kcl or exeter

hi there! i received conditional offers from both unis and i'm currently struggling between exeter and kcl for hist and ir…wondering if anyone could give me any advices :> thanks a lot!

Reply 1

swanseajack1

Exeter would be better for these subjects. History isnt one of Kings strengths.

However the major difference is the type of place you would be most comfortable. Kings is a city university in the heart of the UKs biggest city. Very unfriendly and fast speed of life. It is also very expensive especially for accommodation.

Exeter is a campus university in a small city. Getting around anywhere is walkable. The campus is very green with wonderful sports facilities.

They really are chalk and cheese and you need to visit to decide which is right for you.

Reply 2

MAKER12

History definitely is one of King's strengths, see just about every league table, domestic (besides guardian, horrible site and made by one dude) and international... It's better than Exeter for both History and International Relations. KCL's History and IR courses are amongst the best.

See if you prefer Exeter or London as a location.

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

swanseajack1

Original post by MAKER12

There have been cases on here where Kings have been offering History to students who were turned down for totally unrelated courses. One student hadnt even studied History at A level. They wouldnt do that for Law. It isnt one of their strengths and they dont treat it as such. Exeter is a better option for History.

Reply 4

McGinger

KCL is not all its cracked up to be. Its not a great place for undergraduates, and living is London is expensive and now comes with a whole heap of personal safety issues.

Reply 5

MAKER12

Original post by swanseajack1

Yeah, but Exeter gives an offer to pretty much everyone so it's not that different. Their offer rate in general is extremely high. It definitely is one of their best courses.

Reply 6

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post by ariiiii__

hi there! i received conditional offers from both unis and i'm currently struggling between exeter and kcl for hist and ir…wondering if anyone could give me any advices :> thanks a lot!

Hi ariiiii_

Congratulations on receiving offers from both Exeter and KCL! It's definitely a tough choice trying to decide between universities sometimes.

If I may offer some advice, I'd try and focus on the differences between the two universities and courses, both academically and socially. From an academic perspective, it might be worth comparing the course content and structure and see if one is more appealing than the other. As both are Russell Group universities, it means they are research intensive, and so the academics teaching you are also likely heavily involved in conducting their own research too. This directly impacts your teaching, as the topics they are experts in and researching are the same topics they are likely to teach. If you've got a passion for a particularly time period or topic in history/international relations, it might be worth looking into the department to make sure there are academics researching and teaching on that same topic too. As an example at Exeter, you can find a list of all the modules here. You might also want to compare academically to see if there are different add-ons or variants of the degree you can do, for example at Exeter you could also Study Abroad or add an Employment Experience Year to your degree. As an aside, I did a year abroad during my undergraduate degree at Exeter and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

From the social perspective, you might want to consider where you'd prefer to live. In a busy capital city like London, or a smaller city like Exeter. Personally I really liked studying at Exeter University because I liked the feeling of having a close-knit campus and being close to nature with easy access to lots of green space (Dartmoor and Exmoor are on our doorstep!) and regular trips to the beach for sea swims and BBQs. You might find your personal preference is the same or different to this, so it's important to consider what's the best fit for you and the kind of social life you'd want to lead at university. I'm a big believer that you're likely to do your best academic work in the environment where you feel most comfortable and happy. Related to this, you might want to take a look at sports and societies available at each university (for example Exeter's are listed here: societies and sports), as this can be a big part of your social life and the time you spend outside of lectures or studying.

Finally, I'd also encourage you to try and visit if you can at one of our offer-holder open-days, as often only once you have walked around the campus for yourself, spoken to academics in your subject, and talked to students studying the degree you're interested in will you really get a feel for which university and course is right for you. You can find all the information regarding dates and how to sign up for these here. Alternatively, you can also chat to our current students online using the link here. Make sure to search by subject so you can find someone studying history and/or international relations!

I hope all of the above might be helpful as a start to decide between the two options you're considering, but please don't hesitate to ask if you have anymore questions.

Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador