Whether you’re starting to rank your college preferences, or have already been allocated to Trevelyan College – known as Trevs – here is some information about why Trevs is one of the best colleges to apply to.
Why is Trevs so unique?
Trevs is known for its unique hexagonal design – there are no square-shaped rooms. This made the bedrooms feel a lot more spacious, and certainly a lot more unique than standard University accommodation. I loved my room in Trevs – it was perfect for socialising but also had a great window that I could sit by whilst studying at my desk. The library, which is one of the best-stocked College libraries thanks to our resident librarian and DJ Tim Fowler, is only downstairs and is accessible 24/7, too.
Because Trevs is so small, everything apart from the gym, sports hall, and performance suite is accessible within the main building. This became particularly helpful as you don’t have to trudge outside in winter to get breakfast before your 9am lecture!
A catered, gowned College…
Trevs is a catered college: you get three meals prepared for you every day during term time. The menu is on a three week rota, and there are four options per dinner (one meat, one fish, one vegan, and one vegetarian), which means that someone could go an entire term without repeating an evening meal.
The catering team are great at working with dietary requirements, so there will always be something that you can eat.
We also wear gowns to our formals (a big dinner that we have between two and four times a term). Whilst this was unusual at first, it became really fun to dress up for formal dinners, and a nice way to see the rest of College as lots of people who live out will return for formals. Formals are optional, and the first formals in Freshers’ Week are usually free to attend.
Why should you live on the Hill?
In Durham, Colleges are split between the Hill and the Bailey. Bailey Colleges tend to be a lot smaller, older, and spread out across the city centre, whilst the Hill has more room for larger, more modern Colleges. With ten Colleges on the Hill, it is the heart of student life. Trevs is very central on the Hill, meaning it’s in a prime location between University sites and other Colleges – often resulting in our bar being a regular stop-off on bar crawls!
Though most Hill Colleges are quite large, Trevs is actually the third smallest College in Durham and the smallest on the Hill. Personally, I found this to be a really nice way to get to know everyone, and College felt so much more like a community once you began to recognise everyone.
The College is a twenty minute walk from town and a 5-15 minute walk from the majority of University buildings, making it easy to get around in the day.
Settling in at Trevs
My first week in Trevs absolutely flew by, but I will always remember it by the amount of friendly faces that I met. Trevs is, in my (albeit biased) opinion, the nicest College in Durham, and you will always find your people here. Having clusters of bedrooms, known as a landing, instead of a long corridor also made moving in a lot easier, because everyone felt a lot more connected.
Although there are some ensuite rooms in Trevs, most people share toilets and showers – this was completely fine! The bathrooms are cleaned multiple times a week and I never had to wait for someone else to use them before me.
Getting involved at Trevs
Trevs runs a great number of events throughout the year, such as Live on the Hill, an esteemed black-tie music event, free ice cream vans and cakes during exams, Trevs Night and Trevs Day, and a multitude of other themed evenings. There is always something to do in Trevs, whether it be helping to run these events or attending them with friends.
It’s really easy to get involved in the College community, either by joining the committees that help everything run smoothly, or through societies. There is a society for everyone, covering a multitude of sports and hobbies from rowing and badminton to board games and language cafés.
Yeah, Trevs!
Despite its small size, Trevs has something for everyone! It is a warm, friendly, and welcoming College that you are sure to find a home in, and I can look back on my first year knowing that Trevs made it so special and enjoyable.
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