Here are all the social media accounts every Durham student should follow

With Freshers’ Week in full swing, you’ve undoubtedly been given a definitive overload of information and don’t even know where to start. We can guarantee you’ve been encouraged to follow all sorts of people, places, and brands on social media, with your Instagram following doubling and your Facebook account finally re-activated as you find it’s useful for more than just your mum’s friends updating their profile photos every six minutes.

But with such a barrage of information it can be hard to separate the genuinely interesting events and accounts from the scams, bots, and people you don’t need in your life. So whether you’re a fresher looking to stay clued-in or a returning student redownloading social media after a failed Instagram Reels detox, this article will outline all the essential social media accounts you’ll need (or want) to follow.

Colleges and their sub-sets

Probably the most obvious account to follow in Freshers’ Week is that of your college. With each college running unique freshers’ events for its cohort, you’ll want to keep up with what’s on on which day, and the college Instagram or Facebook account is far more handy than a leaflet you’re guaranteed to have already lost in the move-in chaos.

Lots of colleges even have dedicated Freshers’ Week accounts detailing the events on offer, as well as offering useful information such as myth-busting, “meet your Frep” posts, and Talk and Support resources. You’ll also undoubtedly be asked to follow the accounts of societies you express any kind of interest in (these can be found at college Freshers’ Fair, which varies depending on college), and these are crucial to finding out dates of first meetings, socials and other information early in the term.

University-wide societies

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On the topic of societies, Durham University also offers an honestly staggering number of university-wide societies whose accounts you’ll definitely be wanting to check out. These will be on full display at Freshers’ Fair, which this year takes place on 30^th September and 1st October at Maiden Castle, where representatives from rugby players to poets to the occasional furry will be desperate for you to scan a QR code and jot your name on a sign-up sheet. As with college societies, these accounts are perfect for staying informed on early-term arrangements.

Bars

While following your college bar might not be the highest entry on your to-do list (that spot’s reserved for drinking in it), doing so can be surprisingly useful as the year rolls on. From getting updates on new drinks, special events and themed nights to catching application forms for new staff as they start to flow in, the college bars are a valuable presence on social media. We couldn’t avoid mentioning the college toastie bars here as well – most colleges have some form of toastie bar, and while Mary’s might be the crown jewel of the bunch, each one will post regular updates on new flavours or changed opening hours, so it’s worth remaining alert to possibilities of late-night sweet treats.

Nightclubs

Where college bars are underrated, nightclubs rake in followings, and for good reason. Several nightclubs, particularly Bab’s, Fab’s, and Loft, require tickets to enter, so knowing when these are available so you can sign up as early as possible is essential to a cheap night out.

It can even be worth setting your phone to notify you when these accounts make a new post – legends say I have superhuman reflexes when opening a notification from Unhinged, the iconic queer Thursday event at Fab’s.

Furthermore, most clubs post pictures of selected groups from busy nights, so if you want to see the most professional drunk selfie of your life these accounts are the place to be. And we couldn’t go without mentioning Klute’s Instagram page, which posts regular story updates from frontman John Klute that are guaranteed to make you want to head down there no matter what you’re supposed to be doing the next morning.

Mouthful of Mary’s

An astoundingly useful and yet surprisingly under-followed account is Mouthful of Mary’s, which is invaluable for anyone in a catered college. Run by St Mary’s College but applicable to all of them, this Instagram account posts the lunch (or brunch) and dinner menus early every morning, so you can spend your lectures mulling over your evening meal instead of having to decide in the split second between reading the menu and taking your tray. The menus are professionally presented too, with a motivational message captioning every post. Just be ready for the word ‘hake’ to be showing up on your screen more than it has ever before.

Meme/confessional accounts

While these provide less essential information, the plethora of Durham-based meme and confession accounts are guaranteed to get a laugh out of you (or a cry of horror if a story about you has been posted). Durmemes, despite its name, mostly posts confessions that you can submit via a Google form; these range from cookie-cutter declarations of love to scandals and drama you wouldn’t believe if you hadn’t seen similar in your own corridor. Durfess and Tindur are Facebook-exclusive but serve a similar function, publishing longer-form confessions from students who can’t hold in the gossip they’ve promised not to spill.

The Durham Tab, of course

@thetabdurham

⬡ #trevs #durham #durhamstudents #meme #thedurhamtab

♬ original sound – The Tab Durham

No list of accounts you need to follow would be complete without our own. Ignoring this shameless self-promotion, The Tab Durham has a genuinely incredible Instagram page, with regular collections of memes posted alongside announcements of new stories and articles. There are even unique types of posts that you didn’t know you needed to see until you do, with the recent “Duz Purity Test” being a personal favourite. If you aren’t following us already you certainly should, as we’re the perfect home for news and all kinds of feature articles in Freshers’ Week and beyond.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Durham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.