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.

Definitely moving to random allocation. Possibly to avoid all the made up excuses genuine reasons people give to try and get in to Castle

I didn't make up any excuses and I got in to Castle

The old Master used to ask around to find out what instruments were missing from the orchestra etc around admissions time . He was a little on the Mad side of Mad Professor though.

Apologies, not quite random. Here is the link: www.dur.ac.uk/colleges.board/allocations/details/

Basically, if there are too many for a college, some will be allocated elsewhere.

That's the same system that's been going since my time

Otherwise there would be massive accommodation problems in some Colleges, especially Castle.

It's been tweaked a bit, hence some of the misunderstandings out there. But you're right, some colleges will always be over- subscribed.

Yep, that was how it was in my day; Mildert had loads of people who'd either applied elsewhere or made an open application. To be honest it's one of the things I liked best about Mildert - there wasn't really a 'type'.

I had a friend from home who was crowing about getting into Castle and ended up in Moatside. Boak. Give me the Comp in the Swamp any day

I think I hugely pre date most of you as was in Durham when Mary's was still all female. What a great place - I really wanted Dd to go there but she is off somewhere else instead - she got an offer from Grey which made me secretly laugh as many Mary's girls had boyfriends at Grey (including me) - I became Social Sec of Mary's in my second year so got a brilliant bedroom on the ground floor with a huge window, which became the public entry and exit point for boys from Grey staying rather late at night ... I was not long after the days (true, not apocryphal) when you could only have members of the opposite sex in your room if they were your relative or you kept the door open the whole time ...I was also one of the early female rowers at Durham and have fond memories of early mornings on the river.
My best friend's dd is at Durham now (Collingwood) and loves it - I would really encourage your dd to go, OP, as it is a fab place which still impresses interviewers etc etc as well as being fun (and I believe it has just won Sports University of the Year.)
OH - and Klute existed even in 1980!!

Thank you all, that's some reunion you've had here.

friendface, if you're still around, did your son send a Durham specific ps, or did he just do the one standard Ucas one?

Dd has had a talk to one of her very young teachers, I thought he was a student at last years parents evening. He has recently left Durham and has been very helpful. He has recommended Hild Bede and another which I've forgotten. She is still very keen, as well as studying she also wants to continue with her singing, she's preparing for grade 8 now and has always been involved in drama both in and out of school and there seemed to be plenty of opportunities for that.

Definitely loads of singing and drama. Most of the college specific theatre companies mingle a bit too so people perform with other groups and that is even before you get to the Univeristy groups.

Oh yes, my boss has fond memories of Klute

When I want to get on her good side, I start reminscing about it.

I can't believe Colleges used to be so strict about male visitors

What's the statistic, about 70% of Durham graduates marry other Durham graduates, and it's reckoned that's because the Collegiate system provides an instant bond? My DP is not only from Durham too but also the same College :)

Hild Bede is fab for rowing/any sport and drama. It's also huuuuge.

I was at Durham as a post grad in 1989/90 - I too have fond(ish) memories of Klute, and lunch at the Swan & Three and the exceedingly cheap bar in Castle (mainly due to the pretty girls being unable to add up). However, as a post grad not living in a college (we were admitted via the Graduate Society) we didn't get many of the pluses of a college style university - no formals, balls or college clubs. There were plenty of rahs, but they were easily avoided (or baited if the mood was upon us).

DH's best mates both blagged their way into Castle by claiming to be high level rowers, which was a blatant lie but they were never called on it.

Aaaah the Castle bar girls couldn't add up in the 00s either!!

Too busy being distracted by the lads who just didn't bother serving at all service was the worst there out of all Colleges by far. Or the best, depending on which way you look at it.

I wonder if the Graduate Society is still thriving. Most postgrads I knew were from Trevs, Castle, Chad's (Trinity) or Ustinov.

Oh and it is still piss-easy to blag your way into Castle, especially after-formal :)

mrsrhodgilbert - DS didn't as he was applying for the same subject at each of his choices and didn't apply to Oxbridge so his ps already had a balance of academic and extra-curricular in it. I think the alternative PS is great if you're thinking of natural sciences/combined honours or have applied to Oxbridge who may want a ps that focuses less on extras and more on academics.

I met dh at Durham. Two of my closest friends met their spouses there too

i know loads of Durham couples.

A ridiculously high percentage of Durham grads end up marrying other Durham grads. MIL and FIL did (Mary's and Hatfield) and DH and I (Hatfield and Mildert)!

I know lots too, though I'm not one of them

Castle bar was great - order a large round and they'd lose track and charge you for about half the round, plus you'd hand over a fiver and get change for a tenner.

Think the Graduate Society morphed into Ustinov College? A few of the post grads on my course were in colleges, but most of those had been undergrads in those colleges.

I met my DH at Durham, but it doesn't really count as we had been at school together down south and it was pure coincidence that we ended up on the same course at Durham.

Hild Bede is a fantastic college, OP -particularly good for drama and sports, although I wasn't involved in either and still had a great time :)

If she has any specific questions about the college then let me know (although my answers might be less than up-to-date!)

The statistic about Durham marriages might be slightly exaggerated but I have to say that anecdotally it's true - I can think of 4 Durham couples I know who've got married this year alone, and loooooads more before that. And loads of Durham babies now too!

Out of interest, do any of these great stories apply to the Queen's campus in Stockton on Tees, or is that completely different?

I'm afraid Stockton is very much the butt of many jokes, not sure if deservedly so.

Oh dear!

In the early 00s, Stockton used to be looked down on a bit, probably because no-one who went to the Durham city campus had ever been there - fear of the unknown and all that. But as Sugarquill says, it might have been completely undeserved, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of nostalgic Stockton grads too! I think maybe they do medicine here now, so they probably get the brighter students anyway ;)