Deciding between Bristol and Exeter uni

Hi,

I currently hold offers from both Bristol and Exeter for geography (with a placement year at Exeter) .

However, I am pretty undecided as to which one to go to and have gone through phases of preferring Exeter and recently preferring Bristol for many different reasons.

Lots of people tell me that Bristol is very expensive but I don’t know if Exeter is any better - this is an important factor as obviously money is important but this wouldn’t be the be-all and end-all.

Specifically for the geography course, both unis offer a great course, with Bristol ranking higher but I’m very much aware this really doesn’t matter that much. Some people have said that Exeter may be better for fieldwork due to the proximity to the coast? Again, perhaps an important factor.

Basically, if anyone goes to either of these unis currently, not even necessarily doing the same course, I would just be really grateful if you could spare some of your time to tell me a bit about it, both pros and cons of your experience there .

Thanks!

Reply 1

Picnicl

There's weird wording on Exeter's Geography page. 'a friendly but ultimately challenging environment in which to study and work'.
Challenging how? Their facilities for Geography are crap? Or are they saying 'hey, we can be laid back but we want to hang out at the top table with Oxbridge'?
'Study' and 'work' are separated here. Their professors are finding it difficult to work there? 😊
They need to be careful how they phrase things. It's lucky they're not the English Department.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 2

McGinger

Forget 'rankings' - they are meaningless. Employers dont care, and rankings can never tell you if you will like being at that Uni or of its the right course for you.

Very different Uni locations- Bristol is city centre, Exeter is a country campus. Where will you feel happiest. Are you into surfing, walking etc or more of a city-kid? This is the stuff you need to think about. The placement year at Exeter is an important plus - any sort of work experience or study abroad adds enormously to your graduate CV.

Go to any Offer Holder visit days - or take calls from any student reps who phone you and ask questions - why do they enjoy being there? Remember that you have until June to make this decision - no need to rush and make a panicky situation that you might later regret.

Reply 3

ge0291

Original post

by Picnicl

Hahaha, that is quite a weird way to appeal to applicants.

Reply 4

ge0291

Original post

by McGinger

Forget 'rankings' - they are meaningless. Employers dont care, and rankings can never tell you if you will like being at that Uni or of its the right course for you.
Very different Uni locations- Bristol is city centre, Exeter is a country campus. Where will you feel happiest. Are you into surfing, walking etc or more of a city-kid? This is the stuff you need to think about. The placement year at Exeter is an important plus - any sort of work experience or study abroad adds enormously to your graduate CV.
Go to any Offer Holder visit days - or take calls from any student reps who phone you and ask questions - why do they enjoy being there? Remember that you have until June to make this decision - no need to rush and make a panicky situation that you might later regret.

Hi,

I am from Cardiff so am into both the city vibe but the coastal scenery does appeal to me and I frequently go to seaside locations not too far from Cardiff, hence I’m quite undecided between the two unis.

As for the placement, I have been told that even in courses without a placement, it can be possible to obtain an internship during summer break to get some work experience. Would you know if this is something possible? Otherwise, then yes I agree, having that placement is very important.

I went to the Bristol offer holder day, but unfortunately couldn’t make the Exeter one. I liked the Bristol campus area, but not sure if that was just due to familiarity as I’ve been there many a time with family and friends having lived not too far away from it in Cardiff. Definitely won’t be rushing to decide.

Thanks for your input! :smile:

Reply 5

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post

by ge0291

Hi,
I currently hold offers from both Bristol and Exeter for geography (with a placement year at Exeter) .
However, I am pretty undecided as to which one to go to and have gone through phases of preferring Exeter and recently preferring Bristol for many different reasons.
Lots of people tell me that Bristol is very expensive but I don’t know if Exeter is any better - this is an important factor as obviously money is important but this wouldn’t be the be-all and end-all.
Specifically for the geography course, both unis offer a great course, with Bristol ranking higher but I’m very much aware this really doesn’t matter that much. Some people have said that Exeter may be better for fieldwork due to the proximity to the coast? Again, perhaps an important factor.
Basically, if anyone goes to either of these unis currently, not even necessarily doing the same course, I would just be really grateful if you could spare some of your time to tell me a bit about it, both pros and cons of your experience there .
Thanks!

Hi ge0291,

Congratulations on your offers!

I can definitely relate to having to make some of the same tough decisions when I was deciding where to go for university. I would recommend thinking about all the factors that are important to you and your decision, and writing them in a big list, and then comparing each university on each of those factors to decide which is the best fit for you.

As already mentioned in this thread, there are lots of things to consider. The list of factors might include whether you'd prefer a larger city like Bristol, or somewhere a bit smaller like Exeter - it's still a city, but is sometimes described as having more of a 'large town' feeling to it as most things are walkable. Do you prefer more of a campus environment like Exeter's Streatham campus, where all the university facilities are closer together on their own site, or do you prefer a location where the university is mixed in more with the city like Bristol. Would you prefer to be closer to beaches and countryside like Dartmoor and Exmoor near Exeter, or closer to your home in Bristol? How important is it for you to be able to travel home within an hour and a half, or three? Do you have any hobbies or extracurricular interests that would lend themselves more to one location than the other - for example surfing or other water sports might be easier to do in Exeter than Bristol.

I'd also recommend thinking about academic differences between the course. As mentioned in the thread, are there any options for study abroad or placement years? I did a study abroad year in my own undergraduate degree and it's probably one of the best things I did at university and would thoroughly recommend it. How about fieldwork? Does this include residential field courses away from the university, or more day trips integrated into other modules. Are these in the UK or further afield? Are there any particular topics within geography that you're especially interested in - do the universities offer modules or have academics actively conducting research within that field? You can find a lot of information about each course online - for example here for the University of Exeter. I'm not sure if you've applied for BA or BSc Geography, but for each you'll be able to navigate to the course content tab that will tell you which modules are available in each year of the degree, and what's compulsory or optional. Which example course load gets you most excited about studying the subject? You can look at the research interests of Exeter's Geography Department here - how do these interests compare with your own and the type of work that's done at Bristol's department?

I'd encourage you to weigh up the full student experience at both universities - a combination of both the course but also the location and overall student lifestyle - and see which one best fits for you. Ultimately which university is the best choice is going to vary from person to person, and is something only you can decide for you. Both Bristol and Exeter are very well regarded universities, with good reputations for your subject, and so you can't really make a 'wrong' choice (which is a nice position to be in!).

I hope that's helpful, and perhaps given you more to think about for how to compare and evaluate each university alongside the other. I've been a student at the University of Exeter for my undergrad, Masters and now PhD, and have absolutely loved my time here, so if you have any more questions about my own experience or reasons for choosing Exeter then I'd be happy to share them with you. Ultimately your university choice has to be your own though, and I wish you the best of luck on your decision and future regardless of whichever institution you decide.

Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador