Warwick vs Durham

I have a place at the University of Warwick to study English Literature; and at Durham University to study Liberal Arts.
I much prefer the course at Warwick, but Durham is great in so many other ways, in terms of the beauty and history of the city, the collegiate system, the facilities (especially the library) and its overall reputation.
I genuinely don’t know what to do, they are both amazing but both so different it is difficult to compare them.
Any opinions would be greatly appreciated and recieved.

Pick the course you prefer, that's the primary reason for going to university.

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That’s what my head is telling me.
My heart is saying something different 😂

As course content seems to be the important factor, I would look very closely at what is being offered and how it is assessed. Read and read again, make notes.

Quality of life is important too; if you can get down and have a look at the cities, make sure you do. The experience of the city is just as important as course content! No point going somewhere for a course you like but for which you have to suffer a terrible town.

See my edit to that post

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Thanks.
Obviously English Literature is what I applied for and though I can do is as part of my degree at Durham (they offered me Liberal Arts), I kind of want to do straight English.

I absolutely loved Durham as a city when I visited.
Warwick campus was very nice and definitely somewhere I’d be happy to live, just not in the same league as Durham.
I loved the collegiate system at Durham and the formality of it all as I think it would be super easy to make friends as part of a college. Though I guess I’ll make friends wherever I go.
The prestige thing worries me a bit too - Warwick is a brilliant uni but I wonder if it has the same “wow” factor as Durham.
I’m just worried that even though I love the course at Warwick, I’ll end up regretting going there.

So you have Liberal Arts at Durham or English at Warwick. That's quite different...

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So you have Liberal Arts at Durham or English at Warwick. That's quite different...

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Anyone who would say "wow" because you went to Durham rather than Warwick is not someone you want to be associated with. Visiting Durham and actually walking from one end to the other, up the nasty hills and back, is quite a different thing. But if you want formals and old buildings, and lots of trips to Barcelona, give Durham a bash.

My original comment urging you to look again at course content came from much scepticism that one course is materially more enjoyable than the other. I suspect they are rather as interesting as one another, but one course's perception has been more effectively massaged by PR spin. Of course, I could be wrong, but just make sure you have a good old look at everything in minutiae.

I agree with what other posters have said, course content is the most important thing. That said, I'm curious why you prefer Warwick's course. I've had a look at the modules at each uni and Durham has a much more comprehensive choice of modules. What does Warwick's course have that Durham doesn't?

Tbf it's not that different, in theory a Liberal Arts student could take all the same modules that an English Lit student could, just not as many. I believe that Liberal Arts students can take half their first year modules, and up to two-thirds of their second and third year modules in the same subject (in this case, English).

I'm a second year liberal arts student at Durham, majoring in English lit, art history and Japanese studies. I'll be speaking from what I know as a Durham student, and I'm biased since I love being a liberal arts student.

If you'd like to focus on English alone, liberal arts won't let you do that, in first year you have to take modules from at least 2 departments to fill up 120 credits-iirc not more than 680 credits in one department However, as a LA student you may choose other modules (such as history, philosophy, or art history)that also connect, or provide insights or context on understanding literature.

You will however, have to very carefully select your module choices if you want to do this. While English is oversubscribed, I've no issue at all with getting into the oversubscribed modules (I got into a 40 student only module late after I changed my mind), as the liberal arts director is very friendly and works very hard for the benefit of liberal arts students.

Also, while I'm unsure how it is in Warwick, Durham's English department loves making their modules 100% exam based, with only 1 or 2 formatives a year (which don't contribute towards your module grade). I found this stressful, even if some of them are open-book. You might consider that. I felt this opposed the purpose if literary studies -rather than studying texts to think critically about them and proposing a well-thought, well-constructed argument, you'd vomit out something within 3 hours of an exam. This is quite important in choosing modules, as you can burn out easily when you have exams like this. It also depends if you work better in such conditions.

I'd advise you to also look at 2nd and 3rd year modules, as they'll give you a further idea on what you'd like in your degree. Some are lecture based (lectures with seminars where you discuss) and some are seminar based (discussion with the class and seminar leader with no lectures). Durham has quite a wide range, although they do change as some are taught by staff that are here for only a year or two.

Thank you, that is so helpful. I’m looking at doing philosophy and sociology as well (as I want to do a research methods module for employability). I’m coming round more to Durham now. What college are you at? I’ve been allocated Trevelyan. Do you know much about Trevelyan?

I'm a second year liberal arts student at Durham, majoring in English lit, art history and Japanese studies. I'll be speaking from what I know as a Durham student, and I'm biased since I love being a liberal arts student.

If you'd like to focus on English alone, liberal arts won't let you do that, in first year you have to take modules from at least 2 departments to fill up 120 credits-iirc not more than 680 credits in one department However, as a LA student you may choose other modules (such as history, philosophy, or art history)that also connect, or provide insights or context on understanding literature.

You will however, have to very carefully select your module choices if you want to do this. While English is oversubscribed, I've no issue at all with getting into the oversubscribed modules (I got into a 40 student only module late after I changed my mind), as the liberal arts director is very friendly and works very hard for the benefit of liberal arts students.

Also, while I'm unsure how it is in Warwick, Durham's English department loves making their modules 100% exam based, with only 1 or 2 formatives a year (which don't contribute towards your module grade). I found this stressful, even if some of them are open-book. You might consider that. I felt this opposed the purpose if literary studies -rather than studying texts to think critically about them and proposing a well-thought, well-constructed argument, you'd vomit out something within 3 hours of an exam. This is quite important in choosing modules, as you can burn out easily when you have exams like this. It also depends if you work better in such conditions.

I'd advise you to also look at 2nd and 3rd year modules, as they'll give you a further idea on what you'd like in your degree. Some are lecture based (lectures with seminars where you discuss) and some are seminar based (discussion with the class and seminar leader with no lectures). Durham has quite a wide range, although they do change as some are taught by staff that are here for only a year or two.