Is it OK for a first year to leave before the end of summer term?

I have an offer of two weeks work experience but the first week clashes with the last week of term.

Will it be ok for me to leave early or is there anything I’ll miss? Exams will be finished by then. Do I need permission from the college or anything?

Reply 1

hubbabridge

If you have no teaching and exams are finished then you should be ok, the end of the last term is more conceptual.

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Thank you for your reply. There are definitely no lectures etc and exams will all be finished; I wasn’t sure if the college requires you to be there or anything and it’s awkward to ask

Lots of my friends at other unis are leaving early but they don’t have the college to answer to, only the department! It’s a shame Durham dates are later than the norm as well

Reply 3

DurhamRep Lacey

Official Rep

Original post

by Anonymous

I have an offer of two weeks work experience but the first week clashes with the last week of term.
Will it be ok for me to leave early or is there anything I’ll miss? Exams will be finished by then. Do I need permission from the college or anything?

Hiya!!

Well done for securing the work experience - that sounds like a really great opportunity.

If it’s in the final week of term and your exams are already finished, there usually isn’t any assessed teaching left, but you may still have scheduled sessions, feedback meetings, or admin requirements, so it’s important to check rather than assume there’s nothing on.

You will be required to tell your college the date you are moving out in order to hand them back your key and general safety requirements eg. fire risks.

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I would speak to your College Office in advance and let them know the dates - they can also inform you if there is anything you may miss

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Perhaps check with your academic tutor or department that there are no compulsory sessions or important stuff that week

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Also make sure you have completed any end-of-term requirements such as library returns and kit returns.

In most cases, if there’s nothing academic you’ll miss, colleges are happy to approve this – especially for relevant work experience. But I would definitely advise to formally agree this.

Probably the best thing for you to do is to email your relevant college, explain the situation, and share the proposed dates for your finishing.

I hope this helps! Any more questions please feel free to reach out.

-Lacey, DU Student Rep 🙂💜