Which Durham college should I choose?

I've been offered a place for law at Durham, and now obviously need to choose my college preferences. I'd quite like self catering (but not absolutely fixated on this) and possibly a double/three quarter bed and/or ensuite. For these reasons South College looks good to me but I wonder if anyone can shed some insight as to which they think is best and why - or if there's a reason I shouldn't go for South/self catering?

I've been offered a place for law at Durham, and now obviously need to choose my college preferences. I'd quite like self catering (but not absolutely fixated on this) and possibly a double/three quarter bed and/or ensuite. For these reasons South College looks good to me but I wonder if anyone can shed some insight as to which they think is best and why - or if there's a reason I shouldn't go for South/self catering?

I've been offered a place for law at Durham, and now obviously need to choose my college preferences. I'd quite like self catering (but not absolutely fixated on this) and possibly a double/three quarter bed and/or ensuite. For these reasons South College looks good to me but I wonder if anyone can shed some insight as to which they think is best and why - or if there's a reason I shouldn't go for South/self catering?

Hey I’m a first year at John snow college (next to south). I don’t see a reason to not go for self catering. It’s cheaper, you can eat when you want and the kitchen is a space that my flat mates and I use to social, cook together and also learn to be independent. In terms of the colleges, I think south is a good bet but I’d also recommend John snow (they are the same they’re literally no differences between the two). They’re about 10 minute walk away from the law school and where some lessons for law are held so it wouldn’t be that bad.

Hey there

Congratulations on your offer. I would recommend going for self-catered as well because you'll have more control over what and when you eat (and will be beneficial especially for midnight cravings). You're unlikely to find many double bedrooms in Durham colleges- I only know of some to exist within the Castle walls. Most beds will be 3/4th which I think is big enough to accommodate one person. South and John Snow are adjacent and share facilities in The Hub so it doesn't really matter which one you rank higher up because they're pretty similar. You can also go for Stevo and Josephine Butler- between the two, JoBo has all en-suite rooms so if that's a preference then you can rank it higher up.

All these 4 colleges are within a 10-15 minute walking distance to the science site where you'll predominantly have lectures and seminars, so well within reach. The only issue that may crop up is grocery shopping. The nearest store is the Tesco in market place which is at a 25-minute walking distance from these colleges. Most students tend to go about once a week which shouldn't be a hassle but can be an issue if you need something urgently at night and will therefore have to make quite a walk to buy it.

I'm also from South and studying law so feel free to drop any questions you may have regarding either or just generally about Durham

-Himieka

I've been offered a place for law at Durham, and now obviously need to choose my college preferences. I'd quite like self catering (but not absolutely fixated on this) and possibly a double/three quarter bed and/or ensuite. For these reasons South College looks good to me but I wonder if anyone can shed some insight as to which they think is best and why - or if there's a reason I shouldn't go for South/self catering?

Hatfield without a doubt (don't be boring and go to South).

thank you so much for your response!! 3/4 bed would be fine for me (even single tbh but i am a bit of a starfish) i think overall i liked south the most for the accommodation and that it had pretty much everything i was looking for - the only thing that put me off was the rod liddle speech that happened a couple of years ago which i heard about, and the principal's lack of tact(?) regarding that. i'm lgbt and quite liberal in my mindset and i wonder if that would make south a bad fit for me - although i heard the students didn't really condone it. i'm wondering what your thoughts on that are if you were there at the time/generally what your experience at south is like regardless of that incident, and what your experience with the law course is like !

i definitely need to have a think about how i'm going to choose but your advice has been really helpful, thank you so much!

the only thing ive heard about hatfield is that it's full of rich tory rugby lads... not my thing personally

Yeah I totally understand where you're coming from. I know that incident was unfortunate but I massively appreciate the steps that the students took. Everyone gathered together and protested which shows that students just don't sit back and let these sorts of things happen. Also the speakers at formals are now announced before the event so you can always conduct some due diligence on them beforehand. I've quite liked my experience at South and I think it's a very welcoming space. The JCR President, Vice Principal and all other college members are super nice and you can always approach them if you have any problems. I didn't really expect British food to cater to my taste since I come from Asia but honestly the formal food blew my mind, it was scrumptious haha!

Law course has been pretty smooth flowing as well. I love the modules that I'm doing for second year, I chose employment, family and Korean language as the optional ones. That's a side tip btw, if you wanna study a language module alongside your law degree, take it in your second year and then you can study it at a higher level in your third year. Having a language module keeps things interesting when constantly being surrounded by legal text gets boring. The professors and tutors have been quite approachable too and you can always book office hours with them (and they really appreciate it when you go meet them because nobody really takes advantage of this time where you can get personalised advice). Michaelmas term is usually pretty hectic because all the formatives are compulsory, but it gets much easier later in Epiphany term when you don't have many assignments at hand. And as a fresher, it can be quite overwhelming to juggle making new friends, academics as well as dealing with homesickness. My biggest tip would be to really understand that others are feelings the same way or have felt the same way and ultimately everyone will make it through. There's always loads of support available, both in the form of welfare support at colleges and the central counselling department so you can reach out to them

-Himieka