St. John's College

In England they use a college system to organize students, so not only do you get accepted to the "Uni" (as they call it in the UK), you also have to get accepted to a college. At most schools the colleges provide dorms, cafeterias, and intramural teams--much like the houses at Hogwarts, you know Griffidor, Ravenclaw, etc. Durham, by the way, is the only other uni in England other than Ox-Bridge (Oxford and Cambridge) whose colleges can actually grant degrees, although that is not practiced at Durham. However, for undergraduates at Ox-Bridge you actually only attend classes under lecturers in your college, so there the colleges are very much a matter of standing (and expense).

At Durham there is a college just for postgraduates (or "graduate students" in US terms), and that was the one I defaulted into since I didn't have a preference when I applied. However, after talking with some students on my visit to the school, they recommended that I join one of the regular colleges, and specifically St. John's. So I have finally engineered the change, which wasn't difficult but it seemed to take a while to get the paper work transferred between offices there. Anyhow, per the college secretary I should have the official letter from St. John's any day now. Typically, I would get accomodations from the college, but since we're needing family arrangements, we're looking "to let" a house in town.

The Middle Common Room is the space and community for the postgraduates: St. John's Middle Common Room