PPE @ York: "York is a **** uni"- Honest Opinions?

Ok, well no offence but you might agree with me more after you've been on a course for awhile and have met enough other intelligent people who don't like their courses or environments.

Your approach of 'adjust or die' is a bit idealistic. While in some senses the world is brutal like that, statistical trends suggest that the vast majority of human beings don't perform well or simply adjust when they're in a situation that they don't like. They can cope, certainly, but performance is really affected. Telling everybody to just lump it isn't actually going to result in most of them successfully managing to do just that. I think its possible you see this more at University than you do in a job. In many jobs you can get by just doing what's expected of you, and you're not assessed and rated against other people doing exactly the same work in the way that you are in education. (you still are assessed obviously, but its quite different.) - I have been in the workplace for a few years in a number of jobs, incidentally.
The fact of the matter is that people don't actually have to chose courses and Universities they don't like. They can optimise their environment by thinking carefully, doing a bit of research and persevering. In a similar way, if you don't like a job environment you can take action to find a form of employment which is better suited to your personal skills.
While in some situations people definitely do need to simply accept that something isn't ideal and lump it for awhile, in the long term this is really inadviseable and people who live in privileged western society largely have the ability to avoid inflicting this on themselves.
University is definitely a long term example because it has intense constant demands. Three years is a hell of a long time if you're not happy with a course or environment.

No offence taken in fact i hardly ever get offended

Finally sure 3 years is a long time to be unhappy but it depends if you care about being happy

Ok, well no offence but you might agree with me more after you've been on a course for awhile and have met enough other intelligent people who don't like their courses or environments.

Your approach of 'adjust or die' is a bit idealistic. While in some senses the world is brutal like that, statistical trends suggest that the vast majority of human beings don't perform well or simply adjust when they're in a situation that they don't like. They can cope, certainly, but performance is really affected. Telling everybody to just lump it isn't actually going to result in most of them successfully managing to do just that. I think its possible you see this more at University than you do in a job. In many jobs you can get by just doing what's expected of you, and you're not assessed and rated against other people doing exactly the same work in the way that you are in education. (you still are assessed obviously, but its quite different.) - I have been in the workplace for a few years in a number of jobs, incidentally.
The fact of the matter is that people don't actually have to chose courses and Universities they don't like. They can optimise their environment by thinking carefully, doing a bit of research and persevering. In a similar way, if you don't like a job environment you can take action to find a form of employment which is better suited to your personal skills.
While in some situations people definitely do need to simply accept that something isn't ideal and lump it for awhile, in the long term this is really inadviseable and people who live in privileged western society largely have the ability to avoid inflicting this on themselves.
University is definitely a long term example because it has intense constant demands. Three years is a hell of a long time if you're not happy with a course or environment.

I hardly ever go to lectures and revise in my bedroom (not library or anywhere else) How will the environment affect me?

Well, I missed my LSE offer for very stupid reasons and my gf (now ex) can't help but keep rub in the fact that I'm going to a '**** university', York.
I'm not contesting whether it is or not, it's the only option I have now.
But is PPE at York, and York in general, actually "sh*t"? I was under the impression it was a fairly good uni, and PPE was it's flagship course, arguably second only to Oxford's course. Maybe I'm wrong though- enlighten me, please. Honest answers appreciated.

depends what the options are

Talk about e-flirting. LoL.

Durham is amaaaazing (was definitely one of my top choices), but their delusion that they are on a par with Oxbridge put me off a bit. Also they have a reputation for attracting a very preppy crowd (this didn't bother me, but it may bother others.)

Talk about e-flirting. LoL.

lol nah just saying that if i had to give up my happiness for 3 years for something i'd gladly do it even if it means going through hell and back for those 3 years.

Sadly it doesn't work like that. My friend is studying Pharmacy at Nottingham and he truely hates the course, and ended up getting a 2.2 in his second year. Definitely pick a course which you will enjoy to study.

A lot of people are horrendous uni snobs, particularly those going to unis in the top 8. As an aggregate of the 3 main league tables, York is the 10th best university in Britain. Furthermore, it lacks the snobbishness you may find in Oxbridge.
LSE is full of international students, and particularly people who are very focused on their course. While this may not be a bad thing, you have to ask yourself if that is really what you want in a university.
Durham is amaaaazing (was definitely one of my top choices), but their delusion that they are on a par with Oxbridge put me off a bit. Also they have a reputation for attracting a very preppy crowd (this didn't bother me, but it may bother others.)
Imperial is full of boys, and nerdy girls. Enough said.
The rest (Bath, St Andrews, Warwick, Bristol, etc) seem to be on a relative par imo, and while York may not have the nicest campus, it does run two of the best student newspapers in the country, and countless other societies. It also has a collegiate system, which many people claim to be an advantage (cant really see it myself).
At the end of the day, all universities have their pros and cons. Uni is what you make of it. PPE is a well respected course. I can't remember the exact figures (u can find them on the prospectus) but i think 25% of grads went into consultancy or accountancy. Considering that nearly half went into further study, this is a good ratio.

So are you studying Psychology at Cambridge?

love how you class Durham as amazing and then put Bath St Andrews Warwick Bristol etc as the rest of the top when Warwick and St Andrews have consistently outranked Durham for years..

love Durham's history and English courses in contrast are on par with Oxbridge, but a lot less courses at Durham are on par with the best in the country/ world than at Warwick and St Andrews..

I visited Durham a few times. Good friend of mine was there, and I was an offer holder. It had more stuck up people in it than Cambridge does And the contrast between townspeople and students was much more pronounced, which was a little uncomfortable.

There's more to university education that league tables. Just because one university has outranked another university it doesn't meant it's better. I think that someone who actually knows a lot about higher education will find it hard to argue why Glasgow is significantly weaker than Edinburgh, for example. Really, the difference is small (and the difference in league table positions also).

St Andrews hasn't consistantly outranked Durham in previous league tables. Although I don't have the previous year's league table on me (or ever will) but I think for a number of years it's drifter from 20 - 40th. I think that the year before student satisfaction was introduced it was around 40 in one table, jumping into the top ten the following year.

It's Durham that, pre student satisfaction, consistantly outranked St Andrews. Not that this matters.



A number of its departments can rival the very best in the country in both teaching and research quality. Law? Physics (premier centre of Astrophysics in Europe)? Chemistry? Geography (arguably one of the two best human geography departments in the country), Engineering (far stronger than Warwick) and at least four or five more. I'd throw philosophy in there, as it does offer undergraduate teaching which I'm sure can rival Warwick and St Andrews, but its research doesn't.

You've actually missed out quite a few departments there, but I'm puzzled as to why you've included English. As you speak with such authority and use sweeping generalisations then you should (hopefully) be informed enough to find that Durham's English department isn't "on par with Oxbridge". You probably only say that because it has a number one position on a league table (using outdated RAE). The latest RAE, from what I remember of it, doesn't place it alongside Oxbridge. York, Warwick, Edinburgh(?) and a few redbricks can rival it. It's a great department but not that special.



Yeah. The locals (or at least the working class locals) are pretty much located in ghettos. Maybe I'm exaggerting, I certainly don't mean rough or crime ridden places at all, just there is a clear division between gown and town. Between student places (the city centre) and working class locals ("rough" parts like North Road). I've just moved back into Durham, an ex-council estate just outside the city centre. Being ex-council, the houses are well built and a good size, but it is very much local people territory. It's already a little disconcerting. I'm wondering what it's going to be like come October, spending a day with the students in the city centre and then coming home for the evening. It's like a different world. Still, if they want to pay £80-100 a week instead of £40......

Anyway, I don't know how Durham came into it. But if the OP (or anyone else) is considering chosing Durham over York for PPE then I'd advice they chose York. Unless Durham (as a location/course content) appeals more to them more of course. But York certainly have the tradition and Durham is, relatively speaking, a very youthful course. What's more, although philosophy and economics are both excellent departments their politics department (although still good with great specialities) couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. As for your girlfriend, she's just one person. You really need to get a range of opinions and this thread is one way to do that of course. Forgive me if this has already been covered in greater detail but what sort of experience does she have. Has she adequately justified her opinion?

Now, this is where I'm probably going to come across as hypocritical, but this thread is supposed to address York and how its PPE course compares to Oxford's. The OP can correct me if I'm wrong but, now that I've moved it from York to GUD, can we try and keep it York specific. Obviously, if the OP is interested in comparisons with other universities, then he just needs to say.

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