Durham University - Opinion Poll
Hello Everyone,
I had mentioned Durham University in another topic, but I want get a larger scope of opinion.
From my perspective (a Non-target U.S. Undergrad - going for an Msc. Finance program): It looks like Durham has solid programs and a unique atmosphere. It's not a 1st tier school, but it's a top 2nd tier. Any thoughts?
Check out their placement & programs:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/dbs/degrees/msc_programmes/c…
What is the reputation of a Durham University graduate from the UK & abroad? Could some body compare this school to an equivalent U.S. school?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
While Durham is good in the UK, I honestly doubt too many people in the US have heard of it, especially outside of BB.
Assuming
1.) I want to work in the UK
2.) I'm not crazy about working for a BB
Then how would Durham might be a good fit?
never heard of it.
haha yeah man i went to a big ten (MI, WI, IL) and some people don't even know my school in the US! how the hell will they know durham? the only durham people'd know when you said 'i went to durham' is in north carolina.
they'll all know it in the UK, if that's any consolation.
Ha! I never thought about people thinking I went to Durham University in North Carolina. That could be a big draw back.
So you could say, in the UK, Durham is equivalent to an Ohio State University or University of Wisconsin? Or maybe more like a Duke or Vandy?
Durham is definitely no Duke. I would say Durham is probably on par with Vandy.
You should be fine in the UK assuming you do well.
yeah maybe a vandy in relative terms. though that still seems high. but in absolute terms, a uwisc would kill durham i think.
for someone in the uk who isn't married to BB, durham seems a reasonable option though buddy
no no, what i meant is, in the US, people will not have heard of durham unless they happen to know the town where Duke is located. i do not think duke in the US vs durham in the UK is a good comparison. duke >>>> durham on any level. vandy is probably closer. brit kids need to chime in.
(for reference, for ugrad i had applied to (1) oxford and (2) imperial, ucl, edinburgh, st. andrews, warwick, shit i don't even know, there was some way to apply to like 6 schools at once...got in all schools and took a big ten over them all. but that's cause i love the u-s-of-a and wanted to study here)
You got into fucking OXFORD and chose a big ten instead!? That's inconceivable!
i didn't know Shit in high school. didn't know Shit about good vs bad, target vs non target. i absolutely did not care either. i had a normal time in high school haha.
had a great profile. highest gpa in my high school, 1600 sat/2380 or 2390 sat ii, good ecs, two varsity sports, etc...just wanted to go to the US. didn't have money for mit and the likes. + i just did not know! knew nothing...about good schools, about how competitive (or not) my profile was, etc. took the second best option given my budget, second best school for my intended major. shit man if i knew then what i know now - about where to study, what to study, etc - of course i would have applied to many ivy leagues/elite lacs/other top schools. like ucb, cornell, etc. with my profile, i would probably have got in at least one target/semi target. honestly i don't even remember all the schools i applied to/got into in the UK. which is why you shouldn't quote me on the oxford thing. i honestly don't remember if oxford was on my list, but i think one of oxford/cambridge was. goes to show how little i cared. i remember i got into every UK school i applied to (much cheaper, so i applied to some of their "ivy" type schools).
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It's a decent school i think and you'll have decent opportunities. Although I think a Cass or Warwick would be better. Good schools, but still sort of 2nd tier, but with much better employment prospects than Durham.
If you wanted to compare it to the US Ivy system, you might say Durham does compare to a 'second tier' Ivy such as Brown, Dartmouth or Cornell. In terms of prestige (being the third oldest university in England), and academic rigour, Durham is a highly elitist university, often seen as the next best alternative to Oxford/Cambridge. Its students have a similarly high level of academic credentials to Oxford/Cambridge as reflected in their average entry standards. It is hugely traditional, and has a collegiate system, which is rare in the UK and only present at Oxford, Cambridge and Durham.
Its reputation in the UK is superb. Being up in the North East of England and not having an outstanding Economics Department, means it's less targeted by Banks, but hugely targeted by Magic Circle Law firms. This might also be explained by its focus on Arts and Humanities, it ranks regularly in the top 3 in the country for Law, History and English Literature (for which it was recently ranked number 1 in the world I believe).
If the UK had an Ivy League, you might say it would include Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick, since these are arguably the most prestigious and held in the highest esteem.
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Durham MSc is good, though not so great for IB recruiting. If I were you I'd look at other Finance MScs in continental europe--> HEC, Bocconi, SSE and maybe RSM. These place in IB better than Durham MSc Fin.
regarding Durham undergrad, It's a top 10 UK uni, but it's important to keep in mind that outside of Oxford, Cambridge,LSE, UCL and maybe Imperial, UK universities don't hold a candle to american ones in terms of resources, research, global reach and overall quality. So Durham may have caliber of student comparable to a top Big 10 like U Mich, Wisconsin or U Illinois, but it is nowhere near as globally recognized or important.
I think you're wrong here, Durham would have the same caliber of students easily to the Ivies in the US. However, it doesn't have the resource, research etc of a U Mich, Wisconsin or Illinois. I think you'd find that the caliber of students at Durham would easily be greater than Wisconsin or a Big 10 school. They'd have a similar caliber to those who just scraped into an Ivy (ie were lucky such as a legacy, athlete) or a second tier like Georgetown, Tufts or a top liberal arts college. Also, I think you're overstating the importance of US universities, ask anyone in the UK or Europe what they think of University of Wisconsin and they probably have a completely different opinion of it (they'd think it's just some place where students go to keg parties 7 nights a week like in the movies).
To the other poster that said he picked a Big 10 over either Oxford and Cambridge and didn't know the difference or can't remember, I smell BS. There's no way that someone would cruise through high school, do no work and not have any idea about a university like Oxford. If you were that smart then I'm sure you would have had other people tell you about it such as parents, teachers etc.
if you compare durham vs st. andrews which one would u choose? I've got offers msc finance&investment (durham) and msc economics (st.andrews). the both unis are top 5 and 6 in the UK. my goal is to join ib in the nearest future.
Durham University (Originally Posted: 04/10/2015)
I have recently received an interesting opportunity to possibly attend Durham University in England on a 40% scholarship for their Masters program. It is a one year program and the cost will be about 20k (U.S. dollars) after the scholarship plus living expenses. I am a 2014 graduate of a small liberal arts university. I have a degree in finance and economics. I have decent job right now in insurance. Decent pay considering I live in a low cost of living area, easy hours, already been promoted once. I have seen mixed reviews on here in older posts. From rankings, Durham is a top 100 school in the world. Any recent opinions on this school? Is this opportunity worth it? Any advice is appreciated.
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