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.

@chopc my DD managed to fit in 2 college balls, 2 society balls, x cocktail do s and quite a lot of cocktail bar visits before being sent home for lockdown in March.... She is very mournful now... And to answer your question, those were in addition to college formals, so there were in better times loads of opportunities to dress up. Now sadly they just need pyjamas and a (very!) warm coat!

So say @Baytreemum but i am impressed what they managed to fit in before March!

When I was at Durham (fairly recently) I'm pretty sure that all colleges had formals, but they differed in their frequency and whether or not gowns were worn.

@chopc Yes, she had a fantastic time til lockdown...... Let’s hope those times are back after Easter - they desperately need to be with their friends again and out living. It is really really hard for them at the moment.

Boys tend to travel lighter, if that helps...and they have the advantage of only needing one formal outfit. Musical instruments are the main bugbear. Contrary to what we expected, DD has been accommodated in huge rooms over all three years (think two fireplaces, three windows type stuff) and has "accumulated" room furnishings as she went along. To be honest we couldn't really have sustained a fourth year at her rate of decorative acquisition without purchasing a van.

@janinlondon your DD had student accommodation for all her years?

Usually it's years one and three?

What is the careers advise service like in a non pandemic year?

Do most grad schemes send representatives there?

Anyone with History DC's already at Durham? Will they/ did they do the year abroad? Work placement? Is it one or the other?

@chopc No she has had years 1 and 3 in the Castle - second year was in one of those houses on the Bailey.

I am so sorry to keep asking questions which may appear to be stupid- was the house on the Bailey private accommodation?

Once they have formed a group to live together in a house, what portion of students move back to Halls of Residence for the third year?

@chopc My DD is living in a private student hall this year in a studio which has had both pros and cons this year. She has friends in her building and friends in lots of other households- some are staying put, quite a lot are splitting up and moving to other houses, none are going back into college- it doesn’t seem to be ‘the thing to do’ at my DD’s (Bailey) college. As for careers advice, I can only speak for the law dept. which, working together with the law soc is very active in support and engagement with firms. I think there are also some students hoping to go abroad for a year too. It’s all virtual this year of course, which is demanding and the students do have to be very self motivated.

@Baytreemum thank you for the info. My DS has an offer for History and he wants to do a law conversion after .......... it's good to know that the law society is active and helps with work placements. Hope the opportunities are available for students in other subjects than straight Law though

@chopc No, the second year house was a five bed private rental. Many of the others in that house are now on what we ironically refer to as their year overseas. DD very much enjoyed sharing her room in first year, but hated the shared kitchen in house living. She adores being in the castle, and was lucky to get a third year place. Finalist places in Castle are double rooms with ensuite bathroom - not shared. They are very oversubscribed.

Thank you @janinlondon

In Durham do you have the opportunities to attend careers talks and seminars etc given by big banks and other institutions?

How much does the university help with work placements/ years abroad?

Did anyone find the location a hindrance in the sense were a lot of interviews held in London for graduate jobs?

@chopc All the vac scheme stuff for London law firms are virtual atm, so done from wherever!

I was reading through the thread for the freshers experience in 2020 - sounds utterly miserable despite it being a collegiate Uni. I thought this would mean at least students can make friends and socialise within their college

@chopc yes, it has been a dismal start for them in all universities. The household structure that was required for following covid safety rules meant that people were either winners or losers, depending on who was in their allocated group. Within some colleges there were some initiatives to make life as normal as possible - for a while the bars were operating on college grounds, and after supper (in covid household designated groups) the household could adjourn to their allocated bar space, for example. (Castle put up a marquee bar in their quad to make enough space for this to be possible). But overall, there have not been many sports/societies/ extra curric groups operating, most things were online, and for lots it was - and still is - disappointing.

@chopc it has been utterly miserable. My dd was only able to mix with the 22 people in her block. They had set times to go to the dining hall for meals, no mixing with any other households. You had to book a space in the bar in a group of six. Within days COVID was rampant, and the freshers stuff was cancelled. Matriculation ceremony was online with socially distant photos. Then her household got COVID, and she was stuck in her room because the rest of them continued to mix. Food was delivered to the stairwell and because my dd often waited until most people had collected before she went down to avoid the COVID infected, often all the desserts had been taken already. I think she only had three or four in person seminars, in masks, sitting apart. Everything else online. It’s utterly crap.

Oh gosh @WinterRobin and @janinlondon - hopefully your DC will be rehashing their lost freshers year along with the new 2021 intake! But the way it's going who is to say this year will be any better 😔

I don't think these experiences are specific to Durham. My DS's best friend spent most of the Autumn term in a 9 bedroom self-catered flat in Manchester, which he was sharing with just 2 others - everyone else had stayed at home. Both of the other 2 were massive gamers and hardly came out of their rooms - and that was his household!

I agree the Autumn term everywhere was ghastly, but at least the Durham colleges created quite large households (18 for my DS) and they bonded in adversity - particularly when locked down after positive tests. DS will be living with 8 of his household next year and is in constant communication with them this term.

@KingscoteStaff I’m sure it’s not just Durham. My dd’s halls are pretty basic, one small toilet (with no sink) and one bath/shower (again no sink) very narrow corridor and a cupboard for a kitchenette (again no sink!) on her floor of six.
They have no social space to mix in apart from each other’s bedrooms.
Sounds like your son was lucky with his housemates. My dd was one of only four in her block who didn’t have Covid and the rest of her household decided that the toilet outside her room would be a Covid allocated toilet and she would have go four floors to a Covid free toilet! She didn’t, by the way. She just tries to clean it thoroughly before using. Her housemates drink themselves sick every night and party every night. I appreciate there isn’t much else around to do, but it’s loud and unpleasant listening to people throw up! Added to that, I think being stuck with the same group of 22 people has led to mental health problems, cliques, and some quite nasty bullying 😢
@chopc I think it’s very hard for this years cohort because they haven’t been allowed to make friends as you would in normal university life. 😥

I agree with all the above. I think what makes it even harder for the freshers is the lack of contact with students in older years, which would happen naturally in a normal situation, through extra curric and college events. There are two finalists in DDs household in Castle, and they have dragged their freshers out on walks and runs to places most wouldn't find on their own (the Durham pigs are a favourite to visit!), helped them find some working opportunities, and in first term helped some find ways to still do some sports. Being thrown into a strange place with people you not only don't know, but who are equally new to it all, is a recipe for a bad experience.

@janinlondon I wish my dd had been in your dd’s household, I know from reading the thread over the last few months your dd and her household have really had a much better experience. 😢 I’m sure some of that is down to your dd who sounds lovely. No older students around in my dd’s household, I think the freps were around for the first day, but they mainly chatted amongst themselves and then Covid hit and that was that 😐. The Durham family thing sounded good as an idea but I think my dd only had one contact from her “parents”, online. Interested to know where the Durham pigs are?!

DS also had support and encouragement from 2nd and 3rd years in his sports - when training was allowed they made the 1st years very welcome and even now they're posting morale videos and exercise challenges on Strava. I know the women's hockey have been doing something similar.

Oh dear, it's not what we would have hoped for them. But would taking a year off been any better?

Kingscote you are right - some of the gap year kids have had an even worse time of it I think.