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Original post by themosscrowd
I have been accepted to both and I can't decide which one would be best to put as my firm choice. Which one is more highly regarded? Which would employers prefer?

The courses are:

Politics MA at Edinburgh
MPol Politics and International Relations at Exeter

Both want AAA.

Any advice on which one to choose would be appreciated.


I've had a few students who have had problems with an anti-English problem at Edinburgh ... are you from England?

Reputation-wise I would say Exeter anyway ...
Reputation wise, I think employers will regard them equally, you might want to look at rankings for your course, although employers are a bit unlikely to do this.

You should look at others aspects of university life, not just its reputation. Have you looked at the courses, for example, these can differ quite a lot and will not only make a difference to how much you'll enjoy your studies but possibly how well you'll do, one may have a course that really captures your interest, another may have a lot of sections that you're not so keen on.

I'd also go and visit if you haven't done so, get a feel for the place and ask students about their experiences.
Original post by Muttley79
I've had a few students who have had problems with an anti-English problem at Edinburgh ... are you from England?

Reputation-wise I would say Exeter anyway ...



Thank you for replying!

I'm from the South of England - is this a problem a lot of people have experienced?
Original post by maroumarou
Reputation wise, I think employers will regard them equally, you might want to look at rankings for your course, although employers are a bit unlikely to do this.

You should look at others aspects of university life, not just its reputation. Have you looked at the courses, for example, these can differ quite a lot and will not only make a difference to how much you'll enjoy your studies but possibly how well you'll do, one may have a course that really captures your interest, another may have a lot of sections that you're not so keen on.

I'd also go and visit if you haven't done so, get a feel for the place and ask students about their experiences.



Thank you so much.

I have been to visit both already. I already adore Edinburgh, the university too. The problem I'm having is that on the open day, the course wasn't sold very well and it was quite disappointing.

Whereas with Exeter, the course is fantastic and offers a Masters Degree at the end of it, however I am not the biggest fan of Exeter, it seems very student oriented and has no character.
Original post by themosscrowd
I have been accepted to both and I can't decide which one would be best to put as my firm choice. Which one is more highly regarded? Which would employers prefer?

The courses are:

Politics MA at Edinburgh
MPol Politics and International Relations at Exeter

Both want AAA.

Any advice on which one to choose would be appreciated.


Edinburgh is more prestigious, I doubt there's much debate about that. It's educated royalty and prime ministers for crying out loud. I doubt there's any anti-Englishness.
I visited Exeter for a campus tour and found it was heavily focussed on the students, which I suppose is good - who wants to interact with 60 year olds while at university? I think the Exeter campus was absolutely alluring, especially in the summer, but with Edinburgh I think it would be more older and colder. On reputation, I think Exeter wins for that course.
Original post by themosscrowd
Thank you for replying!

I'm from the South of England - is this a problem a lot of people have experienced?


Yes - especially us southerners!

I can't understand why don't you think Exeter is a great city. I don't know one student who hasn't loved theri time there and a number have stayed on in the area.
Original post by themosscrowd
Thank you so much.

I have been to visit both already. I already adore Edinburgh, the university too. The problem I'm having is that on the open day, the course wasn't sold very well and it was quite disappointing.

Whereas with Exeter, the course is fantastic and offers a Masters Degree at the end of it, however I am not the biggest fan of Exeter, it seems very student oriented and has no character.


Apologies if you've done this already, but maybe go to their websites and look at a detailed outline of their course, this might give you a bit more clarity about Edinburgh. I did this when choosing between Exeter and Bristol and it made quite a difference.
You seem like you already have a strong preference for Edinburgh. It's great that you've found somewhere you like so much.

It sounds like all you need to do now is decide which is most important to you, course or the general atmosphere of the uni?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by themosscrowd
I have been accepted to both and I can't decide which one would be best to put as my firm choice. Which one is more highly regarded? Which would employers prefer?

The courses are:

Politics MA at Edinburgh
MPol Politics and International Relations at Exeter

Both want AAA.

Any advice on which one to choose would be appreciated.


Edinburgh is much more prestigious, generally speaking, although Exeter is the rising star amongst universities these days. I would do the degree at Edinburgh, but see if you can pick modues in international relations, as it will help open up doors with the UN and charities.
Original post by Magic Streets
Edinburgh is much more prestigious, generally speaking, although Exeter is the rising star amongst universities these days. I would do the degree at Edinburgh, but see if you can pick modues in international relations, as it will help open up doors with the UN and charities.


Someone finally gets it
Original post by maroumarou
Apologies if you've done this already, but maybe go to their websites and look at a detailed outline of their course, this might give you a bit more clarity about Edinburgh. I did this when choosing between Exeter and Bristol and it made quite a difference.
You seem like you already have a strong preference for Edinburgh. It's great that you've found somewhere you like so much.

It sounds like all you need to do now is decide which is most important to you, course or the general atmosphere of the uni?


Sorry, I should have said that I had been to see them both. Thank you for your advice, it has been really helpful. I'll go and have a really good look on their website.

May I ask, did you end up going to Exeter or Bristol?
Original post by Marshall Taylor
I visited Exeter for a campus tour and found it was heavily focussed on the students, which I suppose is good - who wants to interact with 60 year olds while at university? I think the Exeter campus was absolutely alluring, especially in the summer, but with Edinburgh I think it would be more older and colder. On reputation, I think Exeter wins for that course.


Clearly you are not thinking straight then. Other than English, I struggle to hear of anything that Exeter is prestigious for.
Original post by Muttley79
Yes - especially us southerners!

I can't understand why don't you think Exeter is a great city. I don't know one student who hasn't loved theri time there and a number have stayed on in the area.



I think it might be because I really like the historic aspects of Edinburgh. I'm in Exeter now actually, having been to the Post-Offer applicant day today. I'm going to have a look around it some more because I fear I may be missing something that everyone else is getting about this city.
Original post by Magic Streets
Clearly you are not thinking straight then. Other than English, I struggle to hear of anything that Exeter is prestigious for.



For Politics - Exeter is ranked 6th by 'the complete university guide' whereas Edinburgh is ranked 17th. Perhaps you're the one not thinking straight?

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Politics
Original post by Magic Streets
Clearly you are not thinking straight then. Other than English, I struggle to hear of anything that Exeter is prestigious for.


Would you say that Edinburgh has a better reputation? Do you think a degree from their is more highly regarded than one from Exeter?
Original post by Marshall Taylor
For Politics - Exeter is ranked 6th by 'the complete university guide' whereas Edinburgh is ranked 17th. Perhaps you're the one not thinking straight?

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Politics


OMG, do you know how wildly these subject tables can swing year upon year? Only a fool would rest all their decision on these tables.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by themosscrowd
Would you say that Edinburgh has a better reputation? Do you think a degree from their is more highly regarded than one from Exeter?


Edinburgh is miles ahead of Exeter in every major World ranking, and these rankings are even discussed in the House of Lords and Houses of Parliament. It is also a much older university, and has educated Prime Ministers and Royalty across the World. You can definately say that it is a solid top 8 UK university.
Original post by Magic Streets
OMG, do you know how wildly these subject tabls can swing year upon year? Only a fool would rest all their decision on these tables.


Yep, because Manchester Met (58th) is CLEARLY better than Oxford (1st) because they obviously 'wildly swing each year' - only a fool would overlook these tables and their reliability.
Original post by themosscrowd
Sorry, I should have said that I had been to see them both. Thank you for your advice, it has been really helpful. I'll go and have a really good look on their website.

May I ask, did you end up going to Exeter or Bristol?


Not there yet, I'm at the same stage as you, but I really didn't like my course at Exeter so I'll probably firm Bristol now.

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