Durham University

[KingscoteStaff]

The continuation thread for those with DC at Durham, or applying to Durham, or alumni, or staff!

September 2021 finds us packing, unpacking, meeting old friends and new, and all with our fingers firmly crossed for a positive year!

Just checking - no reading week in Durham?

@MidLifeCrisis007 I knew it was too good to be true when DS said all was OK last week.
I told him to ask the lecturer today with whom he needs to speak with to sort out the mess. Hopefully he will be able to speak to someone face to face

What an absolute mess - so sorry for all those struggling to get things sorted. So different to my days, but then Durham had a quarter of the student population of today.

The departmental secretary was always the person who knew the most. True when I was an undergrad in the 70s, true when I did my MA in 1999. But you say most of the admin are still working from home

To lighten things a little with a sidenote. In my day personal tutors were called moral tutors! In my first year, mine was David Bellamy,,,

They were moral tutors in my day too. Mine wasn't a celebrity but I remember being very happy when she told me she had a horse that she didn't have time to ride during the week....I told her I could help out... so got to go out on lovely rides most week days for all 3 years. I always turned up to lectures in jodhpurs. No-one batted an eyelid in those days.

Over 30 years later I'm still so incredibly grateful that she allowed me to keep her horse fit for her! Thank you Di Sanderson!

I didn't know who he was. He was pointed out to me as "the chap who looks like a prize fighter." He and his family lived in one of the bungalows opposite Aidan's front door. They had a party each term for their tutees. One memorable one was having pancakes by candle light, as action by the miners had meant there was a rota for which parts of Durham would have electricity.

In the 90s I had a friend who rented a cottage near him in Hamsterley.

@chopc

Just checking - no reading week in Durham?

Definitely no reading weeks for Durham

@MidLifeCrisis007 Your fellow students probably thought you’d just brought your own horse with you?

Lots of unis have their own polo clubs - Oxbridge have their own varsity polo match.

DD has had all her history modules confirmed - she got all the modules she wanted, with the exception of one which hasn't bothered her.

Her student loan has been deposited into her bank account this week so no complaints here.

Hope others get a smoother ride moving forwards....

Thanks for the update @jano69 . Hopefully all others will follow suit

That’s good news @jano69 - now she can start spending it ! (On books and healthy food, natch…)

@KingscoteStaff

That’s good news *@jano69* - now she can start spending it ! (On books and healthy food, natch…)

🤣🤣🤣

Maybe our voices have been heard .

DS finally got his FULL timetable & had his first lecture this afternoon, which he really enjoyed.

And SLC had now moved to payment pending!

Dd also got her loan notification as pending today

Gosh I'm so sorry to read about what a shambles it's been. Fingers crossed it's looking up now. I'd be fuming like you are.

The only thing I would say, and I mean this kindly, is what stands out the me is the number of you saying emails are being ignored or not replied to. I suspect the departments are just snowed under so I'd strongly advise your DC to get down there in person and be polite but firm. It's too easy to fire off an email and think you've done what you can and it's also far easier for someone to ignore an email for a bit longer than someone standing in front of them. Hopefully things are improving now anyway though.

I hope that everyone now knows what they are doing and SLC payments can be triggered.

I am as others have rightly said , concerned about the lack of organisation which has made not only the build up to leaving home anxiety provoking due to accommodation but also when students should be able to plan their study they have been unable to do so.

It’s a real shame.

So DS now has his history modules confirmed, his SLC payment pending (due tomorrow) and is currently out and about on the Freshers bike ride.

#HappyDays

Hurrah @MidLifeCrisis007
Dd is obvs off out somewhere as she’s just sent a photo from one of the bridges in ‘Beautiful Durham’ (as it’s known in my house) . River is flowing v fast! .
She has joined a few societies/ sports and an orchestra . She’s going to be v busy by the looks of it.

I wanted DS to join an orchestra but he's having none of it which is disappointing after all the money we spent on lessons over the years... he mentioned something about auditions and being too rusty! GRRR.

He also left his oboe in London!

Good news all round! Dd has had 2 English modules approved as apparently she wasn’t the only one in the same predicament. She went in person to find someone to talk to/ plead her case but was told they were all working from home and could only get an email address. Then in the middle of writing an angry tirade a mail popped up to ask her to re-register for the two modules as they had put an “extra group” on. All online but better than nothing and she seems happy. Such a relief!
Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Glad to hear it's worked out for your DD user1468917781.

Grrr @MidLifeCrisis007. There were auditions and Dd feels quite lucky to have got into one of the 3 she auditioned for.
Im particularly impressed that my only vaguely sporty Dd has signed up for and tried a sport that she last played at primary school and said it was ‘great fun’.

@user1468917781 . That is excellent news. Well done to your daughter for rolling up her sleeves and putting her point across in person too!

Thanks @Longtimenewsee
I knew there would be a few bumps in the road but I certainly did not expect her to be doing a totally different course from the one she applied for last year!! Anyway all sorted now thank goodness!

Glad that things seem to be starting to fall into place. If it is any comfort I'm starting a masters at Teesside and it is pretty much a shambles too. Teesside is university number 3 for me and none of them have been particularly hot on the admin!

Message from DS that the queue in Greggs was full of Freshers buying tasty snacks with Greggs vouchers on their phones, and had I heard of this miracle of modern technology? (Hint, hint, hint...)