While there’s already a blog post about some of the most-used Durham jargon – read it here you truly could fill a dictionary and still have more to share!
So here goes…
College buzzwords
These were the words that I constantly came across while applying to Durham, I spent ages trying to decipher what people meant when they proudly told me about their “ungowned, catered, hill college”. So hopefully I can help you make sense of this nonsense!
Hill/Bailey
The Hill and the Bailey are two areas of Durham that each have lots to offer!
The Hill is home to a collection of colleges that sit about a 5-10 minute walk from the library and about 20 minutes from the town centre. You can expect big colleges with lots of facilities and green space!
The Bailey, while also being about a 10/15 minute walk to the library, is right in the historic centre of Durham city. Expect smaller colleges and facilities, cobbled streets and cathedral bells!
Gowned/ungowned
This simple distinction denotes the colleges that do or do not wear black gowns (think harry potter!) for formal dinners and matriculation. It’s worth noting that everyone wears a gown for congregation!
Catered/self-catered
This is the most important distinction between Durham’s colleges in my opinion, it impacts accommodation costs, size of corridors/flats and overall can really change your first-year experience!
Catered colleges provide three meals a day, meaning you don’t have to cook for yourself! The corridors/flats in the accommodation blocks are typically larger as there’s no shared kitchen to become overcrowded and meals are taken in a large communal dining hall.
Self-catered colleges don’t provide any food, giving you much more freedom over what and when you eat. This means that flats are typically much smaller with communal living, cooking and dining spaces which you wouldn’t find in catered colleges.
Well-known spots
When asking for directions you may run into a few issues typing these place names into google maps, so let’s translate!
The Science Site
This is another name for the Lower Mountjoy site, home to the Bill Bryson library (or the “Billy B” if you’ve read the original blog), lots of department buildings and the palatine centre where you’ll find lots of student support services.
TLC
This is a pet name for the “Teaching and Learning Centre”, our big beautiful multi-use space on the “science site”. Here you’ll find lecture theatres, seminar rooms, a wonderful café and lots of study spaces! (you may also hear it referred to as the Tilly C despite much protestation)
MC
A simple acronym for Maiden Castle, the university’s Sports and Wellbeing park. This is the home of Team Durham sport as well as hosting college sport, an awesome gym, independent fitness classes and more!
Cardiac hill
This infamous hill is one route that connects Lower Mountjoy to Upper Mountjoy (where you’ll find biology, psychology, maths and computer science). As the name suggests it’s quite a steep incline which runs from the back of the engineering department up to biology.
Events
College, society, sport and university events can become some of the most treasured memories of your time here… but also come with a whole new vocab list!
Ents and decs
A really easy one, simply entertainment and decorations!
BOPs
Officially known as “Big Organised Parties” these are events that colleges throw occasionally which typically involve some kind of ents, themed decs and usually a silent disco (a Durham staple).
Matriculation/congregation
These two events bookend your time here at Durham, and both take place at the gorgeous Durham Cathedral!
Matriculation is your official welcome to the university, it happens in your first week here and marks the beginning of your studies.
Congregation is just our word for graduation, and you’ll definitely hear the two used interchangeably!
Discover more
Read part one of the Durham Dictionary here
Download our latest prospectus and college guide here.
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