Durham Vs Sheffield

I have received unconditional offers for both of these unis for biological sciences but I'm totally torn.
I understand that Durham is more prestigious and maybe offers more job opportunities after the degree, but in the past I have struggled with severe anxiety surrounding grades and achievement. I worry that Durham would be too much pressure and wonder if I'd be better off somewhere "less prestigious" with less academic pressure with more focus on social life. I love Sheffield as a place and the uni and course are great but I'm worried I'll regret going somewhere less prestigious in the long run.
Any advice would be great :smile:

(not sure which forum to put this in apologies if this is the wrong place)

Reply 1

A Rolling Stone

20

Original post by whirling-tree

I have received unconditional offers for both of these unis for biological sciences but I'm totally torn.
I understand that Durham is more prestigious and maybe offers more job opportunities after the degree, but in the past I have struggled with severe anxiety surrounding grades and achievement. I worry that Durham would be too much pressure and wonder if I'd be better off somewhere "less prestigious" with less academic pressure with more focus on social life. I love Sheffield as a place and the uni and course are great but I'm worried I'll regret going somewhere less prestigious in the long run.
Any advice would be great :smile:

(not sure which forum to put this in apologies if this is the wrong place)

while it sounds like you'll be happier at Sheffield you should not assume the degree would be less stressful - both degrees will be at "degree level" so the difference in difficulty will be minor

with regards to job opportunities with a biology degree - they will be poor regardless, unless you get lots of white collar work experience or a PhD (i did a biology degree)

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

whirling-tree

OP

2

Original post by A Rolling Stone

Original post by whirling-tree

I have received unconditional offers for both of these unis for biological sciences but I'm totally torn.
I understand that Durham is more prestigious and maybe offers more job opportunities after the degree, but in the past I have struggled with severe anxiety surrounding grades and achievement. I worry that Durham would be too much pressure and wonder if I'd be better off somewhere "less prestigious" with less academic pressure with more focus on social life. I love Sheffield as a place and the uni and course are great but I'm worried I'll regret going somewhere less prestigious in the long run.
Any advice would be great :smile:

(not sure which forum to put this in apologies if this is the wrong place)

while it sounds like you'll be happier at Sheffield you should not assume the degree would not be less stressful - both degrees will be at "degree level" so the difference in difficulty will be minor

with regards to job opportunities with a biology degree - they will be poor regardless, unless you get lots of white collar work experience or a PhD (i did a biology degree)

Thanks so much for your response. I completely get what you're saying. I suppose it's just more about my enjoyment of the modules and how hard I personally find the topics than the overall difficulty.

Original post by whirling-tree

I have received unconditional offers for both of these unis for biological sciences but I'm totally torn.
I understand that Durham is more prestigious and maybe offers more job opportunities after the degree, but in the past I have struggled with severe anxiety surrounding grades and achievement. I worry that Durham would be too much pressure and wonder if I'd be better off somewhere "less prestigious" with less academic pressure with more focus on social life. I love Sheffield as a place and the uni and course are great but I'm worried I'll regret going somewhere less prestigious in the long run.
Any advice would be great :smile:

(not sure which forum to put this in apologies if this is the wrong place)

Hi there

Congratulations on securing both offers!

I can understand your concern about academics being a serious priority for Durham students but I really don't think that's the case. Durham particularly is very extracurricular focused- there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in sports, drama, music and societies and generally build up your skills through different means. Ofcourse academics are important, and they will be no matter where you go, but in my experience, Durham has been more than just a place of study. I have grown so much here over the past 3 years and achieved so much. I am learning Korean as one of my modules even though I study law, I've got work experience within the uni departments through which I've developed skills, and I've experienced the collegiate system that's so supportive. Even with academics, there's so much support available if you're struggling. Durham Centre for Academic Development exists to help you study better. For instance, they can assist if you're struggling to catch up with readings or take notes effectively during lectures or write good essays.

The social life is just as good. There's quite a lot to get involved in inside and outside the uni. Sports, societies, college events, balls, and formals are all part of students' social life here. Also, colleges have their own bars and social spaces where you can hang out with your friends. There are several clubs and bars in the city centre too, many of which are student-dominated on Wednesday and Friday nights. Newcastle is just 15 minutes away by train and costs around £5 for a return journey- an option that students tend to choose as well if they want a change of scenery. I'd recommend checking our our student-run social pages to see what life is like at Durham- https://www.tiktok.com/@thedurhamstudent ; https://www.instagram.com/thedurhamstudent/?hl=en

Hopefully, I've been able to alleviate your concerns, but please feel free to reach out if you have any more questions. Good luck :smile:

-Himieka

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 4

gglr

11

In all honesty I think sheffield is still pretty prestigious or at least the workload will be similar to that of Durham, so I’d go for whichever place you like the feel of the most.

Durham Vs Sheffield

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