University of Exeter
Exeter
Durham vs Exeter
Hi all,
I’m writing as I am very stuck between my decision to firm durham or exeter. I’ve been putting it off for a while and I now only have just over a week to decide before the deadline.
I’ve wanted to go to durham since I was very young - my mum, auntie and one of my uncle’s went there and they have all spoken about it very highly so I decided it was were I wanted to go from a pretty young age. I didn’t expect to actually get an offer though…
I went to the exeter and durham offer-holder days and I loved exeter. I was very impressed with the sports and it was honestly just somewhere I could really imagine myself. I went to the durham offer day a couple of days after and was actually very underwhelmed. But it was end of term time so most of the students had gone home, but it meant that I couldn’t get a proper feel of what it would be like to go to uni there. I got my provisional college allocation a few weeks back - they allocated me to collingwood, which although I’ve heard good things about, was not my first choice (Hatfield) so was quite disappointed as everyone I have spoken to got their first choice.
My offers are very similar: Durham - AAB, Exeter -AAB but ABB if I firm and get an A on my EPQ. The courses (anthropology) seem very good at both uni’s. I know durham probably has a slightly better reputation (at least academically), but I don’t want to make my decision based on just this.
At one point I was again leaning towards durham as there weren’t as many people I know going. However, upon being on collingwood group chats, I already knew about 20 people on there, and I was kind of hoping to be somewhere fresh. But it is also very similar for exeter - I know a lot of people going.
A bit more background info: I have not applied deferred but recently I have decided I’d love to do a gap year. I’m not sure how keen durham and exeter are if you were to call them up and ask if this is possible, so if anyone has any information on this it would be much appreciated. I do have a friend who emailed durham asking if she could take one but they never responded to her. And yes, I would rather defer than reapply next year as this year I have had the advantage of a very good set of predicted grades.
If anyone has struggled with the same or a similar dilemma and could give some advice that would be much appreciated! Or even if you are/were at either of the uni’s and have any opinions (particularly applies to durham as I feel a bit in the dark about uni life there at the moment).
Thank you!
I’m writing as I am very stuck between my decision to firm durham or exeter. I’ve been putting it off for a while and I now only have just over a week to decide before the deadline.
I’ve wanted to go to durham since I was very young - my mum, auntie and one of my uncle’s went there and they have all spoken about it very highly so I decided it was were I wanted to go from a pretty young age. I didn’t expect to actually get an offer though…
I went to the exeter and durham offer-holder days and I loved exeter. I was very impressed with the sports and it was honestly just somewhere I could really imagine myself. I went to the durham offer day a couple of days after and was actually very underwhelmed. But it was end of term time so most of the students had gone home, but it meant that I couldn’t get a proper feel of what it would be like to go to uni there. I got my provisional college allocation a few weeks back - they allocated me to collingwood, which although I’ve heard good things about, was not my first choice (Hatfield) so was quite disappointed as everyone I have spoken to got their first choice.
My offers are very similar: Durham - AAB, Exeter -AAB but ABB if I firm and get an A on my EPQ. The courses (anthropology) seem very good at both uni’s. I know durham probably has a slightly better reputation (at least academically), but I don’t want to make my decision based on just this.
At one point I was again leaning towards durham as there weren’t as many people I know going. However, upon being on collingwood group chats, I already knew about 20 people on there, and I was kind of hoping to be somewhere fresh. But it is also very similar for exeter - I know a lot of people going.
A bit more background info: I have not applied deferred but recently I have decided I’d love to do a gap year. I’m not sure how keen durham and exeter are if you were to call them up and ask if this is possible, so if anyone has any information on this it would be much appreciated. I do have a friend who emailed durham asking if she could take one but they never responded to her. And yes, I would rather defer than reapply next year as this year I have had the advantage of a very good set of predicted grades.
If anyone has struggled with the same or a similar dilemma and could give some advice that would be much appreciated! Or even if you are/were at either of the uni’s and have any opinions (particularly applies to durham as I feel a bit in the dark about uni life there at the moment).
Thank you!
(edited 11 months ago)
Original post by Ines Bell
Hi all,
I’m writing as I am very stuck between my decision to firm durham or exeter. I’ve been putting it off for a while and I now only have just over a week to decide before the deadline.
I’ve wanted to go to durham since I was very young - my mum, auntie and one of my uncle’s went there and they have all spoken about it very highly so I decided it was were I wanted to go from a pretty young age. I didn’t expect to actually get an offer though…
I went to the exeter and durham offer-holder days and I loved exeter. I was very impressed with the sports and it was honestly just somewhere I could really imagine myself. I went to the durham offer day a couple of days after and was actually very underwhelmed. But it was end of term time so most of the students had gone home, but it meant that I couldn’t get a proper feel of what it would be like to go to uni there. I got my provisional college allocation a few weeks back - they allocated me to collingwood, which although I’ve heard good things about, was not my first choice (Hatfield) so was quite disappointed as everyone I have spoken to got their first choice.
My offers are very similar: Durham - AAB, Exeter -AAB but ABB if I firm and get an A on my EPQ. The courses (anthropology) seem very good at both uni’s. I know durham probably has a slightly better reputation (at least academically), but I don’t want to make my decision based on just this.
At one point I was again leaning towards durham as there weren’t as many people I know going. However, upon being on collingwood group chats, I already knew about 20 people on there, and I was kind of hoping to be somewhere fresh. But it is also very similar for exeter - I know a lot of people going.
A bit more background info: I have not applied deferred but recently I have decided I’d love to do a gap year. I’m not sure how keen durham and exeter are if you were to call them up and ask if this is possible, so if anyone has any information on this it would be much appreciated. I do have a friend who emailed durham asking if she could take one but they never responded to her. And yes, I would rather defer than reapply next year as this year I have had the advantage of a very good set of predicted grades.
If anyone has struggled with the same or a similar dilemma and could give some advice that would be much appreciated! Or even if you are/were at either of the uni’s and have any opinions (particularly applies to durham as I feel a bit in the dark about uni life there at the moment).
Thank you!
I’m writing as I am very stuck between my decision to firm durham or exeter. I’ve been putting it off for a while and I now only have just over a week to decide before the deadline.
I’ve wanted to go to durham since I was very young - my mum, auntie and one of my uncle’s went there and they have all spoken about it very highly so I decided it was were I wanted to go from a pretty young age. I didn’t expect to actually get an offer though…
I went to the exeter and durham offer-holder days and I loved exeter. I was very impressed with the sports and it was honestly just somewhere I could really imagine myself. I went to the durham offer day a couple of days after and was actually very underwhelmed. But it was end of term time so most of the students had gone home, but it meant that I couldn’t get a proper feel of what it would be like to go to uni there. I got my provisional college allocation a few weeks back - they allocated me to collingwood, which although I’ve heard good things about, was not my first choice (Hatfield) so was quite disappointed as everyone I have spoken to got their first choice.
My offers are very similar: Durham - AAB, Exeter -AAB but ABB if I firm and get an A on my EPQ. The courses (anthropology) seem very good at both uni’s. I know durham probably has a slightly better reputation (at least academically), but I don’t want to make my decision based on just this.
At one point I was again leaning towards durham as there weren’t as many people I know going. However, upon being on collingwood group chats, I already knew about 20 people on there, and I was kind of hoping to be somewhere fresh. But it is also very similar for exeter - I know a lot of people going.
A bit more background info: I have not applied deferred but recently I have decided I’d love to do a gap year. I’m not sure how keen durham and exeter are if you were to call them up and ask if this is possible, so if anyone has any information on this it would be much appreciated. I do have a friend who emailed durham asking if she could take one but they never responded to her. And yes, I would rather defer than reapply next year as this year I have had the advantage of a very good set of predicted grades.
If anyone has struggled with the same or a similar dilemma and could give some advice that would be much appreciated! Or even if you are/were at either of the uni’s and have any opinions (particularly applies to durham as I feel a bit in the dark about uni life there at the moment).
Thank you!
I do not envy you needing to make a decision between these two universities. It sounds like both have some pros and cons for you, which I guess is why it is such a tricky one.
My advise (as a University of Exeter staff member so you know my context) regarding what I have read is to consider the following few things:
- Call both Admissions teams (if you email them there is a real risk you won't get a reply until after the deadline which won't help you). If you hate the phone (like me!) then at Exeter we have a chatbot (it has humans behind it and be found here in the bottom right hand corner of the webpage). Follow links for Durham Admissions phone number and Exeter Admissions phone number. You will be able to get an immediate answer and to reassure you, you won' have an offer taken away on the basis of asking the question. So there is honestly nothing to lose. Bear in mind that they will not be working over the weekend and after 5pm though when planning when to reach out. At Exeter deferral decisions are based upon how many other people have already deferred to ensure there is space for further deferrals (ensuring we don't fill out the programme for next years applicants), so it will be down to that which is not really in any one persons control so I can't really advise on the likelihood but as a rule we try to accommodate where we can.
- Exeter is a medium sized university and a compact city and so chances are you will bump into people you know around the campuses and city - and it sounds like you know a fair few people who will be going. However, through societies you can branch out and meet new people and we will not actively put you in accommodation with people you know, so it should be possible to meet new people. This said I do appreciate the appeal of being somewhere with completely new people.
- You are right that your offers are very similar. You mention you have good predicted grades which will hopefully translate into good results in the near future - sometimes people get self-doubt and opt for unis with a bit more 'insurance'. If in your heart of heart you know you want to go to the one with higher grades back yourself (and just make sure you will be happy with your insurance choice if it did come to it). I would try to encourage people not to make a decision purely based upon the grades offer (provided they are not highly aspirational) and instead choose the uni which suits you better.
- Is there someone you can talk to outside of your family who can act as an impartial sounding board? A friend or a teacher perhaps? Talking it through I suspect you might find that you do have a gut instinct on which one you want to go with.
- If you get it wrong it isn't the end of the world - hopefully you will love whichever one you go to. However, if over the summer you change your mind you can always apply again next year, and students do leave universities and re-apply (just read up on the finance of it as you can still be expected to pay some fees for a partial year completed). I know you don't want to apply again, but it is a fall back if it ultimately came to it (my hope is this reduces the pressure you feel on making this decision right now a little bit!).
I hope this is useful - good luck with your decision making, and please just reach out if there are any question we can help you with ahead of next week.
Melody
University of Exeter Student Recruitment Team
University of Exeter
Exeter
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