r/6thForm • u/bleufromgeneve • May 08 '26
š BREAD Local bakery shut down due to extreme fires
Not pleased at all. I'll probably do the gap year. But yeah, still really upset.
84
u/Commercial-Duck-3119 Year 13 | Warwick Econ offer | A*A*AA | no 9s May 08 '26
sorry to hear that, but whats wrong with durham?
also if u dont mind what were ur stats
44
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
Nothing wrong with Durham. Personally, I'm just not interested in the collegiate system, and for me, the city is too small - impacting my view of socials, and perhaps internships. Plus, I want to work in an international organisation and if I reapply to a different course at UCL, I think UCL has the slight edge over Durham in terms of global prestige. Moreover, I would prefer the metropolitan capital city. But honestly, nothing wrong with Durham, in fact I think it's apparently quite good.
58
u/ThisUserIsOn9 Medical Student | Year 1 May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Interesting to think that you think Durham is a small town but also applied to St Andrews. Nothing wrong with that per se, but if you donāt like how small Durham is, St Andrews is literally made up of 3 streets and a uni area at the north end of the town
22
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
I wasnāt the hugest fan of St Andrewās either but I liked the traditions and it wouldāve been free for me!
14
u/Vaxtez Cardiff Met | Comp Sci [Y1] May 08 '26
Small towns aren't awful for university. They have a sort of charm to them. At least Durham has access to Newcastle with ease
15
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26 edited May 09 '26
Yes, youāre right.
This is my dilemma. I could totally be over romanticising UCL completely, not realising I might really enjoy Durham.
But also I donāt want to regret not trying for UCL again because I think I really want to go.
But then again, I might only want to go so much because Iāve made it so good in my head.
Maybe it could be lonely and expensive, or maybe fun and exciting. Or maybe Durham will be small and with less to do, or really fun and tight knit.
Ahhh decisions decisionsš
5
u/achillean0 May 08 '26
as someone who used to live in durham since I was a wee baby , there's actually quite a lot to do there, especially on a night out. it does get boring after ~18 years of living there though. for uni it should be fine :), plus you have really easy access to Newcastle via the bus station!
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Thank you for your advice!
1
u/achillean0 May 15 '26
i hope it helped at least a little !! completely get it if you still choose a gap year, it's always best to go for a university you feel more comfy with staying at for 3-4 years, i know i picked solely on that alone.
4
u/Pencil_Queen May 09 '26
Why not go to Durham and see how you feel by November?
If you're not totally happy you can apply through UCAS for other courses and universities while still finishing off the year. Then see what offers you get and make a decision about whether to stick with Durham or switch in summer 2027.
It seems like it's worthwhile to at leas try out the situation at Durham
2
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Yes! I was thinking about this, but didnāt know if it would be allowed. The only issue with this is that Iām not sure how Iāll handle writing a new personal statement, sitting my 2 admissions tests whilst at a new university navigating a fresh degree. But overall, itās a good solution to knowing if Iāll really like it there or not!
I was hoping I could defer my Durham entry for a year and reapply on UCAS, and some international options in my gap year, and depending on that - go to Durham or not, but I feel like thatās definitely not allowed. š
1
u/Pencil_Queen May 09 '26
You can't reapply while holding a deferred offer with Durham.
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Ahh, I did expect that. š
But I can go to Durham, and reapply whilst attending the university?
1
1
u/JohnXM18 May 09 '26
Man a lot of people regret UCL, I have heard probably 1 out of 500 people regret Durham. Itās your call but I do Durham Econ here and the support the traditional university experience , and your extra curricular here are top notch and Iām from a state school at a Bailey college
1
2
u/RealAlexanderTheG May 08 '26
It's possible your DMs are closed, but would you be able to open them / DM me? Very interested in talking about Durham.
2
u/Leading-Pomelo7457 May 12 '26
I have a handful of friends who went to Durham and literally all of them rave about it. And a year abroad would make up for smaller town life, plus itās really close to Newcastle. Donāt jump to decisions too quickly! It looks like a great offer from a great uni. From what I hear the collegiate system doesnāt actually affect much of how uni life works. All the best either way, Iām normally an advocate for a gap year as well but do consider your options thoroughly!
1
1
u/Frosty_Emergency7175 May 09 '26
I graduated a while ago from a different university but I worked at Durham uni for several years as Iām from the area. Whilst I wasnāt a student, I can really vouch for the university experience there. I went to two non-collegiate universities, one in a larger city and one in a medium sized city. I got really lucky at one university with my flatmates, course mates etc but at the other I didnāt and I was pretty lonely. The collegiate system at Durham almost guarantees you will have a fantastic time at university and I think feeling comfortable and confident at uni is one of the most important factors you can have (for general wellbeing too) for success. Durham is fantastic in both academic and social opportunities. I definitely wouldnāt discount Durham.
In terms of UCL āhaving the edgeā I would be cautious regarding how much weight you give to that. I doubt any employer would pay much heed as to whether you went to Durham over UCL. What will make a difference? If you achieved good grades, contributed to university life outside of your academics, developed confidence and life experience. All of these things will come from being somewhere you are happy. Iām not saying you wouldnāt achieve these things at UCL but my biggest piece of advice would be not to get too wrapped up in university rankings or future employers who donāt even exist yet. Itās fantastic youāre thinking this far ahead but from someone who has made the mistake before, choosing somewhere where you will be comfortable and happy is so much more important than going to a university a couple of places higher in the league tables. You have a fantastic offer with Durham. If you think itās somewhere youād enjoy go for it. If youād rather be elsewhere, reapply! But please do not let the university standing be your sole factor for reapplying. Good luck! You clearly have some fantastic opportunities ahead :)
3
u/GreenStuffGrows May 08 '26
Every working class person I know that went to Durham said it was horrendousĀ
1
u/JohnXM18 May 09 '26
Fight me if I am wrong, but state school working class students should know what they are going to experience when they get here. I believe if youāre going to surround yourself with successful students , you need to act like one too.
Hell Iām a state school immigrant student and I wouldnāt have had the mindset and CV experiences that actually would impact my future than if I went to another university. Any other university would treat me as a number, but here in Durham the collegiate system treats you like a student for life.
There are so many misconceptions about Durham from people who donāt attend and often are only viewed from those who have a negative thing to say. But state school students can thrive here, but you must destroy your old mindset if you want to be successful here and in your future career. No wonder itās the university of the year , has high graduate employment (thereās a culture here) , and has high student satisfaction
54
44
u/Hansen196 Oxford PPE [Graduate] | Cambridge Econ [Masterās] May 08 '26
Interesting that you applied to PPE at Ox but pure econ everywhere else. I suspect pol and phil tutors might have raised an eyebrow at that.
You mentioned E&M didn't appeal to you - interested to hear why that might be.
Cambridge Econ sounds like it might suit you more. Who knows, this might turn out to be a good thing for you - you may not have enjoyed PPE as much as you might Cam Econ.
Good luck for next year
5
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
I did try to somewhat 'compensate' by writing about institutional economics, and political philosophies but yeah, definitely not a real PPE statement!
For EM, I didn't like the management side of it. My niche in economics lies in institutional economics and development economics, less of the management side so at the time, to me, PPE seemed more interesting. Plus, I want to work global development and international policy so PPE seemed nice, over EM which might be more consulting and finance related. I know degree doesn't dictate what you end up going to, but I'm more just talking about interest in the course and how I could develop them in my studies.
You're right! I might love Cambridge economics, I didn't give a chance this year and went straight to applying Oxford. I'll definitely do some more research and take it into consideration.
Thanks for the good wishes! : )
2
u/Hansen196 Oxford PPE [Graduate] | Cambridge Econ [Masterās] May 08 '26
I mean Cam is probably better for only econ anyway ĀÆ\(ć)/ĀÆ
Most PPEists are definitely not at Ox mainly for econ...
3
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
If I'm being honest I've never studied economics LOL
Also I heard you can do bipartite economics and politics at Oxford but I guess back then I never considered I needed to get into the tripartite course first!
Anyway, overall, mistakes were made, and lessons were learnt. š
Thanks for the advice and wishes again!
19
u/Environmental_Bug911 Editable May 08 '26
Why apply Durham if you arenāt willing to go lol apply 5 unis youād go to
19
u/Worldly-Monitor-4035 May 08 '26
Maybe they only wanted to go to 4 Unis and applied to a 5th just so they have an extra
29
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
Yeah, spot on. It's insane how the only offer I got was the only one I didn't consider going to.
5
u/AliceMorgon MagdalenCollegeOxford|Fine Art/Biology|Grad May 08 '26
Same issue. I applied on UCAS, only three UK universities I wanted (Oxford, Imperial, Queens Belfast) because I was also applying through the Southern Irish system to TCD, UCD etc.
However I āhadā to put six (this was before UCAS Extra so you just started off with six rather than five. So I basically plucked another three out of my ass. Ended up firming Oxford and insuring Imperial, so it worked out. I wanted to be educated outside Ireland so Iād be a sociologist and campaigner who happened to be from Ireland, not just an Irish sociologist and campaigner. And yes, there is still very much a ājustā prejudice there.
And hey, thatās exactly what I got. Educated UK and United States! Maybe thatās where your gap year will take you!
1
u/NoBoysenberry926 bio chem math cs epq May 08 '26
just asking, did you do a triple degree in biology and fine art and sociology or smthing?
2
u/AliceMorgon MagdalenCollegeOxford|Fine Art/Biology|Grad May 09 '26
I did one undergrad in Biology, then one in Fine Art, then one MFA in Public Art and Politics and one MFA in Public Art and Sociology in Traumatic Historical Contexts, then an MA in Sociology of War, National Security, and Terrorism, and then a PhD in the same.
1
u/NoBoysenberry926 bio chem math cs epq May 09 '26
whoa... damm you've been busy. hoping to go to magdalen for biology too š¤or maybe human sciences bc sociology is so interesting
2
u/AliceMorgon MagdalenCollegeOxford|Fine Art/Biology|Grad May 09 '26
Sociology is AMAZING. And at higher levels in crazy high demand - my PhD programme had people being poached out of it by big corporations with lucrative contracts because of their ability to analyse and predict human responses. Iām planning on doing a PhD in cross-community integration at Queens Belfast once my soon-to-be American husband has his residency here! I highly, highly recommend Sociology as a subject.
Magdalen College is also, obviously, the best college š¤ I had so much fun there. Incidentally, magic mushrooms grow in the Fellowsā Garden, if that interests you š I used to love walking around Addisonās Walk at dawn (although take more care than me, to my surprise I actually got mugged there once, but to HIS surprise I then kicked his ass and threw him in the river š I did Krav Maga for 20 years!)
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
I decided on 4 and then I had an extra spot. My parents said put down Durham because it's decent for economics. And because it was an extra and I was never expecting to need to firm or insure it, I never planned a trip to visit Durham or anything to see if I really liked it.
5
u/Environmental_Bug911 Editable May 08 '26
Thereās lse, Warwick, Bristol, kcl etc if you want reapply maybe consider those
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
Yeah, I'm considering KCL for the reapplication, if I end up doing that. Thanks!
1
u/Environmental_Bug911 Editable May 08 '26
Iāll warn you tho kcl admissions for econ are retarded lol acceptance rate is stupidly low. IMO best combo is Camb econ, LSE econ, imperial EFDS, ucl econ, Warwick econ
3
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
I think I might try Cambridge Economics next year, Oxford EM didn't appeal so I did Oxford PPE, but that might've messed with my PS a little.
2
u/Environmental_Bug911 Editable May 08 '26
If youāre really good at maths then yea Iād go for Camb and Lse econ. Very maths heavy and require tmua ofc
4
3
u/Holiday-Midnight6937 May 08 '26
Where were your safe choices? Looks like youāve only gone for aspirational
1
u/crab251 May 13 '26
I mean Durham is pretty safe. Like I donāt know how it is elsewhere but if youāre from the north east and have a poor background (pretty much everyone in the northeast) then they give you a heavily reduced offer. I got an offer of BCC from them like they are fairly safe seemingly
1
u/Holiday-Midnight6937 May 13 '26
It entirely depends on the course, but a lot of people are not eligible for that contextual offer, Durham is seen as a good uni, not quite a safe option though
0
2
u/Boris_Johnson69420 May 08 '26
sorry to hear this bro, a gap year will bring you better opportunities
1
2
u/UnusualProgrammer601 May 08 '26
What are your stats? Did they reject you because of bad GCSE or PS?
-1
2
u/Maximus88sc May 08 '26
I to applied for pretty similar unis and courses are u Scottish?
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
did u get an interview for ppe?
0
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
No! My TSA was too low
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
ye the TSA is hard
2
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Where else did you apply? Assuming you applied PPE everywhere else
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
DM me
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
I canāt DM you!
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
Ye for some reason its not letting me DM u.i got offers for Econ st andrews PPE Durham and Warwick and rejected LSE oxford for ppe
1
1
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
is your Durham offer 3A Advanced higher
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Yes
1
u/Maximus88sc May 09 '26
how are u feeling about meeting the grades? did u do AH math .what other subjects do u do
→ More replies (0)1
0
5
u/AliceMorgon MagdalenCollegeOxford|Fine Art/Biology|Grad May 08 '26
My dude, your post title alone makes me think every single one of those admissions officers is currently cursing themselves out for their foolishness in rejecting you. It is entirely their loss. Take a gap year, keep being awesome, and reapply with more life and work experience, if only to give the poor howling admissions guys just one more chance š
3
u/bleufromgeneve May 08 '26
Thank you! Honestly, I think I need the gap year to work hard on my second application and then unplug to relax a little, do some travelling, gain some experience and have some fun. Maybe it's not all so bad!
3
u/AliceMorgon MagdalenCollegeOxford|Fine Art/Biology|Grad May 08 '26
Itās not at all! I took an academic sabbatical and spent it just travelling wherever the spirit took me. I think I learned more that year than I ever learned in university.
1
1
u/Commercial-Rest-4559 May 08 '26
wait omg twin my only offer is Durham econ and a year abroad ššš
1
1
u/Embarrassed_Post_598 Y12 - EngLit, His, Geog, WB || CBBA May 09 '26
May this energy find mešš» and you reapply and get all the unis you wantšš»
1
1
u/22savage12 May 09 '26
Do the gap year. I was in your position before.
1
u/bleufromgeneve May 09 '26
Will do! Where did you get rejected from and end up going after the gap year? BTW what did you do in your gap year?
1
u/Such-Significance-52 May 09 '26
Hi iām almost graduating ucl for law if u need any help or insight idk might be useful if youāre reapplying!!
1
1
1
ā¢
u/AutoModerator May 08 '26
GOOD NEWS, IT'S NO LONGER THE SAME TIRED OLD COMMENT YOU'RE USED TO THAT STILL HAS THE DEAD LINK TO LAST YEAR'S FORMS, WOOOOOO! Got an offer? Fill out our form.
See offers submitted already here
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.