Durham University

[KingscoteStaff]

A continuation thread for those with DC at Durham, or applying for Durham or alumni or staff! Share your thoughts and questions on colleges, courses, etc.

Assemble! @Baytreemum @WelshDaff @WinterRobin @janinlondon @MarchingFrogs @ChildOfFriday @tava63 @Terfterfterf @TonTonMacoute @Suki2 @Quair @Greyhair59 @bpisok @Jan069 @999caz @nipersvest @mum2eim @witchend @chopc @alterego2

Who have I missed??

OntheBenchofDoom it would have been fairly pointless to tell applicants, since they have as equal a chance as anyone of being moved around prior to interview.

Chop ‘you have to be in it to win it’, comes to mind. We were actually meant to visit today to try to get a better feel but unfortunately something else came up and had to postpone.

Goodbye We thought it might be a safe subject too, at Durham at least. Quite intrigued to read they wrote to find out why they were insurance. Surely they don’t expect to be firmed by every candidate for every subject? and they must know they are in stiff competition with the likes of Oxbridge for their top courses?

It’s quite worrying hearing so many places for 2022 are being taken up by those deferring. At first I thought there must be some method to the madness, as in all Unis would have a max limit on numbers than can defer so as to safeguard spaces for the 2022 cohort but what I’m reading so far seems that is not the case. How long is this deferment practice going to continue I wonder?

The problem with Durham is that accommodation is so limited both because of geography and the collegiate system. They do take responsibility for hosting all first years whether they hold Durham as insurance or firm unlike say Bristol who this year apparently have some first years having to look for private accommodation, although I assume this is because of clearing places. The disadvantage of this is that they are now locked in a spiral of deferrals .

To be fair to Durham Trake, they wrote at a time when the A was a new creature and they weren't sure how to use it. Initially Durham went a bit bats, and asked for daft things such as an A in a particular subject (History, for History - horrible pressure and so easily missed). Then they backtracked because the full impact on access was very quickly made clear. Durham tends to react to mistakes it makes rather than avoiding them in the first place. In short, it was attempting to gather info to try to avoid the reactionary approach to policy which has been a bit of a leitmotif.

DD3 showed me the letter and I have to say, it could have been phrased with a little less obvious pique....

goodbye I do hope Durham is a lot more affable once you’re in than they are at point of entry. An mner a few yrs ago attended Durham open day and during the talk, a parent asked whether they might go into Clearing? They described it as awful screech of wheels, then just silence.

Hi, can I ask, do any of your DCs intend to defer to 22 following Durham's email about accommodation? It feels a bit wrong to decide on such a change in 72 hours. We can't make our mind up.

I was at Durham myself, at a time when it was hugely affable at the point of entry as well as when one was there. DS4 graduated last year and had three years of non stop affability from tutors, admin staff etc, so no worries on that score Trake :)

Upcoming fresher parents, a heads up that the accommodation office have sent out another holding email this pm. Upshot is that deadline for deferrals been extended two weeks and accommodation decisions to 1st Sept at latest.

One stressed teen here

@Fawful Have you seen the email re. Deadline to defer to 2022 extended until 2nd September?

This not knowing about college allocation feels more stressful than waiting for A level results.

Is it @PhoebeFriends ? DC only get to live at a college for the first year no? I know each different college has a different feel but it's all part of the same Uni.......or am I missing something?

It’s total and utter crap. My daughter did not get allocated a college of choice but came around to the college she was offered and firmed Durham based on this. Durham made a big thing about college allocation being final and immovable and now they do this..

Moving to another college may not be so bad but moving to private housing sounds horrendous.

Hate to spread division but why can they not act like other unis and confirm for applicants who firmed Durham, with the insurance applicants fitting around them?

Wonder how big the problem really is, are they stressing a lot of incoming students unnecessarily?

In a way yes, however DC made her first choice based on the community/ethos/facilities etc. Wanted the whole weekly gowned formal experience of the particular catered college near to the Cathedral.

They’ve had a couple of months of group chat/ zoom meet ups etc and have bonded with others - many of whom are either international students or deferred from last year so have confirmed places.

If they end up in self catered accommodation further out of town it will be a very different experience and they feel they may have been better selecting a different campus university altogether - one with more modern catered accommodation and then cheaper costs of living in future years.

I agree, ultimately it should be the university that counts and not the college but DC confirmed first choice on basis of selected college and feels potentially cheated. For some it could be a preference for sports facilities- they just have a preference for the chosen college!

Same situation for ds, he did not get first choice college, but then came round to his allocated (old and catered) college and went up to have a look. He really liked it and knows a couple of people who were meant to be at the same college. I really don't know what will happen if he doesn't get accommodation in a college he wants, and on site.

Durham was his firm and first choice by far, this does seem really unfair, and such a long wait! I wonder how many will pull out if they get another allocation.

It will be interesting to find out how many kids are actually moved...hopefully not many, or they will get enough deferrals to sort it out. So frustrating!!

Thank you @Meery and @PhoebeFriends, I have just seen the latest email...From our point of view it's good to have time to think. DS is a very young 18 (has ASD too) and might benefit from the extra year before going in. We weren't aware it was possible to get in touch with other students, which in a way it makes it easier. Not that we've made our minds up yet... I sympathise, must be hard for those who have already gotten to know each other.

Ds is a deferral from last year, He also didn’t get first choice college but is ok with the one he was allocated . I really hope he gets accommodation in college , he will be very disappointed if not and it will make a mockery of deferring from last year . I am reluctant to blame the university too much though, it’s not them that has messed up A levels again .

If it helps Fawful ds deferred at the last minute last year and it’s been well worth it, he is a year more mature , has some money from working and is generally more sure about Etsy he wants from university

Does anyone know if they can change their order of preference list now? Dd got her second choice but now prefers this to her first. The email today implies that if there is now space in your first choice you will get moved there.

studyatdurham.microsoftcrmportals.com/en-us/knowledgebase/article/KA-02619

This seems to cover pretty much everything

Thanks @Peaseblossum22. As it doesn't mention changing the original lists I guess that isn't an option; would probably just overcomplicate it even more.
1st September is a joke. We want to do an ikea shop but now don't know if self catering/ bed sizes etc. I know this is NOT AN ACTUAL PROBLEM in the scale of things. But still

@Meery

It’s total and utter crap. My daughter did not get allocated a college of choice but came around to the college she was offered and firmed Durham based on this. Durham made a big thing about college allocation being final and immovable and now they do this..

Moving to another college may not be so bad but moving to private housing sounds horrendous.

Hate to spread division but why can they not act like other unis and confirm for applicants who firmed Durham, with the insurance applicants fitting around them?

Wonder how big the problem really is, are they stressing a lot of incoming students unnecessarily?

It won't be private housing - if anything, it will be purpose built student accommodation: new halls of residence, all likely to be en-suite single rooms and in a sodding site better condition than some of the college accommodation

Does Durham colleges have lifts? Wondering if it would be worth getting a "beach cart" to carry DS stuff to room?

Don’t know about lifts . Once we know DD’s college .. I’m planning a trip to IKEA and will get some of those big blue bags. They were great when ds moved into halls. Funnily enough they didn’t make it back home though!

@chopc When you arrive your DC and his kit will be leapt upon by beaming 2nd year Freps who will ferry bags/guitars/cricket bags/potted plants up the stairs.