Durham v KCL for Literature

Do you live in London? If not then then cost of living in London is far more than Durham. My friend received an unconditional from durham and turned it down. I've Lowkey been upset at her for doing that because I could only dream of going to Durham. Personally I would say durham. KCL is full of rich snobbish ppl who think they're better that everyone else.

I'm not sure whether I should accept KCL or Durham for English? Moving out to Durham would be expensive and I've been warned about the debt that comes with it, but I've heard stories about KCL's teaching which isn't the best quality. I do really want to go Durham because it's a bit more prestigious and their English department is far better than KCL's but the debt is putting me off.

Hi there
Congratulations on your offers, first of all
I understand your concerns regarding the student debt and I'd say it's a fair one. The college accommodation prices and even the private housing prices have gone up here due to the cost of living crisis fuelled by inflation. Some things to think about:
Are you eligible for a student loan from SFE? They'll help with your tuition fees and could potentially offer a maintenance grant. I'm not the most knowledgeable about this though, but there's a separate forum where SFE reps can answer your questions: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=910. This forum also has a 'how-to guide' which can help with the application process. Durham also offers short-term and long-term loans- unfortunately I can't find the information page for it online but I'm sure this option exists and you can discuss this with the scholarship advisor as I've mentioned below.
Scholarships: Durham offers several internal scholarships which you can have a look at here. There are also scholarships offered by departments and colleges that can help with maintenance and/or tuition fees. I can see there's one offered by the English department which provides you with £4,000 per academic year if you meet the eligibility criteria. There's also an external scholarship database that's worth looking into.
The university also provides cost-of-living support from food banks to free breakfast clubs and grants. You can read about them in more detail here: Cost of Living Hub
Durham Grant Scheme: You can be offered up to £2,670 per year depending on your family income. More information is here.
If you want to save on accommodation costs, you can potentially live out instead of living in college. Even though prices of both have gone up, shared student housing will still tend to be cheaper depending on the location. There are pros and cons to living out in first year which I have discussed here and here.
Finally, I would advise that you get in touch with the scholarships team at [email protected] to discuss your personal circumstances. There might be information that I have missed out and they'd be able to provide.
Hope this helps but feel free to get in touch again if I can assist you further!
-Himieka

Hi there
Congratulations on your offers, first of all
I understand your concerns regarding the student debt and I'd say it's a fair one. The college accommodation prices and even the private housing prices have gone up here due to the cost of living crisis fuelled by inflation. Some things to think about:
Are you eligible for a student loan from SFE? They'll help with your tuition fees and could potentially offer a maintenance grant. I'm not the most knowledgeable about this though, but there's a separate forum where SFE reps can answer your questions: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=910. This forum also has a 'how-to guide' which can help with the application process. Durham also offers short-term and long-term loans- unfortunately I can't find the information page for it online but I'm sure this option exists and you can discuss this with the scholarship advisor as I've mentioned below.
Scholarships: Durham offers several internal scholarships which you can have a look at here. There are also scholarships offered by departments and colleges that can help with maintenance and/or tuition fees. I can see there's one offered by the English department which provides you with £4,000 per academic year if you meet the eligibility criteria. There's also an external scholarship database that's worth looking into.
The university also provides cost-of-living support from food banks to free breakfast clubs and grants. You can read about them in more detail here: Cost of Living Hub
Durham Grant Scheme: You can be offered up to £2,670 per year depending on your family income. More information is here.
If you want to save on accommodation costs, you can potentially live out instead of living in college. Even though prices of both have gone up, shared student housing will still tend to be cheaper depending on the location. There are pros and cons to living out in first year which I have discussed here and here.
Finally, I would advise that you get in touch with the scholarships team at [email protected] to discuss your personal circumstances. There might be information that I have missed out and they'd be able to provide.
Hope this helps but feel free to get in touch again if I can assist you further!
-Himieka

Hi, thanks for your help.
I looked at the links you provided and I don't apply to any of the major ones. The one I do apply for is a small grant. I just don't think going somewhere as far as Durham is worth it because of all the cons, when I have KCL. If there's some specific things in the Durham English course that you do know of, it'd be helpful. I was happy when I got an offer from Durham but it's just so far and I'm wondering if it's worth all that debt.

Hiya
I don't study English so I doubt I'd be the best person to tell you about it, but I's suggest talking to current English students at Durham so they can give you more insight: Unibuddy
Wherever you end up going, I hope you enjoy your time! Good luck
-Himieka

Thank you!!
Sorry for the double reply, not sure why that happened..

Hey there! I think you should apply to Hustlers University, the teaching is excellent

You have missed the opportunity of a lifetime, your loss not mine