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Durham - Shared Rooms

I recently received an offer from Durham and I’m planning to put it as my firm choice. I’ve been looking into accommodation and didn’t realise that some colleges have share
d rooms. Is sharing a room optional, or is there a chance I could be placed in one even if I don’t want to?

I’m someone who really needs their own space, so this has made me quite anxious. Could anyone explain how the accommodation system works and whether it’s possible to avoid shared rooms?

Reply 1

Some colleges only have single rooms, some only have shared, and some have both options. You should research which colleges offer single rooms. Some colleges even have En Suite single rooms if that’s what you’re looking for.
When the time comes to rank your college preferences (Durham will email you) you can put down colleges which offer single rooms as your top choices. Additionally, you’ll be able to choose your preference for a single or shared room (if your college has both) once you’ve been allocated your college.

There are, of course, a limited number of single rooms. However, if when the time comes to give your preferences you note down that you would like a single room, it’s basically guaranteed that you’ll get it. Just make sure you complete the form before the deadline!
Also, if you have a specific condition that means you need a single room, you can let Durham know and they can accommodate you accordingly.

Reply 2

Original post
by MerrineGexko27
Some colleges only have single rooms, some only have shared, and some have both options. You should research which colleges offer single rooms. Some colleges even have En Suite single rooms if that’s what you’re looking for.
When the time comes to rank your college preferences (Durham will email you) you can put down colleges which offer single rooms as your top choices. Additionally, you’ll be able to choose your preference for a single or shared room (if your college has both) once you’ve been allocated your college.
There are, of course, a limited number of single rooms. However, if when the time comes to give your preferences you note down that you would like a single room, it’s basically guaranteed that you’ll get it. Just make sure you complete the form before the deadline!
Also, if you have a specific condition that means you need a single room, you can let Durham know and they can accommodate you accordingly.


Thank you so much, that makes me feel a lot better :smile:)
Original post
by Anonymous
I recently received an offer from Durham and I’m planning to put it as my firm choice. I’ve been looking into accommodation and didn’t realise that some colleges have share
d rooms. Is sharing a room optional, or is there a chance I could be placed in one even if I don’t want to?
I’m someone who really needs their own space, so this has made me quite anxious. Could anyone explain how the accommodation system works and whether it’s possible to avoid shared rooms?

Hello!

Yes, some colleges (more so the ones on the Bailey than the Hill Colleges) have shared rooms, which often mean you are sharing a room with one other person and often a single bathroom with them as well. This means you do have separate wardrobes, beds, desks and all the other bells and whistles for your first year of study.

However, some colleges have no shared bedrooms at all. This college prospectus lists on page 6 how many shared bedrooms each college has and if you would like to really avoid going to colleges with shared bedrooms, I'd recommend listing the colleges with 0 shared bedrooms first! Though I must say that even though sharing a bedroom might be quite daunting, it actually is quite a positive experience for a lot of students here (I recommend reading this article by one of our students here that hopefully gives a more on the ground experience of how sharing a bedroom feels like!) and I would say don't completely write it off as a possibility!

Hope this somewhat helps!
Lesath (DU Rep.)

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