ADVICE - Firm and insurance uni choices -

Hi,

I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance

- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading

My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most

Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

itsfunneh123

What is the course, grades and which ones do you want to go to the most and see how the courses differ and what are your priorities...then you'll be able to see

Reply 2

Dollsunified

Original post

by itsfunneh123

What is the course, grades and which ones do you want to go to the most and see how the courses differ and what are your priorities...then you'll be able to see

Thank you, I agree that I could have been clearer :smile:

Reply 3

UniofReading

Official Rep

Original post

by Dollsunified

Hi,
I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance
- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading
My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most
Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

Hello, I hope you are doing well!

Choosing your firm and insurance can be very tricky, and it is a difficult choice for many students, so I understand why you're feeling unsure.
What I suggest you do (since I don't do English), is to text the students doing your course on their Unibuddy (platform for prospective students to message current students one-to-one), so you can personally ask them about your questions, and hopefully make it easier for you to decide.
I'm not sure if the course you've applied to is English Language and Linguistics, or English Literature, but we currently have one ambassador on our unibuddy for the later, and two for the former.
You can find them here

I hope you found this helpful!
Please feel free to ask here on TSR (or our Unibuddy) if you have any questions, we'd be happy to help 🙂

Kind regards,
Safa
MPharm Year 1

Reply 4

normaw

Original post

by Dollsunified

Hi,

I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance

- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading

My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most

Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

Which course do you prefer? You need to compare the modules and optional modules for all years of the course and think about which you would choose if you went to that uni. Do any of the courses give you an opportunity to study abroad or for placements, which will add a lot to your graduate CV?

Reply 5

DurhamRep Rosie

Official Rep

Original post

by Dollsunified

Hi,
I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance
- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading
My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most
Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

Hi there!

I'm in second year of study at Durham, and I love it here - as I study Psychology, I'll give you some helpful English-based links, then some information about your priorities list. 😊

You can find information about modules, as well as additional pathways (a year abroad/placement years) here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/english-literature-q300/. To read about one of our students' experiences studying English at Durham, you can find that here: https://durham-student.org/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-english-literature-student/.

It's great that you know what you're looking for in your university choices, and it's a tricky decision to narrow them down. I knew I wanted to go toDurham after I attended an offer-holder day, visited my college (St Aidans), got to explore the facilities, meet the staff and knew I could envision myself there.

The staff on my course are brilliant, and always offer opportunities for drop-in sessions, support in assignments and are generally really approachable. Durham was ranked as the UK’s University of the Year 2026 by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, measuring criteria including student experience, teaching quality and graduate prospects. In the National Student Survey 2025, Durham ranked in the top 10 across measures including teaching, academic support and organisation/management. 🙂

Durham is a beautiful town, with great transport routes. You can get from campus to campus in around 30 minutes on foot, making it easy to get from place-to-place. There are lots of great attractions, including the Cathedral, Botanical Gardens and so many great places to eat! It is quite a small area compared to places like Manchester which some students believe halters the social life, but it's very well-connected, and many students opt to travel to Newcastle to branch out (it's only 15 minutes away on the train). You're never far from anywhere new.

As for societies and events, these are both college-specific and university-wide. There are over 1000 student-led societies in Common Rooms, the Students’ Union, the Student Enrichment Directorate and the Careers & Enterprise Centre. This includes 80+student-led music societies, 54 sports to participate in, and 50 annual community projects. There are endless events to get involved in, including the famous charity fashion shows and student theatre, meaning there's something for everyone to enjoy!

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions about studying at Durham 😊
-Rosie (DU Representative)

Reply 6

LancashireRep4

Official Rep

Original post

by Dollsunified

Hi,
I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance
- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading
My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most
Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

Hi @Dollsunified

Picking the right university can be difficult, but I'd love to give you some advice. 😊

I see you have already picked out some factors that are important to you, so here are some ways you can compare them:

Feel/ Vibe 😎 - The best way to judge this is first hand. I recommend attending offer holder days which allow you to explore the location, join taster sessions and ask questions to current students/ tutors. If this is not an options, possibly look for videos showing off the area, so you can at least visually see what it may be like!

Social life and societies 🕺 - I recommend looking on your universities student union page, which may be a website separate to the university. On this page, you should find a list of societies that are currently active which can give you an idea of what groups you may wish to join. Additionally, check online for local groups/clubs that may be of interest, often the best way to do this is through Facebook!

Teaching quality and student satisfaction 🧑*🎓 - This can be slightly more difficult to compare. Two routes I chose was to look are rankings (however please note these vary between different sources due to its subjective nature), awards and talking with current or past students. You could also look at where past students are now, with universities often sharing alumni's success stories or you could do some research on LinkedIn.

Aside from these, here are some general points you may wish to compare on:
•Grade requirements 📖- Compare the requirements to get into each university. If it is a close decision between the two, I'd recommend choosing the one with slightly lower requirements to relieve some pressure if possible.
•Modules 📚- Head onto the university website and compare the modules for your course of interest. This way you can see which course is more closely tailored to your interests.
•Distance 🛣️- This depends on how much you value being in close distance to home, therefore varying importance to everyone.
•Placement year 🌇- It's an excellent chance to gain work experience and put you one step ahead when you exit university, so it may be worth seeing if either university offer it for your course.
•Quality 🎓- What's the reputation of the course? You could look at other students opinions, awards and more.
•Cost of living 💵- Which is more affordable? This could take into account travel costs or accommodation costs.

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Lancashire)

Reply 7

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post

by Dollsunified

Hi,
I've got offers for English from these unis and I'm deciding between them for my firm and insurance
- Durham
- york
- Sheffield
- Reading
My priorities would be

•

A uni feel to the place and city itself

•

Social life

•

Teaching quality

•

Student satisfaction

•

Societies and fun extras like extra events

My current ranking is: York, Durham, Sheffield and then Reading but I'm unsure about the first three the most
Anyone who has been to any, please can you give me some advice?
Thanks :smile:

Hi!

I’m currently in my final year studying Biomedical Science, so I can hopefully give you some helpful insight 😊

Sheffield is quite known for being one of those cities you never really want to leave because it genuinely has something for everyone.

If you’re looking for a strong uni feel, Sheffield really delivers. It has a great campus with everything you could possibly need, and it’s all within close proximity to the city centre, bars and restaurants. Endcliffe and Ranmoor student village especially felt very studenty to me when I first viewed Sheffield, and even more so when I lived there in my first year. It’s loads of students living together, with access to a shop, bar, restaurant, study spaces, and even a pond, with constant activity. It genuinely feels like its own little community, making it really easy to meet people and settle in.

The city itself is big enough that there’s always something happening. Areas like Crookes, Broomhill and Ecclesall are full of students, so you’re constantly around other uni people. The city centre is great, and Meadowhall is just a short tram ride away if you fancy a proper shopping trip. There are also loads of green spaces, and you’re right next to the Peak District, which is such a bonus when you want a break from studying, with bus routes and trains going directly there.

Social life is definitely one of Sheffield’s strongest points. West Street is basically the main student strip; it’s full of bars and clubs and is busy midweek as well as weekends. A lot of societies partner with certain venues and give out discount cards, so you get cheaper drinks and deals, which actually makes a big difference. There’s never really a dull night. The Students’ Union is a huge part of social life too and has been ranked number one for seven consecutive years. It runs loads of events, gigs and themed club nights. A big one is Roar every Wednesday, it’s often associated with sports societies, but genuinely everyone is welcome, and it’s one of the most popular nights. There are also themed nights, society bar crawls, formals and constant socials happening throughout the year.

Teaching quality and student satisfaction are also strong. Sheffield tends to rank highly for student satisfaction and has held a top spot in the Russell Group in recent years. From my experience, lecturers are approachable and supportive, and there’s great pastoral support as well. There’s also a good range of module choices in English as you progress, so you can really shape your degree around what you enjoy most.

Societies are another big plus. There are endless options to choose from, and many organise events, socials and even trips abroad. Climbing is also really popular here.

Do you have any specific interests or hobbies? If you can, I’d highly recommend attending one of the offer-holder days, which really helped me gauge what I wanted from both the university and the city.

I have added some useful links here:
Students' Union
Nightlife
Endcliffe and Ranmoor Accommodation
Societies
Offer-Holder Day's
School of English

Best of luck choosing! 😀

Mia
BSc Biomedical Science
University of Sheffield

Reply 8

Dollsunified

Original post

by University of Sheffield Students

Hi!
I’m currently in my final year studying Biomedical Science, so I can hopefully give you some helpful insight 😊
Sheffield is quite known for being one of those cities you never really want to leave because it genuinely has something for everyone.
If you’re looking for a strong uni feel, Sheffield really delivers. It has a great campus with everything you could possibly need, and it’s all within close proximity to the city centre, bars and restaurants. Endcliffe and Ranmoor student village especially felt very studenty to me when I first viewed Sheffield, and even more so when I lived there in my first year. It’s loads of students living together, with access to a shop, bar, restaurant, study spaces, and even a pond, with constant activity. It genuinely feels like its own little community, making it really easy to meet people and settle in.
The city itself is big enough that there’s always something happening. Areas like Crookes, Broomhill and Ecclesall are full of students, so you’re constantly around other uni people. The city centre is great, and Meadowhall is just a short tram ride away if you fancy a proper shopping trip. There are also loads of green spaces, and you’re right next to the Peak District, which is such a bonus when you want a break from studying, with bus routes and trains going directly there.
Social life is definitely one of Sheffield’s strongest points. West Street is basically the main student strip; it’s full of bars and clubs and is busy midweek as well as weekends. A lot of societies partner with certain venues and give out discount cards, so you get cheaper drinks and deals, which actually makes a big difference. There’s never really a dull night. The Students’ Union is a huge part of social life too and has been ranked number one for seven consecutive years. It runs loads of events, gigs and themed club nights. A big one is Roar every Wednesday, it’s often associated with sports societies, but genuinely everyone is welcome, and it’s one of the most popular nights. There are also themed nights, society bar crawls, formals and constant socials happening throughout the year.
Teaching quality and student satisfaction are also strong. Sheffield tends to rank highly for student satisfaction and has held a top spot in the Russell Group in recent years. From my experience, lecturers are approachable and supportive, and there’s great pastoral support as well. There’s also a good range of module choices in English as you progress, so you can really shape your degree around what you enjoy most.
Societies are another big plus. There are endless options to choose from, and many organise events, socials and even trips abroad. Climbing is also really popular here.
Do you have any specific interests or hobbies? If you can, I’d highly recommend attending one of the offer-holder days, which really helped me gauge what I wanted from both the university and the city.
I have added some useful links here:
Students' Union
Nightlife
Endcliffe and Ranmoor Accommodation
Societies
Offer-Holder Day's
School of English
Best of luck choosing! 😀
Mia
BSc Biomedical Science
University of Sheffield

thank you, this is such a detailed and helpful response!