Durham prides itself on its collegiate system, and the colleges are important so be aware when you apply!
Castle/Hatfield - traditional, public school Rah types, hard to get into.
Chads - small but good location
Johns - churchy
Cuths - sporty, rah, local people
Marys - girls only, noone applies there so usually castle/hatfield rejects
Grey, Trevs, Collingwood, Aidans, Mildert - on the hill and near science site.
Durham also has a bit of an Oxbridge reject complex and has loads of sloane-type Rahs.
I'm doing history - its a really good department, the staff are really approachable and friendly although numbers are increasing every year and its getting a bit more impersonal.
The city itself is very small, very few shops, has the Cathedral and Castle so loads of tourists especially in halfterm etc, and they film Harry Potter in the Cathedral so you can see famous people about. you soon get to recognise loads of faces from the uni as there are really only 3 main streets to walk along.
We're proud of Klute, the 2nd worst nightclub in Europe, according to FHM a couple of years back, a tiny club that plays 80s cheese. otherwise there are the college bars, and our only cinema just closed in december. but we are very close to newcastle - 10 mins on the train which has loads of clubs, cinemas etc if you can be bothered to go!
All unis are what you make of them, and the people that you meet. Durham is very small and can get caustrophobic, and is not very diverse socially, however is really good academically and has loads of different societies to cater to most needs.
The University of Durham reviews
The University of Durham review
The University of Durham review
The college system at Durham is great - actually, it's superb. While you get the perfect bar crawl already laid out for you across the 14 odd colleges, the atmosphere in all of them rocks. With activities at both college and Uni level, there will always be a sports team you can play in, both for fun and competatively, a society you can get involved in, big or small. I've made friends not just with people on my corridor, but across subjects and age groups within college. OK, so you might have to share a room in first year, but it's actually a really good laugh - an instant friend or encouragement to get out and socialise!
The support system in Durham is great as well - I get an academic tutor in my lead department (History) and a personal tutor in college as well. Both are really easy to talk to. Actually, the departments on the whole are pretty good - you can always get help when you need it, the college parenting system is useful here as you can always find an older student to get you on the right track. Your lecturers are just an e-mail away. Of course you'll get a duff lecturer here and there, but generally the good ones outnumber the bad, and if you really don't like your course, there is so much scope for chop and change. You're not stuck with your original choices, and that's a real blessing.
All in all, if you want a safe collegiate enviroment without the stuck up-ness of Oxbridge, fancy exploring the rages of the north, then go for it. You won't regret it :)
The University of Durham review
Right... lots to say, not much room - lets start at what is probably the most important factor when it comes to choosing a uni:
NIGHTLIFE - We have two clubs in Durham, Klute (offically the worst club in europe) and Rixies. Both are small and bad, but the fact that they are bed makes them good. Be prepared to enjoy dancing to cheesy music!
The union itself runs two regular events, on friday is Planet of Sound, an excellent night with 5 bars and 3 dancefloors ranging from the ever-present cheese to dance and RnB. On Wednesdays its either ICantBeliveItsNotCheese (Rock/Alt), Paste (RnB/HipHop) or Back2Skool (classics) - all good fun!
COLLEGES - Durham has 14 colleges, divided into 4 catergories: stockton campus, the hill, the bailey and hild&bede. The college system is great, and provides an excellent oppertunity to make friends and of course allows for friendly competition (and means there are 14 student bars within walking distance of each other!)
UNI - There is a lot of support from individual departments, with students being assigned academic tutors. The work is hard, but no reason why you should not be able to keep up with it.
DURHAM - Picturesque city, bit lacking in the shopping department (no Topman, HMV etc.) but newcastle is a 5 minute train ride away, the same applies to clubbing - don't let Klute deter you from Durham, you can easilly have a very memorable night out in newcastle.
UNION - The students union is host to around 80 clubs and societies - there is something for everyone, and support is avaiable if you have any problems.
The University of Durham review
* University College (The Castle - yes, literally!)
As Durham is collegiate for living only it isnt as important as at other unis BUT, Castle is the best. It's situated right in the middle of town and is beautiful, how many other unis offer every meal in the Great Hall of a castle?!
- If you're a scientist though, you may want to consider the hill colleges as it's not as far to walk for those millions of 9am lectures.
* At Durham there are a lot of people with money. Not everyone but there are those annoying, "money is no object to me" kind of people, be warned! Lots of these in Castle.
* Although Durham is rather small it's really close to Newcastle (Only about 10mins by train) for more shopping and nightlife.
* You cant have a car when you live in (Unless there is a really important reason)
* Most of my lecturers are superb and the history society puts on a play and various takls throughout the year + a one day conference.
* I wouldnt want to be anywhere else!
Durham is the best all round choice *****
Durham is a prestigious top ten university that recently has been moving even higher up the ladder. Main reason is that the university has some attractive features such as collegiate system, strong academics and tutorial systems, exceptional extracurricular opportunities, lots of opportunity for sports and arts, and a sociable, multi-talented, ambitious and well rounded student body. Students work hard but have a thoroughly enjoyable time. Durham is also a very pretty and happy place to live.
Durham:overrated and
Durham:not a true university experience
I'm currently a second year student at Durham Uni, studying English-in what is meant to be the best department in the country. In addition to this I go to a much sought-after college, which I won't name in case of reprisals, but safe to say it's the most oversubscribed, elitist and with a distinct oxbridge/public school intake. 'All rah and no trousers', as I've heard it described, and I wouldn't disagree that much. The academic tuition has been disappointing, with the tutorials often with underqualified and frankly inadequate Phd students, and the pastoral care is even more laughable. As for the nightlife of the city itself, there isn't any-or any room for individuality, which is why the majority of students quickly transform into a Jack Wills uniform. Please think carefully about this choice, because despite academic stature, it offers very little.