What's it like studying in Durham?

Well hello there! Today (delayed by a couple of days due to a really busy weekend!) I thought I’d do a post on my experiences living and studying in Durham. I’ve lived up here for 3 years now, and I love it. When I was applying for university I looked round lots of places but Durham was the place I really liked the look and feel of. I’m originally from “Dahn Saarf” so moving “Oop North” was quite a distance to go, but I’ve really enjoyed my time here and would love to stay in this area following graduation.

So Durham. Consistently ranked among the best in the country – what is it like to actually study here? The departments will differ according to subjects so I wont go into them here – but because of the standing of the university you can be sure of high quality teaching and some excellent teaching facilities (including a really great library!). One of the most important things that marks Durham apart from many UK universities is the fact it is collegiate. This means that Durham is made up of colleges as well as the academic departments. Each student is a member of a college and will (usually) live in college buildings for at least their first year, most of which are fully catered. This isn’t quite the same as living in halls of residence as it means you’ll usually eat every meal in a big dining room with everyone else whilst you “live-in” so it’s lovely to be able to get to know other people really quickly.

St Aidan's College and University College (I'm at Aidan's)

College is also central in terms of activities – each college will have its own student societies and sports teams, as well as a JCR committee (JCR: Junior Common Room). These are students who have been elected to help keep college running as the students want it to be run. They are responsible for running events throughout each term from festivals to balls, are responsible for the running of some of the college facilities like the shop (selling a variety of essentials and snacks like sweets, toasties or icecream) and the bar. There is also the college welfare team run by both staff and students so all in all college really makes you feel at home as soon as you arrive at university. Pretty much everyone ends up feeling the same college pride, vigorously arguing about how good your college is compared to the others and enjoying joining in with the traditional college chants and songs. Basically colleges are fantastic!*

College Christmas formal, Traditional Aidan's Chant "Shoes
off if you love Aidans" and Summer Ball

Durham itself is also lovely. The city is small, so you can get everywhere in the centre really easily on foot. In later years when people usually “live-out” of college in privately rented houses these may be slightly further out of the city centre, but lots of students bring bikes or use some of the good bus services. It is also great value for money for students – the North East is much cheaper than other parts of the country but just as good! The city is full of lovely buildings, most notably the cathedral (which you can see from almost everywhere) and castle (which is actually part of the university). It has a good range of shops, with a selection that you’d find in most normal sized towns, as well as a range of restaurants, loads of cafes and a range of nightlife, as well as theatre and cinema. It is also really close to Newcastle which is great for providing access to more shops, concerts and other activities. The surrounding countryside is also really beautiful. Just beware of the cobbles, the hills and the weather!

Durham (lots of Cathedral) and Newcastle

Of course university isn’t just about where you live or the subject you do. It’s about the people you meet and the things you get up to, and in this respect Durham is great. As said previously the college system is great for meeting people particularly in your first few days – I had a large group of friends I have remained friends with by the end of Fresher’s week whereas I know people at other universities who found it a lot harder (as they were separated into random flats and it was much harder to mix with new people). However Durham also provides lots of other opportunities to meet people and enjoy things you love. With a huge number of societies (from music groups to language societies to the cheese tasting society), sports teams (which compete both at an extremely successful national level to casual inter-college level) and other student groups there really is something for everyone. Whilst I’ve been here I’ve enjoyed being a part of:

·      A choir and orchestra

·      First Aid society

·      Yoga, Aerobics and Archery

·      Folk society (both music sessions and Morris dancing – so cool! :P )

·      The Atheist, Secularist and Humanist society

And had a go at a lot more! Societies are a great way to try something new and meet new people with similar interests.

IVFDF Ceilidh with Folk Society, DASH and St John Ambulance

I’ve loved uni and all of the opportunities I’ve had and the people I’ve met. I’m really glad that I ended up at Durham as I think it has been the perfect place for me, however I would recommend to anyone looking at applying to university to actually go and look at the university before you accept an offer. There’s no point accepting somewhere you’re going to end up hating. Prospectuses are also not always a good source of information – lots of universities will just have lovely glossy photos of a very small part of the campus (which you might never actually get to go to). Open days are better, but also make sure you get away from the tours and go and explore a bit for yourself – it should be about what you like and are looking for, not what the university want you to see. Get a feel for the campus, the city and if you can talk to some current students to get a clearer idea. However do bear in mind most people love uni in the end so wherever you end up, I’m sure you’ll have a great time!

Which universities do you go to/ are looking at going to? What do you like most about them? Any questions about Durham?

*It’s worth noting that while quite a lot like the collegiate system at Oxford/Cambridge, it’s not quite the same as no teaching is done in college. Instead teaching is done in lectures that everyone attends and tutorials where the groups are students from a mix of colleges.