The St Chad’s College MCR, or Middle Common Room, is the representative body for postgraduate students at St Chad’s College. For the most part, the Colleges and their Common Rooms are the centre of student life and support, offering a wide-range of facilities, staff, programmes, and other resources. Each College is distinct in its background, tradition, resources, ethos, and way of proceeding, creating a custom of friendly competition amongst them. The MCR in Chad’s has been growing steadily over the last decade and we now have a membership of around 150 postgrads each year. This makes us an integral part of the College community and we enjoy the highest proportion of postgraduates studying and researching alongside undergraduates in any college at the University. Our postgraduates are diverse, coming from around the world and working on a range of degrees in all the departments of the University. We make every attempt to be a welcoming, inclusive community of learners, open to the world and all areas of knowledge and research.If you are a prospective postgraduate student, we hope that you will choose the University of Durham and St Chad ‘s College, and make the MCR your home.
Our Collegiate Community
One of St. Chad’s unique selling points is that it is the smallest college in Durham. Hovering at around 500 students, we are small enough to maintain a true community atmosphere–at Chad’s you’re a person, not a number. However, don’t let the size fool you! Chad’s is full of opportunities for both growth and recreation. The MCR is the heart of academic life in college, holding several research forums per term, publishing an annual academic journal, and hosting regular conferences and speakers. In addition, postgraduates are active in numerous college sports, choir, and societies. There is truly something for everyone.
Representation
Postgraduate members of college are represented by an Executive committee. The ten members of this body engage with the JCR, Senior Management, the Student Union, and the University, to ensure that postgraduate interests are considered at every stage of the decision making process. They are also responsible for the upkeep of our newly refurbished common room and reading room, as well as the organization of social and charity events.
Student Accommodation
St Chad’s College provides both catered and self-catered accommodation for postgraduate students. Some of our students live on the Bailey in the main college building on a catered basis; the rest live only a short walk away at Trinity Hall or Hallgarth Street, which are self-catered. For more information, please see the college page on postgraduate accommodation. Postgraduates also have the option to live in outside accommodation, while still remaining an integral part of our college community.