Which How I Met Your Mother character is your Durham College?

This autumn, our campus will be bustling with freshers and returners alike. This will be the first sight of college in the best part of an academic year for many. Most of us came of age to How I Met Your Mother, and our love lives mirror this – chaotic, to say the least.

So here it is: you can finally find out which How I Met Your Mother character Durham College is. Is your college a typical Durham 70 per cent (married to their university sweetheart just like Marshall and Lily), or is it more terminal bachelor Barney?.

Warning: spoiler alert!

Hatfield – Barney Stinson

Would you expect him to be anything other than Hatfield? Sly, sneaky, admired and reviled in equal measure, Barney is perfectly matched to the college which has the most distinct reputation, like him. He would turn up to Hatfield on Freshers’ Sunday “suited up”, and you can picture him recounting stories from the “playbook” to smokers out at the front gates. Barney can be found in MacLaren’s or on the guestlist for various exclusive events. Likewise, you know Hatfielders love any excuse for a ball or formal.

Chad’s – Marshall Eriksen

Marshall was born to be at Chad’s – being the loveable, dorky, and kind character he is. Do any of us have a bad word to say about Chad’s? Do any of the cast members have a grudge against Marshall? Although likeable and a crucial cast member, Marshall sometimes seems irrelevant at the side of Barney or Ted – just like Chad’s being overshadowed by the other Bailey colleges. As an environmental lawyer, Chad’s would be Marshall’s own green castle, and everyone would respect him for it. Lawyered!

Cuth’s – Lily Aldrin

Small woman, big personality. She makes her presence in a room known, whether it’s her acts of kindness or by using her psycho tricks on other people. Could these two sides of Lily’s character have anything to do with the two college sites of Cuth’s? One college, two different breeds of Cuth’s students.

Trevs – Ted Mosby 

Ted has to be our favourite character. An architect who prides himself on his creations and thinks his job as a professor of architecture will help girls fall for him. Similarly, Trevs personality is solely based on its hexagonal architecture. Think Trevs, think music and open mic nights in the bar. You can imagine, Ted would love the opportunity to serenade Robin with his stolen blue french horn in one of the most remarkable buildings in Durham.

Collingwood – Robin Scherbatsky Jr.

Competitive, tomboyish and hardcore. Robin would definitely try to get into all the men’s sports teams, which are the central pride and joy of Collingwood. She is massively patriotic, and with her strong sense of integrity, she would never let anyone say a bad word about Collingwood. As a lone wolf seeking to pursue her journalism dreams, Robin is somewhat distant from the prominent gang, as is Collingwood from the Bailey. But Luckily for her, Robin would be close to Trevs, proving how much she and Ted are meant to be together.

Mary’s – The Mother (Tracy McConnell)

Innocent, pure, and doesn’t become part of the main cast until later in the series. Tracy has a female roommate (who Ted has previously dated), satisfying the all-girls boarding school vibe at Mary’s according to this year’s pre-fresh. Mary’s used to be a female-only college allegedly made up of natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Tracy is all of these things.

Castle – Sandy Rivers

Full of – often obnoxious – ‘Big Dick Energy’ due to being the anchor of World Wide News. Castle is the poster boy for Durham colleges and is one of our most well-known landmarks, instilling its students with the same overconfidence. This hilarious yet completely obnoxious energy really doesn’t help Sandy make friends. The main characters actively dislike Sandy because of his ego. Being the leading showman isn’t a personality substitute, much to the distaste of Castle students too. Additionally, Barney and Sandy are ultimately rivals to win Robin’s affection, much like the Hatfield vs Castle rivalry.

John’s –  Mrs Eriksen

Wholesome, super preachy, and not too far away from Chad’s (Marshall), just like the closeness of the Eriksen family.

Grey – Brad Morris

Fit character for the fittest college.

Mildert –  Marvin Eriksen Sr

Lover of nature, Marvin Sr., would certainly obsess over Mildert’s lake and its resident ducks situated in the great outdoors of South Road. He is depicted as dexterous, sporty, and teaches his sons everything he knows, so much like Mildertians, he is an all-rounder – dedicated to being good at a little bit of everything.

Aidan’s –  Slutty Pumpkin

Remember in season seven when everyone was frustrated by Ted not knowing who slutty pumpkin really was? She appeared once and never again. Everyone who goes to Aidan’s complains that nobody knows the college or bothers to visit. However, they probably hadn’t heard about it themselves either before they were allocated to it.

South – The Doppelgangers

Just like they got barely any screen time, Durham has also not seen much of South yet. Being the doppelgangers of the Gang, it’s no surprise that South is also the spitting image of every other hill college.

Ustinov – Kevin

Being a lot more mature than some of the other characters, Kevin would’ve definitely gone to Unistov. He is a Harvard and Princeton graduate, and he would’ve probably come to Durham to get another post-grad degree. Impressive though he is, like the surprisingly pleasant Unistov main college building, he’s also kind of tragic in his ability to understand what Robin wants. In the same way that Unistov students surely do not understand the undergraduate community despite being young and foolish in the past themselves. Who doesn’t love their weekly noise complaints from post-grad neighbours?

John Snow – Robin Scherbatsky Sr.

Distant, cold, and slightly intimidating, so the college with the snow leopard mascot gives a great nod to Mr Scherbatsky’s savage side. Just like John Snow, no one really knows about him except what we hear about through Robin.

Stephenson – Micky Aldrin

Micky would’ve definitely felt at home at Stephenson. This college lurks in the distant Durham hills like he was distant in Lily’s childhood. As the series progressed, he gradually redeems himself, which is not dissimilar to meeting a Stephenson undergraduate for the first time and thinking, “actually, they’re quite nice”.

Butler – Ranjit

Ranjit has to take so many Ubers, that he is a taxi driver.

Hilde Bede – Victoria

Ted Mosby’s almost-the-one relationship had the potential to be somewhat good but ultimately failed due to distance when Victoria moved away to Germany. This reminds us of first year when one of our boyfriends thought that Butler to Hild Bede was a long-distance relationship.