[Aleeece123]

(Original post by pai2502)
In the English faculty handbook showing the modules of BA English Literature, it's given that -



Can someone kindly give an example what kind of open modules does it mean? Which all Boards of Studies offer such modules?

It means any first year module that isn't tied to a particular course- i think that's most of them really, except law, engineering, and possibly a few others that I don't remember. If you look on a website and find a module that you like the look of in another department, it should say near the top of the description page whether it's open or not. Also you can only take it if you've got the right prerequisites, eg a high enough A level grade in a certain subject.

For example, I study maths, and in first year I could take two open modules outside the department, so I studied 2 french modules.

[clea9]

Does anyone know anything about the flats at St. Margaret's Garth? The CRM student flats? Are they owned by the university, or not??

[pipsi]

(Original post by Emperiator)
So you would recommend Vodafone and not giffgaff? I mean giffgaff is amazingly cheep .

I've never even heard of giffgaff, so I couldn't comment on its coverage.

[pipsi]

(Original post by clea9)
Does anyone know anything about the flats at St. Margaret's Garth? The CRM student flats? Are they owned by the university, or not??

No, not owned by the university, they have nothing to do with the university at all. I'm currently living in one of them. They're ok, clean, modern and in good repair. Bedrooms are a good size and have a 3/4 bed. Only draw back to the rooms is that the furniture is fixed so you can't move it around to suit you.

Kitchen/sitting room is ok size wise. It's open plan so it gets annoying if you want to watch tv and others are cooking as it gets a bit noisy. The kitchen bit isn't huge but we all tend to cook at different times so haven't had any problems so far with that side of things. There are two large fridge-freezers between five of us, there has always been plenty of space to put everything after I've been shopping.

Each flat has one bathroom with a shower, loo and sink (no bath) and another WC with a loo and small hand basin.

There are electric storage heaters in each bedroom, the corridors and sitting room/kitchen and a heated towel rail in the bathroom. The flats are good at retaining heat and I've barely had my heater on and often sleep with the window slightly open despite being a 'cold' person who usually has the heating on all of the time. Bills are all included anyway so that doesn't matter anyway.

My only gripe is that residents have to buy a parking permit off the building manager at £5 per week. It annoys the hell out of my because I wasn't told about this until after I moved in. On principle I decided not to pay the fee and instead park my car a 20 min walk away in one of the uni car parks that i have a permit for. There is a building in the complex that has a bunch of offices in and i can see an argument for charging the office workers to park here but i think residents should be able to park free of charge.

Other than the parking thing, I think they are pretty good, any problems have been sorted asap, eg our shower drain was blocked and the building manager came up to unblock it as soon as one of us went down to let him know. Minor repairs like that are sorted out pretty much straight away, or first thing Monday if it happens over a weekend. So far I've not come across any major problems but i imagine they would sort them pretty quickly.

[clea9]

(Original post by pipsi)
No, not owned by the university, they have nothing to do with the university at all. I'm currently living in one of them. They're ok, clean, modern and in good repair. Bedrooms are a good size and have a 3/4 bed. Only draw back to the rooms is that the furniture is fixed so you can't move it around to suit you.

Kitchen/sitting room is ok size wise. It's open plan so it gets annoying if you want to watch tv and others are cooking as it gets a bit noisy. The kitchen bit isn't huge but we all tend to cook at different times so haven't had any problems so far with that side of things. There are two large fridge-freezers between five of us, there has always been plenty of space to put everything after I've been shopping.

Each flat has one bathroom with a shower, loo and sink (no bath) and another WC with a loo and small hand basin.

There are electric storage heaters in each bedroom, the corridors and sitting room/kitchen and a heated towel rail in the bathroom. The flats are good at retaining heat and I've barely had my heater on and often sleep with the window slightly open despite being a 'cold' person who usually has the heating on all of the time. Bills are all included anyway so that doesn't matter anyway.

My only gripe is that residents have to buy a parking permit off the building manager at £5 per week. It annoys the hell out of my because I wasn't told about this until after I moved in. On principle I decided not to pay the fee and instead park my car a 20 min walk away in one of the uni car parks that i have a permit for. There is a building in the complex that has a bunch of offices in and i can see an argument for charging the office workers to park here but i think residents should be able to park free of charge.

Other than the parking thing, I think they are pretty good, any problems have been sorted asap, eg our shower drain was blocked and the building manager came up to unblock it as soon as one of us went down to let him know. Minor repairs like that are sorted out pretty much straight away, or first thing Monday if it happens over a weekend. So far I've not come across any major problems but i imagine they would sort them pretty quickly.

Thanks so much for that info. I thought I had read that St. John's housed some postgrads at St. Margaret's Garth so I was a bit confused. Have you had any problems with cleanliness issues sharing a bathroom with four other people? (I'm nervous about renting a place that isn't university accommodation without even seeing it in person, and then sharing with a bunch of strangers...and I'm in the US so I can't really go scope it out ahead of time.) I know it's all postgrads, so is everyone pretty responsible/mature?

Sorry for all these questions but I'm really stressed about finding housing. So I appreciate your input as a student. I've been offered accommodation at Ustinov but I'd rather be closer to the centre of town. I've had bad experiences renting apartments in the US though so it makes me a little wary of trying to find something in Durham without being there yet.

[Aula]

(Original post by clea9)
Thanks so much for that info. I thought I had read that St. John's housed some postgrads at St. Margaret's Garth so I was a bit confused. Have you had any problems with cleanliness issues sharing a bathroom with four other people? (I'm nervous about renting a place that isn't university accommodation without even seeing it in person, and then sharing with a bunch of strangers...and I'm in the US so I can't really go scope it out ahead of time.) I know it's all postgrads, so is everyone pretty responsible/mature?

Sorry for all these questions but I'm really stressed about finding housing. So I appreciate your input as a student. I've been offered accommodation at Ustinov but I'd rather be closer to the centre of town. I've had bad experiences renting apartments in the US though so it makes me a little wary of trying to find something in Durham without being there yet.

Johns used to own it, but they sold it a couple of years ago.

[luceyinthesky8]

Hello, I am a bit confused with how modules work over the year. For history do you take 2 modules per trimester or is it 6 year-round modules? Also the academic calendar says that exams end at the beginning of June and yet term doesn't end until the end of the month? What happens during that period? Lastly at which points during the year do exams take place? Thanks!

[purple-girl]

(Original post by luceyinthesky8)
Hello, I am a bit confused with how modules work over the year. For history do you take 2 modules per trimester or is it 6 year-round modules? Also the academic calendar says that exams end at the beginning of June and yet term doesn't end until the end of the month? What happens during that period? Lastly at which points during the year do exams take place? Thanks!

Ok, for all programmes you take 6 20-credit modules which last the whole year; Durham doesn't do semesters/trimesters like other unis do. It's true that exams finish 3 weeks before the end of term but those 3 weeks are where all the fun stuff happens; balls, college days, society trips etc etc and some departments have academic stuff then but I don't think History does (other than meeting your dissertation supervisor at the end of 2nd year I guess). Exams take place in the middle 3 weeks of the 3rd term, so next year they'll be between 13th and 31st May.

[luceyinthesky8]

(Original post by purple-girl)
Ok, for all programmes you take 6 20-credit modules which last the whole year; Durham doesn't do semesters/trimesters like other unis do. It's true that exams finish 3 weeks before the end of term but those 3 weeks are where all the fun stuff happens; balls, college days, society trips etc etc and some departments have academic stuff then but I don't think History does (other than meeting your dissertation supervisor at the end of 2nd year I guess). Exams take place in the middle 3 weeks of the 3rd term, so next year they'll be between 13th and 31st May.

Ah thanks so much!

[paperstars123]

Hello, I have a few questions in mind (some of which might have been answered before), but hopefully someone can give me more clarification!

1. Does anyone know whether I can take classes in other departments without receiving the credits? eg if I do an economics degree, is it possible for me to attend music or psychology lectures just for fun?

2. Other than fostering a tight-knit community and additional support, what other benefits does the collegiate/tutorial system provide?

3. Is it common for students in the Business School to get internships in the first year? How much support does the Career's office/counsellor provide for this?

4. As someone not really into the drinking culture, will it be hard to make friends there?

Thanks!

[sanksta]

(Original post by paperstars123)
Hello, I have a few questions in mind (some of which might have been answered before), but hopefully someone can give me more clarification!

1. Does anyone know whether I can take classes in other departments without receiving the credits? eg if I do an economics degree, is it possible for me to attend music or psychology lectures just for fun?

2. Other than fostering a tight-knit community and additional support, what other benefits does the collegiate/tutorial system provide?

3. Is it common for students in the Business School to get internships in the first year? How much support does the Career's office/counsellor provide for this?

4. As someone not really into the drinking culture, will it be hard to make friends there?

Thanks!

1. It's quite possible to walk into a lecture in whichever department you like as attendance at these isn't monitored. However, you wouldn't be able to attend any seminars/tutorials/classes as these are registered and as they are far smaller groups someone would definitely notice! :P If you did want to go to these, have you looked into whether your degree allows you to take optional modules in first year? Some departments do and it means that you can take a certain number of modules, usually up to two, from another department.

2. The college system and tutorial system are very different things as, unlike at Oxbridge, no teaching is done within the college itself.
I think the main benefit of the college system is the extra support that you mentioned as I think that it's far harder to get lost in the crowd when you're put into a group of a couple of hundred people as opposed to a couple of thousand. This means that the welfare provision is a lot better and probably contributes to Durham having one of the lowest drop out rates. Being in a smaller peer group also gives you way more of a chance to contribute and get involved. Each college has several committees that organise every aspect of college life and that are a great way to make friends and change the place where you live in a way that you wouldn't get the chance to in other places. It also means that there are two tiers of societies and sports teams, at college-wide level and university-wide level, so you have twice as much of a chance to find something that you're interested in and get involved at absolutely any ability level. It makes it so much easier to set up a new society as well if you can start it off on a smaller scale in college. There is also the benefit that each college has facilities in it which you would probably not have in the building you live in at other universities, such as its own library, bar and shop.
The structure of tutorials will vary quite a bit depending on your department and I unfortunately don't know much about economics. However, I think the main advantage to these is purely that it's a smaller teaching group. I imagine that you'll be set some questions or reading to do before the session and you'll then get the chance to discuss them with a small group of maybe 7/8 of you (that's the size in the English department, anyway). It's good because it allows you to talk about your subject, discussing different views and interpretations and asking any questions.

3. Again, I don't know much about the Business School so my answer may not be the best here. However I do receive weekly emails from the careers service detailing internship opportunities so I assume that they exist and people get them. :P As far as I can tell the careers service is very good but slightly underused by students, so I'm sure that if you contacted them they'd be able to help you with when and where you should be applying and sorting out your application.

4. I don't drink at all and I've never had a problem making friends. I think that's another advantage of the college system as it means that freshers' week is far more structured than in most places so everyone in college goes to the same organised event each night which normally starts in the bar and everyone goes regardless of whether or not they drink or are into clubbing. When they head off to a club afterwards there is then often something also organised in college for those not going out. Then throughout the year being a university there are obviously lots of events that focus on alcohol but I've never felt any pressure at all to drink and still have a good time while I'm out. Being a small city with only a couple of clubs I think Durham attracts more people than other universities who don't drink that heavily or enjoy clubbing several times a week and there's plenty to do without doing that. You'll be able to make loads of friends through societies or sports teams or your subject and then it's quite common to just sit around in college watching a film in the evening or go to the bar for a quiet drink. There are plenty of chances, even in freshers' week, to socialise without alcohol!

[flip flops]

Hi, I'm an international student from India and I have been offered a place for MS in Internet and Distributed systems at Durham. The date of commencement of the course is October, 2012 and I've decided to accept the offer.

However, before making my final decision, I'd like to get some information which are difficult to find elsewhere on the web, such as :

1. The reputation of the Computer Science department of the university.

2. The living expenses involved should I decide not to stay in the college accommodation.

3. Part time job opportunities in Durham and the neighbouring areas and how much will it contribute towards my living expenses.

4. Job prospects for an international student like me in U.K. once I complete my post graduation degree from Durham. (I also have more than 4 years of experience in Software and IT prior to this)

thanks in advance

[pipsi]

(Original post by clea9)
Thanks so much for that info. I thought I had read that St. John's housed some postgrads at St. Margaret's Garth so I was a bit confused. Have you had any problems with cleanliness issues sharing a bathroom with four other people? (I'm nervous about renting a place that isn't university accommodation without even seeing it in person, and then sharing with a bunch of strangers...and I'm in the US so I can't really go scope it out ahead of time.) I know it's all postgrads, so is everyone pretty responsible/mature?

Sorry for all these questions but I'm really stressed about finding housing. So I appreciate your input as a student. I've been offered accommodation at Ustinov but I'd rather be closer to the centre of town. I've had bad experiences renting apartments in the US though so it makes me a little wary of trying to find something in Durham without being there yet.

There are a number of undergrads in our building, it's not just post grads. From a cleanliness point of view, it'll all depend on who you share with, my housemates are pretty good but a different set of people could make it completely different. we take it in turns to clean the flat every weekend and day to day we all try and keep things as clean and tidy as possible such as washing up after ourselves and wiping the kitchen benches etc. We make sure nothing builds up so on a weekend, it's just a case of cleaning the bathrooms and giving the kitchen and sitting room a quick clean. I have no idea how they decide on who your share with. I came in to replace someone and we happen to have a flat of five girls but none of them requested a single sex flat. they may just do it randomly or they might try and match people with similar interests, i'm not sure

[pai2502]

There's 10-15 days uni shutdown in dec vacations. I understand that even the ppl with 38 week let have to vacate their rooms.
So what do students who've stayed back, not gone homeor anywhere else, do during this period? Where do they stay? There must be people staying back ryt?

[Aleeece123]

(Original post by pai2502)
There's 10-15 days uni shutdown in dec vacations. I understand that even the ppl with 38 week let have to vacate their rooms.
So what do students who've stayed back, not gone homeor anywhere else, do during this period? Where do they stay? There must be people staying back ryt?

I'm not entirely sure about this, but I seem to remember reading that one or two colleges stay open over christmas, and that everyone who stays over the whole of the holidays moves into rooms in those colleges, self catered of course. I assume they can leave most of their stuff in their own colleges. But don't take my word on this- it might be on the website somewhere, it might not..

[sanksta]

(Original post by pai2502)
There's 10-15 days uni shutdown in dec vacations. I understand that even the ppl with 38 week let have to vacate their rooms.
So what do students who've stayed back, not gone homeor anywhere else, do during this period? Where do they stay? There must be people staying back ryt?

A lot of the international students move into Aidan's over Christmas.

[Oh my Ms. Coffey]

What is the catered food like? Do they do a range of meals and how many do you get?

[pai2502]

(Original post by Aleeece123)
I'm not entirely sure about this, but I seem to remember reading that one or two colleges stay open over christmas, and that everyone who stays over the whole of the holidays moves into rooms in those colleges, self catered of course. I assume they can leave most of their stuff in their own colleges. But don't take my word on this- it might be on the website somewhere, it might not..

(Original post by sanksta)
A lot of the international students move into Aidan's over Christmas.

thank you!

[Renacata]

(Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey)
What is the catered food like? Do they do a range of meals and how many do you get?

There are three or four dinner options a day (unless you're vegetarian, in which case there are usually only one or two), plus a couple of different vegetables and some type of potato. It's all pretty much standard school-dinner fare, but usually a decent version of it. Lunch tends to be better food - pizza, panini, wraps, fish and chips. Or sandwiches. There's always fruit and yoghurt available and dessert in the evenings. You can get a packed lunch but you have to order in advance. You get all meals provided, so breakfast, lunch and dinner every day Meals are on a three-week rota, which changes slightly every term. As far as I'm aware it's standardised throughout all the colleges, although quality may vary.

I saw your post about doing a foundation year by the way - it's fantastic that you've managed to get into Durham despite your earlier grades, well done! Which college have you got into?

[Awoodrow2]

(Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey)
What is the catered food like? Do they do a range of meals and how many do you get?

Lower right-hand area of this page:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/trevelyan.jcr/

Click on "Look for earlier events", and you should be able to see the menu for at least the last term. I think that's pretty standard across colleges.