with their opinions studying at either uni, that’d be much appreciated!

I enjoy a lot of music (I play violin) and so if people know about music societies and that sort of thing, that would also be really useful!

Hi stressed0ut,

I'm a music student at York and I was wondering where you ended up?
Sorry I'm late to the party

Reply 5

Hazelhart95

1

Original post by stressed0ut

Hi!
I’ve been debating where to go for uni (to study physics) and have narrowed it down to Durham (Trevs) or York..... I was going to go to the visit day at Durham (which obviously now has been cancelled) and then make up my mind about which is better for me, so if people could reply with their opinions studying at either uni, that’d be much appreciated!
I enjoy a lot of music (I play violin) and so if people know about music societies and that sort of thing, that would also be really useful!

Durham is seen as a more prestigious university than York, it's seen as 3rd after Oxford and Cambridge. Depending what career you want to have you might get social standing points with middle and upper class people from going to Durham.
I did the summer school for Durham when I was at sixth form as I'm a county Durham local, I will say if you can stay in one of the towns or villages outside of Durham City and use the bus to go to uni you'll save a fair bit on accommodation, though you might want to stay in halls for your first year to make uni friends 🙂

York isn't a bad uni, I have no experience of it to be able to advise you for or against it.

I would say, pay attention to which uni you think is more organised when you're applying as that will likely caeey through to how they run the courses.

Best of luck!

Reply 6

Picnicl

15

Original post by Hazelhart95

Durham is seen as a more prestigious university than York, it's seen as 3rd after Oxford and Cambridge. Depending what career you want to have you might get social standing points with middle and upper class people from going to Durham.
I did the summer school for Durham when I was at sixth form as I'm a county Durham local, I will say if you can stay in one of the towns or villages outside of Durham City and use the bus to go to uni you'll save a fair bit on accommodation, though you might want to stay in halls for your first year to make uni friends 🙂
York isn't a bad uni, I have no experience of it to be able to advise you for or against it.
I would say, pay attention to which uni you think is more organised when you're applying as that will likely caeey through to how they run the courses.
Best of luck!

Durham is certainly better than York overall. York's campus was severely dated for years and would have been better used as the setting of a semi-picturesque but mostly bleak surrealist zombie movie set in the 1970s. York actually deserves to be in the Russell Group less than just about any other member and if Lancaster, Bath, or St Andrews had more staff, or if they wanted to be in, they'd be far more deserving. However, it is highly contestable that Durham is the third best UK university overall for anything but popularity with private schools but St Andrews has been pulling ahead of it slightly for that too. Durham is weak in some subjects, such as Computer Science, although a new building is pushing up student satisfaction.