Durham University - a con. (University of Durham in general)

Member Name: AnnoyedGraduate

Product:	University of Durham in general
Date:	31/07/07 (929 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good reputation (for some reason)

Disadvantages: Poor teaching, terrible tutorial system, quiet nightlife

I have recently graduated from Durham University, and I was extremely dissapointed by the "Oxbridge of the North". The tutorial system that it is so proud of is virtually non-existent. The one time I needed something from my college tutor, he failed to reply to my email for 2 weeks, and when I went to visit him in his office, his excuse was "I'm a bit of a lazy bastard"! After the first year, I saw my subject tutors a couple of times a term, but was never able to build up a personal relationship with them.
I studied Physics, which Durham is supposedly the top in the country for. However, I found the teaching mostly appalling. It seemed to me that none of the lecturers wanted to be teaching, and that they were only doing it so that they could do their research. And bizarrely, the quality of teaching seemed to get worse each year!
In my first year, I lived in University College, supposedly one of the best colleges, but rather than living with other first years, I was one of the few who got stuck out with third years in a concrete block. Because of this, I found it hard to get involved with college life, and lived out in my second and third years, losing touch with the college completely.
Apart from the university, Durham is a nice, quiet place. The nightlife isn't great, but there are some good college bars, the beer is cheap, and you can get to Newcastle pretty easily.
Looking back on the three years I spent at Durham, I wonder what my fees went on. I hardly learned any Physics, and indeed my interest in Physics has been all but destroyed by the department at Durham. I don't have a tutor who knows enough about me to give me a remotely good reference. I have no affection for my college. It seems to me that I was simply paying an extortionate amount to use the university library.
I must admit, I very much enjoyed myself socially in my last year, and in my second year to some extent, but the majority of my memories of my time at Durham are negative.
If you don't want a particularly lively nightlife, and are determined to apply to Durham, I highly recommend investigating the colleges thoroughly to find which one suits you best, making sure you get accommodation with other first-years, complaining if your college tutor seems rubbish, and not applying to study science.

Summary: A waste of time and money.