Can someone answer two questions on the college system?

I have a friend who is applying to Durham and trying to select a college. She likes the idea of living in a castle, so wants to apply to that college (sorry, I don't know the names.) However, she has a couple of questions about the college system, and the answers may influence her decision over which college to apply to.

1) What happens if the college rejects you? Say she applies for this castle college and they don't want her, is she rejected from Durham off the bat or will her application be passed onto other colleges to see if they accept her?

2) Is the castle college a popular one to apply to?

Reply 1

Prudy

TheSownRose

1) Another college will take her - You are accepted by the department first, then the college. If the dept. accepts you, you will have a place at Durham.

2) Yes, very. About 20:1 or something.

Durham University

Durham

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Reply 2

DougieG

Prudy

2) Yes, very. About 20:1 or something.

It wasn't as high this year! Hatfield had a higher ratio because everyone now thinks they will be rejected from castle and so apply there instead. It was something like 10:1 this time I think.

Reply 3

MyNameIsDave

TheSownRose

Bearing in mind the odds of her getting in to Castle, and the odds of her living in the Castle (which only a select few third years do), the chances of her main reason for picking the college actually happening is probably 500/1 or something like that. It's a rubbish reason to pick a college.

She'd be better off thinking what she really wants from a college - Good bar? Loud or quiet? Small or big? Traditional or modern? - And then picking based on that.

Reply 4

TheSownRose

MyNameIsDave

She'd be better off thinking what she really wants from a college - Good bar? Loud or quiet? Small or big? Traditional or modern? - And then picking based on that.

I asked her all of that - she doesn't really care. If all she might be particularly interested in is even the slight chance to live in the castle, why not apply to the relevant college?

Reply 5

MyNameIsDave

TheSownRose

I asked her all of that - she doesn't really care. If all she might be particularly interested in is even the slight chance to live in the castle, why not apply to the relevant college?

Because she might not like the other things? Castle's got a bit of a rah stereotype, for example, and if she can't stand those types... I dunno, she should be considering it more seriously, that's all.

Case in point: If she doesn't want to be self-catered, and doesn't get into Castle but gets pooled to and accepted by Butler, then she's stuck self-catering. If she's not really bothered, she'd be better off applying to another catered college that's not as highly demanded.

Reply 6

TheSownRose

MyNameIsDave

I dunno, she should be considering it more seriously, that's all.

To be completely honest, I don't really know what she's thinking about - I just know she wasn't really concerned about much and wanted to know what happened if a college rejected you.

Reply 7

DougieG

MyNameIsDave

College stereotypes, like all stereotypes, are pretty much nonsense and hearsay. You know that by now Dave...

Reply 8

Tallulah G

There are no proper rahs in Castle this year. Maybe a few who dress similarly, but no one acts like one.

And some first years do live in the Castle, but you have to share (although even then you're not guaranteed, I'm sharing this term but I'm in Owengate).

It's a great college, but I agree, you should never pick a college based on wanting to live in the Castle. There is so much more to the college system - make the most of it!