Durham opinions please!

[KittyMcKitty]

Dd will be applying to Uni this autumn - having always intended to do bio sciences she’s realised over the course of year 12 that sociology / social policy is really where her interests lie. She’s doing Bio, Chem and Psychology so Psychology will count as an essay subject for those courses which want one. Don’t know her predicted yet but it will be somewhere between a*AA and worse case AAB (best subject Psychology worst Chem). She has a lot of relevant interest in the subject (leads Fem Soc and LGBT Soc and various other things)

she’s applying to York (her favourite) and Birmingham but not sure about the rest. Durham looks interesting and asks for AAB (her GCSEs are all 8’s and 9’s). In my mind Durham is super hard to get into - is it that difficult?

how hard is Durham to get into? And what’s it like as a Uni / town?

My DS is doing a science and got 3 A* but can't say re other subjects. He went to a good comprehensive and loves his course, has met loads of people and loves it. However, a lot are very wealthy indeed (have their own polo ponies) , some socials have been awash (or powdered) with coke. This isn't his background at all but makes for an interesting experience.

Also he likes the college system - good way to meet students from other years (college parents and grandparents), and play sport even if he is not gifted in that regard. It is a tiny city and he feels by the end of his course he will be done with it, but Newcastle is close.

Thank you - this is what I was thinking do they only offer to 3A*’s even if entry requirements are AAB.

I don't know, I guess it depends on the course and maybe the results of others applying.

DD has just graduated from Durham. She had a wonderful time.

DD and I looked round both. Both good but quite different. If your DD likes the collegiate system then Durham would be a good choice - also important to pick which college as they are different. I’d say go to both unis on open days where you can see the place and find more about the course which is what helped my DD decide.

@KittyMcKitty , my dd is the same, predicted A A Astar, no epq. We have crossed Durham off the list as I feel everyone applying will have higher predicted grades/ 4 a levels/ epq. She isn't that bothered as has others she prefers and she isn't keen on the whole sporty rowing scene etc. If she was super keen we would have considered it more seriously.

Sorry, by both I meant Durham and York. Although DD didn’t go to either (she chose and went to Newcastle) she has friends who studied sciences at both unis and enjoy it. .

Completely worth the punt, DC does have 4 A levels at A star but the extra one was further maths and they are doing a STEM subject where this is a desirable A level to have.

I honestly don't think it is all down to grades but the personal statement makes a difference too. Two students, both of whom have the same grades but one of whom has a packed personal statement showing what they have done outside of their A levels with regard to their subject can go a long way.

Durham is small and the collegiate system appeals to lots with a sense of belonging to something smaller than the whole. The teams, sports or otherwise bring people together. DC has enjoyed their time there.

Dd is doing a science at Durham. Just finished her first year. Also got all A stars at A level ( mostly 9s at gcse)
.
I think you can look at stats on the uni website to see previous attainment of students.
Dd received a contextual offer for Durham
(which went
even lower if she firmed) and she knows 2 others who also got contextual offers ( although they also got high results so not needed)
The workload is high.. lots of hours contact per week and lots of independent work also

She has loved her first year. The collegiate system has been very good .There seems to be so much put on by the colleges with lots of opportunity to socialise and make friends. College parents is a nice idea.. Dd liked hers and went out a few times with them. College welfare seems active .. lots of sessions put on. Dd has joined quite a few societies. Hasn’t noticed any more drugs than anywhere else.

Has had loads of fun at gowned formals, balls, college days etc. She’s not much of a party girl

She loves the city. It’s very beautiful (if small). All accessible on foot. 10min train journey to Newcastle for big shopping and cheap buses to the nearby coast . She didn’t want to come home for the summer!

DS is holding an offer of AAA from Durham for biological sciences. He had three strong A level predictions but no epq and not all GCSEs are 8/9 though majority are.

He visited Durham and York applicant days and York was just a disappointment. It felt as if you should be thrilled to be invited where other universities wanted to sell themselves to the young people. He chose Sheffield over York as his insurance.

@hockeygrass One of the attractions for DS is the hockey. He aspires to the 4th team having lost to them at club level this season. :) He has applied for one of the modern self-catering colleges on the hill so far from the rowing scene.

Haha it looks like dd doesn’t make the grade then! She had an even split of 8’s and 9’s at GCSE. I think she’ll probably be predicted A*AA but she only got a high B in Chem in eoy Exams so it’s not a given.

she loves York. He brother is at Manchester which she’s not keen on.

Actually having looked at previous years (if you ignore last year where everyone got 3xA* pretty much she’ll probably get above the average attainment. Very high % of private school pupils at Durham though!

My dd got an offer at Durham mainly As at gcse and A predictions at A level. She got offered a place for History but decided she preferred to be in a bigger city and liked the Liverpool course more. I'd apply , there's nothing to lose.

If AAB is what they’re asking for that course, then that’s all that is needed - perhaps it’s not as oversubscribed as some.

FWIW, I know someone who got into Durham post-A levels with lower grades than the advertised entry requirements for their course, although excellent experience. (And got a first.) So it’s always worth trying. It’s only 1 out of 5 choices after all.

I think it’s worth a pop if she likes it and could see herself there.
Link to Student stats on this page. ( they don’t include last years results) www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/statistics/

What's it like? Fucking hilly! Did wonders for my arse when I was there to be honest!

The joy of it, and the hell of it can be that it is such a small city that you're guaranteed to run into people you know - and guaranteed to run into people you're trying to avoid. Can feel a bit claustrophobic at times - but it's beautiful, the college system adds so much to the experience and I still find the student bank statements addressed to "The Castle" bemusing these days.

Nightclub choice is legendarily bad - Klute anyone?!

I loved it and did combined arts including subjects I think your daughter would be interested in. I now work in a very niche area of the criminal justice sector. It used to be AAA entry requirement not sure about now. Also made friends for life and loved the collegiate aspect to it (tell her to go to a Bailey college). I'm also working class, there are a fair amount of public school alumni there but that didn't have an impact for me, other than I now have some very posh friends! Or also helped me shake off the chip on my shoulder when I realised academically I could hold my own with all of them, despite my pretty dodgy East London comp education.

@CoffeeWithCheese good friend of mine is getting married next year and we are genuinely considering Klute as part of the hen celebrations 😁

I was going to Klute in the late '70s! Loved the collegiate system.

DD just graduated from Durham. She did Anthropology and also did A level biology so started with the BSc as had more of a biological slant but ended up enjoying the sociologist side more. She loves the uni and the city is small and felt safe.

FYI She got A*AA and needed AAB. She’s a state school girl and just got a First. Very proud.

My ds really rated Durham but finally dismissed it because the course content wasn't quite right. Really liked the collegiate system. I loved it. Visiting. Colleges we visited on open day, 6 I think he really liked. Great uni. Kind of disappointed he didn't choose it.

Durham and York are very different in terms of student profile. I was a student in York. It’s very much a predominantly state school population (and hasn’t changed judging from the visit I did with ds a few weeks ago). Very different from Durham where Dh went which is heavily independent school.

Hi OP. It's a very beautiful city indeed. Have a look on at the admissions stats for her subject and you might be amazed to see that for some subjects, the offer rate is very high - like 90%! Sometimes they have to over-offer by 4 or 5 times the number of places available as they have a lot of students also applying to Oxbridge. Many will also be applying to some of the London unis like LSE or Imperial or UCL, or perhaps the Scottish options such as St Andrews or Edinburgh - deciding between any of these will be a personal choice snd Durham admissions can't predict which students will take the places up. Students often don't have a strong preference until they get offers in. Some courses will be a lot more competitive than others, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sociology / Social Policy have a good offer ratio. So definitely worth applying.

Your DD could also look at LSE or UCL for that type of course?