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.

Having said that - DD went back and is now having dinner nightly with two members of her household who she really hadn't had much to do with previously - so it can work both ways! Hope your DD is able to make a move soon @nipersvest.

@nipersvest DS has also signed for a viaduct house. I’m so sorry your girl is feeling rubbish. DS is hanging in there with us, but very down. Only 3 of his college household of 18 are back - and not his particular chums - so he’s staying here for the mo.

We have just had a whole batch of NatSci Durham offers through this afternoon so if anyone is waiting on NatSci maybe check track.

Thank you all for the helpful advice, it is much appreciated. Great thread, it's nice to hear about existing students.

My son got his Theo Physics offer beginning of Dec... really early, but it was high 2 x A* 2 x A.. he was also rejected from Cambridge..
He loves Durham, but is/was a 2nd yr living in a 2nd yr house on campus, which is like bedsits,.. so he's still at home. hasn't mentioned that'll he still be here in March but that's quite typical of him :D

My sons 2nd year home is going to be in New Elvet. Close to the bars etc!!...

Does anyone have a dc at Grey college? Dd applied originally for University but is thinking of changing to Grey as it has a higher acceptance rate. She knows it’s not a Bailey college and is a longer walk into town.

@bendmeoverbackwards. As far as I’m aware, the offer of a place at Durham is independent of college allocation, so it makes no difference to your chance of studying at Durham whether you apply to Castle, Grey or wherever, that bit comes after. It’s just that more people apply to some colleges than others, so your chance of getting into your first choice of college varies according to whether you apply to a “popular” one or one that is “less popular”! Different colleges have different reputations/cultures so there is plenty of choice according to what you relate to. People often get reallocated though to one they didn’t choose whereupon they either love it anyway/ get used to it/ hate it and buddy up with friends at the college they wanted to go to/ a mixture if the above!

@bendmeoverbackwards it doesn’t make it more likely to get an offer by choosing a less popular college. It just means that if she is made an offer and has chosen a less popular college she’s more likely to get the one she
chose. My dd was offered a place in November last year but the colleges weren’t allocated until February. Some of the colleges are able to offer on campus in college accommodation for all three years. Castle only offer accommodation for first years and some third years, and the accommodation for first years in the actual castle is mainly shared rooms. The other accommodation for first years is in halls of residence close to the Place Green. My dd’s accommodation is very basic 😬 and dated. She has a sink in her room but shares one toilet and one bathroom with five others on her floor, and a tiny cupboard which they call a kitchenette which has a kettle fridge and microwave but no sink! The bathroom and toilet don’t have a sink either! Other colleges offer en-suite rooms so might be worth considering if that’s something your dd would like!

Hi bend, DS is a 2nd year student at Durham and DD will hopefully be joining him there this autumn if she gets the grades. I wouldn't worry too much about college choice as it's barely relevant to the university experience once you're past first year. Castle and St Chad's are hugely over subscribed so if your DD gets an offer 🤞 , be prepared to be disappointed when colleges are allocated in February. DS applied to a Bailey college and ended up at Stevo but has had the best time ever. So yes, you could change your preference to Grey but it might be more fun to see what you're allocated. DD has applied to Colliingwood but is quite prepared to end up at one of the less popular colleges and still have a great university experience.

As others have said, Durham offer not dependent on college choice at all. College allocation is supposedly random (I have my doubts about this) but it does seem that wherever they are allocated they tend to become fans of their new college regardless. For what its worth, DD has spent two of her three years living in the Castle and is very happy there.

Thank you all, really helpful and much appreciated. I just hope dd gets an offer soon. They really string it out don’t they?

Does anyone know how you get allocated a college choice in Durham? It is computer generated or do they take your interests etc into account?
Also does everything happen in the college or do students from all colleges come together for lectures etc?

www.dur.ac.uk/experience/colleges/allocationprocess/howthisworks/

Looking at this, the system tries to give everyone who expressed a preference the college they asked for, then to give each college the right distribution of departments' applicants.

As a disinterested observer, I would assume that the process assumes that the individual has taken their interests into account for themselves when requesting a particular college?

@chopc if you look at MarchingFrog's link above, it explains it all in great detail!!

It certainly seems that the students who are redirected end up loving their college and swear it is the best!

@chopc Lectures at Durham are held centrally - the Colleges provide some academic guidance and tutors for subjects, but teaching is centralised. Some colleges provide more specialised extra curric support and programmes in particular areas - so there will be a higher standard of sports facilities, or theatre provision, or a more rigorously selected choir for example. But conversely if you are university level as opposed to college level, the college facilities and provision may not matter.

Thank you @janinlondon @KingscoteStaff @MarchingFrogs for taking the time to explain

I now just need to get over the fact it's SO far away (5hrs)

@chopc are you in London? Its five hours' drive for us from South London - but the train from KGX is only three hours....in case that helps!

And so beautiful - almost worth going to Durham for that train ride alone!!

@janinlondon in Kent. Yes looked at the train times as well. But we will need to drop and pick and also want to get in a visit or two. Do you know if you need to empty your room for the holidays when you are in halls?

@KingscoteStaff good to know

@chopc The emptying rooms during holidays depends partly on college allocation. I think some hill colleges allow them to leave stuff. Traditionally those in Castle itself have always been required to empty their rooms, as the rooms are rented out during holidays. There is lockable underbed storage that can be used to leave some items, but we have generally found that that space is insufficient to accommodate the fairy lights required by an average female student. During pandemic times, however, they are unable to rent the rooms out and for the first time in living memory have allowed the students to come and go at end and start of term by public transport, unencumbered by multiple large floor rugs, 230 wine glasses, six bottles of partially drunk gin, 26 coffee cups, a full size cafetiere, two full length mirrors, a set of vases, 29 pairs of shoes, full rowing kit, thirteen ballgowns, three sets of bed linen, a full size cello, two bathroom duckboards, a guitar, thirteen house plants, college stash in quantities hitherto unimaginable.... and the other less essential trappings of student life. Hope this helps.

yes thank you @janinlondon :)

@janinlondon but sadly atm the thirteen ballgowns and cocktail dresses (thank you ebay!) are gathering dust... What are the chances for a ‘normal’ third term do you think? Oh and @chopc my DD managed it all by train! The bedboxes were huge and accommodated everything and after the first year they can stay put in their living-out accommodation.

@Baytreemum had to look up bed box. Thanks for the idea

Wrt formals - not all colleges have formals according to the list - do the students of other colleges have the opportunity to attend any balls/ formals?