Colleges

Hey, I’ve been asked to make a list of my college preferences, but I have no idea where to start. I would prefer catered colleges, but other than that, what should I consider?

Reply 1

x.ella.x

Original post by Anonymous

Hey, I’ve been asked to make a list of my college preferences, but I have no idea where to start. I would prefer catered colleges, but other than that, what should I consider?

I am final year at Durham, and I would consider:

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How big the college is (and what your preference is on that)

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If the formals are gowned/not (and whether you want them either way)

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How close it is to your subject department (this does not matter too much as Durham is very walkable)

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If you want to be close to the university library (every college has its own library/libraries, so might not matter too much)

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What the colleges are deemed as (e.g., St. Chad's is seen as quite friendly)

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If there are any specific scholarships that are aligned with the colleges

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What the accommodation is like (e.g., if you don't want a shared room, look for the percentage of shared rooms in each college)

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What the student population demographic of the college

Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to answer them :smile:

Reply 2

hatfieldcollege

I would also suggest looking at Financial support available for courses and activities, some colleges have UG Scholarships (Hatfield, Mary's, Aidan's etc.) which are aimed at particular demographics and subjects, so you would do well to think about this too!

Reply 3

DurhamRep Lesath

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

Hey, I’ve been asked to make a list of my college preferences, but I have no idea where to start. I would prefer catered colleges, but other than that, what should I consider?

Hello!

Well done on getting into Durham!
Firstly, I'd like to start off by saying which college you get into doesn't really matter in Durham. Your courses are managed centrally by the university, there's hundreds of societies at the university level and you'll end up having friends from every college and have opportunities to join events at different colleges. You'll find that whatever college you end up in, you'll think it's better than everyone else's!

I would say that since you already know you want a catered college, you've already made the biggest decision. You can find a list of all the colleges that have catered facilities here (namely Collingwood, Grey, Hatfield, St Aidan's, St Chad's, St Cuthbert's, St John's, St Mary's, Trevelyan, University (Castle) and Van Mildert). I should mention that catered colleges do charge extra for catering, which you can checkout here.

From there, its the accommodation that makes the biggest differences. First year accommodation really varies as some colleges have different numbers of twin rooms (you share a room with one person and a bathroom with other people), shared-bathrooms and en-suites. This document here shows all the details about the amenities each college has and is probably worth looking into if you're really picky about your rooms. The university also charges more for en-suites and less for twin rooms (which you can see the charges of here) and generally, catered colleges only have standard rooms and twin rooms available.

In terms of location, it depends on where your lectures and seminars are held (which unfortunately can change from year to year). This map shows where all the colleges and university sites are located. Generally, the colleges are split into the "Hill Colleges" and the "Bailey Colleges". The Bailey colleges are the old, "Hogwarts-y" colleges, and they are probably what you think when you think Durham (more traditional, older buildings, et cetera, et cetera). However, the Hill Colleges are the new, more decked out colleges with generally more facilities (i.e. more modern, bigger rooms, en-suites etc.). Some colleges - like Collingwood for example - are known for their sports teams and have more facilities for that for that (if you're a big into sports) but even then - if you are professional sportsperson - you could potentially join Team DU from any college. Societies also change a lot by college (if you have a specific one you'd like to join, I'd recommend checking out each college's JCR page) but again, the Student Union has hundreds of societies and you're likely to find yours there.

Finally, some colleges have gowned formals and some do not. Gowns are a tradition some colleges have at some colleges, which are type of cloak/robe that we wear to some events, primarily matriculation (our ceremony where we are formally accepted into the university). Some colleges have gowned formals (Durham-speak for fancy dinners) which require you to wear gowns and some don't. Just to clarify, all colleges have matriculation, formals, balls and all the bells and whistles that is Durham so the gowns are a pretty minor difference but again, most of the differences between colleges are pretty minor!

At the end of the day, your college doesn't really matter once you're here in my opinion. It's just something we pride on ourselves on and its more like the football team you support and not your be-all-and-end-all so don't stress it!

Good luck with your college application!
Lesath (DU Rep.)