Durham University

[KingscoteStaff]

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

January 2022 finds our DC packing their big coats, checking the forecast for snow and wondering when Michaelmas actally is...?

Assemble!
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DS has a Sunday lunchtime lot for moving in to Stephenson. We are going there and back in the day so that time works well. Your top tips after Saturday drop offs much appreciated!

Strange question but do you know what day they usually leave when term ends? Contemplating booking a train ticket if my son can ram his stuff into the under-bed storage.

I have still not understood all the teenage terms one of mine picked up at university - like a different language at times. I had only just learnt 10 years ago that cool might not just mean that you are cold. However I don't think it is a big issue for most students as all classes of people have their own slang and part of getting on with people from a different class is learning their ways (and they learning yours). Also most of them can learn to speak to friends in one way and to others in another (although I would never tolerate the dropping of a T in my home...... which I hope is not a class issue but a laziness issue).

On when they leave I think it might be best not to book a ticket even if it means it will be more expensive because by end of term they might have changed or had new friends or hobbies and stay on or go away with friends. It is a difficult issue as it can be much cheaper to book in advance however.

Can I ask a question abut applying to Durham? (I was at Mary's about a hundred years ago, but things are so different now...). Does my DS need to identify a college preference on his UCAS form? We're presuming his choice has no effect on his chances - are there any implications of not naming one at this stage? I've read two conflicting bits of advice recently, one saying that he does need to name a college, and one saying that he doesn't...

DS did not name a college on his original. He was asked to after he received the offer. I have no idea if not naming a college was a good idea or not.

DS didn’t name a College originally on his application but was asked to rank all Colleges after he received his offer. Two of his friends picked a college when applying and were also again asked to rank all Colleges once he received his offer. So I don’t think it makes much difference.

The Bailey Colleges are much more popular than Hill Colleges so many of the students who applied to these Colleges ended up with 7th or 9th choice of College several weeks after A level results day. See TSR threads.

There's a very interesting applications to each college graph floating around somewhere. From memory, Castle was first, followed by Collingwood.

Castle is very lovely….but I have to say that Collingwood has amazing communal spaces, hence its popularity…they are currently building a recording studio!?!

Looking forward to all your babies arriving. There is always some grumbling about the university and definitely some issues around accommodation and the impact on the city but personally I love it when the students come back, they bring so much life with them.

It is kids book club at Waterstones on Saturday so I'll be in town with the dc, probably looking with nostalgia at you all lugging boxes around.

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea Lovely post. Who can resist Waterstones?

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea love a Waterstones!

@usedtobeboss3 preference forms sent out in March and then offer of a college but just provisional until after results day.

Some Bailey colleges over subscribed so be prepared for reallocation in some cases.

Compared our experiences at other unis - Durham uni has some major issues with timely communication of offers and accommodation confirmation and moving in times for some students.

But place seems great and course too - we were lucky DD loves cooking so self catering with gowned formals was her choice and we avoided Bailey issues. Also lucky was offered in February but many didn’t hear til April/May or were kept waiting on both counts.

It shouldn’t put you off as many places much crazier for accommodation- Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow

@Wordlewobble don’t worry about the vocal ones - there are 12 students so some will be his cup of tea

@Wordlewobble
There will be a bit of being "extra" show-offy on a chat where they're trying to make their mark. They may well be very different in person.

Dd's flat was fairly quiet, but there were no issues at any point. She got on well with one of the lads, and might have ended up sharing a flat the next year although they didn't in the end.
The advantage of a quiet set was her kitchen was always beautifully cleaned because they all did their own. Whereas some of the other flats if they wanted to wash up then it was hard to find the sink!

Her best friends she found were through societies.

Good luck everyone! I can't wait to see the students arriving over the weekend, there's always such a buzz.

If you can, remind them to take a gander at their module syllabuses / schedules on Learn Ultra at some point in the first week of October ;)

@SchnitzelVonCrummsTum thanks for your lovely post - DD has looked at most things on the uni portal - 3rd child to go to uni and told her to double check for late changes to timetable etc later this week.

We are driving up today as such a long way and 2 hrs of delays already but we have refreshments and plenty of chat to keep us going.

Another person wishing all first years and parents good luck this week end. The freps have worked really hard to set up a great freshers' week so I hope everyone enjoys it.

DD tells me their first drop off is at 8.00am tomorrow - feel sorry for those parents!

@SchnitzelVonCrummsTum Love the name. I did a spell with a children's literacy charity and they were very popular. I will remind DS thanks.

@Fruitygal 2 hours delay already sounds like a nightmare. Hope the rest of it goes more smoothly.

@alterego2 A lovely sentiment! Fingers crossed for all.

@alterego2 say thanks to them for all their hard work ! DD feels welcome already x - Which college is she Frepping with ?

@EwwSprouts I regularly commute 400miles across 4 days each week so don’t mind the miles - in the car dancing 🕺 💃 in a traffic jam was not received well by DD 😂

She's at Aidans @Fruitygal - you'll probably drive past her on your way up the hill!

Hope you get to Durham soon and have a lovely evening - lots of nice places to go and eat!

I don't mind miles either but queues are tedious. Loving the dancing. It's important to remind DC of our power to embarrass.

@GoldenRuby look out for a family of 4 with a billion bags for life because she wants carrier bags to reuse as rubbish bags rather than suitcases.

We are more or less organised I think. Quiet night ready for an early start. Tomorrow night will be a bit weird I think with just the 3 of us, and i will miss her but am so excited for her as well.

@alterego2 we will beep if we see them tomorrow!

Staying just outside Durham tonight in a cute Airbnb and local pub for a meal. Having a couples evening at the Thai place after drop off we’ve been to before in Durham when came for offer day.