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UCL or Durham for PPE?

please help! i am having trouble deciding. Whilst UCL has the better reputation, better employment prospects and I would enjoy living in London more, I am not a fan of the A* requirement in maths as im not sure I can get it. Also, i am not the biggest fan of the course itself.

Durham is good and the requirements are achievable. I really like the course on offer. But i still get the impression that UCL is better from an employment standpoint, and I would also wouldnt enjoy living up North.

Both unis would still be my 3/4 choice behind Cambridge, LSE and Warwick (LSE is pol/econ rather than PPE) nonetheless, so maybe I am overthinking it a bit too much. For context, predicted 5A* in maths econ history and politics + epq. however as ive said, not sure if i can get the A* in maths in the actual exam
Original post by jk999998
please help! i am having trouble deciding. Whilst UCL has the better reputation, better employment prospects and I would enjoy living in London more, I am not a fan of the A* requirement in maths as im not sure I can get it. Also, i am not the biggest fan of the course itself.

Durham is good and the requirements are achievable. I really like the course on offer. But i still get the impression that UCL is better from an employment standpoint, and I would also wouldnt enjoy living up North.

Both unis would still be my 3/4 choice behind Cambridge, LSE and Warwick (LSE is pol/econ rather than PPE) nonetheless, so maybe I am overthinking it a bit too much. For context, predicted 5A* in maths econ history and politics + epq. however as ive said, not sure if i can get the A* in maths in the actual exam

The uni you went to matters shockingly little in terms of future job prospects, and Durham is a good university anyway. Forget the reputation, apply to the course you like the most.
Original post by jk999998
please help! i am having trouble deciding. Whilst UCL has the better reputation, better employment prospects and I would enjoy living in London more, I am not a fan of the A* requirement in maths as im not sure I can get it. Also, i am not the biggest fan of the course itself.
Durham is good and the requirements are achievable. I really like the course on offer. But i still get the impression that UCL is better from an employment standpoint, and I would also wouldnt enjoy living up North.
Both unis would still be my 3/4 choice behind Cambridge, LSE and Warwick (LSE is pol/econ rather than PPE) nonetheless, so maybe I am overthinking it a bit too much. For context, predicted 5A* in maths econ history and politics + epq. however as ive said, not sure if i can get the A* in maths in the actual exam

Why is this an issue now? You said you're going to apply to both anyway.

Which course are you applying to at Cambridge?
Original post by jk999998
please help! i am having trouble deciding. Whilst UCL has the better reputation, better employment prospects and I would enjoy living in London more, I am not a fan of the A* requirement in maths as im not sure I can get it. Also, i am not the biggest fan of the course itself.
Durham is good and the requirements are achievable. I really like the course on offer. But i still get the impression that UCL is better from an employment standpoint, and I would also wouldnt enjoy living up North.
Both unis would still be my 3/4 choice behind Cambridge, LSE and Warwick (LSE is pol/econ rather than PPE) nonetheless, so maybe I am overthinking it a bit too much. For context, predicted 5A* in maths econ history and politics + epq. however as ive said, not sure if i can get the A* in maths in the actual exam

Go where you think you will fit in best for 3 years. UCL would be more multicultural, but people there tend to make their friends through joining lots of societies, given that students tend not to live together in halls. Durham will be the opposite, at least in the first year, but it is up north and fairly small, and students will be more boisterous and crazy in the first few weeks and months over there compared to those at UCL. The two unis have completely different student cultures. UCL would probably be the safer option, but not necessarily the better one. Going to UCL would only be an advantage if you plan to work abroad soon after graduation. Otherwise employers in the UK aren't going to differentiate between the two unis.
Reply 4
Original post by ageshallnot
Why is this an issue now? You said you're going to apply to both anyway.
Which course are you applying to at Cambridge?

no would be one or the other.

cambridge course is hsps
Original post by jk999998
no would be one or the other.
cambridge course is hsps

Ah, understood. Well, you don't have to make a decision yet. Apply with the other 4 and add one of these two later.
Reply 6
Original post by ageshallnot
Ah, understood. Well, you don't have to make a decision yet. Apply with the other 4 and add one of these two later.

yes, thank you. I've decided on durham now!
Reply 7
Original post by jk999998
yes, thank you. I've decided on durham now!

which subject will you choose on Durham?
Reply 8
Original post by Sumiko
which subject will you choose on Durham?

PPE!
Original post by jk999998
please help! i am having trouble deciding. Whilst UCL has the better reputation, better employment prospects and I would enjoy living in London more, I am not a fan of the A* requirement in maths as im not sure I can get it. Also, i am not the biggest fan of the course itself.
Durham is good and the requirements are achievable. I really like the course on offer. But i still get the impression that UCL is better from an employment standpoint, and I would also wouldnt enjoy living up North.
Both unis would still be my 3/4 choice behind Cambridge, LSE and Warwick (LSE is pol/econ rather than PPE) nonetheless, so maybe I am overthinking it a bit too much. For context, predicted 5A* in maths econ history and politics + epq. however as ive said, not sure if i can get the A* in maths in the actual exam

You have an intense list of options. I would recommend limiting your elite unis to 2/3 and add some others like Surrey, Southampton, Bath etc.
Original post by jk999998
PPE!

You probably can't become a UK PM if you go to Durham!?! UCL is far closer to the political bubble of Westminster.
Reply 11
Original post by Physician
You probably can't become a UK PM if you go to Durham!?! UCL is far closer to the political bubble of Westminster.

I certainly do not plan on becoming UK PM anytime soon, so that doesn't really bother me🤣
Neither, both are overrated. I would choose LSE and Nottingham as an insurance.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Academic007
Neither, both are overrated. I would choose LSE and Nottingham as an insurance.

How is UCL overrated? It has been ranking between 4th to 22nd over the last 20 years in the global rankings. It isn't a good uni on the social side, given that the students don't have too many places to hang out. It feels very samey and boring after a few months. But on the academic side it attracts a lot of Oxbridge educated professors.
Original post by jk999998
I certainly do not plan on becoming UK PM anytime soon, so that doesn't really bother me🤣

I am arguably one of the biggest critics of Durham, given that it is pretentious and overrated. Just because it is collegiate, and that students wear gowns, and colleges arrange regular formal dinners, as well as the fact that the uni often ranks in the top 5-6 in UK league tables, students there think it is one of the most prestigious UK universities after Oxbridge. The truth is that when you dig deeper, and set aside all the superficial nonsense, Durham is only a very good university, when compared to its global peers. There are at least 10 UK universities (if not more) that are better than Durham overall. Edinburgh, for example, is much more prestigious and globally renowned, and is one of the few universities that is quite close to the level of Oxbridge. This is the level that some Durham students THINK their uni is at, but it is miles behind. Edinburgh's endowment is worth more than the entire annual income of Durham, which highlights just how much smaller and inferior it is.
(edited 2 weeks ago)
Original post by Physician
How is UCL overrated? It has been ranking between 4th to 22nd over the last 20 years in the global rankings. It isn't a good uni on the social side, given that the students don't have too many places to hang out. It feels very samey and boring after a few months. But on the academic side it attracts a lot of Oxbridge educated professors.

Why does everyone use global rankings?

According to global rankings, Durham, St Andrews and Bath are trash level unis in comparison to Manchester and Glasgow. In the real world, the former are more recruited for top jobs than the latter.
Original post by Academic007
Why does everyone use global rankings?
According to global rankings, Durham, St Andrews and Bath are trash level unis in comparison to Manchester and Glasgow. In the real world, the former are more recruited for top jobs than the latter.

In the real World, top employers recruit from a range of elite universities. The likes of Bath, Durham and St Andrews are highly selective universities, so they may have a higher percentage of alumni that go on to work for top companies, but other elite universities are also very well represented in the City and Canary Wharf firms in London. More besides, not everyone wants to go into industry. Many students go on to study for PhDs, and it is here where the main advantage comes into prominence for students attending the more research intensive universities. Also, if one decides to live abroad one day, their university will be more recognised if it is a large, global university brand, such as UCL, Edinburgh, or even Glasgow. That is not to say that global employers won't have heard of Durham, St Andrews or Bath, but they won't be quite as well known outside of the UK.
Original post by Physician
In the real World, top employers recruit from a range of elite universities. The likes of Bath, Durham and St Andrews are highly selective universities, so they may have a higher percentage of alumni that go on to work for top companies, but other elite universities are also very well represented in the City and Canary Wharf firms in London. More besides, not everyone wants to go into industry. Many students go on to study for PhDs, and it is here where the main advantage comes into prominence for students attending the more research intensive universities. Also, if one decides to live abroad one day, their university will be more recognised if it is a large, global university brand, such as UCL, Edinburgh, or even Glasgow. That is not to say that global employers won't have heard of Durham, St Andrews or Bath, but they won't be quite as well known outside of the UK.

Global employers would not know UCL, Edinburgh or Glasgow either, especially in the states. The only global brands from the UK are Oxbridge, LSE and Imperial in STEM, all other unis are only recognised by academics or industry recruiters.
Original post by Academic007
Global employers would not know UCL, Edinburgh or Glasgow either, especially in the states. The only global brands from the UK are Oxbridge, LSE and Imperial in STEM, all other unis are only recognised by academics or industry recruiters.

I don't agree with you there. Edinburgh and Glasgow are among the oldest universities in the World, and have famous alumni throughout their history. Their city names are also recognised globally. UCL would also be recognised globally thanks to its consistent top 10 ranking in the QS World rankings. UCL also has famous alumni, such as Alexander Graham Bell, and Gandhi. Its central London location, and very high global student intake would also increase its brand recognition abroad.

Just like large global companies like Microsoft and JP Morgan, the larger a uni is, the more money it brings in, and the more money it can spend on resources that can make a university great. The size and annual income of a university matters a lot to help fuel the success and global recognition of a university.

Just a point on political alumni over the last few decades from Durham and St Andrews. I can only name the late Alex Salmond, and Sir Michael Fallon, as prominent names from these universities. That isn't a great return, considering that politics is mainly a career associated with the middle classes. Most MPs in government or shadow government tend come from Oxbridge, LSE, and the larger Russell Group universities.
(edited 2 weeks ago)

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