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Probably much the same to be fair....Oxford would probably stand u in slightl better stead, but little in it as both are superb for His. N'theless for prestige....go Oxford! (just)
footballhead
i am wondering if i should apply to oxbridge as a history degree from durham night not be able to secure me a top job?


A History degree from anywhere (Oxford included) will not 'secure' you a top job these days. A Durham degree with lots of additional work experience, positions of responsibility and great interview skills will get you a lot further than an Oxford degree without much else.

What sort of area do you want a 'top' job in?
In IB it might make a difference, but the fact that you haven't done a quantitative degree will be more of a decisive factor.
Reply 4
An Oxbridge History degree and you are sorted, can go into many things, a Durham History degree however is several leagues below that, you'll be hard pressed to get a decent job (i.e. at least £30k starting).
So the majority of Oxbridge history grads go into top jobs ie IB, law etc?
Reply 6
this guy looks like such an idiot, who the hell puts their salary at the end of their messages. how nouveau, pfffft
Ignore him. He is talking about a very narrow field and he doesn't seem to be able to look outside that. A Durham degree is very desirable in the general job market and it is possible to get a good job (yes over £30,000) as a durham history graduate, however it will probably not be in IB and may be regionally based rather than in the city. I have several close friends who studied history at Durham and they are all earning well over £30,000 in their chosen careers. Many people in IB don't seem to realise that there are good jobs outside their little world.
Reply 8
jeffreyweingard
So the majority of Oxbridge history grads go into top jobs ie IB, law etc?

Most certainly. Even if they go into lower-paid jobs like development work or academia, they're all in really great jobs in their respective sectors.
ChemistBoy
Ignore him. He is talking about a very narrow field and he doesn't seem to be able to look outside that. A Durham degree is very desirable in the general job market and it is possible to get a good job (yes over £30,000) as a durham history graduate, however it will probably not be in IB and may be regionally based rather than in the city. I have several close friends who studied history at Durham and they are all earning well over £30,000 in their chosen careers. Many people in IB don't seem to realise that there are good jobs outside their little world.

I didn't say it's impossible, of course a fair few do it, I'm saying it's difficult. "History at Durham" is just a completely different kettle of fish for prestige and employability to History at Oxbridge.
Reply 9
Out of durham york and warwick, which is better for a job?
Reply 10
Worrick
footballhead
Out of durham york and warwick, which is better for a job?


Again, in what area?

There are major differences between, say, IB and teaching...
Reply 12
Say IB/city jobs etc
Reply 13
Worrick Worrick Worrick.

Barely anyone in the City from Durham, which is surprising cos it's a good uni. I assume a lot of them are from the north in the first place and want to stay up there maybe.
Reply 14
If your good enough for Oxbridge, you go for that. Whether the teaching or IT facilities are technically better at some other palce isnt the point, its the reputation of Oxbridge. That Oxbridge are 1st and 2nd in the world for many subjects and Durham is about 83rd proves the point. On the point of getting a top (a really top) job, Oxbridge degrees give you a headstart no matter which way you cut it. Goldman Sachs, the world's biggest investment bank, only recruits graduates from Oxbridge. My brother got a Physcis degree from Durham and went into the city, he worked for many smaller companies to start off before luckiily getting a job with Goldman in investment banking. The point is, you can ultimately get to the same place if you work hard and are good at what you do, its just coming out of Oxbridge puts you a few years ahead of the rest if you want to get a top job straight out of uni.

On getting a really high paid job straight outta uni, it may not be such a straight forward good idea. My brother said Oxbridge graduates in Goldman get worked into the ground; many stay in the workplace for 48hour stretches. My brother works roughly the same amount of time (but does nicer things than pure number crunching like the grads), but now hes 27 it isnt such a big deal. If your straight outta uni at 21 and go to London, you dont want to spend your life's best couple of years outside of uni (like 21 to 25) suck in an office, even if it is nice to say you work for a top company.

Evenso, many of my bro's Goldman colleauges are all suprised someone with a 'mere' Durham degree is working alongside them. Many have firsts from Oxbridge and some other 'extras' from like Harvard or somewhere.

It is indeed all very snobbish and a bit revolting, but its just the way it is. I'm definately with CityTrader - its hard to get respect in the top jobs unless youve got qualifications from the top uni's
Reply 15
Consie
Goldman Sachs, the world's biggest investment bank, only recruits graduates from Oxbridge.

No they don't.
Goldman Sachs, the world's biggest investment bank, only recruits graduates from Oxbridge.


Indeed. Less than 30% (and probably less than 25%) of their new graduate recruits come from Oxbridge.
CityTrader
An Oxbridge History degree and you are sorted, can go into many things, a Durham History degree however is several leagues below that, you'll be hard pressed to get a decent job (i.e. at least £30k starting).



you say that 30k starting is decent, but do you or anyone else hav an idea of what the very highest starting slaries are and in which jobs. And pls dont say "a lot" - try and give a figure even if its only a rough guess.
Reply 18
13 stone of genius
you say that 30k starting is decent, but do you or anyone else hav an idea of what the very highest starting slaries are and in which jobs. And pls dont say "a lot" - try and give a figure even if its only a rough guess.

- M&A at Goldmans, MS, Greenhill etc can pay up to £65-75k in your first yr including the bonus.
- American law firms in London (Shearman & Sterling, Debevoise & Plimpton, Skadden Arps) will pay almost £100,000 once you've qualified (LPC law qual, then 2yrs training - see http://www.rollonfriday.com/insideinfo_city.htm)
Reply 19
Okay, whatever way you look at it, £30,000 is an awful lot of money. Do you have any concept of value at all? Yeah, it isn't £100,000, but it will still give you a decent lifestyle. The snobbery around here is unbelievable.