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.

[goodbyestranger]

I'm also watching flights to Poland (DS3 due to fly) - looks like all easyjet flights from Bristol from lunchtime on are cancelled. Not looking good.

[goodbyestranger]

Berlin/ Poland - close enough for government work .

[Misandei]

Not “CV” , I meant her PS

[4forkssake]

For those of you wanting to know the location of the new college on South Street, it's here. Hope it helps someone.

[oneteen]

@strawberrieshortcake I have to say most of your posts are written in such an aggressive tone.

I did not say a Uni will give a contextual offer just on the basis that they went to a state school and I'd forgotten the girl concerned helps out with care for her disabled brother. Sorry I'm not perfect and I was surprised to see that Durham have a policy where its the last school that is considered along with postcode e.g Warwick refer to Key stage 4 results of a school being in the bottom.... % and also look at Key stage 5 school too... So it's not a uniform approach by all universities and I was surprised.

I don't want to derail a support thread so I'll leave it at that.. I'm now fully aware of Durham policy...

[KingscoteStaff]

@Misandei, Oxbridge are very open that they are not interested in extra curricular - they don’t care if you’ve got Grade 8 in 2 instruments, if you play sport at County level, if you’re House Captain or have Gold D of E.
What they do want is very high academic potential and passion for the subject beyond the curriculum, shown by super-curriculum commitments - essay competitions, personal research, extensive reading.

[KingscoteStaff]

Obviously many of the DC with Oxbridge offers will have loads of those extra-curriculum achievements (as evidenced by the Oxbridge threads), but they won’t be the reason they got the offers!

[goodbyestranger]

No but Kinscote Durham very definitely does mind!

[Jano69]

Interesting that Durham like extra-curriculum achievements. DS had plenty but I hadn't appreciated it helped him get an offer.

Apparently 85% of Durham students are physically active or play sports - the highest such participation rate at a UK university.

[Fink]

Durham only care about extracurricular achievements at undergraduate level. For graduate studies it's very much academic only (as are most places).

[Pepermintea]

Just incase it's useful for future people, DS isn't sporty. The only extra curricular thing he mentioned in his PS was the linguistics Olympiad and he linked the problem solving aspects of it to maths (which is what he is applying for). And he got a Durham offer in December. Maybe his high MAT score made up for his lack of sportiness!

[bengalcat]

Mines at Durham and played no sport putting her in the 15% of sloth category . Only extracurricular she did was one musical instrument in senior school ( did two different ones in primary but these weren’t on her PS ) .

[Tinseltrauma]

If it's any help, DS also at Durham and also in sloth category. No extra curricular whatsoever. Applied Early October, received offer and preferred college late November. 😀

[Oratory1]

High sporting participation rate at Durham could be in part due to college system ie social sportspeople turning out for college teams, not necessarily all having county hockey captain or rowed for England on their PS

[KingscoteStaff]

Apparently the sports played by the 85% of students include snooker, croquet, darts, chess and bridge, so lots there even for the more slothful!

[truelove]

DD is in her second year at Durham and another sloth. At least in her first year she got exercise walking up and down the hill to and from lectures every day but this year she’s closer to lectures so doesn’t even get that exercise.

DS still waiting for an offer for physics. For the record - very sporty, silver DofE, musical and house captain.

[lilgreen]

My DD is at a Durham-first year. I think they were late to confirm the place, March rings a bell. She loves it up there, she’s at Collingwood.

[lilgreen]

She wasn’t particularly sporty before but loves it now. Collingwood is a sporty college but there are many leagues so you don’t have to be good. She plays netball and lacrosse and loves it. The gym is fab too and only £50 pa.

[lilgreen]

I have a feeling that her college wasn’t confirmed until May?!

[Tinseltrauma]

@lilgreen I think you are correct there, it was around May time, just before A levels maybe?

[Serin]

Glad to hear they aren't all sporty, DS hates sport. Likes hillwalking but that's about it.
His PS was very quirky, against advice he made jokes and school were unsure whether he should adapt it and make it more uniform. Glad he didnt. His love of his subject was very clear and he had attended 3 residential uni summer courses (headfirst, smallpiece trust, cyberfirst) so plenty to talk about.
He isnt 100 per cent sure about Durham though, he is going on the applicant residential in March and will make a decision then.

[bigTillyMint]

@Jano69, crikey I hadn’t realised that - thought it was just Collingwood that was that sporty! I wonder if that was why Durham was DSs first choice?!

And I agree, think his college was confirmed late - he just put one on his form that he knew of but thankfully was allocated Collingwood which really suits him better.

[KingscoteStaff]

Rugby and cricket were certainly amongst the reasons why DS applied to Durham and to his specific college.

[Witchend]

Dd's at Durham and not sporty at all. She does do dance, which is the nearest to sport she would be happy to claim.

However she's a lot fitter due to all the walking she is doing, and much healthier as she's in a self catered college so cooking what she likes rather than deciding she doesn't like what's on offer and pinching a packet of crisps instead.

[HenryIVPart1]

Undergraduate college allocation process:

www.dur.ac.uk/experience/colleges/allocationprocess/howthisworks/?_cldee=ZWxwNjEwQHlhaG9vLmNvbQ%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-48b4e64a5da1e911a8ab002248005ba5-ae54fc4c82b4447b902ccd18288c061b&esid=8562a2b6-6343-ea11-a812-000d3a86ad25