The Big 'Recommend Me A College' Thread
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Reply 1880
Original post
by Anonymousi thought you could opt out of catering at all colleges? thank you for the advice .
You certainly couldn't when I was there, catering was included in the room price (and many colleges had nowhere you could cook anyway)
Reply 1881
Hi!
This is less of a request for college recommendations and more a query about how the application system works.
I have got an offer for Biology but I haven't been to any open days so far. I've looked around online and think I'll put St. Chads as first, but I'm wondering if anyone knows when to do the rankings. If I do rankings sooner am I more likely to be accepted into my number one college, or should I wait until I'm more certain about where I would want to go. (I haven't yet decided if I want to go to Durham for sure, and I'm going to the offer holder day on monday).
Also, can I fill out the rankings without having decided if Durham will be my firm choice, or do I have to make that decision first?
This is less of a request for college recommendations and more a query about how the application system works.
I have got an offer for Biology but I haven't been to any open days so far. I've looked around online and think I'll put St. Chads as first, but I'm wondering if anyone knows when to do the rankings. If I do rankings sooner am I more likely to be accepted into my number one college, or should I wait until I'm more certain about where I would want to go. (I haven't yet decided if I want to go to Durham for sure, and I'm going to the offer holder day on monday).
Also, can I fill out the rankings without having decided if Durham will be my firm choice, or do I have to make that decision first?
Reply 1882
Original post
by i-like-biologyHi!
This is less of a request for college recommendations and more a query about how the application system works.
I have got an offer for Biology but I haven't been to any open days so far. I've looked around online and think I'll put St. Chads as first, but I'm wondering if anyone knows when to do the rankings. If I do rankings sooner am I more likely to be accepted into my number one college, or should I wait until I'm more certain about where I would want to go. (I haven't yet decided if I want to go to Durham for sure, and I'm going to the offer holder day on monday).
Also, can I fill out the rankings without having decided if Durham will be my firm choice, or do I have to make that decision first?
This is less of a request for college recommendations and more a query about how the application system works.
I have got an offer for Biology but I haven't been to any open days so far. I've looked around online and think I'll put St. Chads as first, but I'm wondering if anyone knows when to do the rankings. If I do rankings sooner am I more likely to be accepted into my number one college, or should I wait until I'm more certain about where I would want to go. (I haven't yet decided if I want to go to Durham for sure, and I'm going to the offer holder day on monday).
Also, can I fill out the rankings without having decided if Durham will be my firm choice, or do I have to make that decision first?
You can fill it out regardless of if you have put Durham as your firm or not, and filling out the form earlier doesn't give you any advantage 🙂
Reply 1883
hi ive got my offer to study physics and i was wondering if someone could help me out with a college? i really like the bailey colleges bc the aesthetic is very important to me, im aware theyre not close to the science site but i love walking and wouldnt mind that at all. Im looking for gowned formals, beautiful buildings and hopefully friendly people.
The only bailey college i wont consider is hatfield bc ive heard its really posh and im a lower middle class state school student with immigrant parents so im a little worried about the class divide. I also love going out and partying (though not excessively) so i'd really enjoy a social college that has lots of clubs and societies
The only bailey college i wont consider is hatfield bc ive heard its really posh and im a lower middle class state school student with immigrant parents so im a little worried about the class divide. I also love going out and partying (though not excessively) so i'd really enjoy a social college that has lots of clubs and societies
Reply 1884
Original post
by flowermoonshi ive got my offer to study physics and i was wondering if someone could help me out with a college? i really like the bailey colleges bc the aesthetic is very important to me, im aware theyre not close to the science site but i love walking and wouldnt mind that at all. Im looking for gowned formals, beautiful buildings and hopefully friendly people.
The only bailey college i wont consider is hatfield bc ive heard its really posh and im a lower middle class state school student with immigrant parents so im a little worried about the class divide. I also love going out and partying (though not excessively) so i'd really enjoy a social college that has lots of clubs and societies
The only bailey college i wont consider is hatfield bc ive heard its really posh and im a lower middle class state school student with immigrant parents so im a little worried about the class divide. I also love going out and partying (though not excessively) so i'd really enjoy a social college that has lots of clubs and societies
Hiya,
Bailey colleges actually aren't that far from the science site (about 10 min walk) and it is a nice scenic walk as well 🙂 In terms of which colleges, you have Chads, St Johns, St Cuthbert's, Hatfield and Castle college. Hatfield and Castle are some of the most popular colleges and are pretty hard to get into due to competition; St Cuthbert's is also quite a popular college and pretty good if you want a good social scene, and a self catered/catered option, St Chads and St Johns are a bit smaller and are catered colleges with a good social scene and they're popular but not too competitive to get allocated. I would recommend having a look at whether you want a catered or self catered option, that will refine your list as well as make it easy for you to rank them. Lastly, I would recommend having a look at each colleges individual JCR website as it will detail all the societies, clubs and sports they have as well as facilities.
Hope this helps!
-Ghala
(Official DU Rep)
Reply 1885
Hi, my daughter has a conditional offer for Economics at DU. I have posed this question in the other forum as well. She prefers a self catered accomodation and has booked to see John Snow, Josephine Butler and South colleges on offer holder days next weekend. Are these within a 15 minute walking distance to where she will likely have her lectures (possibly TLC/Calman) and the BB library? Thank you very much.
Reply 1886
Original post
by rameshsaiHi, my daughter has a conditional offer for Economics at DU. I have posed this question in the other forum as well. She prefers a self catered accomodation and has booked to see John Snow, Josephine Butler and South colleges on offer holder days next weekend. Are these within a 15 minute walking distance to where she will likely have her lectures (possibly TLC/Calman) and the BB library? Thank you very much.
Yes those colleges are all about a 15 minute walk from those locations 🙂
Reply 1887
Original post
by Lemur14Yes those colleges are all about a 15 minute walk from those locations 🙂
Thank you!
Reply 1888
Original post
by Lemur14You can fill it out regardless of if you have put Durham as your firm or not, and filling out the form earlier doesn't give you any advantage 🙂
Thank you!
Reply 1889
Hi there! I'm a postgrad starting in September. Ustinov seems like the logical choice for a postgrad but it sounds like some of the other colleges might have a bit more going on. I'm not a massively social person but I do let getting involved in activities and societies. I'm studying marketing so it makes sense to choose a college on the hill, near the business school. Would Ustinov be the best choice or would I be better off choosing another college if I want to be more involved in student life?
Reply 1890
Hey!!! So I'm an undergrad starting in september (I'll be doing mathematics) and now I need to rank my colleges... (something I have been putting off until the last minute). The only problem is I don't really know what they're like, I'm a international student so I wasn't able to actually visit and I'm at a bit of a loss. I tend to be really introverted so I want to take this chance to kinda get out of my comfort zone. Ideally I would want to room with someone cause a.) it tends to be cheaper and b.) I feel like if I have my own room I will just stay there all year without meeting anyone lol. Other than that I don't really care about catered vs self-catered however it would be nice to have a kitchen that I could access since I enjoy baking and stuff. I'd appreciate any help!! -v-
(edited 6 months ago)
Reply 1891
im really stuck on my rankings , im going to be studying geography and would like something preferably self catered but still with the traditional feel (gowned etc) and would need my own bathroom for medical reasons and preferably a proper shower (not just a curtain) any thoughts?
Reply 1892
Hey! So I was (and still am) a member of Josephine Butler College. It’s actually one of Durham’s newer colleges, founded in 2006 but has the traditional feel on the hill since it is gowned. It’s self-catered, which is awesome for independence, and most rooms are ensuite with showers, so it’s perfect if you need your own bathroom for medical reasons.
It’s a modern, friendly, and inclusive college and they do still have formal dinners and college events. Socially, it’s great for meeting people, and you get access to all the Durham societies and sports.
It’s a bit further from the main campus, but buses and bikes make that easy. I personally walk and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get into town which feels like nothing. I don’t mind it at all. Overall, it’s a really good balance of independence, comfort, and social life!
Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Durham Rep - Mia
It’s a modern, friendly, and inclusive college and they do still have formal dinners and college events. Socially, it’s great for meeting people, and you get access to all the Durham societies and sports.
It’s a bit further from the main campus, but buses and bikes make that easy. I personally walk and it takes me 15-20 minutes to get into town which feels like nothing. I don’t mind it at all. Overall, it’s a really good balance of independence, comfort, and social life!
Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Durham Rep - Mia
Reply 1893
Original post
by brrreadHey!!! So I'm an undergrad starting in september (I'll be doing mathematics) and now I need to rank my colleges... (something I have been putting off until the last minute). The only problem is I don't really know what they're like, I'm a international student so I wasn't able to actually visit and I'm at a bit of a loss. I tend to be really introverted so I want to take this chance to kinda get out of my comfort zone. Ideally I would want to room with someone cause a.) it tends to be cheaper and b.) I feel like if I have my own room I will just stay there all year without meeting anyone lol. Other than that I don't really care about catered vs self-catered however it would be nice to have a kitchen that I could access since I enjoy baking and stuff. I'd appreciate any help!! -v-
For shared rooms, you’ll mostly find those in the older, more traditional colleges, perhaps look at some Bailey colleges like Hatfield or University College (Castle) for example. If you want tradition and social life, go for the “Bailey colleges” (Castle, Hatfield, St John’s, St Chad’s e.t.c). They’re right in the historic centre, have formals with gowns, and a strong community vibe.
You can find some more info about the college facilities here: College Facilities.
All the best details about colleges are on Durham's website, there's a great "college playlist" site here.
On page 6 of the Durham college's guide there's a nice table summary: Here.
On page 7 of the same PDF there's also a map - I would pay attention to that.
I hope this info helps. Let me know if there’s anything else
Durham Rep Mia
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