The Student Room Group

What to choose

I've got offers from Bristol, Nottingham, Exeter and Leeds and awaiting a decision from Durham. I'm studying Bsc Finance except Notts which is Finance, Accounting and Management and Leeds which is Banking and Finance.
Was going to firm durham if i get the offer but I've heard bad stuff in terms of racism and classism and the life in general being dull there.
Reply 1
Hi (2nd year banking and finance student) here, so basically you’re worried about classism and racism in Durham, the classism part I would say yes, it is renowned for private school students with rich parents. But with racism, I’m afraid every uni no matter what, will have some students who are yanno, its awful ik but its true, it shouldn’t be a thing, its awful and people who are racist and know they are, should really take a hard look at themselves. However, let’s bring up those choices! Not bad but, I would personally steer away from “triple degrees” because they are simply just not worth it 🤣 and the content you cover will be VERY VERY vague. I would say go for something like Banking and Finance Bsc, because that leaves you soo much to go into job wise and you’re going to be very specialised in that field after you graduate. I would personally say go to Bristol, idk if you mean UWE or Uni of Bristol though, but both are great places for finance. Good luck and if you have any more questions feel free to ask, I am more than happy to help.
Reply 2
Thanks for the advice. Where do you study at?
I actually didnt know that about triple degrees. However, A lot of top banks do hire from Nottingham i've heard. About Leeds, It's the only one on my 5 choices which is a complete non target uni despite being ranked very high. Should this matter? Because top banking jobs like IB/PE are becoming more and more competitive so employability after university is a massive factor I'm considering.
Reply 3
Original post by Shri808
Thanks for the advice. Where do you study at?
I actually didnt know that about triple degrees. However, A lot of top banks do hire from Nottingham i've heard. About Leeds, It's the only one on my 5 choices which is a complete non target uni despite being ranked very high. Should this matter? Because top banking jobs like IB/PE are becoming more and more competitive so employability after university is a massive factor I'm considering.


When it comes to employment after uni, it’s more so do with what you actually do whilst at uni, for example networking. Yes the uni “standard” does matter but at the same time I have known people who have gone to way worse uni ranking schools and still managed to find a job. Realistically, you won’t be in a top 5 bank earning 6 figures etc straight out of university. That maybe at one point was true, but not now. Graduates tend to go for the middle role of not to much responsibility, easy jobs to do (within their skill set) and work their way up. For example, you might get a job after uni, as a junior wealth management consultant, but in 15 years time you might become a hedge fund manager etc. All I can say is network, network and network whilst at uni, make sure your CV is well written, and attractive. Do extra curricular activities in uni, such as rugby, football, netball etc. These will massively boost your CV and how people make a judgment on you through your CV. Hope this helps, be free to ask anymore questions if you do so wish.

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