DD still doesn’t have college or accommodation at Durham - should we panic and who do we call?

[Mommybunny]

DD is definitely confirmed to study at Durham this year but hasn’t received her college allocation (it was her firm choice and she’d been given a provisional allocation before A level results) nor an accommodation assignment. She can’t enrol until that’s all sorted and can’t pick her modules. All her friends who are going seem to be all sorted. Every time she has tried to phone or use their useless chatbot she is told to wait for the email with all the information about getting an email address.

She is really starting to stress about it and frankly so am I because I will need to take time off work and arrange a hotel to bring her up there - we are in the West Country. Does anyone know who we can call to find out what’s going on, or is anyone in a similar boat, or otherwise familiar with the process?

He is having a great time and loves the Hockey, he has just called and he has his email but no password as yet? Fingers crossed it is moving but he will update tomorrow morning when hopefully he knows more and can offer advice to anyone else, I have asked him to ask them to update those still waiting even with a statement.

That would be great, if you could ask him to get the uni to make a statement.
if nothing else, it may make the wait slightly less stressful for those still waiting. 🙏

Which office did he go to? People were there till 6 both of those days!

He went to the Palantine centre reception, he saw Alex on reception?

@TorturedParentsDepartment there was this from last year:

https://www.palatinate.org.uk/explained-how-does-durham-university-allocate-college-accommodation/

“We will be refining our systems further in 2025, to ensure as many students as possible get one of their preferred colleges. We will publish full details of these changes on the University website when finalised.”
When it changes college allocations, the University gives a higher priority to students who are the more committed applicants, with those who designated Durham their firm choice given priority over those who made Durham their insurance, or entered through clearing.

Also from back in 2022...
https://www.palatinate.org.uk/freshers-angered-by-college-allocation-delays/

(Sorry, no skin in this game, just general curiosity and a memory that college reallocation is often a hot topic, so I also had a squint at Palatinate. The year that two of DD's friends went to Durham, I think both got the college they requested to start with, and weren't reallocated. I must admit that I can't see why the student has to have their college confirmed before they can get on with enrolment and module choice, though? I get that the colleges want to 'craft their intake' - as someone once said about why St Andrews often takes forever to respond to applicants - but do departments also apply some kind of college quota system to module allocation?).

I’m confused as to whether we should be phoning accommodation office tonorrow or just waiting with the masses for any news?

Likewise.
Though I’m not sure you’ll get any answer.
We tried phoning all the various numbers we were told to call from Switchboard.
Barely anyone answered and if they did, they gave us a different number to call. Nobody answered any of those either.
Total waste of time.
NO INFORMATION ANYWHERE
Good luck to all waiting and hope we all get the news we want soon 🙏

So why do they appear to start from scratch again after initially allocating colleges at the offer stage? Just scrap making an initial college offer if they don't honour them.

DC had asked for a catered college, then got offered self catered. It left a really sour taste when initial colleges offered were changed yet again when places were confirmed. Every other university seems to manage this process effectively. Give firm offer holders something vaguely resembling their preference & stick to it. Insurance and clearing places fill the gaps in that order.

Do you know whether it will be worth going to any of these offices tomorrow @ArticSaviour?

We are a few hours away but DS is perfectly happy to drive over if there is actual person to speak to. They don’t answer the phones or respond to emails so I think this may be the only way?

All that going to the office will do is stop someone from getting on with allocations while they tell you they are trying to get on with and finish allocations.

It will get sorted. They really are busting a gut to get there.

Your guess is as good as mine...

Durham's college system is unique. It is incredibly complicated and not everyone will get what they want.

Thanks @ArticSaviour their reps on TSR are making it sound like all the allocations were sorted at the end of Friday and it is just the notifications that haven’t been done sent out

As PPs have said, it would be sensible of them to put out a clarifying statement as they are going to be inundated with phone calls from the 10% remaining incoming freshers, because this is what they are being told to do!

Is your DD's name at the end of the alphabet, OP?

Yes it is. I was wondering if that was why we were waiting so long.

It would have been helpful to know that an initial college allocation was about as useful as a birth plan in a maternity ward when it was originally made.

My DD went to a school that sends a lot of pupils every year to Durham. If we don’t have something reasonable very early this week I am penning a letter in my head to the sixth form university coordinator at her school, copied to the head of admissions at Durham, warning prospective applicants that the college allocation and enrolment process is extremely chaotic and unpredictable and it can really make you regret your choice. I am prepared to go full Karen - the school is full of Home Counties middle class mums who would freak out if this happened to their DCs. It won’t change DD’s situation and it may not do anything at all to Durham because this appears to be an annual complaint, but I feel like I have to do something to register that this is not acceptable.

We are end of alphabet too, but that could be coincidental.

I agree, this delayed college allocation situation is farcical if it really does happen every year, and it needs to be addressed at a high level. I just hope that once our affected YP do finally hear from D, they will not be disadvantaged in terms of choosing elective modules and everything else that they have been unable to do.

I don't know if it is alphabetical, since my YP's initial are SM, I think it depends on the preliminary college as well (Yp's is Collingwood). I heard Collingwood is almost always oversubscribed.

We are fairly near beginning of alphabet - J
So not sure they are doing it alphabetically- unless we have just been completely lost within the system

In the FOI data I linked to above, that was from 2022 I think, Collingwood had 210 students reallocated, far higher than anywhere else. Probably this historical reallocation data shld be more public on their website. But of course it all depends on what happens on results day each year.

I think there are other universities who haven’t yet fully allocated halls of residence but their timetable is more transparent and so they aren’t getting so much flack.

Same here

And again the numbers wouldn’t stack up, with some in priority group 1 still not having heard (acc this thread and TSR) and yet them saying they had dealt with 90% by 2nd September and apparently working on it more since then, including the weekend!

There is no way that even the full 10% left uncontacted covers the tail end of group 1 (firm, met grades) as well as group 2 (firm, let in on reduced grades) group 3 (insurance) group 4 (clearing) and group 5 (late request for accommodation). No way at all. So they are not being transparent about how they are doing this. It’s a load of rubbish

We have a similar situation here @Mommybunny My son is on a list at his old sixth form to go in and talk to students in the new ucas cycle in December, on his first impressions and experiences at Durham. I doubt the passage of three months will have changed his opinions on it all; it’s been going on way too long for that

Hi everyone, my name is Abigail I’m the editor in chief of Palatinate, Durhams student newspaper which has been cited in this thread. I’m writing a story about fresher delays in hearing from colleges and would be interested in hearing all perspectives from you and your children for the piece. We are a large influence on the University so this can be an excellent way to make your voices heard. Personally I found out my college 4 days before moving in. I’m happy to pm on mumsnet or please feel free to drop me an email at [email protected]

hope to hear from some of you!

Indeed. Almost all of my DD’s friends who are sorted are in bucket 2 (firm but didn’t meet offer - History A levels were, to use DD’s word, a “bloodbath”). So allocating priority to bucket 1 is simply not happening.

It will be sorted. This happens every year at Durham. My son graduated from there last year and it’s not a new issue.

Chill out FGS. And dont use that awful Karen slur. It’s misogynistic offensive drek

Anyone had any confirmations today or seen any updates on Durham website?