The &quot;Ask a Durham Student&quot; Thread :)

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Doing what? :wink:

So not further study? :tongue:

Helping the running of the forums! It's totally fun and great procrastination.

And no, I've got nothing in particular I want to study now (unless something comes up for a specific job), and going into research or similar just isn't for me. A fourth year project was well enough.

Reply 4722

hineria

Original post by Awoodrow2

Here ya go;
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/spa/statistics/undergraduate/2.8results/122-8.pdf

Other statistics are available here;
http://www.dur.ac.uk/spa/statistics/undergraduate/

Thanks a lot!

Reply 4723

kettlechips

thanks, i guess that is what i mean, i'm not too good with film terminology :redface:

edit: argh i meant to quote the people who gave me helpful answers but i can't seem to do it after the posting :/ you guys know who you are though :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4724

boredbeth13

Hi, just wondering if University College, Durham has aaany self-catering facilities whatsoever. I emailed the college about this and they said there are small facilities such as a fridge and microwave at the end of corridors, but I didn't get to see this when I visited and I get the feeling that not all corridors have them, or they're almost pointless even if they exist?
Anything anyone can add? Thanks :smile:

Reply 4725

Original post by boredbeth13

Hi, just wondering if University College, Durham has aaany self-catering facilities whatsoever. I emailed the college about this and they said there are small facilities such as a fridge and microwave at the end of corridors, but I didn't get to see this when I visited and I get the feeling that not all corridors have them, or they're almost pointless even if they exist?
Anything anyone can add? Thanks :smile:

Stuck this in the Ask A Current Student Thread, which has a lot of people Watching it, so you may be more likely to see a quick answer. :smile:

Reply 4726

Hi! still fighting an internal war to choose the best uni for me :colondollar:

I thought visiting would clear my mind, but nope, I love both still!

When I was in Durham, I didn't see much in term of activities: would you say there are many opportunities for someone who absolutely hates clubbing? Is there much to do at all? I read some articles and review and such, and got the sense that most people get drunk to the point of no return and that's it :biggrin:

Also, I read a couple pages back that there's an orientation event/ thingy for international students. Now this may very well be a dumb question, but do they consider international everyone who's not from the UK, or just people outside Europe? Thanks!

Reply 4727

pikaboo

International is anyone not from the UK, though really anyone who's around before term starts can join in - I gatecrashed a few events despite being very British, just because I was curious and wanted to meet some newbies before Freshers Week :P everyone was very friendly, though obviously many were a little shy at first. Learning how to make the first move to introduce yourself and small talk is a very useful skill and one you will practise endlessly as a student.

Re: non-clubbing activities: I hated clubbing for my first 3 years at Durham and loved it during my last 3. Durham's not the best place for clubs anyway, and certainly most people from my College seemed to be happy with a quiet drink in the College bars or hanging out in the common room rather than raving it up all the time.

Reply 4728

staveley30

3

Original post by pikaboo

International is anyone not from the UK, though really anyone who's around before term starts can join in - I gatecrashed a few events despite being very British, just because I was curious and wanted to meet some newbies before Freshers Week :P everyone was very friendly, though obviously many were a little shy at first. Learning how to make the first move to introduce yourself and small talk is a very useful skill and one you will practise endlessly as a student.

Re: non-clubbing activities: I hated clubbing for my first 3 years at Durham and loved it during my last 3. Durham's not the best place for clubs anyway, and certainly most people from my College seemed to be happy with a quiet drink in the College bars or hanging out in the common room rather than raving it up all the time.

Was there non clubbing options during freshers week? I similarly am not a big clubber and so am wanting to know if there is many options for people like myself.

Reply 4729

Original post by laStrada

Hi! still fighting an internal war to choose the best uni for me :colondollar:

I thought visiting would clear my mind, but nope, I love both still!

When I was in Durham, I didn't see much in term of activities: would you say there are many opportunities for someone who absolutely hates clubbing? Is there much to do at all? I read some articles and review and such, and got the sense that most people get drunk to the point of no return and that's it :biggrin:

Also, I read a couple pages back that there's an orientation event/ thingy for international students. Now this may very well be a dumb question, but do they consider international everyone who's not from the UK, or just people outside Europe? Thanks!

Hey,

Pika seems to have answered your International question fine, so on activities, I'll point you to my FAQ thread - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2047014&p=38591521#post38591521 - which'll point you towards a lot of things!

Durham and activities/nightlife is kindof a sore point that I've been trying to push on this forum - a couple of years ago, there were an unbelievable number of people coming in to post about how Durham's boring. Generally this was by people who only recognise 'getting pissed' as fun, and managed to completely miss out on the absolutely ridiculous number of opportunities we have to get involved with things.

So yeah, there's an irritating number of people (esp. if you centre your life around college) who think that it's all about getting drunk, but if you look at all the other stuff going on, you can completely forget that.

Source: me, having not been clubbing in over a year, and not being a fan of college bar nights.

Edit:

Original post by staveley30

Was there non clubbing options during freshers week? I similarly am not a big clubber and so am wanting to know if there is many options for people like myself.

Sorry, missed this one! During Freshers Week, most of the nighttime entertainment will revolve around drinking and clubbing, but Alcohol Awareness is something that's been pushed in a big way at Durham, and all colleges are guaranteed to have alternative events on.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4730

Original post by Awoodrow2

Durham and activities/nightlife is kindof a sore point that I've been trying to push on this forum - a couple of years ago, there were an unbelievable number of people coming in to post about how Durham's boring. Generally this was by people who only recognise 'getting pissed' as fun, and managed to completely miss out on the absolutely ridiculous number of opportunities we have to get involved with things.

Hi!
I understand that those people wouldn't find it appealing, but as I said, I totally hate clubbing and while I do drink in general, I don't make it a lifestyle, just something I do occasionally (much like, I don't know, going swimming or to the theather).

That said, would you mind elaborating on the ridiculous amount of opportunities? I am genuinely curious :smile:

On of the biggest things that's attracting me to London is the massive amount of theathers, museums and "alternate" social scene!
It's a shame there's nothing of the sort during freshers week. Do you club-hating lot plan to grudgingly join the entusiasts or find something for yourself?

Oh, and on an unrelated note: does accommodation let cover storage during holidays?
This is something I forgot to ask on tour day. I'm going to come back to Italy during holidays, surely I can't move all my stuff back?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4731

purple-girl

17

Original post by laStrada

Hi!
I understand that those people wouldn't find it appealing, but as I said, I totally hate clubbing and while I do drink in general, I don't make it a lifestyle, just something I do occasionally (much like, I don't know, going swimming or to the theather).

That said, would you mind elaborating on the ridiculous amount of opportunities? I am genuinely curious :smile:

On of the biggest things that's attracting me to London is the massive amount of theathers, museums and "alternate" social scene!
It's a shame there's nothing of the sort during freshers week. Do you club-hating lot plan to grudgingly join the entusiasts or find something for yourself?

Oh, and on an unrelated note: does accommodation let cover storage during holidays?
This is something I forgot to ask on tour day. I'm going to come back to Italy during holidays, surely I can't move all my stuff back?

I'm also the sort that drinks but doesn't particularly like clubbing and I've survived quite happily at Durham :tongue:

. My social life tends to revolve around societies and just hanging out with friends in college (watching films, board games etc..nothing too exciting admittedly :tongue:

). In terms of societies I'm in the astronomy soc which, as you'd expect, goes out to do astronomy occasionally or just goes to a bar if not, and as social sec I organised things like bar crawls, meals out, picnics etc. I'm also in the scout and guide group, and our activities tend to be a bit more adventurous with things like canoeing and archery being popular, along with more food/drink based activities too.

In terms of museums Durham has quite a few small museums around, 2 main theatres (the student one and the normal one) and we're not far from Newcastle which presumably has more. What do you mean by an "alternative" social scene? What sorts of activities would you be interested in?

Yes, you can leave stuff in your room over the holidays :smile:

Reply 4732

Original post by purple-girl

I'm also the sort that drinks but doesn't particularly like clubbing and I've survived quite happily at Durham :tongue:

. My social life tends to revolve around societies and just hanging out with friends in college (watching films, board games etc..nothing too exciting admittedly :tongue:

). In terms of societies I'm in the astronomy soc which, as you'd expect, goes out to do astronomy occasionally or just goes to a bar if not, and as social sec I organised things like bar crawls, meals out, picnics etc. I'm also in the scout and guide group, and our activities tend to be a bit more adventurous with things like canoeing and archery being popular, along with more food/drink based activities too.

In terms of museums Durham has quite a few small museums around, 2 main theatres (the student one and the normal one) and we're not far from Newcastle which presumably has more. What do you mean by an "alternative" social scene? What sorts of activities would you be interested in?

Yes, you can leave stuff in your room over the holidays :smile:

Oh, I just meant as an alternative to dancing the night away :smile:

So yeah, music gigs, theathers, cool places to eat, this sort of things.

It's so cool that you're in the scout society! I am a scout right now, would love to continue participating after I leave my group. Were you a guide before Uni as well?

Also, thanks for answering about the room let. I admit I was a bit worried :tongue:

Reply 4733

purple-girl

17

Original post by laStrada

Oh, I just meant as an alternative to dancing the night away :smile:

So yeah, music gigs, theathers, cool places to eat, this sort of things.

It's so cool that you're in the scout society! I am a scout right now, would love to continue participating after I leave my group. Were you a guide before Uni as well?

Also, thanks for answering about the room let. I admit I was a bit worried :tongue:

Sounds like Durham could be a good option for you then :smile:

There are plenty of places to eat around and Newcastle's near by for gigs and theater :smile:

If you come to Durham you should join! Or you can help with a group if you want to do that. Personally I was a Brownie then a Guide until I was 15 and then became a Brownie leader at home and then in Durham when I arrived here :smile:

.

Reply 4734

Original post by laStrada

Hi!
I understand that those people wouldn't find it appealing, but as I said, I totally hate clubbing and while I do drink in general, I don't make it a lifestyle, just something I do occasionally (much like, I don't know, going swimming or to the theather).

That said, would you mind elaborating on the ridiculous amount of opportunities? I am genuinely curious :smile:

On of the biggest things that's attracting me to London is the massive amount of theathers, museums and "alternate" social scene!
It's a shame there's nothing of the sort during freshers week. Do you club-hating lot plan to grudgingly join the entusiasts or find something for yourself?

Well, in terms of theatre, there's usually at least one or two items on per term from various student groups (HCTC, TCMS, DULOG, etc), plus anything else on at the Gala Theatre. For museums, we've got the Oriental Museum, something up next to Hatfield in a church, something down in the older lumber mill [you can tell I'm not big on museums], then more obvious things to go to like the Cathedral, botanic gardens, and so on. I might suggest having a look at touristy websites for stuff like this? Of course we've got nothing like London's variety, but Newcastle is always just a short trip away.

But the 'alternate social scene' I'm more referring to is a week where I can spent my Monday evening helping out with a Live Action RolePlay society, Tuesday playing games down at a friend's house, Wednesday night hanging out in the college bar, Thursday evening playing tabletop games, Friday evening sitting out by a fire in the woods, Saturday planting trees, and Sunday night stargazing. All with completely different groups of people.

As for Freshers week, I'm afraid I can't help much - it mainly depends on who you run into, and what colleges have going on. But in my experience there'll usually end up people hanging around in the college common room chatting and playing board games or something while others leave the bar to go out to town.

Reply 4735

Original post by Awoodrow2

But the 'alternate social scene' I'm more referring to is a week where I can spent my Monday evening helping out with a Live Action RolePlay society, Tuesday playing games down at a friend's house, Wednesday night hanging out in the college bar, Thursday evening playing tabletop games, Friday evening sitting out by a fire in the woods, Saturday planting trees, and Sunday night stargazing. All with completely different groups of people.

sounds right up my alley :biggrin:

Reply 4736