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Chemistry Research, Durham University
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Queen's Campus, stockton HELPPP

Hey,
I have firmed Durham university for a Marketing 4-year course in Stockton (Stephenson College).
But I have never been to stockton.... so what its like to live in there? I heard that it is a rather quiet and boring place. (Dont know if its true)
I am an international student so am kind of wobbling between a uni in my hometown and Durham.

I appreciate every reply : ) Thanks x
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by colouredhands
Hey,
I have firmed Durham university for a Marketing 4-year course in Stockton (Stephenson College).
But I have never been to stockton.... so what its like to live in there? I heard that it is a rather quiet and boring place. (Dont know if its true)
I am an international student so am kind of wobbling between a uni in my hometown and Durham.

I appreciate every reply : ) Thanks x


Stockton's fairly quiet and small, but the night life isn't too bad. Middlesborough is ten minutes away with Onyx, Arena and the Crown. Then there's Glam in Stockton which isn't great. There's an hour bus trip into Durham for Klute, studio and Loveshack.

There are plenty of societies on Queen's Campus, most sports have a society with a few exceptions, so overall, while Stockton is quiet, there's plenty to keep you occupied.
Chemistry Research, Durham University
Durham University
Durham
Visit website
Reply 2
Hey!
I'm an international student too (also in Stephenson) and I was as worried as you are now about the social life in Stockton. As much as I know, Stockton is quite boring and students have only few things to do other than the societies. However, as I was trying to decide what to do, I figured that going to London takes about 2.5 hours by train and the journey is reaaallly comfy! So what I'm planning to do now is come study in Stockton and visit London once or twice a month at weekends (2.5 hours for a 3 day visit should not be much). I'm not even counting the common knowledge about Stockton's closeness to Durham and Middlesbrough exc. So I guess even though Stockton has few things to offer, we can still find a way to have fun and social life exc.

Hope that helps!
PS: Where are you from?
Hello, I have firmed Durham for Marketing too :smile: But I am at John Snow college. When I looked around I thought it was really nice and very different to what I had read on these forums.
Reply 4
Hi!

I lived in Stockton for 3 years and went to John Snow College.

You can get a free bus up to Durham, and there are loads of bars up there and plenty going on during term time and you can also pay Β£2 I think to get a late bus back on Student nights, so there's plenty of opportunity to integrate yourself with Main Campus if that's what you wish to do.

In regards to Stockton, there's loads of shops right on your doorstep. Cheap and cheerful ones which is ideal for students and you've got your essentials like Boots and all your typical high street shops.

Middlesbrough is about 5 minutes away on the train, and on the bus or a taxi ride away.
That's a pretty big city centre with every shop imaginable and so much more and there are some decent nightclubs there too which are very cheap and there are student nights usually organised there too.

Teesside park is a short taxi journey away and that's a retail park with large stores of high street shops, plus a cinema, bowling and casino.

You're really not 'stuck' if you're in Stockton. The campus is lovely, right by the river and it's a lot newer than Main Campus with a really new Sports Centre and the gym is great.

Oh and you can also get the X10 bus up to Newcastle (Β£6.50 return) and that has every single shop you can think of in a huge shopping centre!! The nightlife is absolutely amazing up there and both colleges usually do a city trip once a year. Train is relatively cheap too I think!

If you have any questions just send me a message! =)
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 5
Hi!

I have a conditional offer from Durham for Business Finance, however, it is based in Stockton which dissappointed me a bit. If anyone is already studying there, maybe even the same course, is it worth going to Stockton just because it is Durham University (quite prestigious as far as I know) or it is better to choose Nottingham uni for finance, accounting and management? I've heard many bad things about Queen's Campus, so I am in doubt. Some advice and details would be great!
Original post by alinavrabie
Hi!

I have a conditional offer from Durham for Business Finance, however, it is based in Stockton which dissappointed me a bit. If anyone is already studying there, maybe even the same course, is it worth going to Stockton just because it is Durham University (quite prestigious as far as I know) or it is better to choose Nottingham uni for finance, accounting and management? I've heard many bad things about Queen's Campus, so I am in doubt. Some advice and details would be great!


I've made some comments on a post on my FAQ thread.

In general, the facilities and so on at Queen's Campus will generally be superior to those in Durham, and you've got two large, isolated colleges, so they should be putting on a lot of events - I also know some DSU societies are involved in QC as well. So lecturing and facilities and so on will be the same or better than Durham City, and the reputation of your degree will be just as valuable, since it's from the same institution!
Original post by Awoodrow2
I've made some comments on a post on my FAQ thread.

In general, the facilities and so on at Queen's Campus will generally be superior to those in Durham, and you've got two large, isolated colleges, so they should be putting on a lot of events - I also know some DSU societies are involved in QC as well. So lecturing and facilities and so on will be the same or better than Durham City, and the reputation of your degree will be just as valuable, since it's from the same institution!


Having been to lectures there and made good friends with some Queen's students, that's just not true. Yes some lectures will be great but many people I spoke to said a good half of their lecturers were poor or worse and mine were appalling.. What are you basing your assertions on? I'm not saying all QC lecturers are bad by any means, just that they are variable (as are many Durham lectures). I can only speak for the specific modules I talked about with my friends, but I only had one bad lecturer out of 17 durham city modules and 1/1 bad lecturer for my 1 QC module.

Also yes the new sports facilities are good but the library is tiny (about the size of 1 of the main library floors not including the new East Wing) and open plan (so no effective silent zone), very few of the study booths/tables have plug access for laptops and the individual study desks are significantly smaller than the Main Library desks. The rest of the facilities are just seminar rooms with tables and chairs (plus labs/etc for psychology and medicine obviously). The main lecture theatres don't even have wifi :frown:. The colleges don't have proper bars and personally compared to my Durham city college I felt the college facilities I saw on the open day and when I've been there as a student were really lacking compared to many Durham city colleges.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 8
I have lived about 10 minutes away from Stockton all my life and yes, it isn't the greatest place but the actual campus site is a great build, and the bus stop taking you into both hartlepool and middlesbrough is in walking distance. You can also walk to teeside park which is a great entertainment complex from the campus.

I am hoping to go to Durham and have been put into john Snow college where i will be doing psychology applied.
Is anyone else doing the same?
Original post by undergradstudent
Having been to lectures there and made good friends with some Queen's students, that's just not true. Yes some lectures will be great but many people I spoke to said a good half of their lecturers were poor or worse and mine were appalling.. What are you basing your assertions on? I'm not saying all QC lecturers are bad by any means, just that they are variable (as are many Durham lectures). I can only speak for the specific modules I talked about with my friends, but I only had one bad lecturer out of 17 durham city modules and 1/1 bad lecturer for my 1 QC module.

Also yes the new sports facilities are good but the library is tiny (about the size of 1 of the main library floors not including the new East Wing) and open plan (so no effective silent zone), very few of the study booths/tables have plug access for laptops and the individual study desks are significantly smaller than the Main Library desks. The rest of the facilities are just seminar rooms with tables and chairs (plus labs/etc for psychology and medicine obviously). The main lecture theatres don't even have wifi :frown:. The colleges don't have proper bars and personally compared to my Durham city college I felt the college facilities I saw on the open day and when I've been there as a student were really lacking compared to many Durham city colleges.


Thank you for that - I can add some of that to the FAQ!

And on the point of lectures - nothing you said has invalidated what I said, I think - I've had plenty of awful lecturers in Durham City, and assumed there was no reason for the quality of the lecturers themselves to be any worse, while on average lecture facilities would be better because they're newer and not falling apart.
Original post by Awoodrow2
Thank you for that - I can add some of that to the FAQ!

And on the point of lectures - nothing you said has invalidated what I said, I think - I've had plenty of awful lecturers in Durham City, and assumed there was no reason for the quality of the lecturers themselves to be any worse, while on average lecture facilities would be better because they're newer and not falling apart.


Oh I can't say there worse as I haven't been to enough to compare, just I thought you were saying they're better which seems odd unless there's evidence to suggest that? If I've misread your post then sorry!

All my Durham city lecture theatres were great; the CLC is brand new, the geography and anthropology department lecture theatres are really nice (modern+wifi, all I need really) and Elvet Riverside was completely refurbished in 2009...where are your lectures?!
Original post by undergradstudent
Oh I can't say there worse as I haven't been to enough to compare, just I thought you were saying they're better which seems odd unless there's evidence to suggest that? If I've misread your post then sorry!

All my Durham city lecture theatres were great; the CLC is brand new, the geography and anthropology department lecture theatres are really nice (modern+wifi, all I need really) and Elvet Riverside was completely refurbished in 2009...where are your lectures?!


Ahh, gotcha. :-)

And while the CLC lectures are nice (apart from those stairs), I have memories from first year of being stuck in W103 which didn't have enough seats for the year group, and some natty Physics and Chemistry lecture theatres (the smaller ones) with blackboards and chairs falling apart.
Original post by Awoodrow2
Ahh, gotcha. :-)

And while the CLC lectures are nice (apart from those stairs), I have memories from first year of being stuck in W103 which didn't have enough seats for the year group, and some natty Physics and Chemistry lecture theatres (the smaller ones) with blackboards and chairs falling apart.


Just want to point out that the Chemistry lecture theatres by the cafe were all redecorated last summer so are really nice now (not sure where you had lectures this past year...*probably should have some idea having lived with 2 1/2 physicists...*). Physics ones, yeah, could do with some work! As could some of the engineering ones...W103 and the CLC were always good though. D110 is alright too though for some reason had loads of missing seats this year...

DURHAM CITY FRESHERS: Scientists, the majority of your lectures will be in the CLC (which has 1 huge and 2 fairly big lecture theatres) or W103 (another huge lecture theatre), given all science subjects have the majority set modules and large year groups (which include people just doing that science and a load of natscis). You may be in smaller rooms for any optional modules you have and in higher years, where your core modules will have fewer people (due to people dropping out and natscis dropping your subject) and on the whole having more options (I know this isn't the case for 2nd year physics though, but NatScis are likely to only take 2/3 modules per subject). Even so, all lectures will be on the science site and there'll always be other students around to help out if you get lost (I remember not having a clue how to get into the chemistry department when I was trying to register) and by 2nd year even if you don't know where your specific lecture theatres are you'll know what building they're in based on the initial letter (eg CG means chemistry, W means geography). Tutorials will be based in the relevant department, probably in the tutor's office.

Arts students, your lectures will on the whole be down at Elvet Riverside I believe, but other than that I can't help. I've only ever been in there for exams and registration!
(edited 11 years ago)

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