The "Ask a Durham Student" Thread :)

Don't know if these have been answered so sorry if they have.

Any Physicists? Was wondering...

1) What sort of teaching styles are there, what exactly happens in each type, which ones are the most useful, and how many of each are there a week?

Not quite sure what your asking here but if its about contact hours:

In 1st year you get around 12 lectures a week, these will be 1 lecturer talking to 200+ people for an hour. You also have one hour long problems class per module per week, these have about 50 people. Here the lecturer sets a sheet of problems for you to work through and they and postgrads are on hand to help if you get stuck. There are also labs.

and for 'teaching styles' you mainly just get talk and chalk where the lecturer writes on the board and you copy or they use power point and give you a hand out. Different people prefer different styles, I like talk and chalk.

2) Do you know when a reading list gets sent out for summer reading? And texts you can recommend?

You wont get a reading list, and dont do any reading, enjoy your summer. You will get a book of practice maths problems though to keep your skills up.

3) Do you only get examined at the end of the year?

There are weekly problems and course work through the year but the only exams that count are at the end.

4) Are there any common problems you come across, like lecturers not putting notes up afterwards on the intranet, bad lecturers etc?

Yea some of the lecturers are bad, its always going to happen. Not putting notes up isnt generally an issue though.

5) I was thinking of going to do the apparently "easier" maths modules, rather than the harder double one designed for maths people rather than physicists. But are you at any disadvantage, and also are you at a disadvantage if you do an option module from outside the school rather than the astro module or maths toolkit thing

The hard maths modules are mainly for people who want to do Maths & Physics or to some extend theoretical physics, otherwise don't bother (even the department say this) In terms of your optional, picking in department will make sure that it doesn't clash with any of your other contact hours. Also if you want to do astro modules in later years not doing astro will be a disadvantage.

Details for last year's modules are here: x

.

Cheers guys, also what are tutorials like as another "teaching style"?
I know there's a million great things about physics at Durham, but what do you think are the most annoying aspects?

how many of you had an exam that you thought went terribly but still got in anyway, one of my biology exams went horribly??? because i want to go to durham so much !!1

Sorry if these questions have been asked already but, basically I'm worried because I'm an AS student so wanted roughly grades ABB so I could try get up to AAB by next year (I'm ambitious but I reallly want to go to Durham University!)

1. I looked on Durham's website to find that they've upped the grade entry requirements for my BA course to AAA - so now I have little hope of getting in next year. How badly do you think Durham would look at me if I resit the year to get it up to AAA? Would it be worth it?

2. The website only mentions that the entry requirements for 2013 have changed for the singular Anthropology courses - does this mean that if I applied to combined Anthropology and Sociology course that the grades would remain AAB? Or would they have upped as well?

3. Durham do the same titled course (Anthropology) but as a BSc at Queens campus, where the entry grades are only ABB for next year, so this is more realistic for me. I've heard that the lecturers on Durham campus are amazing - would the lecturers be the same ones at Queens campus? I've also heard that the area for Queens campus isn't very nice (Stockton on Tees), but I've never actually been to the Queens campus/accomodation itself - what's it like?

4. Stupid question but the entry grades at the moment are AAB... If I just missed one of the A's by a few points, would it be worth applying for the AAA course with AAB? I know Durham is competitive and they'll have upped the grades for a reason (to get the best of the best on the course) but I just really want this!

Any help is appreciated! Thankyou in advance

how many of you had an exam that you thought went terribly but still got in anyway, one of my biology exams went horribly??? because i want to go to durham so much !!1

Sorry if these questions have been asked already but, basically I'm worried because I'm an AS student so wanted roughly grades ABB so I could try get up to AAB by next year (I'm ambitious but I reallly want to go to Durham University!)

1. I looked on Durham's website to find that they've upped the grade entry requirements for my BA course to AAA - so now I have little hope of getting in next year. How badly do you think Durham would look at me if I resit the year to get it up to AAA? Would it be worth it?

2. The website only mentions that the entry requirements for 2013 have changed for the singular Anthropology courses - does this mean that if I applied to combined Anthropology and Sociology course that the grades would remain AAB? Or would they have upped as well?

3. Durham do the same titled course (Anthropology) but as a BSc at Queens campus, where the entry grades are only ABB for next year, so this is more realistic for me. I've heard that the lecturers on Durham campus are amazing - would the lecturers be the same ones at Queens campus? I've also heard that the area for Queens campus isn't very nice (Stockton on Tees), but I've never actually been to the Queens campus/accomodation itself - what's it like?

4. Stupid question but the entry grades at the moment are AAB... If I just missed one of the A's by a few points, would it be worth applying for the AAA course with AAB? I know Durham is competitive and they'll have upped the grades for a reason (to get the best of the best on the course) but I just really want this!

Any help is appreciated! Thankyou in advance

A year is a pretty long time but if Durham is really where you want to go, a gap year wouldn't be a bad choice, loads of people took gap years in Durham and if you feel you would enjoy Durham then it would be worth it!
For the second question, you can't really know yet but assume AAA.
I haven't been to Stockton either but it is a completely different experience there. The Stockton students are ridiculed by the Durham students all the time! I have a good friend in Stockton and she comes up to Durham for music rehearsals twice a week and will live in Durham next year, taking the bus to Stockton every morning as she prefers it in Durham. I would say don't apply to Stockton expecting a Durham experience.
If you have a good reason for missing your grades I would express that in your application but Durham is very competitive and the admissions officers take grades quite seriously so this year go for AAA and if you do really want to go to Durham, apply and express this in your personal statement!

Just bear in mind that the Bsc and the BA are very different courses, i'm pretty sure the lecturers are not the same as a lot, if not all, of the modules will be different at the two campuses.
It would be worth trying with AAB if you can write a really excellent PS, as I think Anthropology is one of those subjects for which the PS has a lot of influence. Then just make sure that you have good back-up choices.
If you have any questions about the BA course, feel free to message me.

Thankyou but I actually think I've already messaged you and you helped me work out the BA modules! Ahh that's a shame about the lecturers- I just hope they're super good at Queens too. My only problem is that Durhams website doesn't let me see the modules for the BSc course so I can't compare them, but hey I'll ask about the differences at the open day next week!

Thanks for the information! I didn't realise that I could apply for a course at Queens but live at the halls in Durham and get the bus - do you know if I'd be able to do this when applying through UCAS for the first year? Or would I need to live in Queens campus for the first year? If I'm honest, the only reason I'd be living at Queens campus is due to not getting the grades to live at Durham campus...

It was mainly my January grades that I messed up on but apparently my situation wasn't classed as extenuating circumstances anyway... I'm quite good at writing when I need to be, and I'm going to Durham's summer school this August, with an EPQ and plenty of volunteering so I thought maybe if Durham were feeling extra kind I would have a teeny bit of a chance (being so hopeful).

Haha no worries, good luck with whatever you decide to do You could always apply to both the Bsc and the BA.

Oh what I mean is that in first year you have to live in Stockton but for 2nd year if you choose to live out, you could live in Durham. The Durham summer school inclusion may help you and the EPQ and volunteering are good for the personal statement but it is grades that are the most important!

Thankyou but I actually think I've already messaged you and you helped me work out the BA modules! Ahh that's a shame about the lecturers- I just hope they're super good at Queens too. My only problem is that Durhams website doesn't let me see the modules for the BSc course so I can't compare them, but hey I'll ask about the differences at the open day next week!

Do you get a say in if you are in a shared or single room??

Hey, I'm wondering which cheap but good phone provider I should take when I'll be in Durham. The internet said giffgaff is very cheap one but I can not find anything related to the network coverage and quality? Which provider do you use at Durham? (I need Ultd web and text and prob. 100 minutes)