Durham

[mrsrhodgilbert]

I'd love to hear from anyone with recent experience of Durham through their dc. Dd2 loved it at the open day. As a fairly local state school pupil she is on their Insight programme. We are in Yorkshire. This is designed to help/encourage such students to apply not just there but to other 'good' universities. Her school, state but high achieving, think she is a suitable candidate and have a number who go each year, so have some experience.

I have looked through old threads and whilst there isn't a lot of information I am getting the impression that it is very public school. Presumably Durham think this themselves, hence the Insight programme. I think I saw statistics that quoted roughly 50:50 state/public entry.

So my questions, exactly what form does this public school influence take, I've read the term 'rah' and if you have a state educated child did they feel happy there? Similarly if you have a public school educated child, did they choose Durham to be among their peers?

Obviously the choice is hers, I've just heard some negative stuff and would hate her to feel excluded.

I graduated from Durham in 2004 (having been to a bog-standard state comp) and had a whale of a time.

There are plenty of public-school types, it's true, but if you treat the more twattish ones as free entertainment/museum pieces, you'll be fine ;)

Seriously though, it's an amazing place - I have very fond memories. What college is she considering and what course?

This shows the state/independent divide is 60/40 - obviously a lot higher than other universities. Obviously though you don't know who out of that just went for sixth form to a private school or who's boarded since they were 3.

Aaah, IT messed up and my campus card had an extra year on it.

I made the most of that extra year!

I was dreading Hatfield Formal, as an aside, but it turned out to be one of my favourites. All that cutlery-stealing and spoon banging.

Er, YES PLEASE, paleontologist!!
I have a valid campus card that is begging to be used on cheap, delicious student drinks!

Yeah but friendface, some of that 40% would be students like me, common as muck but got into independent schools on scholarships/assisted places/bursaries/aspiring parents etc. We're not all rahs and not to be feared.

Go for a hill college. I absolutely loved my time there. I would do it all again in a flash.

Ahh just had a a flashback to trophying a pack of frozen potato waffles from the flat above 21s. Happy days!

YES! Let's do it! We are planning a local meet up soon ish so maybe we could incorporate a visit to the bar? Or just go another time.

Of course I'll get there, feel very old and have to leave again .

This year's intake will be SO YOUNG.

I think the Freshers started looking YOUNG to me around about 2009 before that they were fair game

Ha, sugar quill, I was exactly the same! Got through my nice Indy school on an assistant place and with kind grandparents. Certainly didn't fit in with the "rahs" but never felt out of place.

The rahs are fun. And some are nice you know. a rah is posh and tends to wear pashminas to excess but that doesn't make them all gits.

Yes, that's the point I was trying to make but forgot to include students who get bursaries and scholarships. What I mean is that not everyone who goes to an independent school is a rah/snob and with the majority of people, unless they volunteer the information, you won't even know what type of school they went to.

Oh God yes, the pashminas.

I lived with a girl at Chad's during my first year, and she had a pink one surgically attached to her neck.

When she removed it for Candlemas, I didn't recognise her

This is a true story, and I was not pissed.

I know. They are little kids. I watched the last episode of friends in the jcr.a friend of mine made a friends joke in a lecture recently (is a lecturer) and the students didn't get it.

I'd definitely be up for that!
Last summer I met with an old friend who worked in the library. She's late 30's but looks bloody 20. We went to Cuths and while she fit right in, I looked like a bloody interloper! We hadn't been in touch for years so at first it was awkward, but we got on brilliantly and by the end of the night were drinking these brilliant "tripods" which is three alcohols upside down in a pint glass.
So much fun!

which year did you go to candlemass? I went to a couple.

*alcopops, not alcohols!

re drinks either pm me or head over to meet ups and find the Durham thread. Not on local just on the main boards. reckon we could manage a full college bar crawl? I still have sine stash. In fact I'm wearing a rather old dusagg hoody right now.

I went in 2004 - I don't remember a huge deal tbh - there was a loooong meal then a lot of hanging around the Quad, and some dancing.

I much preferred Revolver...was so sad that this ended.

Cuth's did great drinks - no wonder all the rugby socials ended up there then stumbled to Klute. I liked the Mary's Challenge, where you tried to keep a shot under your tongue by running from Mary's to Cuth's before you could swallow. Painful but hilarious!

Did anyone else go to Bill Bryson's inauguration thingy which also had Richard Dawkins?

Never heard of the Mary's challenge, that's awesome!
I have a shameful confession....I worked at Klute. it was the worst job ever.

WUT. No. I suffered through 3 shite matriculations - one of which I gatecrashed no idea why - with nothing interesting in any of them. Just the same old "we are older than Oxbridge so ner" tripe.

What happened with Dawkins?

Oh CatKisser, I must have seen you around loads of times. I practically lived in Klute. I was there every Wednesday and some Fridays & Saturdays. I was the one annoying the DJ every time.

I've just shown dd1 this thread. She shrugged and said "I'm not bothered- you get tossers in all walks of life" . I think she'll be fine.

My DS was at Trevs just a few years ago, he applied for one of the Bailey colleges but was just allocated there and it was a very successful match, he loved it. He went to a private school (not a posh one though) but almost all his friends came from the state system.

Durham is a great place for uni as it is small enough that you get to know a lot more people by just running into the same folk regularly but Newcastle is not far if you want a big city