If you are going to base you're whole perception on which university is better on merely the Times University Guide, then so be it. Although, as "informed" as you may be, many people would say that Newspaper ratings are not the ideal thing to go by. a good example is Durham itself. According to the Times rankings, Durham is 3rd, while Bristol I believe is somewhere like 18th! And according to the Guardian, Durham is 33rd!! So you realise how "informed" our decisions will be when we take them by looking at newspaper rankings? A better way would be to think about employer's points of view - and in that regard, many believe Durham to be ahead of Brisol. Look at Lawz's thread in this same forum concerning the matter. Whatsmore, look at the standard offers at both universities. While Durham gives out AAA as its standard offer, Bristol continuously gives AAB or ABB (as in my case). Faulty or not, logic might seem to suggest that students at Durham are a bit more accomplished at A Level than those at Bristol; which says a bit about the university itself.