When I made my application to Durham, I was completely sold on St Mary’s College. I thought it was perfect for me, with its beautiful building, large community and a short distance from the science site. A few months later I got my college allocation and saw that I had been placed in Trevelyan college instead!
At first, I was disappointed, and was worried about choosing Durham as my firm offer – Trevs wasn’t exactly what I had wanted in a college, and as a 2020 student in lockdown, I was unable to attend any post-offer visit days to see what it would be like to live there. But in the end, I decided to take a chance on Trevs, and I haven’t looked back since!
Friends and societies
With an in-built ‘household’ and lots of events to help us get to know each other, I quickly made friends with the people who lived around me in college, and by the end of my first year, I had met people from other years through being in a college choir. Although it wasn’t what I initially wanted, I ended up enjoying the small college life – it was great to be able to recognise most people I walked past in the corridors!
College Support
Another amazing aspect of college was the support system in place, from the student welfare team (including LGBT+, POC and Disability representatives) to the staff, who were always happy to answer any questions we had about how things worked in college. Even though most of my first year happened online, I felt very welcomed into the Trevs community through the efforts of staff and student leaders alike!
While colleges are of course an important part of the Durham experience, your college is much more about the people than it is about the building – it is the staff who help you, the other students you’ll make friends with, and the events and societies that make your time at university so exciting! And while each college has its own quirks and traditions, at their core they are all friendly and welcoming communities full of people who will help make your time here wonderful, no matter where you are!
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