The Big 'Recommend Me A College' Thread

So I'm applying for a politics course (International Relations), could anyone recommend me a good college for this? I'm thinking in terms of the walk to lectures, how close it is to useful facilities, and so on. A single room, self-catered, would be great.

Some suggestions would be most welcome!

Oh, and I'll be a postgraduate. Providing I get accepted.

Ok, if you want self-catering then you have 3 options; Jo Butler, Ustinov and St Cuths, however Cuths has some catered accomodation so it's no guarantee you'll get self-catered (I'm not sure which has more demand or what proportion of people get their first choice).

I believe politics post grad courses are more based around seminars than lectures so I guess will be in the department which is really near Butler and Ustinov up on the hill but out of town slightly; these colleges are around a 20 min walk from the town centre and it's an uphill walk from town so you'd probably want to get food delivered or have a car with you and drive to one of the out-of-town supermarkets.

The main difference really between these 2 colleges is that ustinov is PG only so you won't have to put up with undergrads if you don't want to .

EDIT: According to the PG part of the college section all PG accomodation at Cuths is Self-catered and Castle/Hatfield are all SC too, whereas for undergrads it's all catered so I don't know where they put postgrads...I'll check on their own websites.

EDIT 2: Ok, Castle PG accomodation is really out of the way so I wouldn't recommend that. Hatfield's is near the centre of town. Grey college and St Chads also give PGs the chance to self-cater in college, with Grey being near the politics department too. While I think about it hill colleges are that bit closer to the library which I'm sure you'll find useful. Otherwise there's more info https://www.dur.ac.uk/postgraduate/accommodation/features/ here!

I, too, am having some trouble on choosing the right college. Originally I looked at the older, more traditional Bailey colleges and I thought they sounded just like what I was looking for, but then I started to think that as a mature(ish, I'm 24), non-UK student I might stick out a bit. What, in your opinion, is the most suitable college for international and mature students? I consider myself quite open-minded and laid-back, but having been working and living on my own for the past 6 years I guess I have a bit different perspective from my fellow students. Which college should I choose?

Hatfield/ Castle??? massively into Rugby and want to do economics. Rowing facilities on both? WHICH IS BETTER FOR THE BANT?

I've already stayed in Hild Bede over the summer for pre season, is the durham city rugby club the only place you play rugby? such a trek over there. Is hild bede considered by most a trek?

Also, just as a matter of interest and personal curiosity, are there and colleges with a high amount of dossers? and also for economics can you doss first year or do the marks go to your degree???

Hrm, not sure what I'd more suggest here. Probably look at the smaller ones, as colleges with larger communities can quite easily seem overwhelmed with the stereotypical student behaviour you might not be so keen on. They're generally quieter and more self-policing.



I'd probably say that Hatfield is better for general 'bant' and possibly facilities (I get the impression the community is more mixed up and interesting), but note that Castle has the biggest parties (at least, the most expensive).

I was under the impression that most sports got played at Maiden Castle sports facility, which is further out, I'm afraid. As for treks, you'll rarely ever find yourself walking for more than half an hour at a time in Durham, and walks like that are fairly normal for people involved in extra activities.


I don't think any college has a higher amount of dossers than others - different personalities tend to be pretty well spread around, and most Durham students go with a 'work hard, play hard' kind of ethic. But you'll find people you get on with wherever you go.

And sorry, can't find any information on whether first year counts towards the degree - but I think for the vast majority of courses here, you've got to pass first year (40%) in order to move onto second year, but it doesn't count towards your final classification.

And sorry, can't find any information on whether first year counts towards the degree - but I think for the vast majority of courses here, you've got to pass first year (40%) in order to move onto second year, but it doesn't count towards your final classification.

could i ask one more question regarding economics, is it all taught at the business school at durham? looks pretty far away from the bailey colleges? and looks pretty pov from google earth/street view any opinions?

could i ask one more question regarding economics, is it all taught at the business school at durham? looks pretty far away from the bailey colleges? and looks pretty pov from google earth/street view any opinions?

Most first year economic modules are taught at Elvet Riverside which is less than 5 minutes away from the Bailey colleges.

And no, first year doesn't count towards your degree.

Copied you into the megathread - I unstickied it recently because not many people ask about colleges this time of year!

So... John's, Grey, Mary's, Chad's...

To draw generalisations, they're on the small and quiet side of things, and on the traditional side, though not the most extreme. Also fairly centrally placed - Mary's and Grey are the closest Hill colleges to town, and John's and Chad's are in the middle of the Bailey.

Butler is rather different, given that it's such a new college; only self-catered one, so you've got cooking in flats, all modern accommodation and buildings, etc.

I'm at Trevs, which would probably be next on your list, as a small more traditional college. ^_^

You really don't need an ensuite

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Desire S

It is nice to have an ensuite, but there's really nothing that bad about sharing!

On food, have a look at St Mary's! They're the only college that definitely provide halal food. ...although their sample menus webpage is empty. ¬¬
http://www.dur.ac.uk/st-marys.college/undergraduate/catering/

In general, food at my college has gotten better every year I've been eating it - kitchen staff really do take on feedback from students, and menus can change quite drastically depending on it. So don't believe any horror stories you hear about college mealtimes! It's mainly just us being grumpy.

To answer "what food is there?", colleges operate on a 3-week meal rota (I think). For breakfast you get cooked food if you get down early, otherwise cereal, toast, and porridge. For lunch and dinner, there's always two meaty options, and two vegetarian, along with vegetables, assortments of potato, salad bar, fruit, pudding, etc.


Okay, cleanliness for college bathrooms can vary a bit depending on your cleaning, and the people living in your corridor. Privacy can be a little weird to get used to? But it's really no worse than living with family.