Durham University

Durham University is a collegiate public research university located in the city of Durham, England. The University is one of the most lavish universities in the UK. A university is a place of a unique and historic setting consisting of an aberrant environment. This University is very supportive of its students and hopes that they get inspired through their experience at the University to achieve extraordinary feats that will bring a change in the lives of many. Opportunities, support, and freedom are all part of the learning environment at Durham University aimed to bring the best out of their students.

According to the UCL and University of London, Durham University is said to be the third-oldest university in England. The Act of Parliament was founded in 1832 where it received a Royal Assent and five years later received a Royal Charter to attest its constitution. This University is an estate that includes a world convention emplacement that belongs to UNESCO, an old monument, a few grade-one listed buildings, around 68 grade-two listed buildings, and a 111 acre land of woodland.

• Durham University has a very high rating of 90% for the students’ satisfaction. This means that students are mostly happy, in good health conditions, and very much involved with many activities on campus.
• Durham University has one of the highest rates of students being involving in sports and other activities.
• With regards to employability for the graduates of Durham University, the University has a lot of opportunities for students after their study. This is seen in the statistics that show that the University has educated a number of famous people and well-known social figures.
• All subjects offered in this University are ranked among the top 10 according to The Complete University Guide. The quality of teaching here is well versed with top academic excellence and commitment.
• The University is now part of the Coimbra Group, which is an association of universities in Europe that aims to come up with academic and cultural connections to improve internationalization, collaboration, improvement for learning and research, and social services.

Durham University provides work placement that is commonly referred to as a placement year, a service offered in most of the courses at the University. Recruitments usually take place around October and November, but the timing would vary from one organization to another. These placements usually last for 9 – 12 months and students taken on the placement are given the opportunity to pay a deducted fee of 20% off the usual tuition fee.

Students can look for placements through:

• Student Services Portal
• Faculty Placement Newsletter
• Weekly Careers and Enterprise Vacancy Bulletin
• Company websites
• Social media and LinkedIn
• Placement Vacancy websites (Prospects, Ratemyplacement.co.uk, Gradcracker)

Durham University has an employability rating of 91.2% for its graduates according to the QS World University Rankings.

Notable Alumni: 

Some of the notable alumni from Durham University are:

• Gabby Logan: a British presenter and a former international rhythmic gymnast who has presented several live sports shows. She has also hosted the ‘Final Score’ for BBC Sport, the London Marathon, a special revived episode of the ‘Superstars’, ‘Sports Personality of the Year for BBC, and the second series of ‘The Edge’.
• Jeremy Vine: an English presenter, broadcaster, and journalist who is well known as the host of the ‘BBC Radio 2’ lunchtime program. He is recognisable from his interview style and reporting from war-affected areas in Africa.
• Nasser Hussain: a British cricket commentator and former player who was the Captain of the England cricket team for 4 years. He was awarded as the Man of the Match and Man of the Series in 1996 during the Test series against India. He was also considered the best cricketer ever according to an article written by Sachin Tendulkar.
• Chris Hollins: an English journalist, presenter, and sportsman, who recently worked for BBC and is best known as sports correspondent of BBC Breakfast and for being the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2009.

Student Services:

Part-time jobs offered through the Job Cell of the university have so many benefits for students as they will add value to the CVs, employability skills, confidence, social skills, commitment, and reliable skills as well. Several organizations are looking to hire part-time employees for different roles for hospitality, tutoring, sports coaching, retail, animal welfare, heritage, and more. The University also organises fairs for students, which help open up many part-time vacancies for them to consider.

Accommodation:

Students at Durham University have the option of both on-campus and off-campus accommodation. The on-campus accommodation consists of 33 twin rooms and 271 single occupancy rooms. For off-campus accommodation students are free to choose between apartments and houses that they can rent privately, either individually or on a shared basis.

Medical Services:

All students are expected to register with a local GP to meet their medical needs. The University has a team of counsellors, well-being advisors and mental health advisors to support students throughout their study period.

Library and Sports Service:

The main library of Durham University is located on the main campus and is known as the Bill Bryson Library. It is an award-winning library building. The University also has a world-class sports facility worth £6.7 million to ensure a high-level standard for the students’ sports journey. This initiative was taken as the University is well-known for producing world-class sports talents who attained various medals from the Olympics and other major events.

Social Clubs:

There are also a variety of clubs in the university that encourage students to be part of them. The clubs available here are American Football, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boat Club, Boxing, Canoeing, Cheerleading, Clay Pigeon, Cricket, Cue Sports, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Fives, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Lacrosse, Netball, Orienteering, Polo, Rifles, Rugby League and Rugby Union and Sailing.