Bath vs Durham

Hi I’m an international student with two offers from Bath for Bsc Management and Durham for Business and Management both with placement years. Bath has AAA requirements and Durham wants AAB. Personally I like the Bath Campus as it looks modern compared to Durham and also it’s closer to Bristol and London. But overall academic reputation wise and considering rankings, Durham is an excellent university. So can anyone give me some tips as to what I should consider or give me some pros and cons. I would also like a career in finance or investment. Thank you for reading this long question !!!

Reply 1

University of Bath

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Original post by Dulansa

Hi,

Congratulations on receiving offers for all both these Universities! Deciding between universities is tough as there are so many factors to consider. Durham and Bath are both top 10 UK universities as seen here: University Rankings and League Tables 2024 (thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk) so the quality of teaching and graduate prospects shouldn’t differ too much between these. Here are a few things you might want to consider:

The course: Firstly, I recommend looking at the course structure to see if there are modules that interest you as this will vary between the universities. Also look at the facilities available for your course. Bath has recently built new facilities for the school of management (which I have to say are very nice!) and you can find out more here: The School of Management's new home (bath.ac.uk). You can also find out what students think and their experience of the course via our UniBuddy platform here: Chat with our students (bath.ac.uk). There is also lots of academic support here at Bath. Every student is assigned a personal tutor ( a member of staff within your department who you will meet with regularly throughout the year) and a peer mentor (a student who is on the same course as you in a higher year who you can contact for revision help, advice on how to learn at university and anything else you want!). I found these points of contact particularly useful when settling into a new learning environment and everyone was very supportive.

Placement scheme: I think it’s great that you have a placement year for both courses as this can greatly improve your graduate prospects. Around 70% of all Bath students will go on placement year and the placements team at Bath offer a great amount of support in terms of finding, applying, and securing your placement. We have connections to many companies and organisations which opens so many opportunities for placement, study abroad and graduate jobs. Since majority go on placement it means that when you come back after your year of work experience, you are with the same cohort. I cannot comment on what the placement scheme is like at Durham but it’s definitely a big pro when it comes to Bath.

The city / Location : How big is the city? Is transport good around the university? Is the location good for me? What is the nightlife/ student life like? Do I see myself living here for the next few years? What is the safety like? Bath is not only one of the safest student cities in the UK but is also a great size! Its big enough that theres lots to do and explore, but small enough that you can get to know it well. The nightlife is quieter than other cities, however Bristol is only a 12-minute train ride away with buses running all night back to Bath. And like you mentioned, London is also close with a direct train taking approximately 1hr 30mins. This allows easy access to both Bristol and London airports. Durham is also a nice city with lots of history and unique architecture. It is very north of the UK so weather will be a bit wetter and colder, but I’ve heard great things about the university and student life here.

There is also lots of support for International students here at Bath which you can find out more about here: Studying at Bath as an international student. The SU has many societies too, ranging from cultural, beliefs, hobbies, sports and so much more so theres always something to get involved with, and more opportunity to meet similar people to you. https://www.thesubath.com/socs/.

I hope that this advice has helped you think about what to consider when making your decision. All the best of luck and please let me know if you have any more questions!

Sharon (3^rd year student)

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