Durham University as a working class student

Is Durham suitable for me as a working class student who did not attend a grammar school, or would I have a better time at a different Russell group?

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

Original post by Lauren 28119

Is Durham suitable for me as a working class student who did not attend a grammar school, or would I have a better time at a different Russell group?

it will be fine, there is people of all background. I found that as you get further up the hill the more diversity there is. im currently in Stephenson College and found majority of people are actually public school here!

Reply 2

Durham Students

Official Rep

Original post by Lauren 28119

Is Durham suitable for me as a working class student who did not attend a grammar school, or would I have a better time at a different Russell group?

Hiya,

Durham has students from all different backgrounds so yes I would say Durham is suitable for you if its a place you want to go to 🙂 Your experience at Durham largely depends on who you surround yourself with, yes, there are students from more affluent families but they tend to stick to themselves and if you don't surround yourself with people who are toxic then your experience should be more positive (at least that was the case for me). I completely understand the concern but I would like to assure you that you will be fine and you will have the chance to meet so many different people during your time here as there are college societies and Uni societies you can get involved with that will make your experience positive!

Hope this helps!

-Ghala
(Official DU Rep)

Reply 3

Anonymous #2

If you feel that being working class is an integral part of your identity (something which i didn't discover about myself until getting here) I wouldn't bother. Durham is a great place if you fit into the preordained categories *rich* *white* *cis* *straight* *able-bodied* *man*. As a woman in Durham, it is generally unsafe *keep your witts about you and stay in a group on a night out*, I am a somewhat easy target so if i am in town past 7/8pm i usually get some kind of abuse/harassment. Not to mention in my first year I knew several girls who had been spiked, assaulted or harrassed.... I hear similar stories every year I am here. Personally, I hate Durham and I wish I had never come.

Reply 4

eleftherias

Original post by Anonymous

So it is not a safe place for girls, where exactly do the assaults happen, in the university premises or the town? Is it very dangerous?

Reply 5

Anonymous #3

I'm also a working class student considering taking my offer, and this bothers me too - however I'm sure there are quite a few of us, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find people like you to surround yourself with (particularly with societies)

Reply 6

Durham Students

Official Rep

Hi Everyone,

While I understand the concern about being working class in Durham/safety in Durham as a woman, I would also like to reassure everyone that Durham isn't a dangerous place to be. As a woman, regardless of where you are, you are more at risk than men anywhere in public but it's not particularly heightened if you're at Durham. Yes, there are specific instances when that risk increases but it's less of a Durham issue and more of a everyone is on a night out issue. That being said, this in no way invalidates anyone's experience at Durham. As a WOC, my experience at Durham has been quite positive and I thankfully have never been harassed in the 3 years I've been here; still, I have heard of other women who have but again, I wouldn't say its because they're at Durham but more of what its like being a woman on a night out. As for being working class, I completely understand the fear of possibly being ostracized and feeling left out but there are so many working class students at Durham and you have societies like the 93% club which focuses on bringing students together as well as highlighting issues faced, you have other societies like Curry Club or Pasta society that are really chill and laidback societies where you can meet likeminded people. You also have your college JCR and the working class student rep within JCR's to act as a voice for students as well as a bridge between the JCR and working class students.

At Durham you will come across so many students from different backgrounds and generally that is part of life but you don't need to worry about not finding students from your background because you will definitely will and although they may be from the same background, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be good people or good friends. It really is important to focus on surrounding yourself with good/non toxic people regardless of their background, that in my experience was what made my experience at Durham positive!

If you're still feeling a bit unsure or want to see what its like at Durham, I would suggest heading over to The Durham Student. You'll find a range of resources and social media content from tik toks and Instagram reels to podcasts highlighting the Durham experience and talking about stereotypes and debunking them 🙂

I hope this can help and please let me know if I can help with anything else.

-Ghala
(Official DU Rep)