London offers a unique university experience: but is it for you? Our blogger Eleanor gives us a case-study of life as a student in London vs Durham, a regional university in a smaller town. (The UCL Portico Building. Photo credit Wikipedia)
In terms of academic reputation Durham University and the top London universities* are pretty much neck and neck; both consistently rank in the Top 10 or even Top 5 in the United Kingdom. So naturally both universities are often found in applicants’ top 5 UCAS choices. But with countless differences between the university atmospheres, how could you possibly choose between the two? As an undergraduate alumnus of Durham University and a current postgraduate student at Imperial College London, I’ve drawn on my experience to compose a list of the 4 key differences between the two places to help you make up your mind.
International reputation
Here in the UK, both Durham and the London Universities do extremely well in league tables, yet if you zoom out to an international scale you’ll find that the Capital tends to boast universities with a better reputation. London universities tick more boxes within certain international league table criteria than Durham does: the capital scores better for factors like student and staff diversity, volume of research and citations, and the level of income and funding. Hence the QS World University Rankings place Imperial College joint 2nd and UCL 5th, whereas Durham is found two pages down at joint 92nd. So if you’re looking for a job abroad after you graduate many careers services will recommend London-based unis.
College system
This is perhaps the biggest difference between Durham, which has the collegiate system like Oxford and Cambridge, and the London universities which do not. I worked at various open days in Durham and was constantly asked “so what exactly are the colleges?” and “is it like Harry Potter?”. The best way I can describe the college system is that when you arrive in Durham you live in your college building for a year, which is your halls of residence, local bar, café, shop, dinner party venue etc. all rolled into one. You’re part of that college community for your whole time at Durham, when you’ve moved out of the building after your first year and even after you’ve graduated (I’m St. Aidan’s until I die). You become so patriotic to your college that it really is like your family away from home. There’s a tonne of friendly rivalry between the 16 colleges, and each is associated with its own kind of personality (although you aren’t sorted by a magical hat unfortunately). You don’t get the same level of consistent enthusiasm for your halls of residence if you’re not at a collegiate university. However there are upsides to living in halls in London too. You share flats with much smaller groups of people, meaning you might have a closer-knit group of friends. It also means you’ll probably have a stronger Students’ Union at the university, and you might socialise more with people from across your degree course.
Landscape
There’s a saying in Durham that you can walk anywhere you need to be in half an hour, and along the way you’ll often find astonishing scenery and architecture. If you’re lazy there’s also a free bus for students running through the centre (or the occasional horse which escapes from a nearby farm). London on the other hand is over 8 times the size of Durham, meaning walking may be a bit ambitious. Although there’s an impressive selection of public transport networks, it’ll cost you, and in some of my experiences commuting can raise your blood pressure a staggering amount.
The size of London has its benefits though, as there’s a seemingly endless list of things you can do – both in the day and at night. I wouldn’t like to guess the number of nightclubs in London but I can count all of Durham’s on one hand. This isn’t saying they’re not fantastic for students – just the variety in venue and music types available in Durham may be a shock to the system if you’re used to a big city.
Cost of living
What Durham lacks in size it makes up for in price. The bars in your colleges are subsidised so the average pint will only set you back an incredible £1.70, whereas the average in London is closer to an eye-watering entire five pound note. And it’s not just the drinks – it’s genuinely so much cheaper to live in Durham than London when you factor in your rent, public transport, all the student coffee, and any recreational activities you can afford like eating out or going to the cinema. For these reasons, you can get a higher student loan if you go to university in London – but you still have to pay it off at the end. On the other hand London tends to have more opportunities for part-time work than Durham and higher average salaries.
So there you have it – the four major differences between Durham and the London universities based on my experiences. Of course I also recommend you visit these places for yourself, as everyone has different preferences and experiences, and you may have your own criteria on how to choose a university. Here’s a list of the upcoming university open days for potential applicants in 2015:
Durham University – 22nd and 27th June 2015
Imperial – 24th and 25th June, and 19th September 2015
UCL – 3rd and 4th July, and 12th September 2015
LSE – 25th March and 1st July 2015
As for my personal preference, I couldn’t possibly say…
*by which I principally mean UCL, LSE, and Imperial College London.
Written by Eleanor Haynes
A MyTutor English Tutor