{"id":4535,"date":"2016-11-28T22:47:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-28T22:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4535"},"modified":"2021-08-18T12:13:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T12:13:54","slug":"life-at-durham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/university\/life-at-durham\/","title":{"rendered":"Life at Durham"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing a university can be a tiresome experience. Certainly you\u2019ll be charmed by the Cathedral, the quaint cobbled streets and the beautiful river, and three years into your degree the magic doesn\u2019t fade. But how much can you really learn about a university from a tour around its buildings? What makes a university is the experience you will have \u2013 an insight you\u2019ll gather if you read on.<\/p>\n<p>Situated in the very north-east of England, Durham is not for the faint-hearted. As cold as it comes, if you\u2019re coming to Durham you need a good reason to brave the frost. Fortunately, Durham has many reasons.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><u>Colleges<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Whereas many universities simply have blocks of halls, Durham has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dur.ac.uk\/colleges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">colleges<\/a>. Complete with their own libraries, bars and sports teams, they are mostly split between The Hill and The Bailey, and you can choose from a range of catered or self-catered colleges. This results in a very close community, and some almost ready-made friendships. You will be fiercely protective of your college \u2013 a loyalty that will stick during and after your time there.<\/p>\n<p>If you choose to live on the Bailey, you can expect three cooked meals a day, most probably all including some form of potato \u2013 you will soon count this as one of your five a day. You can wave goodbye to phone signal (sorry, Mum) but embrace the close proximity to the arts departments and town. Alternatively, you can fend for yourself in the Hill college kitchens, but be close to the library and the science site. Be warned\u2026you will still have a steep walk home.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4540 aligncenter lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2-1-520x360.jpg\" alt=\"2\" width=\"520\" height=\"360\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 520px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 520\/360;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4540 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2-1-520x360.jpg\" alt=\"2\" width=\"520\" height=\"360\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Colleges are also famous for formals: a three course dinner followed by an evening in the dangerously cheap college bar. Usually themed, formals are great fun, particularly in your second and third years as they provide an excuse to get together with friends and not be responsible for cleaning up. College celebrations \u2013 like formals and balls \u2013 are big occasions, and amongst those not to be missed are college days. Each college will dedicate a whole day to celebrating the college, and you can expect a day of live music, inflatable obstacle courses and laser tag. All of these occasions will inevitably end in the camaraderie of wailing your college song at the top of your lungs together with everyone else in the bar.<\/p>\n<p>While this close college experience is something you won\u2019t get at every university, it does mean you sometimes miss out on a \u2018whole university\u2019 feel. Where most universities have Students\u2019 Union nights, at Durham everyone congregates in their college bar, so you rarely get that \u2018whole student body\u2019 experience.<\/p>\n<p><u>University Library<\/u><\/p>\n<p>In fact one of the few places you will see students coming together is the university library. Known affectionately to Durham students as \u2018the Billy B\u2019, or simply \u2018Billy\u2019, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dur.ac.uk\/library\/using\/libraries\/mainlibrary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bill Bryson Library<\/a> is renowned for its amazing range of resources, and somewhat more astonishing food prices. Remember to take your own lunch, or you may find yourself taking out another student loan to fund your soggy sandwich. During exam time or Summative Season, Billy remains open 24\/7, so if you\u2019ve left work to the last minute you can pull those all-nighters with other students who have been equally foolish. Don\u2019t worry, these occasions are few, and while you will work hard at Durham, the crazy hours are rare. Lectures are (usually) useful, and tutorials are forgiving. Rather than having your ideas torn to shreds, tutors are supportive, and you can constructively pinch ideas from your peers.<\/p>\n<p><u>Work Hard, Play Hard<\/u><\/p>\n<p>One thing which can certainly be said of Durham, however, is that it is definitely a work hard, play hard university, and your degree is far from your whole university experience. \u00a0Over 90% of students take part in exercise of some sort, be it playing for the university, playing for your college, benefiting from subsidised gym membership, or taking part in social darts teams.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4541 aligncenter lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/4-520x360.jpg\" alt=\"4\" width=\"520\" height=\"360\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 520px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 520\/360;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4541 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/4-520x360.jpg\" alt=\"4\" width=\"520\" height=\"360\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>There is<a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamdurham.com\/universitysport\/university_clubs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> a society for everything<\/a>; from the Baking Society to Quidditch, make sure to get involved with as much as you can. You\u2019re only at university once, so make the most of it. Aside from the activity itself, it can be a great way of escaping potential college claustrophobia, and making friends from other colleges \u2013 this can lead to yet even more formals (if you can bear the betrayal of setting foot in another college). Volunteering is also a big part of life at Durham, and together with sports and societies, contribute to some of the best themed fancy-dress socials you will have.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of your time in Durham, your Facebook profile will show you as having spent the last three years exclusively in black tie or fancy-dress. You\u2019ll never want to eat another potato again, and any venture you make \u2018down South\u2019 will feel like the tropics. On the plus-side, you will have made life-long friends, and will have a stellar degree and society-learned skills to carry with you when you can face eventually leaving \u2018The Bubble\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Written by Holly K, an English and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/Psychology\/\">Psychology tutor\u00a0<\/a>and Durham undergraduate<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4545 aligncenter lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/g76g2hdq5iaq8p1fxdyo_400x400-400x360.jpeg\" alt=\"g76g2hdq5iaq8p1fxdyo_400x400\" width=\"400\" height=\"360\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/360;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4545 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/g76g2hdq5iaq8p1fxdyo_400x400-400x360.jpeg\" alt=\"g76g2hdq5iaq8p1fxdyo_400x400\" width=\"400\" height=\"360\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing a university can be a tiresome experience. Certainly you\u2019ll be charmed by the Cathedral, the quaint cobbled streets and the beautiful river, and three years into your degree the magic doesn\u2019t fade. But how much can you really learn&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[108,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Life at Durham | MyTutor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/university\/life-at-durham\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life at Durham | MyTutor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Choosing a university can be a tiresome experience. 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