A good life for students after 175 years

Having been plagued with emails asking to answer innumerate DUO surverys, the Palatinate news team decided to find out for itself what you think of life at Durham.

With so many surveys flying around in our inboxes at the moment, Palatinate decided to carry out its own enquiry into opinion on student life at Durham University. We wanted to look at what it is you like about Durham and what it is that makes the average student tick. So on an average Durham day (a little grey and cold) we asked you what you think.

93% would choose Durham again

On the academic side, Durham seems to be very successful in terms of pleasing the student body. Our survey showed that on average students are very satisfied with both their course and department. 90 per cent of those students asked said they enjoyed their course and rated it at least four out of five, with two thirds giving their department a minimum score of four.

When it comes to looking at colleges student opinion was not so high. Only 63 per cent gave their college less than three. Whilst the majority would still choose to go to the same college again, Hild Bede came out as the college with the least student support: 45 per cent of the Hild Bede students surveyed would not want to go there again.

In terms of support both academically and pastorally, the survey suggests that students feel very well supported at Durham University. Only seven per cent of students would not know who to go to for help if they found themselves in any kind of trouble.

Student opinion on DSU services however proved to be particularly low, 60 per cent of the students surveyed do not know the then DSU President, Alex Duncan, by either name or by sight and 57 per cent think that the DSU rips off students. Many students seemed to feel that, of all its events, Planet of Sound offered the least value for money, especially in comparison to the entry price of other clubs in town.

Many also think the DSU shop prices are too high considering it is supposed to be a ‘student shop'. The survey also revealed that 30 per cent of students think that there is not enough student voice at Durham University, but many of those who think the opposite suggested that in fact there is too much opinion, which perhaps reverses one of the stereotypes of a ‘typical' student.

The average Hild Bede student spends £49 every week

The most repeated ‘favourite thing' about Durham amongst students is its setting, views and natural surroundings. The river, cathedral and the picturesque city were frequently brought up. Apart from this, students consider, along with many other aspects, the collegiate system, the people, the prestige and the size of Durham all as positive things about the University.

Paradoxically, the most repeated ‘least favourite things' were similar. Many students think Durham is ‘too small' and consider this to be one of the worst things. According to the survey, the lack of diversity amongst students and the ‘rahs' make for one of Durham's worst aspects. Other dislikes included the hills, the shopping, Jack Wills, the CU and cheesy music.

Palatinate also wanted to get a view into the ‘average' student's life. One of the points we were most interested in was how much money students spend and what they spend it on. The amount of money that students spend each week varies greatly from as little as £15 to as much as £150. On average however, a Durham student spends £66.23 each week.

In their free time, Durham students adhere to common perceptions of their generation. Most of the students surveyed tended to go to Loveshack about once a week. Once there, boys appear to spend much more money than girls. Whilst girls tend only to pay the entrance fee and at most £10 during a night at Loveshack, boys spend up to £25 each time they go.

The average student spends £89 a year on coffee

Another drain on student funds being a reliance on caffeine and frequent meetings with my friends in one of Durham's many cafes, means that on average, students in Durham ‘waste' £89 a year on coffee.

Overall, Durham students are very happy. 93 per cent, an overwhelming majority, of those surveyed would choose to come and study at Durham again and as such it certainly appears that the University is a great place at which to be a student.

Having compiled its picture of the ‘average student', Palatinate is pleased to note that Durham is not a city that only has a place for the average.

Editor's note:
The results of the University-conducted Student Experience Survey show that 82% of the 258 respondents would choose Hild-Bede again. For further conclusions of the College Review for Hild-Bede, please visit www.durham.ac.uk/hild-bede