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Studying History - Bristol, Exeter or York?

Hello,

Now I probably havn't researched universities enough and I certainly havn't visited enough - its taken me long enough to get it figured out in my head that history is what I want to study! In any case, I don't want to make a rash decision so I thought i'd throw up a few queries that people might be able to help with to get me on my way.

My grades weren't so good last year and after applying to Bristol, Warwick, Oxford, Exeter, York and Manchester, I only got offers from the latter three. I was quite pleased in any case, seeing as Exeter was my third choice and both Bristol and Oxford were always a long shot. But grades have turned out better than expected with 3 high A's at A2 and I might not take the Exeter offer afterall.

On one level i'm tempted to go by league tables, and then on the other hand, I feel that its not a good way to judge which university I go to. I mean, overall, Bristol (originally my first choice and I love the city and university from what i've seen) is higher than both York and Exeter is general league tables, but in History league tables, York tends to beat out both. As silly as this may seem, what does this mean? Would I be better of with a degree from Bristol in just about anything seeing as its a better regarded university than the other two, or would the university that supposedly offers the best History course, York, be better for me in terms of career prospects (of course dependent on whether or not I follow a career path where my history degree is of relevance) and of course, enjoyment.

I know that all three are top universities and looking at it that way I feel that maybe I should just get on with it and be happy with Exeter! Yet it is 3+ years, so I feel I should do a bit more research which, as said, I havn't really done so far. Re-applying may mean losing Exeter alltogether as I won't necessarilly get another offer; in fact i'm a bit worried that they may keep track of old applicants and seeing my name pop up again in next years cycle, assume that Exeter isn't my first choice and that i'm not all that interested in the course. Very difficult to decide.

In any case, reading through the above mess, I guess what i'm really asking is how far the league tables matter. Will there be a significant difference in the quality of the History course I get at York compared to Bristol for example, or is it all negligble really? And, if anyone's done a History course at any of the above universities, than I wouldn't mind hearing about it. Basically i'm at a deadpoint and any encouragement one way or another, would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

Reply 1

Lottie

A school friend of mine applied for history this year and received offers from universities such as Durham, Southampton and York. She also achieved three A grades at A Level and will be going to Exeter in a few weeks. What is right for her isn't necessarily right for you but I thought you might find it reassuring to know that there are some people who prefer Exeter to York et al.

Reply 2

Minerva

Pikey

On one level i'm tempted to go by league tables, and then on the other hand, I feel that its not a good way to judge which university I go to.

It certainly isn't. The subject league tables are based on very narrow criteria which are skewed towards the popular as well as the high quality. There are excellent courses that don't score well in these tables.

Pikey

I mean, overall, Bristol (originally my first choice and I love the city and university from what i've seen) is higher than both York and Exeter is general league tables, but in History league tables, York tends to beat out both. As silly as this may seem, what does this mean?

Not a lot at this level.

Pikey

Would I be better of with a degree from Bristol in just about anything seeing as its a better regarded university than the other two, or would the university that supposedly offers the best History course, York, be better for me in terms of career prospects (of course dependent on whether or not I follow a career path where my history degree is of relevance) and of course, enjoyment.

A good 2:1 from any of these universities (and some others you don't mention) will be fine for most purposes. If you believed everything you read in the IB forum Exeter would be a no-no and this is simply not true. If you feel that you are selling yourself a bit "short" having AAA for an AAB offer - you will find plenty of people in the same boat. You will not be short of intellectual challenge!!

The essential consideration here is "do you like the course?" Does it cover the ground you are interested in? What are the compulsory elements? How much choice do you have and when? What if you decide you don't like History after all?

A final point - re-applying is not a risk-free option. Even with high A2 grades you could still find that you don't get the offers you might hope for and you could find yourself out on a limb. Worth taking into account.

Reply 3

moses111

I've heard negative things about Bristol for History, apparently the contact times are lower than you'd expect (I'm aware that art subjects generally do have low times but in comparison). I think I recall a bristol history student commenting about wanting to study with top professors and ending up paying for a reading list and a library pass. This being said, don't trust the media in the same way that you shouldn't trust the league tables.

I looked at bristol, exeter, york, and ucl and decided upon ucl because it was in the city and was pretty prestigious, had a good course etc. Aside from that I liked York alot, its a beautiful, small city (where the university is should be just as important as other factors imo) and seemed to have a good course and friendly tutors/students. My friend who travelled to an open day at York decided to take his offer to study history there (and also got 3 As with an offer to UCL) - the only negatives I can remember were that the university itself is abit out of town and looks like a 70s high school :P.

I wasn't a massive fan of exeter personally but my criteria may well be different to yours.

Its only by visiting the places that you'll get a vibe about it, not looking at league tables.

Reply 4

Pikey

Very sorry for the extremely late reply, this thread had dissapeared it seemed last time I checked.

Thought i'd update, I went and had another look around and visited Bristol and Exeter, and it just reminded me of how much I love Bristol as a city. Exeter is very nice as well, but a bit too small for my liking, not to mention the accommodation is expensive so i've decided to reapply and reject my offer. I'll be applying to Bristol and Exeter certainly, and possibly Oxford (only problem is that i'm away during the HAT test and most likely, the interview phase, and I doubt they'll make the effort to fit me in) - other than that i'm unsure. I'm going to have a good browse of the forums here and try and make up my mind.

Some of the London uni's are a possibility, I wouldn't mind going back to London thats for sure (as long as I don't end up back in Barnet!), but once again accommodation prices may be a bit of a problem. Tough choices...