Recommend me some unis!

Lancaster does have majors and minors but not for all subjects. physics is the full 120 credits with the amount of topic they have to cover, so doesnt offer the minor.

It sounds like you would enjoy Durham! It has a very cute little town, it is a very well respected university, the architecture is beautiful, it has great tradition and culture.

It sounds like you would enjoy Durham! It has a very cute little town, it is a very well respected university, the architecture is beautiful, it has great tradition and culture.

Hello everyone!

I was thinking of Durham for OP too. Also, maybe St Andrews?

Hello everyone!

Well it's been a weird year...so I've decided to take a gap year to gather my thoughts! I was incredibly grateful that everything paid off and I got A*A*A*A in English Literature, Psychology, Drama and History so now I'm looking for some unis to apply to for English Literature!

A little about me:
I'm a rural girl from a state school, so London is out of the question (I don't really like the size and busy-ness but especially not the prices...) but other cities aren't - of the (few) I've visited, I liked the feel of Birmingham, Gloucester, York, Dublin and Edinburgh (although obviously the uni is most important and unis in more rural areas are great too!)
I care greatly about the employability prospects of the uni because it's all such an uncertain time so I suppose I'm asking for unis that are more "established" in my subject or in general
I like literature from across literally every time period, but I have a soft spot for mid 18th century to present
A bit trivial, but I really like the aesthetic appeal of ancient universities - the architecture, tradition, history etc. (but clearly this isn't the most important thing, just a bonus!)
I'm not looking to only stay in the UK so any international suggestions welcome 🙂
I like the idea of a more flexible course (like at Scottish unis; think Manchester and Lancaster have majors and minors?; think Cambridge lets you borrow papers outside your course? etc.)

Any and all suggestions (preferably with justifications) welcome - let's find me 5 unis!

Thanks guys, have a great day 🙂

it sounds like St Andrews is perfect for you... Scottish degrees are naturally flexible - while you study 1 subject only for three years in England (generally), in Scotland you start off with 3 subjects of your choice in your first year

see my applicants 2021 thread! https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6431074

Hello everyone!

Well it's been a weird year...so I've decided to take a gap year to gather my thoughts! I was incredibly grateful that everything paid off and I got A*A*A*A in English Literature, Psychology, Drama and History so now I'm looking for some unis to apply to for English Literature!

A little about me:
I'm a rural girl from a state school, so London is out of the question (I don't really like the size and busy-ness but especially not the prices...) but other cities aren't - of the (few) I've visited, I liked the feel of Birmingham, Gloucester, York, Dublin and Edinburgh (although obviously the uni is most important and unis in more rural areas are great too!)
I care greatly about the employability prospects of the uni because it's all such an uncertain time so I suppose I'm asking for unis that are more "established" in my subject or in general
I like literature from across literally every time period, but I have a soft spot for mid 18th century to present
A bit trivial, but I really like the aesthetic appeal of ancient universities - the architecture, tradition, history etc. (but clearly this isn't the most important thing, just a bonus!)
I'm not looking to only stay in the UK so any international suggestions welcome 🙂
I like the idea of a more flexible course (like at Scottish unis; think Manchester and Lancaster have majors and minors?; think Cambridge lets you borrow papers outside your course? etc.)

Any and all suggestions (preferably with justifications) welcome - let's find me 5 unis!

Thanks guys, have a great day 🙂

Hi @Ciara0720,

First of all congrats on your fantastic A Level grades! You must be so pleased.

I studied English Literature at Birmingham (2019 graduate) so if you have any questions about the course / city / University in general then just ask away. I also went to a state school but I never found this to be much of a big deal at UoB.

As you mentioned an interest in particular time periods I thought it might be helpful to share some of my favourite modules from the course:

This is just a small selection of the modules I studied, of course there are many more!

What I really liked about the course was that it was very flexible, we didn't have very many compulsory modules, especially compared to other courses (3/4 in first year, 1 in second year and none in final year). Where we had optional modules there were so many choices in each option block (around 10 options per block in y3) so that meant I could always find something that I was really passionate about, rather than something I could just tolerate.

If you're looking for something with even more flexibility I would definitely recommend taking a look at the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences programmes. These programmes are almost completely flexible and allow you to pick modules from across the entire University to create a degree programme completely unique to you.


I hope this gives you a little to think about but if you have any more questions at all just let me know!

Molly

Harvard

Hi Molly, this is super helpful, thank you so much 🙂 Might be another one for the list! How would you say Birmingham is viewed by employers?

Thanks 🙂

No problem! I'd say its viewed well, being one of the original Redbrick Universities in the UK obviously it has it has a long history and the reputation that goes along with that. I think we are also known for being academically rigorous with nearly all of our courses requiring ABB or higher. We were out of clearing this year by about midday and only for a very select number of courses, this just goes to show that this year the vast majority of our places were filled by students who met or exceeded their entry requirements.

That being said I would say from my own experience (and from speaking to friends / siblings who went to other Universities, e.g. Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool) that most employers don't have specific views on individual Universities, generally they tend to view Russel Group Universities as being on a par with one another (excluding Oxford and Cambridge) so it likely won't be a huge factor in their decision making.

What I would say is to look out for unique opportunities at each of the places you're applying. Do they have links with specific employers, do they have placement modules available as part of the course, do they allow you to take on part time work and internships during your studies? These are the things that will make your CV stand out. As much as the Uni you choose will affect your experience it usually isn't the defining feature of your employability as a graduate.

Hope this helps! - Molly

Great, thank you - I'll check out your thread too 🙂

St Andrews is coming up a lot, any other suggestions?

any of the topic unis will be an option for you!

and to answer your other query, as someone who has been in 'the real world' for 3 years now, employers are impressed by unis they recognise as prestigious, but ulmtilately, they do not care what uni you went to, but what work experience/evidence of people skills you have on your CV

Hopefully so 🙂

Okay, thanks - I'd still like options leaning more to the typically "prestigious" side because as you said people are to some extent impressed by them, but also because the people who attend them seem to have a similar mindset to me (and I don't want to undersell myself!) With that in mind, do you have any suggestions for anywhere that might suit me?

Thanks for your help so far 🙂

Warwick, Durham, Bristol

Okay, do you know if this is the case for English Literature? Does Lancaster seem like a good fit for me?