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Colleges!! Collingwood vs Cuths vs St Johns!
Hey everyone 
I'm stuck between these three colleges!
I know theres been so many threads like this and so I'm sorry if this is spamming! But I'm planning in advance - I'm not due to go to uni til 2011, if all goes well at A level!
I've heard mixed messages about Cuths - some have said it's small, some say it's massive. The website makes it look very formal (talking straight away about how all of the students are very hard working and achieve top grades etc etc whereas collingwood's more like 'hey, welcome to collingwood!' ) but others have said it's the party college! Could someone clear this up please? Thanks!
What I'd like from a college -
I don't want it to be massive! But I don't want it to be really small either. I'm worried that in a big college i'll feel a bit at sea, and in a small one i'd feel suffocated!
I'm not sure about catering/self catering - which is better, from experience?
Friendly, relaxed. A bit of a party college, not extremely uptight (Having said that, I still intend to work very hard, I just want to play hard too! Haha!)
But yeah - pro's and cons, pretty please?
Sorry once more, and thank you very much for any replies! x
EDIT: Typo!
I'm stuck between these three colleges!
I know theres been so many threads like this and so I'm sorry if this is spamming! But I'm planning in advance - I'm not due to go to uni til 2011, if all goes well at A level!
I've heard mixed messages about Cuths - some have said it's small, some say it's massive. The website makes it look very formal (talking straight away about how all of the students are very hard working and achieve top grades etc etc whereas collingwood's more like 'hey, welcome to collingwood!' ) but others have said it's the party college! Could someone clear this up please? Thanks!
What I'd like from a college -
I don't want it to be massive! But I don't want it to be really small either. I'm worried that in a big college i'll feel a bit at sea, and in a small one i'd feel suffocated!
I'm not sure about catering/self catering - which is better, from experience?
Friendly, relaxed. A bit of a party college, not extremely uptight (Having said that, I still intend to work very hard, I just want to play hard too! Haha!)
But yeah - pro's and cons, pretty please?
Sorry once more, and thank you very much for any replies!
xEDIT: Typo!
pipster93
What I'd like from a college -
I don't want it to be massive! But I don't want it to be really small either. I'm worried that in a big college i'll feel a bit at sea, and in a small one i'd feel suffocated!
What I'd like from a college -
I don't want it to be massive! But I don't want it to be really small either. I'm worried that in a big college i'll feel a bit at sea, and in a small one i'd feel suffocated!
Not sure you've got the size quite right if this is your shortlist - Collingwood and Cuths are about as big as colleges get in Durham and John's is about as small as they get. That said, the biggest Colleges have ~1000 students in total, so no bigger than most secondary schools and a lot smaller than any University - not overwhelming for most people. Conversely, the smallest Colleges (typically ~300 population) don't have to be suffocating - there's nothing to stop you spending your time with friends at other Colleges or doing most of your socialising through Uni clubs or societies. Sorry if this doesn't help you make up your mind - just thought I'd mention it.
Hi,
I'm currently a first year student a St Johns, so this may be a bit biased. First of all I am absolutely loving it here. Durham is a great place.
Second college size, Johns is small, there is no other way of saying it. However, i have never felt suffocated and actually prefer it. In my year there are about 115 people, the advantage to size is that i know every single person. It like a big family . You can always get away from college and its such a maze that you can loose yourself easily, there is plenty of space and lawns etc so it doesnt feel crowded.
Catering wise, i am glad i chose fully catered, its just one less thing to worry about. St Johns is one of only two independent colleges, this means we set our own budget and a lot more goes on food than any other college. We have arguably got some of the best food in town. Yes its mass produced cafeteria style but it is edible and the choice is good.
Johns also has a sterotype of being the "christian college". THis is somewhat true but by no means overwhelming. Its a quiter college but we still have big nights out etc.
Also it is VERY friendly here, im not sure how they did it but there is not a single person that i dont get along with here.
Sorry about the length of the post,
Any questions please ask
Joe
I'm currently a first year student a St Johns, so this may be a bit biased. First of all I am absolutely loving it here. Durham is a great place.
Second college size, Johns is small, there is no other way of saying it. However, i have never felt suffocated and actually prefer it. In my year there are about 115 people, the advantage to size is that i know every single person. It like a big family
. You can always get away from college and its such a maze that you can loose yourself easily, there is plenty of space and lawns etc so it doesnt feel crowded. Catering wise, i am glad i chose fully catered, its just one less thing to worry about. St Johns is one of only two independent colleges, this means we set our own budget and a lot more goes on food than any other college. We have arguably got some of the best food in town. Yes its mass produced cafeteria style but it is edible and the choice is good.
Johns also has a sterotype of being the "christian college". THis is somewhat true but by no means overwhelming. Its a quiter college but we still have big nights out etc.
Also it is VERY friendly here, im not sure how they did it but there is not a single person that i dont get along with here.
Sorry about the length of the post,
Any questions please ask
Joe
sunnydale6
Hi,
I'm currently a first year student a St Johns, so this may be a bit biased. First of all I am absolutely loving it here. Durham is a great place.
Second college size, Johns is small, there is no other way of saying it. However, i have never felt suffocated and actually prefer it. In my year there are about 115 people, the advantage to size is that i know every single person. It like a big family . You can always get away from college and its such a maze that you can loose yourself easily, there is plenty of space and lawns etc so it doesnt feel crowded.
Catering wise, i am glad i chose fully catered, its just one less thing to worry about. St Johns is one of only two independent colleges, this means we set our own budget and a lot more goes on food than any other college. We have arguably got some of the best food in town. Yes its mass produced cafeteria style but it is edible and the choice is good.
Johns also has a sterotype of being the "christian college". THis is somewhat true but by no means overwhelming. Its a quiter college but we still have big nights out etc.
Also it is VERY friendly here, im not sure how they did it but there is not a single person that i dont get along with here.
Sorry about the length of the post,
Any questions please ask
Joe
I'm currently a first year student a St Johns, so this may be a bit biased. First of all I am absolutely loving it here. Durham is a great place.
Second college size, Johns is small, there is no other way of saying it. However, i have never felt suffocated and actually prefer it. In my year there are about 115 people, the advantage to size is that i know every single person. It like a big family
. You can always get away from college and its such a maze that you can loose yourself easily, there is plenty of space and lawns etc so it doesnt feel crowded. Catering wise, i am glad i chose fully catered, its just one less thing to worry about. St Johns is one of only two independent colleges, this means we set our own budget and a lot more goes on food than any other college. We have arguably got some of the best food in town. Yes its mass produced cafeteria style but it is edible and the choice is good.
Johns also has a sterotype of being the "christian college". THis is somewhat true but by no means overwhelming. Its a quiter college but we still have big nights out etc.
Also it is VERY friendly here, im not sure how they did it but there is not a single person that i dont get along with here.
Sorry about the length of the post,
Any questions please ask
Joe
whats the real deal of room sharing.
I love johns, but hate the idea of room sharing.
& word on the street is its quite common at johns
Room sharing is quite common in John's. There are about 30 double rooms and about 20 are used by first years so roughly 1/3 of the year share.
However, of those 20 rooms only one pair did not get on, they complained and got moved the next day. Every other pair get on, most are best friends.
When you get the info pack in the summer before arriving there is a room questionairre. From this they match people up and seem to have got a real knach for it.
If you really want a single room just write it on the form, thats what i did and i got a single room.
If you arrive and are in a double just ask and they will get you a single room but give it a couple of days to get used to it.
Joe
However, of those 20 rooms only one pair did not get on, they complained and got moved the next day. Every other pair get on, most are best friends.
When you get the info pack in the summer before arriving there is a room questionairre. From this they match people up and seem to have got a real knach for it.
If you really want a single room just write it on the form, thats what i did and i got a single room.
If you arrive and are in a double just ask and they will get you a single room but give it a couple of days to get used to it.
Joe
sunnydale6
Room sharing is quite common in John's. There are about 30 double rooms and about 20 are used by first years so roughly 1/3 of the year share.
However, of those 20 rooms only one pair did not get on, they complained and got moved the next day. Every other pair get on, most are best friends.
When you get the info pack in the summer before arriving there is a room questionairre. From this they match people up and seem to have got a real knach for it.
If you really want a single room just write it on the form, thats what i did and i got a single room.
If you arrive and are in a double just ask and they will get you a single room but give it a couple of days to get used to it.
Joe
However, of those 20 rooms only one pair did not get on, they complained and got moved the next day. Every other pair get on, most are best friends.
When you get the info pack in the summer before arriving there is a room questionairre. From this they match people up and seem to have got a real knach for it.
If you really want a single room just write it on the form, thats what i did and i got a single room.
If you arrive and are in a double just ask and they will get you a single room but give it a couple of days to get used to it.
Joe
so if you say no on the form, the likelyhood is you wont get a shared room ?
Crimsonchilli
so if you say no on the form, the likelyhood is you wont get a shared room ?
It might be better with an excuse/reason. When I went round on a tour, "I need to practise my cello a lot" seemed like it would work.
If you have a viable reason such as medical or something then you will get a single room, if not then to a certain extent it is luck.
As i said before though just about all those who share a room dont regret it at all, plus you get a huge room in comparison.
Some of the single rooms are quite small, whereas the double rooms are huge.
Basically dont make your decision for which college to apply to by the possibility of sharing. You could end up in some very nice single room but at one of the colleges miles from the centre with loads of boring people.
As i said before though just about all those who share a room dont regret it at all, plus you get a huge room in comparison.
Some of the single rooms are quite small, whereas the double rooms are huge.
Basically dont make your decision for which college to apply to by the possibility of sharing. You could end up in some very nice single room but at one of the colleges miles from the centre with loads of boring people.
Yes, you are still a full member of college. You can pay to have dinner there or if you wait until about an hour after meals starts it opens to any members of college, basically you can get leftovers for free. We can also attend formals and study in the library, use the bar, the common rooms etc.
pipster93
Cuths isn't formal at all! We don't have many formal dinners - most socialising goes on in the bar. It's probably the least formal college, I would say, apart from possibly one or two on the Hill. There's quite a lot of drinking and partying, especially if you live on the Bailey. That brings me to the fact that the college is split. Some people live on the Bailey, and some people live at Parson's Field, near Hild Bede. The Bailey community is quite small (about 120 in the year) and the Parson's Field lot are about 200 or so. At Parson's Field you have conventional corridors, where there are 6 or so people who make up your closest group, but there are about 20 to a house on the Bailey, which is great and different from most colleges. You never know everyone at Cuth's, but its small enough to be on good terms with 100+ people.
pipster93
I don't want it to be massive! But I don't want it to be really small either. I'm worried that in a big college i'll feel a bit at sea, and in a small one i'd feel suffocated!
Collingwood is the largest of the three you've put, but none of them are extremes. John's is too small for my tastes, but it hardly matters to be honest.
pipster93
Well I've liked being catered, the food is pretty good at all the colleges. There are drawbacks - the limited mealtimes mean you WILL miss some meals, especially if you do sport/drama/music etc. So you have to spend some extra money occasionally, having missed a meal that you paid for. This is a minor annoyance rather than a massive one, though.
pipster93
Collingwood and Cuth's are both good for that, but not so much John's. No matter what they tell you, there simply isn't as much craziness and epic drinking as at the other two. Their bar is just too small for a start. Collingwood and Cuth's also have very strong rugby teams which tends to make a college that bit more 'lively' in the drinking dept.
pipster93
Collingwood - good college, quite big, all catered, enjoyable.
Cuths - Choice between catered/self-catered/part-catered, choice of where to live, big party college, medium to large size.
John's - Friendly, small, close community, Christian, quieter than the other two.
I hope that helps.
PS - To those worried about sharing, it's the best thing to do. Of our entire college, I don't think anyone has had a roommate problem and I only know of one person in one college who did have a problem and it was sorted out almost instantly.
DougieG
Collingwood - good college, quite big, all catered, enjoyable.
Cuths - Choice between catered/self-catered/part-catered, choice of where to live, big party college, medium to large size.
John's - Friendly, small, close community, Christian, quieter than the other two.
Collingwood - good college, quite big, all catered, enjoyable.
Cuths - Choice between catered/self-catered/part-catered, choice of where to live, big party college, medium to large size.
John's - Friendly, small, close community, Christian, quieter than the other two.
I would just like to point out that John's being classed as "christian" is slightly misleading. There are quite a few Christians among us but there are plenty of people who are of other religions or atheists. In no way does it affect college life, apart from Sunday mornings tend to be quite quiet as people are at Church.
John's bar is small but there have only been a couple of occasions where i havent got a drink, the same can be said for Chads bar. The party atmosphere may be less in Johns but it really depends on who are your friends.
sunnydale6
I would just like to point out that John's being classed as "christian" is slightly misleading. There are quite a few Christians among us but there are plenty of people who are of other religions or atheists. In no way does it affect college life, apart from Sunday mornings tend to be quite quiet as people are at Church.
John's bar is small but there have only been a couple of occasions where i havent got a drink, the same can be said for Chads bar. The party atmosphere may be less in Johns but it really depends on who are your friends.
John's bar is small but there have only been a couple of occasions where i havent got a drink, the same can be said for Chads bar. The party atmosphere may be less in Johns but it really depends on who are your friends.
OK, fair enough I'll admit I don't know much about the place other than what my friends from John's have told me. From what I gather all the JCR exec are pretty strong Christians though, right? Having people from other religions doesn't mean it's not an institutionally Christian college. I'm sure they're welcoming to other religions/no religion but if one of OP's main requirements is a 'party college' then it's not the place to go for, surely!
pipster93
astro67 - thank you for your reply! It's made me feel a bit better about the sizes! What college are you in (presuming that you're at Durham!)? Why did you choose it?
I've graduated now but I was a Mildert student - I chose that because they were able to offer me accommodation when other colleges couldn't, so it wasn't really a strong preference originally. I've never regretted it, though, and I'll be a member of Mildert and proud of it 'til I die. I actually work for Collingwood now and I think that's brilliant too - I suspect they all are.
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