Durham or Leeds?

It's not really about which degree you do, that's mostly fluff. Getting into IB/Law requires you to a) be at a good uni (which Leeds is), that's preferably targeted by banks/law firms (Durham), b) have good grades (A*s, As and Bs at A-level, 2:1 or 1st etc), c) show interest/general knowledge towards the role and industry and be able to communicate it in an interview, d) have leadership skills developed by leading things, volunteering, sports, extra curricular stuff. Neither IB or Law particularly pay much attention to the degree subject, but more to who you are as a person. Although, yeah, a language degree could come in handy when dealing with international clients; you could play that angle.

Leeds

Thanks! A lot of people have told me that you have to be a "rounded" person with some work experience too. So there's a possibility that I could still go into IB with a degree from Leeds?

Yeah, if you tick all the boxes! My friend is at Leeds and has done alright IB wise.

Are you going to Leeds?

No but I went to the uni and it is amazing

Some people saying that you should go to Durham because of prestige, even if prestige does matter the benefits of Durham over Leeds will be so little I doubt it would make a difference, it's not as if it's between Durham and Leeds Beckett.

I don't know if you've chosen yet, but I would definitely say go for Leeds.

I've applied for Japanese too, so can kind of relate to your question. The Japanese course at Durham is quite new and underdeveloped, whereas Leeds has an amazing faculty and course (a lot better than Durham). Also the fact that you'd be coming out with a high level in both Japanese and Chinese is a bonus. At Durham that wouldn't be possible. I don't think you should choose a university just because of its prestige. Leeds and Durham are both Russell Group universities, so an employer is not going to massively favour one over the other. They are not that far apart in rankings either (it's not like you're comparing Oxford and Leeds, for example).

I would never really advise anyone to choose a uni just because of its ranking. It's where you're going to be studying for 4 or 5 years (in the case of Leeds), so it's even more important that you enjoy the course and come out with the skillset you think is going to benefit you best. Besides, once you graduate, there's always the opportunity of going and doing a Master's at somewhere like Oxford, which I can only assume would be even more favourably looked at by an employer, especially if you're planning on going into IB which is very competitive!

I'd say, go with Leeds. However, you need to sharpen up your analytical and decision-making skills, given your career aspirations.

Usual thing: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, opportunity costs, and identifying then ranking your criteria, and mapping each scenario in quantified way.

Then if you don't like the indicated winner, go with the other option whilst accepting that it's a subjective process.

Usual thing: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, opportunity costs, and identifying then ranking your criteria, and mapping each scenario in quantified way.

Then if you don't like the indicated winner, go with the other option whilst accepting that it's a subjective process.

I'd go for Leeds - yes, Durham is slightly more prestigious, but university prestige only matters for specific professions (Law and IB come to mind) and actually, it doesn't matter too much to the rest of the world. Leeds is still a fantastic university either way, so it's not like you'll be severely disadvantaged!

What matters more is what you do during university - internships, volunteering, etc. Not to mention you'd have a better 3 years at Leeds than Durham cos lol, it's Durham. AND two languages is always very impressive!

I was thinking about going into banking after university (or maybe law) so that's what's been worrying me about going to Leeds. I would rather study two languages at degree level than one, because I think it provides a greater set of skills than just one and also I really love studying languages.

Thanks for the advice. I was wondering about actual things I could do to improve those skills?