The Big 'Recommend Me A College' Thread
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Original post by Anonymous #38
Could anyone give me some insight into Collingwood College Accommodation?
The en-suite rooms are nice - decent size, you get a bathroom, single bed, under-bed storage, etc. Modern enougn.
The shared rooms are the same standard as the en-suite, but much larger. Even though 2 people live there, they often become the hang-out spot for big groups of friends.
The standard rooms... well...
Some are better than others. They're currently rennovating which is nice. We have all the standard stuff, showers and toilets aren't great to be honest, especially considering toilets dont have sinks in them. I have to touch 4 doorhandles to get between my bathroom and my room with the sink in them. These blocks are weirdly arranged in a square around a central staircase.
I picked a standard room because I didn't want to move out in the holidays, however in hindsight I would have picked an en-suite for a slightly less scuffed experience.
At the end of the day, I love my room (for all it's quirks, including heating you cannot turn down), and you're only gonna live there for a year. The view is nice, and I'm never cold (which some colleges complain about).
I can't recommend Collingwood as a college enough. The JCR, sports, music studio and theatre facilities are great, and the staff are very friendly.
Original post by riley.dll
Writing this from a Collingwood standard (non-ensuite single) room!
The en-suite rooms are nice - decent size, you get a bathroom, single bed, under-bed storage, etc. Modern enougn.
The shared rooms are the same standard as the en-suite, but much larger. Even though 2 people live there, they often become the hang-out spot for big groups of friends.
The standard rooms... well...
Some are better than others. They're currently rennovating which is nice. We have all the standard stuff, showers and toilets aren't great to be honest, especially considering toilets dont have sinks in them. I have to touch 4 doorhandles to get between my bathroom and my room with the sink in them. These blocks are weirdly arranged in a square around a central staircase.
I picked a standard room because I didn't want to move out in the holidays, however in hindsight I would have picked an en-suite for a slightly less scuffed experience.
At the end of the day, I love my room (for all it's quirks, including heating you cannot turn down), and you're only gonna live there for a year. The view is nice, and I'm never cold (which some colleges complain about).
I can't recommend Collingwood as a college enough. The JCR, sports, music studio and theatre facilities are great, and the staff are very friendly.
The en-suite rooms are nice - decent size, you get a bathroom, single bed, under-bed storage, etc. Modern enougn.
The shared rooms are the same standard as the en-suite, but much larger. Even though 2 people live there, they often become the hang-out spot for big groups of friends.
The standard rooms... well...
Some are better than others. They're currently rennovating which is nice. We have all the standard stuff, showers and toilets aren't great to be honest, especially considering toilets dont have sinks in them. I have to touch 4 doorhandles to get between my bathroom and my room with the sink in them. These blocks are weirdly arranged in a square around a central staircase.
I picked a standard room because I didn't want to move out in the holidays, however in hindsight I would have picked an en-suite for a slightly less scuffed experience.
At the end of the day, I love my room (for all it's quirks, including heating you cannot turn down), and you're only gonna live there for a year. The view is nice, and I'm never cold (which some colleges complain about).
I can't recommend Collingwood as a college enough. The JCR, sports, music studio and theatre facilities are great, and the staff are very friendly.
What colleges do you think are colder? From what people tell you
Original post by susanaalvarez
What colleges do you think are colder? From what people tell you
Original post by riley.dll
Only comments I've heard are from Josephine Butler, but your mileage may vary. Just bring a blanket i guess
Must depend on the room/year as I am usually a very cold person but found my room in Butler very warm
I was in a middle room though (middle floor and midway along the row) so it may be other rooms are colder.I'm an international student from america and several of the colleges seemed interesting to me so i have no idea how i should rank them. I was hoping for a catered college and i think having a roommate would be fun although i would also be fine with a single. I don't really care about having an ensuite and how nice the facilities are isn't too important to me. I just want to end up in a college that has good vibes. I'm not super into partying but i'm also not that studious so i'm wondering what colleges are just kinda easygoing and chill with friendly people?
Hi i got an offer to study law at Durham for 2024/25 and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for ranking colleges? I am looking for a catered college, preferably with gowned formals and an ensuite/standard room accomodation. Distance is not too big of an issue since i know everything is fairly close anyway but something on the bailey would be handy.I am also really interested in theatre so a good drama soc would be cool and a preferably a 24/7 library (like johns?). Also a college close to the law building would be idealthanks a mil!!
Original post by trehanmedha
Hi i got an offer to study law at Durham for 2024/25 and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for ranking colleges? I am looking for a catered college, preferably with gowned formals and an ensuite/standard room accomodation. Distance is not too big of an issue since i know everything is fairly close anyway but something on the bailey would be handy.I am also really interested in theatre so a good drama soc would be cool and a preferably a 24/7 library (like johns?). Also a college close to the law building would be idealthanks a mil!!
Hi! Congrats on your offer! Colleges on the Bailey are about a 10 minute walk from the Law building, so not too far. The Bailey colleges are all catered, but if you choose Cuth's be aware that only the Bailey half is catered and you could be allocated to Parsons Field which is not catered. Each college will have its own student theatre company: Bailey Theatre (John's), Greendoor Theatre (Chad's), Castle Theatre (Castle), 12 South Theatre (Cuth's), Lion Theatre (Hatfield). I would do some research into them on social media and maybe reach out as it could influence your decision. All colleges should have a variety of shared / single rooms and ensuite / shared bathrooms. Chad's is the smallest college so has more shared rooms, but you can obviously still apply for a single. At Chad's most of our libraries are open 24/7, and we have gowned formals at least once a week. The Bailey colleges all have fairly regular formals, and I know that Castle's are also gowned. Hope that helps!
Original post by Lillygoodson
I'm an international student from america and several of the colleges seemed interesting to me so i have no idea how i should rank them. I was hoping for a catered college and i think having a roommate would be fun although i would also be fine with a single. I don't really care about having an ensuite and how nice the facilities are isn't too important to me. I just want to end up in a college that has good vibes. I'm not super into partying but i'm also not that studious so i'm wondering what colleges are just kinda easygoing and chill with friendly people?
Hi there
1. Start with whether you want a catered or self-catered college. Out of the 16 colleges (excluding Ustinov which is postgrad only), 4 are purely self-catered and 2 are party self-catered. The rest are all catered.
2. Once you have a list of the type of college you want, think about whether distance is going to affect your choice. You can look up where lectures for your course are taught and then find the distance between each college and your department building on google maps. Just be aware that your lectures will not necessarily be in your department building so keep that in mind. I'd be happy to tell you where yours will be if you can let me know your course
3. Then look at the type of rooms these colleges offer- some may have shared rooms only, others may have singles and some may have ensuites. Depending on your preference, narrow down your choices. Since you are intrigued by shared rooms, the ones on the bailey offer most of them including Chads, Hatfield, St Johns and Cuths. Hill colleges will also have a small number of shared rooms but most of the others are either single or ensuite.
4. You can then look at the facilities the colleges offer- Some colleges have gowned formals while others don't- it doesn't really matter in the end but gowned formals appeal more to some students. All colleges will have a library, gym, some sporting facilities, bar etc. but the size will vary. Smaller colleges like Chads will have a smaller gym while the bigger ones like Collingwood will have a bigger one. Irrespective of which college you're in, you'll always have access to the Sports and Wellbeing Centre (Maiden Castle) which offers plenty of facilities including a subsidized gym membership.
5. You can lastly look at the additional costs of each college. Gym memberships, JCR levies and college society membership fees can vary across different colleges.
Honestly, you'll get a good vibe at any college you go to. They all have social spaces like the bar and JCR where you can hang out with friends. Ultimately it will all be down to the kind of people you meet and there's always a good mix at each college so I wouldn't worry too much about this!
You can read some student blogs about life in different colleges as well as check out our social media content here: https://studentblog.webspace.durham.ac.uk/
Hope that helps
-Himieka
Hi I am an international student who luckily managed to get a deferment to next year to read law but sadly am unable to visit before choosing. Which college do u think will have a higher chance of an Ensuite room, it being catered and it having some nice sports facilities, especially the squash courts. I currently am thinking of Collingwood, St's Chad and hatfield as my current first to third choice
Hi, I'm an international postgrad in English Studies looking for recommendations. I prefer a catered college, but I don't really have a strong preference for room type.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi, I'm an international postgrad in English Studies looking for recommendations. I prefer a catered college, but I don't really have a strong preference for room type.
Hiya,
Do you have any preferences location wise? Whether you'd prefer to be on the Hill or Bailey, choosing between them can help narrow down your options. The majority of colleges in Durham are catered except for some of the Hill colleges (Stephenson, Josephine Butler, John Snow, South, etc), so I would advise looking at whether you want Hill or Bailey to narrow down your options 🙂
You can have a look at some of the student blogs on choosing a college for some extra insight!
The Durham Student
Hope this helps!
-Ghala
Original post by Enwg
Hi I am an international student who luckily managed to get a deferment to next year to read law but sadly am unable to visit before choosing. Which college do u think will have a higher chance of an Ensuite room, it being catered and it having some nice sports facilities, especially the squash courts. I currently am thinking of Collingwood, St's Chad and hatfield as my current first to third choice
Collingwood definitely seems like a good option for you. I don't know if any college has squash courts, they may all be down in Maiden Castle but on the whole the hill colleges have got more space for sports facilities etc.
If you're bothered about sharing a room then chads does have a fair few shared rooms - but they also have a higher percentage ensuites than many so you may be happy with that.
Tbh catered and ensuites is a bit of a difficult combination to find, the colleges with the most ensuites are all self-catered so you've probably found the ones with the most already
Original post by Helioghost
Originally posted 21/08/2012
Right, on this forum we're constantly being asked by people to recommend them a college, since even with the huge amount of information available on the FAQ, wiki, Durham University website, and whole rest of the internet, it's still not the same as getting up-to-date information straight from current students.
So if you want to ask about colleges, this is the place! I'll also be merging similar threads into here to tidy up the forum.
Right, on this forum we're constantly being asked by people to recommend them a college, since even with the huge amount of information available on the FAQ, wiki, Durham University website, and whole rest of the internet, it's still not the same as getting up-to-date information straight from current students.
So if you want to ask about colleges, this is the place! I'll also be merging similar threads into here to tidy up the forum.
is it likely to get a college that you ranked low if you don’t get in to your top option? as im sure the priority would go to those ranking first, and all my top choices are the bailey colls!!!! idk im scared HAHAH
Hello everyone,
I see that most discussions relate to the undergraduate programmes, but im on here for some postgrad discussions if anyone can shed some light on this:
I recently got accepted for the MLitt International Relations masters programme at St.Andrews and its counterpart MA International Political Science at Durham. I'm quite torn between making my final choice, since both these unis are so similar in size, population, close community culture, traditional and old unis, reputation for the specific department, overall uni reputation and rankings, etc..
The key differences are:
a) Price: around 10,000 gbp higher overall expenses for one year at St. Andrews compared to Durham.
b) Reputation: St. A seems to be more 'branded' because of its oldest scottish uni title, its guardian and times ranking, and since its always explicitly mentioned in discussions alongside Oxbridge and Russell like as if it was worth that additional mention for such a small uni which isn't affiliated to any group. Whereas Durham is a Russell uni, so it has that clout within the UK for job prospects immediately after graduation.
c) Job Prospects: St. A seems to have fewer recruitment drives due to the low population of the uni and it being quite far off for london based companies... This probably is the same for Durham for the same reasons, but maybe it gets away with it on the job market because of being a Russell group uni.? idk.
d) Social Environment: St. A seems to give off a more social vibe, even if its smaller in size and population. Seems very engaging, with a stronger sense of community, whereas Durham has quite a rep for snobbery. Although i don't know these for a fact. And St.A just seems like it has more going on in general. But all these are just my perceptions.
e) Academics: it's quite literally just self study, and whatever you make of it. Plus how different could the academic resources or tutors be when both are such high performing universities? I do hear that the IR department is a 10/10 in St.A and maybe a 9-8/10 at Durham in comparison to other depts at their unis.
What do you guys think about this?
Does St.A get points for being prettier and culturally rich and more internationally diverse?
i'm trying not to let this make me biased lol.
I see that most discussions relate to the undergraduate programmes, but im on here for some postgrad discussions if anyone can shed some light on this:
I recently got accepted for the MLitt International Relations masters programme at St.Andrews and its counterpart MA International Political Science at Durham. I'm quite torn between making my final choice, since both these unis are so similar in size, population, close community culture, traditional and old unis, reputation for the specific department, overall uni reputation and rankings, etc..
The key differences are:
a) Price: around 10,000 gbp higher overall expenses for one year at St. Andrews compared to Durham.
b) Reputation: St. A seems to be more 'branded' because of its oldest scottish uni title, its guardian and times ranking, and since its always explicitly mentioned in discussions alongside Oxbridge and Russell like as if it was worth that additional mention for such a small uni which isn't affiliated to any group. Whereas Durham is a Russell uni, so it has that clout within the UK for job prospects immediately after graduation.
c) Job Prospects: St. A seems to have fewer recruitment drives due to the low population of the uni and it being quite far off for london based companies... This probably is the same for Durham for the same reasons, but maybe it gets away with it on the job market because of being a Russell group uni.? idk.
d) Social Environment: St. A seems to give off a more social vibe, even if its smaller in size and population. Seems very engaging, with a stronger sense of community, whereas Durham has quite a rep for snobbery. Although i don't know these for a fact. And St.A just seems like it has more going on in general. But all these are just my perceptions.
e) Academics: it's quite literally just self study, and whatever you make of it. Plus how different could the academic resources or tutors be when both are such high performing universities? I do hear that the IR department is a 10/10 in St.A and maybe a 9-8/10 at Durham in comparison to other depts at their unis.
What do you guys think about this?
Does St.A get points for being prettier and culturally rich and more internationally diverse?
i'm trying not to let this make me biased lol.
Original post by Anonymous
is it likely to get a college that you ranked low if you don’t get in to your top option? as im sure the priority would go to those ranking first, and all my top choices are the bailey colls!!!! idk im scared HAHAH
Hiya,
I would say anything is possible, you may get allocated your top option or you may not and are allocated a college ranked low. The Allocation process is quite complex but it takes into account your college rankings and the number of students from each department; if your top college is oversubscribed then the allocation team will try to allocate the next ranked college and if that's not viable then they'll continue to down your college ranking form until you are they are able to match the criteria (I hope this makes sense 🙂) . I linked the website detailing all you need to know about the allocation process and how it works if you want a bit more insight.
The Allocation Process
I know how stressful and nerve-racking this process can be for students having gone through it myself, but I can guarantee whichever college you are allocated, you will end up loving and will be fine! Also these are preliminary allocations and are subject to change. You can have a read through some of our student blogs on college allocations for a bit more reassurance 😄
Why you shouldn’t stress about not getting your first-choice college! – The Durham Student
I hope this can help and goodluck!
-Ghala
Hey!
I've got an offer for Physics, and I'm planning to put St John's down as my top choice.
I'm Christian, but pretty loosely and I've been told it's really religious. Is it?
I'm aware as a Physics student it's a long walk but I'm fine with that. Can anyone give me some thoughts?
Cheers
I've got an offer for Physics, and I'm planning to put St John's down as my top choice.
I'm Christian, but pretty loosely and I've been told it's really religious. Is it?
I'm aware as a Physics student it's a long walk but I'm fine with that. Can anyone give me some thoughts?
Cheers
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