Durham University

[NotEnoughTime]

Hello.

How many of us are waiting for their DC to hear back from Durham? My DS applied back in October last year and is getting very down now he knows that others who have received offers are being informed that they will be told soon re college allocations.

I am usually a 'no news is good news' type of person but even I am finding it hard to be upbeat as I too am fed up

I wish they would just let him me know soon if he is going to get an offer or a rejection and then he can get on with his life and his A Level revision without this hanging over him.

As I understand it Bend , you only state a preference for a college and then you get allocated a college later.

Hi @bendmeoverbackwards, from what I have read you can email them before college allocation begins in February and it is quite straightforward to change your preferred college. Once allocated it is much harder.

Thank you all. It's looks like St Chad's doesn't have a high offer rate.

@WinterRobin do you mean that only 48% of applicants get their first choice college?

@bendmeoverbackwards hi the figure is different for each college. If you look at the link, it seems to vary from about 47% to 94% My dd chose Castle and she was allocated Castle but it seems that only 48 % of people who chose it get allocated it. The colleges on the Bailey seem to be the most popular.

Thank you *@WinterRobin Do you remember when your dd got her offer? The waiting is awful especially after the Oxford disappointment. I don't know what her chances are. Are all applicants very high achieving A/As/Oxbridge standard?

@bendmeoverbackwards my DD found out she hadn't got an offer for Cambridge and got her Durham offer the next day on 16th January two years ago. It was weird that it came the day after her Cambridge disappointment. She got her preferred college - Johns.

My DS got rejected from Oxford last January and got an offer from Durham in early March. He was allocated a different college from the one he chose and was told he couldn't change.

He's now been at Stephenson College since September studying PPE and is very happy! Stevo have been particularly proactive around Covid regulations and it means he's had 14 housemates (3 flats) to socialise with, even during quarantine periods.

bendmeoverbackwards three of my DC applied for History at Durham as well as Oxford and heard from Durham in late Jan/ early Feb. Good luck to your DD.

Thank you, that all sounds promising! Still could be a long wait, I'm worried that she's set her heart on Durham now that Oxford isn't an option. What do they look for in applicants with the absence of an interview? I'm assuming everyone applying will have very high predicted grades. They must have to turn some very good students down?

For History, the department still seems to like very strong GCSEs.

And also a really interesting personal statement, showing real engagement with the subject.

I say that because recently our school has had feedback for very strong applicants who were rejected and the response to the HT has been that the personal statement was unexceptional/ bland, despite top grades.

This is History specific.

Thank you @goodbyestranger at GCSE, she has 5 9s, 4 8s, one 7 and one 6. I hope that’s good enough.

I think her PS is very good, she is certainly passionate about the subject and got a commendation in an essay competition recently.

That's 9 A* in old money so very, very good bendmeoverbackwards, easily past the threshold on GCSE.

@bendmeoverbackwards My DS had 2 weeks of gloom after Cambridge said no before he got his Durham offer with his first choice college and the sun came out again!

Last year Durham offers seemed to come out on a Friday???

Just wondering if people’s first years are signing up for 2nd year houses? My dd is just about to sign up for a house and the agent seems very demanding. None of them have actually viewed the house yet, just online. Must admit I’m feeling worried about whether my dd will actually get to live in this house 🤨. Has everyone signed up for year 2 houses already?

@bendmeoverbackwards my dd was lucky as she got an offer within a week of submitting her application last November. Fingers crossed for your daughter.

WinterRobin if the house is in a studenty enclave it will probably be ok. This is definitely not early to be signing and leave it much later and the best houses will go.

@WinterRobin My son has signed a lease for a house in year 2 (available July 2021), positive that he will be fine to move in then with his friends, even if there are issues next Autumn due to COVID I’m confident they will be nowhere near the restrictions/problems that they are now or have been in 2020

@goodbyestranger @999caz thank you both. It’s been such a difficult start to university life. It does seem to be in quite a nice studenty area. We are all feeling pretty stressed 😫. Think dh and dd are thinking it’s good to at least have somewhere arranged for next year.

Dd signed for a house in the Viaduct area, quite a few from her college got houses on the same street. She's going crazy here at home, mental health is struggling in our house right now

The Viaduct area is good - lots of pretty, relatively wide streets and full of students. DS lived there in his second and third years.

Sorry to hear your DD is struggling nipersvest. Is she in first year? Could she ask to go back (I've seen the email to students but even so, if she's struggling she should be able to go back if she feels she needs to).

@nipersvest there are students back in residence in every college, and mental health concerns are valid reasons for requesting a return. DD is very much happier in Durham this term than she would have been here with us. The colleges are doing what they can to make it okay for them. Importantly, they are still maintaining the household rules (at least they are in Castle) - so take that into consideration. If she is the only one in her household returning, it may be more lonely.

@janinlondon @goodbyestranger She's desperate to go back, just waiting on others from her closer friendship group in the household to make the same move, like you say, it wouldn't be nice being there alone x