Bradford or Durham?

I'm applying for a postgrad place at Durham.  But I have noticed that the program I want isn't very well funded there (one place for the whole department), although it is at Bradford (3 places for just that course alone).  I've been dreaming about going to Durham for 7 years now, but I need the funding if I'm going to do the course as we're cash-strapped and have a young child.  I'm planning to follow it up with a PhD as well.  Should I apply for the 1 year MSc at Bradford and then follow my dreams for the PhD at Durham?  Getting funded in the first instance makes it more likely you'll get funded again...

I'm posting this here and not in the student section because I want general, not student opinions of the cities in question.  Both departments are excellent.  But I know nothing of Bradford and what it's like to live in, although I get the impression it's lacking in the charm Durham has.  I wouldn't want to live near students anyway, with all the noise and drinking (I've lived near campuses in the UK before).  What's your experience of Bradford and its quality of life?  I know Durham is lovely as I've been there several times, but obviously I'd welcome opinions about living there as well. 

Elliejean, AFAIK, Bradford proper is a bit down-at-the-heels, so to speak - IMO, a gritty working-class, historically industrial city.  It does have some lovely Victorian architecture, and some attractions.  In recent-ish history, it has been a city of immigrants - first of Asians, especially from Pakistan (mid-20th century) and more recently, of Eastern Europeans.  I have not lived in Bradford so beyond these facts - I can tell you it has great curry restaurants!  

It is the sister city to nearby Leeds - usually seen as Bradford's upmarket relative.    And there are lovely towns and villages surrounding it: Keighley, Otley, Ilkley, Hebden Bridge (one of the funkiest towns in England!) and Skipton (Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales- which is lovely countryside indeed) just to name a few!  If you like outdoors pursuits, living in this area is heavenly - with the Yorkshire Dales, the Pennines, the North York Moors, and bit further south - The Peak District, nearby.

ETA:  Oh and if Yorkshire/Virginia happens to peek in here sometime soon, he could probably tell you a lot more stuff.  He's a town planning consultant in these parts & knows everything about everything - from Wales to Berwick-on-Tweed!

PS - Oh yeah, and Elynor (on UKY) is at Durham now.

Just to second all that Mrs R is saying and it is entirely possible to live in Leeds and commute to the University of Bradford. I think like with any city, there are 'good' and 'bad' parts - and Bradford is known for fab curry houses.

I think besides the money re: funding factor, do you want a city or more rural lifestyle? Have you had a chance to do an actual physical reccie of both places?

Ah yes, here I am!  I was in Bradford this morning and although it has character, it certainly isn't anything like Durham, in terms of atmosphere or charm.  Durham, if you have been, is an historic college town, with a collegiate atmosphere.  Bradford is a gritty, down at heel, post-industrial city and I can honestly say that I couldn't recommend anywhere to live in the city itself (but maybe someone will chime in who lives there and likes it?!).  The university campus is quite central.  Some of our neighbours studied there and liked the easy going, unpretentious atmosphere.  The student population is quite diverse, with a good international mix.

Although I can't think of anywhere to recommend in Bradford itself, there are many great places close to Bradford, with very easy transport links back into the city.  Public transport in West Yorkshire is cheap and efficient.  What kind of place are you looking for?  Urban village - Saltaire (world heritage site, art galleries, dinky shops, good park), just north of Bradford.  Small/medium sized towns - Bingley, Baildon, Ilkley (my home town - I love it), Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge (funky little green/eco town - one of my favourite places in Yorkshire).  Suburban towns on the edge of Leeds - Guiseley, Horsforth, Pudsey.  The countryside is great in Yorkshire and you're never far away from beautiful moorland scenery.

As you're in Lincs. come over for a visit.  Choose the worst weather (there's a lot of that) and if you like somewhere on a rainy, misty, cold day, you'll be in heaven when the sun shines!

Can't you apply for both courses and see who offers you funding? I work in a university postgrad department, and we have no way of knowing what other universities applicants have applied to - you don't haveto state it on your application form. Also, we wouldn't necessarily fund someone for a PhD just because they were funded for an MA at a different university, it would depend much more on their BA and MA results and the quality of their research proposal. And some universities give preference to their own students when it comes to funding - I know that Durham are offering a number of fee bursaries to their own graduates who stay on to take MAs.

Having said that, I work in the social sciences area, so I appreciate that funding opportunities may be quite different on the science side.

As a Leeds resident I'll agree with other comments that Bradford is pretty run down, but there are plenty of nice places you could easily commute from by train.

What social science are you in HME?  I'm an archaeologist.  I have opted to apply to both and see what happens.  If they both accept me but only Bradford offers funding I may have a quandary though...

I have opted to apply to both and see what happens.  If they both accept me but only Bradford offers funding I may have a quandary though...

I think this is a great idea. If funding is an issue and as a result you choose Bradford, it will just be an opportunity for a different experience, IMO. If it's for MA, what's to say you can't apply again to Durham for PhD? And there are lots of great places to live near Bradford as suggested! Good luck with it all!     

Hi there,

If it does come down to you attending Bratford, then I do suggest alongside what Mrs Robinson/Mapleleafgirl & yorkshire/virginia have said, to live further out than central Bratford to have the best chance of a more peaceful living experience in the city.

I used to go to Uni of Bratford 92/94 and I know what the place was like then and talking to some people/local's I still know who are there, it has improved to an extent around the Uni area and central town. However the grittiness is still there. Further afield in the more nicer areas of Bratford is where you'll want to be, and use buses or if you have your own car, that, to attend lectures go shopping and then retreat back to your area.

There's probably still areas of Bratford I shouldn't be seen in (I plead the 5th for that!!!!!) and other areas which today still could be no go areas - if you do end up in Bratford, it'd be worth doing some 'street knowledge' level research on knowing which areas they are so you can avoid them...

Good luck with all your plans - Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Dennis,

Are you saying "Bratford" or Bradford???

Are you saying "Bratford" or Bradford???

Bratford is the local way of pronouncing Bradford. 

What social science are you in HME?  I'm an archaeologist.  I have opted to apply to both and see what happens.  If they both accept me but only Bradford offers funding I may have a quandary though...

I work in politics and international studies (on the admin side).

By the way, please don't think that Bradford is unsafe!  I have never felt unsafe in the city.  In fact, I was in the city centre on Friday evening with my 9 year old daughter (she had been in a choir concert).  It felt quite safe and we took the train back home with no worries.

I'm a postgrad in archaeology at Durham, and I really don't like it at all.  The city is OK but the department has been really wierd, at least if you didn't do an undergrad degree here.  It's great if you want a good reputation--much better in that sense than Bradford--but I have found it to be a real struggle.

Of course I am the department malcontent, so I'm not sure what that says...

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it!