Choosing a uni: Durham vs Edinburgh

I was rejected from Cambridge and now have offers for York, St. Andrews, Durham and Edinburgh to study English. I have decided it’s between Durham and Edinburgh but I really can’t choose.
Reasons for Edinburgh:
-I prefer the place
-I would prefer more of a non-private school culture
Reasons for Durham:
-I prefer the course (and ranks higher than edi)
-Closer to home (easier commute)
-I like the collegiate system

Any thoughts on which to choose would be great! Thanks! :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 1

asianism

Original post by Monica42

I think you should do some more thorough research before deciding. If you're implying a private school culture in durham, quite frankly, you're wrong, that's bs from the media. Why do you like the collegiate system and why do you think it will affect you? Frankly, I didn't feel it made much of a difference for me. I would also recommend you to look into the module handbooks for the courses in both universities.

Durham University

Durham

Original post by Monica42

Hi Monica

As has already been mentioned, the private-school culture is not something that's very abundant at Durham. Bad incidents always tend to pick up the news more often and the good ones are left unheard of. Yes there are people who are posh but isn't that just everywhere? I have always found a good mix of students- both state and private school educated and they have all been really nice to talk to.

If you open this mindmap, I've listed all the relevant considerations that you should consider and can help in making your decision: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/diagrams/considerations-when-choosing-a-university

-Himieka (Official DU Rep)

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Hi! Just providing a bit of context for Edinburgh Uni but I would say from visiting that it also has a private school culture there too, don't let that put you off going to a certain university as every traditional top Uni can have an element of private school culture. I'm firming Durham from a working class background and everyone was lovely when I've visited, I think the stereotype definitely exists but don't let it put you off if you prefer the course there too :smile:

Reply 4

HedgePig

Hi Monica42

My daughter was in a very similar position to you a few years back - rejected by Cambridge for English Literature and offers from Edinburgh and Durham. For her, Durham was a clear preference and she has absolutely no regrets. She loved the course and, despite being very worried, really settled in very quickly. She didn’t find it classist or “posh” but she is an international student so her experience may have been slightly different to what yours would be. I do also think that she was somewhat lucky in that she seemed to have a really nice group of students in her corridor at college - perhaps things would have been different if they hadn’t got on so well.

Edinburgh obviously has more to offer in terms of the city but the fact that Durham as a town is so small also seems to lead to a lot more student led activities and societies which was an unanticipated plus for her.

And it’s not as if my daughter dislikes Edinburgh - in fact she’s doing her Masters there and is also enjoying it greatly. But she’s said she’s very happy she did her undergrad at Durham. She feels that Durham would be easier to settle into.

Don’t agonise over the decision too much - you have the luxury of two great choices!

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 5

Anonymous #2

Well done on your offers. I hope you don’t mind me asking, was your offer contextual? I’m still waiting so it would be useful to know if Durham have started offering standard English places now.

Reply 6

Anonymous #3

Original post by Monica42

I chose Edinburgh over Durham for English because I’d much rather live in Edinburgh. The course sounds great and I love that I get to choose courses from other schools in years 1 and 2. I don’t care about league tables but internationally, Edinburgh is quite a lot higher than Durham 🤷*♀️

Reply 7

Monica42

Original post by Anonymous

Well done on your offers. I hope you don’t mind me asking, was your offer contextual? I’m still waiting so it would be useful to know if Durham have started offering standard English places now.

My grades are already achieved so that may be why but i’m not sure. Good luck with your offer!

Reply 8

Monica42

Original post by Anonymous

Yes this is what I’m thinking but I’m still very torn!

Reply 9

Monica42

Original post by HedgePig

Thank you, this is very helpful!

Reply 10

gradgirl22

How do the structures of the courses differ? Does one require more breadth versus depth? Is there an era/region/method one school is especially strong at? The modules you take will become a massive part of your life so definitely think hard about which course structure appeals to you the most.

FWIW I was accepted to both universities as a postgraduate and I'm going to Edinburgh for history. Durham is a very undergraduate-focused institution and its location lends itself to a very campus-oriented life, whereas at Edinburgh you might find loads more people living out and having lives focused on the city more than the uni. Durham seems much 'homier' to me between its location, smaller student body, and the collegiate system. You have the rest of your life to live/study in a major city, but will you ever live in a place like Durham again? Something to consider :smile: