University of Durham 2019-2020 PREPARATION exchange application process I originally applied for the University of Edinburgh and put Durham as me second choice. The documents needed were the same for both and fairly straightforward. At first there seem to be many requirements but they are clearly set out on the UU site and the international office is also helpful in answering any questions. It is important to keep an eye on all the deadlines and the emails telling you the requirements. counselling & support at Utrecht University The international office at the UU is very helpful, both in person and via email when you have any questions or struggles regarding the exchange process. They reply quickly and friendly and help make the process less stressful. academic preparation I did not have any academic preparation before coming to Durham. I did go in my fourth year which meant that I had already finished all my courses at the UU and therefore felt adequately prepared to follow courses at Durham University. language preparation I did not have any language preparation. At the UU there are a few courses that were taught in English and I had no trouble with studying in English for those courses so I did not feel I needed any more preparation. My level of English was pretty good, as is that of most Dutch students. There were many internaitonal students whose English was at a very basic level and they managed fine. The professors and students are very understanding of international students possibly struggling with English so you do not need to worry about this. finances England is definitely more expensive than the Netherlands, but Durham does not have the same prices as for example London. Durham is more like a town or really small city and therefore prices are not too bad. Housing is however generally more expensive in Durham than it is in the Netherlands, especially if you want to be in a location that is not too far away from the campus and city centre. When doing many of the activities and travelling around a lot you may find that the loans and grant may not be enough so you do need to keep an eye on that.
(interrupted) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD welcome & orientation programme The Durham Students' Union (DSU) organises some events for internationals the week before the academic commitments start. This week is also freshers week, which is organised by the colleges. Durham has 16 (soon 17) colleges and you will get allocated to one as an Erasmus student. I would really recommend attending this week and going to activities from both your college as for international students. This is a good way to meet Erasmus students and other students at Durham. study programme (content and organisational issues) In Durham you follow 6 (or more, depending on the ECTS for the module) modules throughout the entire year. You can choose some modules before coming to Durham and will get a provisional acceptance or rejection on whether you can take these modules. This was a bit confusing and one module of mine got rejected with the message that Erasmus students could not take these, but a couple of other Erasmus students did get this module accepted. When you are in Durham you can meet up with the department and sort out your modules
with them and make sure that none of them overlap, so you do not need to worry to much about this before arriving in Durham. Just make sure you know which modules you want to follow before going to your deparment meetings. academic quality of education activities The quality of education is very high at Durham. It is the university that people who did not get into Oxford or Cambridge go to (this is a stereotype of the Durham students, but actually true for a lot of them). This means that education is taken very serious by most student which creates an atmosphere where the students work very hard and are very motivated. I took 4 third year law modules and 2 first year psychology modules. In both of these departments the professors were knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. They also provided extra reading and information on extra talks if you wanted to learn more about certain specific subjects. transfer of credits Due to the coronavirus the grading is taking longer than it would usually take. I finished my last exam on June fourth and grading will hopefully be done halfway through July. This means that I do not yet know if my credits will be transferred. You just need to make sure you follow enough modules and that you end up with 60 ECTS that should be transferrable.
CORONAVIRUS CONSEQUENCES support guidance of host university Durham University sent a lot of updates by email at the start of the pandemic. They gave all the information they could on what the consequences would be for our final lectures and what would happen to our exams. In information about exams and mitigating circumstances they did however forget about Eramus students and did not mention how the coronavirus would impact our grades. I left Durham at the end of March but international and Erasmus students that styaed in Durham were in contact with the University and were supported by them. support guidance of home university The international office at the UU sent out emails halfway through March contacting all students on exchange advising them to return home and asking to let them know whether we had returned home. It was nice to be in contact with the international office and to have them keep an eye on where all the students currently were staying and making sure everyone was okay. online offer and quality of digital courses At Durham University the second term ends 20 March, which happened to be around the same time the UK started the lockdown. The UK did not lockdown until very late which meant that I was able to follow almost all my courses till the end of second term. A couple of the final lectures did not happen in person but were put online and were of the same quality as the normal lectures would be. the final, third, term at Durham University consists mostly of studying for and making exams. I had a couple of revision lectures that were given online and were very well done with them being given live with the possibility of asking questions. Afterwards they were uploaded so that people in different timezones could watch them if they could not do so live. suggestions/tips on digital exchange I was lucky to have been able to get almost all of my lectures in person. The professors kept us updates on whether we would have lectures and when they were given online would send reminders on the online lectures happening. It took Durham University a long time to decide on how they were gonna do their exams which was a bit annoying and stressful, especially for international students who did not know if they would be able to return to Durham after going home to their family.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes! I would absolutely recommend Durham to others! The university is internationally high ranking so you will receive good education and the student life is amazing. The collegiate system means that there is so much to do and everyone is involved. There are tons of societies and if you don't find any at your college, the DSU has even more. The city is small and historic, which I really enjoyed; you'll run into people you know all the time and it feels very cozy. Even though it is a small city there is tons to do: from the worst nightclub in Europe to the most beautiful nature to hike around. do you have any additional advice or comments? Try out as many possible activities and societies as you can during freshers week. Most societies organise taster sessions that you can sign up for during freshers week, which means that you can try out societies for free! Get involved in a sport society as well, as that is a big thing here: no one has classes Wednesday afternoon because that time is reserved for sports.
2018-2019 PREPARATION exchange application process The exchange application process can seem a bit extensive at first, but if you keep reading and checking your emails carefully you won't miss out on any specific deadlines for the application process. After having completed all the required documents at Utrecht University, you will then soon receive emails from the International Office at Durham University, who are very willing to help you in case of any difficulties. I have sent them several emails during my application process, and their replies have been very useful. counselling & support at Utrecht University If you struggle with anything before your period abrod, contacting the International Office at UU is extremely helpful and will very often reply to you quickly after your initial message. Especially around important deadlines, you can contact them at any moment and they will come back to you very soon. academic preparation I have had no academic preparation before going to Durham University, and this turned out to be just fine. Albeit you might feel somewhat anxious in the beginning as you are unsure about the academic level abroad, you don’t have to worry. language preparation Similar to academic preparation, I have had no language preparation before going to the UK. My bilingual education in secondary school was more than sufficient. There have been many students in Durham who didn't speak English at a very high level, some might even suggest a somewhat poor level, and still managed to do just fine. Don't worry! finances After having completed the financial report as part of the application process, it turned out that the monthly student loan will definitely cover all costs. Any additional expenses are covered by the Erasmus+ grant, which turned out to be very helpful with some of the rather expensive balls you can attend in Durham (more on that later).
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues)
UK Constitutional Law (First year module): Even though I am not a massive fan of public law, I really enjoyed this module. The professors have been my most enjoyable professors of my modules; they are very passionate people and open to any questions you may have, especially if you initially struggle a bit with the content of the British constitutional framework (government etc.).
Tort Law (First year module): I very much enjoyed this module as it closely links to verbintenissenrecht. If you enjoyed the latter, then I would advise you to choose this module! You will experience that it will cover some things that are similar to Dutch law, but also include other torts that cannot be found in Dutch law.
Commercial Law (Second year module): This module tends to be a rather complex combination of property law and trade law. I struggled with this module quite a lot, not because of the academic quality of the professors, rather because it is heavily supported by a lot of case law which tends to be very specific. In the end, I did think it was a very interesting module, but you would need to like property law in order to fully enjoy this module in my opinion.
Company Law (Third year module): This was arguably my favourite module. The professor is very clear and passionate about this field of law, and is leader of the majority of the tutorials as well. The exam (open book) is however a tough one and requires you to write a lot, perhaps too much in the given timeframe. It is an excellent module however and I would highly recommend it if you are interested in corporate law.
Intellectual Property Law (Third year module): This was definitely the biggest letdown for me. The content of the module is interesting for sure, but many, including myself, had lots of difficulties with the professors. Both professors are Asian and as a result are very incomprehensible. This gave me and all other Erasmus students lots of difficulties during the year, as we were often required to re-read the extensive reading each week, whereas all other lectures were sufficient to keep up with the content. This is a module I can therefore not recommend, despite the content itself.
Corporate Finance (Third year module): This module is only given during one term and will therefore not be concluded with a written exam, but a summative (paper). This was a rather difficult module for me, despite my interest for it. It often establishes connections with both commercial law and company law, in particular commercial law as this year's summative was focused on a major commercial law topic, so if you intend to pick this module then you will be advised to pick commercial law as well.
Counter-terrorism and policy law (Third year module): Similar to Corporate Finance, this module is only given during one term and concluded with a summative. Initially, this was not a module I wanted to do, but one I needed to pick to fulfil the requirement of 120 credits (60 ECTS) in modules during a year, which you will need to do as well if you intend to do Corporate Finance. This is not a die hard law module, but very much focuses on the use of language in combatting terrorism. Some enjoyed this module, but it's not a module I would pick again. academic quality of education activities The academic level is very high at Durham University, but is completely doable for every UU student. Outside of lectures and tutorials (werkgroepen), you will notice that there are many activities organised by the university outside of the previously mentioned activities. Talks from different individuals engaged in the legal profession often take place, and there are many, many activities hosted by large law firms throughout the year. counselling & support at receiving university abroad Durham University provides sufficient counselling & support throughout the year. In the beginning you will be asked to have a small talk with the programme coordinator about your module choices, who can also give you advice on modules you might wanted to pick beforehand, but ended up choosing other modules. You can still
switch just before the academic year starts, and they will happily inform you. During the rest of the year you will assigned to a ''mentor'' at the law school, who will have one talk with you after a few weeks into the academic year, and who will be your provided contact person in case of any queries or problems. transfer of credits So far I have not encountered any problems with the transfer of credits. In case you are unsure about the modules being capable of transfer, I would advise you to go to the exam commission at UU, who will take their time to reply but will give a sufficient answer to your questions about the transfer of credits. If you end up going to Durham University, you will have to do 6/7 modules throughout the year, and will result in 60 ECTS if you pass all of them and are transferrable.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme DU organises an international orientation programme a week or so before the start of the academic year, providing you with all the information you need for your talks with the Law School, other activities during the week etc. More importantly perhaps is freshers week! Every person will be assigned to a college, which in my opinion in a brilliant way for people to get to know each other, and every college will have their own activities during freshers week! Some might be more expensive than others, but the Erasmus grant will definitely cover those expenses. It basically comes down to a less big UIT-week. Your college will provide you with everything you need to know about college. accommodation Accomodation you will have to take care of yourself. Whereas all freshers live in college, you will have to find a house like every other second or third year DU student. This turned out to be very easy for me. I would advise to make use of 'Durham Uni finds a housemate' on Facebook, which is the best group to find a house for the year. Accomodation is similar in rent to Utrecht. leisure & culture If you are particularly good in specific sports, you could try out for the Durham University sports teams, some of which are highly ranked in the UK (specifically rugby and women's football). If you are not willing to train many times a week, but do still want to participate in sports, I highly recommend joing your college sports team! Every college has a rowing club, some better than others, which I spent a lot of time at during my year abroad. They are open to both novices and those who have rowed in the past. Besides rowing, all colleges tend to have one or more football teams, rugby teams, and other sports like: darts, pool, badminton, volleyball. You will out about these sports teams during freshers week (both DU and college)!
Nights out in Durham are worthwile, but are a lot shorter than in the Netherlands as clubs are only allowed to be open until 2 AM. You can always go to Newcastle however, which is open for a lot longer. Other regular activities are balls (as talked about before), which are like your annual galas in Utrecht, but much bigger, more expensive (always include three course dinners), but a lot of fun! Try to go to as many as you can, if you do enjoy them! suggestions/tips
Get engaged in college, travel around Durham (Scotland is very close), and just have a lot of fun!
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Absolutely! I have loved my team in Durham. Not only is the university considered a prestigious one in the UK,
there's much to do in this small city. College life can be great, and there is a lot of room for extracurricular activities, such as sports and travelling! It's a small, yet beautiful city, with a well-established university! do you have any additional advice or comments?
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2017-2018 PREPARATION exchange application process This application process was fairly straightforward. Everything that i needed was easily found on the website. The documents that are required make sense and aren't unnecessarily long. I do find the financial plan a bit paternalistic but as it doesn't weigh heavily I do not mind it that much counselling & support at Utrecht University I did write some emails. Response was often quick and helpful. I also had a talk with mrs Van Weelden. She was very friendly and provided me with some relevant general information. academic preparation I felt adequately prepared for the courses in Durham language preparation As my level of english was sufficient i did not need any further preparations. finances My parents helped a lot and I took out a small loan. The UK has proven a bit more expensive especially on housing.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) The content was really enjoyable generally. There was sadly not a lot of choice in modules. I had the impression that english students could choose earlier so quite a few modules were already full, additionally, some did not run. This caused me to have to change my choice of subjects quite drastically. academic quality of education activities Varied. The law modules were of good quality. The politics modules i did were at times poorly organised. The seminars didn't add a lot and were not frequent enough. counselling & support at receiving university abroad I barely used it but the staff I did talk to was very helpful and friendly. transfer of credits no issues
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme Freshers week was a lot of fun. I would recommend going. I do find it fascinating how an institution such as a university can be so supportive about drinking. That doesn't make it less fun though. Felt at home quickly.
accommodation My house was expensive and not in a good state. Would recommend not letting with JW Wood. leisure & culture I personally really enjoyed sports in Durham. The college sport teams make it really accessible and easy to do.sports with other students. It really adds to the intergration in student life. Also the area is beautiful for runs and walks. There is not a lot in terms of theatre and museums. Those can be found in surrounding cities. suggestions/tips Be active within the college.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain i had a great time with lots of harry potter like scenes and good quality education. do you have any additional advice or comments?
2017-2018 PREPARATION exchange application process Applying for an exchange is a fairly easy process. You will need to submit certain documents which require signatures though, so make sure you start preparing timely. If you encounter any difficulties, the international office is always happy to answer questions. Keep in mind they too are very busy around the application deadline, so make sure you give them and yourself enough time. counselling & support at Utrecht University There are several opportunities to seek counselling at the University should you need it. Your Study Advisor needs to sign off on your proposed study program after studying abroad. You could ask him/her any questions or contact the International Office. academic preparation Depending on the courses you are planning to take, you might want to read up on some things before coming to Durham. In the case of Law, England has a common law system which, needless to say, differs from the Dutch system. If you are planning to do second/third year courses in English law, you may want to search how their court system works, for example. This is not strictly neccessary though. You will have enough time in Durham to catch up on anything you might not know. language preparation Depending on your proficiency in English, you may want to brush up your language skills beforehand as well. Durham is very understanding towards foreign students whose English might not be as good as a native speaker's. Regardless, you will need to write several essays. If you struggle with this, you may want to consider some language preparation. finances Durham is not a very expensive 'city' (feels more like a town) to live in. If you have only been to London in the UK before, you will be delighted to learn Durham is a lot cheaper. Rooms usually coast between the 300 and
450 pounds per month. Supermarkets prices resemble Dutch prices. There are also several cheap flight options between Amsterdam/Eindhoven and Newcastle/Manchester.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) Upon arrival in Durham, your module choices will not have been definitively approved yet. You may find out some courses are not being taught that year. The university is very flexible in letting you choose new modules though. There is even a chance to test some modules for the first few weeks before making your choice. The content of the courses are interesting, although that depends on what you take and what your interests are. academic quality of education activities Good. Expect a lot of essay writing, most of which is formative (doesn't count towards anything). This gives you the chance to practice your writing skills without too much pressure. All exams are given within 4 weeks at the end of the year. If you are bad at dealing with that kind of stress, it might be something you want to consider. counselling & support at receiving university abroad Counselling is availible, although you need to seek it yourself. Nobody will watch your moves/ hold regular check up conversations. transfer of credits
I have not yet had my credits transferred.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme The year starts late (beginning of october) and with an induction week, known as Fresher's week. This week is filled with informational talks about different aspects of Durham college life. A lot is organized: you can do literally anything in Durham. accommodation Durham is small and accomodation is relatively easy to find. There are facebook groups for this or you could contact a local realtor. Accomodations which you can book online aimed at international students are relatively expensive. These accomodations are however very clean and always fully furnished. Do not worry if you don't have an accomodation within a month before arrival. People generally respond nicely to housing seekers, even last-minute. N.B. You might want to consider the hills when deciding on accomodations. Durham is a hilly place. leisure & culture During Fresher's week, you have the chance to sign up for an infinite amount of sports and other societies. There is something that fits everyone's interests. Furthermore, you will get information about trips being organized around the whole of the UK for international students. These trips are fun if you don't know many people. I would definitely recommend exploring Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland (less than 2 hours by train) suggestions/tips Durham has several colleges which all have their own bars. Pub crawls along these bars are often organized. These are fun nights out. Durham is also home to the worst night club in Europe (Google it!!!). Definitely worth a visit. Durham has beautiful surrounding nature areas worth visiting.
CONCLUSIONS
would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend this university to others. The collegiate system offers a unique experience different from most other universities. The academic experience and culture differs from Utrecht. There is a vibrant community of Erasmus students which organize a lot. do you have any additional advice or comments?
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2015 - 2016 PREPARATION exchange application process As I had previously lived in England somewehere close to London, I didn't plan on spending my Erasmus in England. After my first choice fell through quite late, a lot of the spareplaces were already filled. On the list of places still open for application I saw Durham University, but I'd have to stay for a whole year. After some consideration I decided to apply for the place, as it is far up in the north and very different from London. I wrote an application letter and after a while I heard back from the university that they had nominated me for an Erasmus placement at Durham University. Durham University got in contact fairly quickly and I had to submit some application forms and my choice of modules that I wanted to take when in Durham. It took a long time before I received my official offer letter from Durham, I believe it was at the end of July. Do not get worried if you don't get an official offer from them before then, as their accademic year only starts in October everything happens a little later then at other universities. counselling & support at Utrecht University Though the International Office will encourage you to figure things out for yourself as much as possible, they will help you with any problem you might have, usually within 1 workday. As I was the very first student to go on Erasmus to Durham University from Utrecht, the International Office was not familiar with the specific processes of Durham University, but helped me out as best as they could. academic preparation I didn't do any academic preparation before leaving for Durham, I later saw that most modules did have some suggested reading materials before termtime, but I don't think it is really necessary to read them. language preparation Durham University does not require a TOEFL test or anything like that only a signed document from the university that your English is sufficient. In the year before I left I did take LEAP which I found very helpful when I was abroad. Not only was it very helpful to get taught some legal English, train speaking, writing and presentation skills, I found it especially helpful to get the common law system and their specifics explained and get some practise with it. At the end of term it did get quite busy to do LEAP and 2 'normal' modules, but some of it had to do with some cancelled classes, so I don't know if it's always like that. finances Eventhough Durham isn't London, do expect it to be more expensive than Utrecht. I received the Erasmus grant (around 280 euros), my normal studygrant from the government and some money for not using my public transport card (around 100 euros), but that did not cover all my cost. Do expect to use savings or take out a loan, especially if you want to travel around and do other fun things.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD
study programme (content and organisational issues) With my application I had to choose the modules I wanted to take when in Durham. All the module descriptions can be found on the website of the university. It's normal for students at Durham University to take 6 modules a year, each modules covers a whole year they start in October and exams are in May. A module in Durham will usually get you 20 credits, which is 10 ECTS. Most modules will have a lecture of 50 minutes each weak and a tutorial every few weeks, some work with weekly or two weekly seminars. I found quite a lot of European Law related modules covered topics we had already covered in my first 2 years in Utrecht, but they do have a fairly wide range of interesting modules. In the introweek all the international law students had an appointment with some administration people at the law faculty to talk through your module choices and sign the learning agreement. One of the modules I selected was not being run that year, so they told me to go home and email them about another module I wanted to take. I picked another module that fitted my schedule, emailed the faculty and got my learning agreement signed a few days later, so it was all handled great! I ended up choosing: - UK Constitutional Law; I enjoyed this module as I generally really enjoy public law modules. The head of the Law School gave most of the lectures and he is amazing at it! It was interesting discovering the differences and simmilarities between the UK and the Netherlands. - Law of Family Relationships; I generally really dislike any private law modules, but think the law concerning the (private) relationships between family members is very interesting. In Utrecht I had never taken any family law modules, so I was excited for this module and it didn't disappoint. The professor that gives all the lectures and does all the tutorials is clearly very passionate about family law, always welcomed any questions and was very interested to hear I was Dutch, after that he would sometimes compare situations with the Netherland in my tutorial or ask me how the law was back at home. It was a little strange to be discussing gay marriage and civil partnership to such length in the first few weeks as they are still recent developments, but at the same time very interesting. - Law, Gender and Society; As the title suggest, the module is for a big part about feminist views on law (Yes, the class mainly consisted of women, but there were some men that also really enjoyed the module;). The module was quite different from anything I had taken before and it did give me a different view on law, definitely a module I would recommend! - Religion and Law; I think my expectations for this module were high, especially as I'm religious myself, but I was a little disappointed. The professor, though an expert in his field, was a little difficult to understand which didn't encourage going to lectures and I found the material covered a little vague sometimes. Overall it's nice, but not as great as some of the other modules. - Comparative Constitutional Law; I intended to bring this module in as a compulsory comparative module, but heard back from Utrecht halfway through the year that the modules weren't similar enough. The module is intended for 3rd year students and was one of the more difficult modules. Overall I liked it, though they would sometimes focus on UK law quite a bit in some seminars (usually depending on the person giving the seminar) which made it less interesting for the international students in the class. - Trust & Equity; This is the module I selected to replace the module that didn't run, mostly because it fitted in my time schedule. The first few weeks I didn't mind it too much, it was fine mostly because of the lecturer who is awesome. However, after a few weeks I started to dislike it more and more. Some of my friends did enjoy it, but as I said I generally dislike private law and especially this kind. academic quality of education activities When I heard Durham University is considered the 3rd best university in England after Oxford and Camebridge, I was a little scared it was going to be much harder than in Utrecht, but it turned out to be fine. In the beginning it deffinitely got some getting used to having 6 modules at the same time and the comon law system. Also, they seem to have a different take on studying law (many other foreign students told me the same thing), instead of the mostly 'practical' approach in Utrecht, learning how to apply the law, in Durham they take a more
theoretic/philosophic approach, a lot of time is spend on talking about different interpretations and opinions on (case)law. Most of the reading materials are articles, of which the professors will expect you to know the names of the authors and the main points made.
Around the end of first term most modules will need you to hand in a +/- 1500 word essay that does not count toward your mark, but is intended for feedback. At the ending of second term some modules will need you to hand in a second (usually longer) essay that will count towards your mark (usually 30-40%). Some modules final exam is an essay written at home, but most are written exams. The difference with exams in Utrecht though, they are mostly essay questions and not questions in which you have to apply the law to a certain situation (though it might be the modules I choose). The thing I struggled with the most was not being able to take any materials with me to the exams, you will need to learn all relevant case law and articled by heart.
Overall, the quality of education is not much higher than in Utrecht, the study is just approached different. counselling & support at receiving university abroad Personally I received some to none counselling or support, but there are many opportunities for you to get som within the faculty and the university. One of the law professors is a contact person for students from abroad (you'll be invited to lunch with her and the other students at the beginning of the year), the International Office can help you, you can get counselling and support at your college and there are some places you can go to get help with your English. Also all of the professors and other staff have office hours each week in which you can go to their office and ask questions about the module. As Durham is a fairly small university, I found the eduation is very personal and the teaching staff can really take time if you have questions. transfer of credits Exams started mid May and ended in the first week of June. I just received the results, it's now the end of June. I know there are resits in August, so I'm not sure when I will receive a Transcript of Records. I'm not finishing up my bachelor this year, so it's not important when I receive it, if you do want to graduate straight after your year in Durham you would have to ask about that.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme Term usually starts somewhere in the of October, so people will start arriving at the very ending of September or very beginning of October. The International Office has a pick-up service which you can sign up for from Newcastle Airport and the train station, which will bring you to your home. The first week is an introduction week for first year students and exchange students. A little time before it starts you can see your personal schedule on the university website. Visit your college as soon as possible, they usually have an intro program for international students or include you with their activities for first year students. Also, there will be separate parties and activities for international students that are quite fun, just try to go to as many as possible. accommodation The university only arranges accomodation for students that don't spend a whole year in Durham, but as a law student you can only come for a whole year so you will have to arrange accomodation yourself. The university will send you a website with rooms to rent, but a lot of people find their room on facebook pages like Durham find a housemate and other Durham Erasmus pages. It is not as hard to find accomodation as it is in Utrecht, but try to start looking as soon as possible to get a nice room not too far from the university. I lived in the Gilesgate area, which is cheaper than the city centre and a lot of mostly international students lived there. The city centre is also very popular to live in, but usually very expensive. I would advice to get a room in one of those 2 areas as that’s were most people live and most parties are at :). Accomodations are usually 400 euros and more a month, so do keep that in mind. leisure & culture
The university has a lot of societies as will your college, going from law society to chocolate society to sport societies to train fanatic societies, there will be plenty you will enjoy. In the introweek the Durham Student Union will host 2 afternoons of society markets (you should go to both, there will be different ones at both afternoons and lots of goodies :)) where you can wander around and sign up for societies. Your college should also have a simmilar event in the beginning of the year. Durham is a fairly small city, but has a gorgeous cathedral and castle, definitely worth a visit (or two) and some nice museums. The nature in and around Durham is also very nice, take a stroll along the river at least once. If you enjoy shopping Durham has some shops, but Newcastle is around the corner and has many more shops, cinemas etc. If you're in for a big shopping trip, visit intu Metrocentre! The year will start quite late, October, and finsh early, exams finish the first days of June, but also has 2 month long vacations in January and March I believe. You are supposed to use some of those months on studying, but there is also plenty of time to take a trip home, around the country or abroad and party a lot. There are a lot of pubs in Durham and some clubs, they do close fairly early though, so if you really want to go out you can visit Newcastle which is only about 15 minutes away. suggestions/tips Durham University is very proud to be sports univerity of the year, as almost all students play a sport. Most studies will keep the Wednesday afternoon open so people can play sports. There are many sport societies to join, there is always something you like on your level. I joined my college's boat club, rowing seemed like a very British sport to try out and it turned out to be something I really enjoyed. Personally I did not join the hillwalking society, but a lot of my friends did and really enjoyed it. They regularly arrange for hiking trips somewhere closby or further away, usually day trips but sometimes longer as well. Definitely join the Erasmus society, they arrange nice evenings and cheap days away to Edinbrough, Leeds, Auckland Castle etc. and I met a lot of nice people at their events. Generally, international students are very open to meeting other international students and organise many good houseparties! The chocolate society is also a good tip :) Try to travel around as much as possible, I took a trip around Ireland and Northern-Ireland with some friends in my holidays which was great, but you will also have many opportunities to take day trips to nice cities closer by. As to going out, the college bars are quite nice and cheaper than normal pubs, especially Castel bar is very nice and usually open to anyone. Some nice pubs are the library (the pub not the actual university library), Shakespear and the swan, but there are plenty to choose from so you'll find one you like. As to clubbing Fabio's is usually favorite, but a trip to Klute -Europe's official worst club- should happen at least ones.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain YES!! I loved my year in Durham, probably one of the best years of my live! You will meet so many amazing people, have many awesome experiences, learn so much about yourself, life, the world and Durham is the perfect place to spend your Erasmus year. Durham is the perfect destination if you enjoy smaller, historic cities. The city is build around the gorgeous cathedral (seriously, google image it!) and castle and has a lovely river running through it, on which there are always people rowing there boats. The city is very much a student city, with a nice campus and always things going on. But the city is also close enough to bigger cities if you want to escape the city for the day or weekend. The university is always very helpful to international students and I really enjoyed the smaller university which made contact between professors and students much easier and personal. do you have any additional advice or comments?
I can't think of anything right now, but please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Durham.