Which is the best college at York?

hiyeeeeeee

I'm deciding between York and Birmingham for my firm choice to study English Literature and History joint honours, but I'm leaning more towards York. For accommodation, which college is good for the following??

- Strong sense of college pride (or maybe a rivalry or something)

- Not a social dumpster but not getting hammered every night either

- Preferably nicer accommodation but not essential

- I'm also rlly lazy so I wouldn't mind being close to my lectures lol

I really like the look of Goodricke or Langwith but I know they're Hes East and I probably lack the willpower to go to 9am lectures if I have to walk much - which college is the one?

thanks!

York shouldnt even have a college system its just not good enough imo.

College pride/rivalry really isn't a thing, though there are some (largely harmless) stereotypes, like Derwent having asbestos (it doesn't... any more, anyway), Halifax being far away, rich people living on Hes East and a few more. But they're mostly just accommodation, none are a 'social dumpster', and I'd choose based on price and quality of accommodation above anything else.

The Hes East colleges are the nicest in terms of accommodation. I lived in Constantine in my first year, despite being taught (I study Politics) on Hes West, and the commute wasn't bad - there's a free bus, the 66, which is around every 8 minutes at peak times. The walk is fairly long but you don't have to walk unless you want to. The commute is only a pain on Sundays and late evenings (buses are irregular), or when there's traffic in the city centre (which is where the buses come to and from, therefore delaying them). The only major problem with Hes East was the lack of a shop, but they've opened a small supermarket now, in addition to a restaurant, a Greggs, and a few other things. You'll never be able to roll out of bed straight into lectures but the compromise may be worth it for you if you like the accommodation there best.

Thank you - that's really helpful! I've looked at other posts and seen people say that Hes East is a bit out of it in terms of location, whereas Hes West is more lively, but I thought Hes East looked good because it meant that I wouldn't be spending all my time on the same campus. Would you say it matters much what college you're in (as in, do people regret choosing one college over another and can it affect your overall uni experience)?

I've not known anybody regret which college they ended up in - a lot of the time, people don't get their first choice as some colleges are much more popular than others, but everyone largely likes where they go. It doesn't really affect your overall university experience so much - if you don't really like your college as a first year, you can just choose to not get involved with college activities, and as a second or third year you'll probably choose to live in private accommodation, so your interaction with your college will be limited to if you're on the committee or become a STYC. I was in Constantine in my first year; I haven't even visited it in my second year!

Ultimately they're all more or less the same and can be differentiated by broad location (which campus) and type of accommodation only. The other differences are small - like while Langwith has a bar and Constantine/Goodricke don't, they're so close that it just doesn't matter - so I really wouldn't worry about them. I'd say choose based on price and you'll like wherever you end up.

why would you even compare birimingham with york...one is a top uni, the other is a bit useless.

do you know what the situation is with wifi? I've heard that at some unis you need to get a router for your room

Which one is which? lol

I would have thought it was obvious. I think you should talk to your teachers about which are the best universities to go to with your predicted grades. But imo birmingham is really mediocre (unless you're doing medicine or dentistry), and york is a top uni.

I'm afraid you're a severely misinformed idiot. No one listen to this idiot please.

can you tell me what you think then?

I don't think going to either one will make much difference to future prospects, it's just a matter of personal choice. But Birmingham is very well established both nationally and globally, whereas York is just yesterday's top 10.

I think that's more than a bit harsh.

Birmingham is a much older university and has had much longer to establish it's reputation. York on the other hand has had to try and establish itself very quickly, which it has succeeded at, based on its consistent appearances in the top 20 rankings in the league tables, often appearing much higher.

I thought the other poster's comment was more than a bit harsh.



And there you have it. Birmingham is more established than York. Who's mediocre now?

Please don't base your impressions of reputation on silly media rankings.

The other poster was perhaps incorrect, there is no need to throw insults around though.

It was you who brought up those "silly media rankings" when you termed it "yesterday's top ten".
York's reputation isn't just based on just on rankings. I have applied for Law and I can't speak for the other courses offered, but York has a resounding record for it's students getting first and upper second class degrees, up there with the best of the best, and an excellent record for employability.

I'm aware there's no such thing as a 'top 10' university, I was merely communicating in the style of TSR so that people would understand.

Any job advert specifying they want a minimum of a 2:1 from a 'top university' will accept one from either Birmingham or York. I've never come across a job saying that they want a 2:1 from a 'top 10' university.

Calling a university with 0 Nobel Laureates a "top university", and then a university with 11 Nobel Laureates (and 2 Prime Ministers) to its name "really mediocre" doesn't seem right, somehow. If that's the logic of today's university applicants then I despair.

I agree with you regarding Birminghams reputation/history, but there was no need to be rude towards the other user. Most of the notable people who studied at Birmingham are long since dead. They studied there back when there were only a handful of universities in England. The prime minister's you refer to are Baldwin (studied at Cambridge, did his Masters in Birmingham) and Chamberlain. I'm not trying to take anything anyway from Birmingham, but I think it's fair to say that it isn't as prestigious as it once was.

There was no need to insult York in a thread written for people who want to go there either. York has only truly come into it's own in the past decade and a half, hence why it doesn't have the same level of notable alumni (yet). That doesn't mean it isn't a top university.