Why Durham is the best Uni ever

If you've heard of Durham, no doubt you know of it for its Cathedral, overwhelming amount of elderly people, or because you live in the area. But Durham Uni is the place to be, with longer holidays, shorter terms and, if the nightlife on offer really isn't for you, Newcastle is a whole 13 minutes away on the train. And for all these reasons too…

The collegiate system: you know people in your lectures before studying is even mentioned

Trevs the hexagonal college… make of it what you will

Colleges are the best thing about Durham, with many of them having a bar, gym (for the select few who have time in between their nights out) and of course catered food (sorry JoBo, who wants to have to cook in their first year?). They also feel like home pretty quickly and are where most of your mates are made (probably during freshers week).

The Durham Bum: who needs a gym membership when getting anywhere is a workout in itself?

It's a lot more hilly than it looks…

Having everywhere within walking distance not only saves all that bus and taxi money, (more to be spent on nights out) but also helps burn off those calories from the three bottles of wine and Paddy's takeaway you felt was necessary to purchase the night before. It saves the trek from Maiden Castle and all the sporting going on there, because speed walking around Durham when late to various lectures counts as sport, right?

Not to mention Cardiac Hill- if you want to arrive to lectures without being drenched in sweat, take a car with you to Durham.

Paddy's: where else are you guaranteed to find just about every student in Durham after a night out?

2am is cheesy chips time

Does a night out even count if you didn't buy cheesy chips and gravy at the end of it? As well as the promise of food and shelter from the 2am night air, you will know almost everyone packed into Paddy's. It's kind of like the after party to your night out.

Klute: the worst nightclub in Europe is at your disposal 7 days a week…

Favourite student haunt of Durham

What more could you really want? Durham nightlife isn't complete without a night or two jammed into Klute rounded off with a rendition of Dean Martin's "That's Amore" at the end of the night. Infamous for it's reputation as Europe's worst nightclub, Klute certainly provides an entertaining evening…

1st in the country for team sports: that's right Loughborough, you're not the only one that can kick a ball around

Probably beating Loughborough

It's impossible to make it down the street without laying eyes on the Team Durham jackets or tracksuits around, because who doesn't want to make use of our wonderful sports facility Maiden Castle. Not to mention the socials every week- why not have a cohort of jellyfish making their way down the Bailey on a Wednesday evening?

Bar crawls: the real reason why having a collegiate system is the way forward

When each of the 14 colleges have a bar with £1.70 pints (may be more pricey at Castle, got to keep up appearances) it seems unreasonable to not begin nights out with a bar crawl. Who can resist a few pints along the Bailey with old cobbled roads and a cathedral to boot?

Coffee shops: the best way to procrastinate

If you prefer to trade pints for a brew or two Durham has enough cafes for you to survive your three years at Uni and not have visited them all.

And finally: Harry Potter was filmed in the Cathedral

Coming to Durham is basically a step down from attending Hogwarts…