Economics and Finance at Southampton or Exeter University?

Honestly I have no idea whether I prefer I want to live in a small or medium size city. Which one has the best graduate prospects?

Negligible difference

Firstly, visit both and compare atmosphere and location. Both Southampton and Exeter are very different places in marginally different places in the country.

Secondly, compare the modules available at both universities and see which course you would prefer. One thing I would note, however, is that Southampton's course has a compulsory financial econometrics module in third year whereas Exeter doesn't seem to offer this.

The important thing to remember is that both universities are good and will give you equal opportunities in the job market. What will count, however, is you as an applicant and whether you're able to create a good application to entice employers.

I'm doing Economics at Southampton and have chosen most of the finance modules, so if you've any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

OK I am going to take you up on your offer and overload you with questions if you don't mind. Some general and others related to the courses.

First few...
1) Are the lecturers understandable.... I ask this as when I went to another unis open day for the economics due to the head lecturers accent I didn't understand a word

2) Are there racial divides socially.... currently in my school usually the white people hang out with each other, the brown people hang out with each other etc, or is everybody just mixed due to their hobbies etc?

3) Looked on the site but I couldn't find it... how many hours of private study would a module require on average?

Thanks

No worries.

1- From my experience, most have been understandable. They occasionally make grammatical errors, but they try to speak clearly so you make out what they're saying.

2- Yup, there are social divides. This however often stems from cultural differences - the international Chinese students are working nonstop in the library and don't drink; the south Asians from London tend not to drink or will only go to 'classy' clubs; and the white folk tend to go to dingy clubs just because it's really cheap and all they care about is cost. That said, you can buck the trend - I've specifically gone out and made friends with international students as well as south Asians from London. If you're willing to vary your interests and try a range of different things, then you definitely can meet a wide variety of people.

3- The university recommends 7 hours per module per week. They basically say you should be working in total 40 hours a week including contact hours. Contact hours are 12 hours per week in first and second year, so you are recommended to do 28 hours of independent study during the week. This of course will depend on you as an individual, how you're finding a topic, and so on.

No worries.

1- From my experience, most have been understandable. They occasionally make grammatical errors, but they try to speak clearly so you make out what they're saying.

2- Yup, there are social divides. This however often stems from cultural differences - the international Chinese students are working nonstop in the library and don't drink; the south Asians from London tend not to drink or will only go to 'classy' clubs; and the white folk tend to go to dingy clubs just because it's really cheap and all they care about is cost. That said, you can buck the trend - I've specifically gone out and made friends with international students as well as south Asians from London. If you're willing to vary your interests and try a range of different things, then you definitely can meet a wide variety of people.

3- The university recommends 7 hours per module per week. They basically say you should be working in total 40 hours a week including contact hours. Contact hours are 12 hours per week in first and second year, so you are recommended to do 28 hours of independent study during the week. This of course will depend on you as an individual, how you're finding a topic, and so on.

ugk4life... I didn't have an interview. If you don't mind me asking, what was your offer?

hey. I've applied for economics and philosophy at Southampton this year and have been asked to an interview. just wanted to ask whether you had an interview and what to expect.

thanks

OK well I might as well be honest and describe myself as a South Asian from London

More questions if you don't mind....
1) Do the south Asians speak English among themselves.... silly question I know

2) Do you get to stay on Highfield campus for the whole three years, I am a UK applicant?

3) Do many banks, financial companies come and introduce themselves and invite people to their internships etc, how hard would it be to get in?

Cheers mate

The interview will be conducted by the School of Humanities since it's for the Philosophy component of your course, not the Economics component. Unless I'm mistaken, the course Economics and Philosophy is administrated by the School of Humanities, so the admissions procedures and course options, etc. will be slightly different from those who are doing straight Economics or some Economics variant within the Economics Division.

That said, I know people who've had interviews from the School of Humanities for Philosophy and it's more of an inform chat about you, your personality, your work ethic, your knowledge of philosophy, etc. but it's nothing too heavy or in depth.

oh ok thanks a lot. yeah, just had a second look at the letter and it says dept of philosophy on it.

can i ask what you would recommend wearing to the day. is a suit ok, or too formal?

thanks for the help,

I'd think a suit would be a bit too formal. Just wear smart casual, like a shirt and some smart trousers and shoes. But that said you can never be too formal, so a suit would definitely be okay. Just don't go in jeans and a t-shirt or anything.

Hah, no worries.

1- Yup, they tend to speak English. You do get some groups who speak their native language but these are few and far between.

2- All lectures and classes for Economics students are on Highfield. You won't need to go to any other campus unless you choose an optional module specifically taught by a School at that campus.

3- Lots of financial services firms, banks, and even a handful of consultancies come to Southampton for careers fairs, employer presentation evenings, and other related events such as CV talks, mock interviews, and so on.

http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/finman.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/scieng.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/graduate.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/actuarial_soc_fair_11.html

So you can see a lot of big name firms come and visit Southampton and recruit Southampton graduates.

If you put in the work, get a 1st, do well in extra curricula activities, and have a good CV/covering letter and focus on your applications, going to Southampton won't hinder you in the job market.

Hah, no worries.

1- Yup, they tend to speak English. You do get some groups who speak their native language but these are few and far between.

2- All lectures and classes for Economics students are on Highfield. You won't need to go to any other campus unless you choose an optional module specifically taught by a School at that campus.

3- Lots of financial services firms, banks, and even a handful of consultancies come to Southampton for careers fairs, employer presentation evenings, and other related events such as CV talks, mock interviews, and so on.

http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/finman.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/scieng.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/graduate.html
http://www.soton.ac.uk/careers/news/fairs/actuarial_soc_fair_11.html

Cheers for the detailed reply. In all honesty I am edging towards Southampton right now simply because I like the course structure and because it is nearer to home. I have already applied for the visit day so I will probably make my final decision then.

Now for my final questions..
1) How is crime, violence etc on campus, if any?
2) How is crime, violence etc during the night around clubs etc (basically wherever students would hang out) ?
3) Overall, would you say the bedrooms are decently sized, clean etc?
4) Probably really hard to answer, how many Tamils attend Southampton?
4) Do you/can you share rooms with others after the 1st year?
5) Are there any broadband limits, is the broadband fast, are there any overly protective net nannys etc?
6) Feel free to ignore this question.... What's the worst thing that has happened to anybody during your time at Southampton?

Cheers, rep left

Edit: I checked the crime maps from Police UK but I don't think that it would be very representative.
So you can see a lot of big name firms come and visit Southampton and recruit Southampton graduates.

If you put in the work, get a 1st, do well in extra curricula activities, and have a good CV/covering letter and focus on your applications, going to Southampton won't hinder you in the job market.