Durham Accommodation/Colleges

Hello!
First of all, congratulations on your offer! I’m Ella, the Comms Intern for John Snow, and I also study Biosciences myself.
Firstly, if you haven’t already found it, here is the accommodation prospectus for next year: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/our-prospectus/college-guides/
Question 1:
You are correct that most accommodation charges are standardised across the University. The full breakdown can be found here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/colleges-and-student-experience/accommodation-and-catering/residence-charges/undergraduate-residence-charges/
Question 2:
There’s quite a bit to unpack here. Many of the additional charges throughout the year are optional, such as the JCR levy, formals, balls, and other events.
At Snow, being a JCR member gives you a lot of benefits and discounts. All societies are free, and most sports teams are also free, with just a few exceptions costing between £10–£60 for the entire year. The JCR levy also gets you reduced prices for JCR-run events.
We also have the College Access & Participation Fund, which can support students in accessing many of these opportunities.
Question 3:
Although our rooms and facilities are similar to our neighbours, we like to think Snow has some standout differences (although I may be a little biased!).
We’ve been established since 2001, so we have a more developed alumni network—which we build on through things like careers talks. Our JCR structure is slightly different too, which some students really prefer. We also have a unique communal JCR space that I personally love, and we've recently opened a new library space.
Roles like mine (Comms Intern) are another example of opportunities to boost your CV—something that varies across colleges. Our Enrichment Fund is also a great example of how our colleges can differ.
Question 4:
No college allows students to bring a car in first year unless there are exceptional circumstances. Fortunately, most places are within walking distance or accessible by bus.
From Snow, the Science Site and the main library are under a 20-minute walk, and most Biosciences teaching takes place there. Larger supermarkets are slightly further out, but this is the case for most colleges. Students often take the bus or get supermarket deliveries, which can be very cost-effective—especially when done as a group.
If you’d like to cycle, we do have a secure bike shed here at Snow.
Question 5:
I’m well-placed to answer this one. We’ve had several paid opportunities within Snow this year, such as librarian positions and the Comms Intern roles (like mine). Our bar staff are also entirely John Snow students—applications for this usually open later in the term.
The University also employs students for things like Open Day rep roles or catering work, both of which I’ve done myself. Beyond that, there are plenty of part-time jobs in the local community, and online tutoring is another popular option among students.
Question 6:
There’s a small but useful range of shops in the city centre (about a 20–30 minute walk from the Hill Colleges), including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Boots, clothing stores, and charity shops. The Marketplace Tesco is surprisingly large despite its location.
There are also bigger retail parks—Dragonville and the Arnison Centre for example—which are easiest to reach by bus. And personally, I sometimes like to take the train to Newcastle for more of a shopping day; it’s quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Let me know if you have any more questions.

Wow thank you so so much!!! This is really helpful
Looking forward to hopefully visiting John Snow and south college in the near future🤞