Josephine Butler College • Durham University

If you are a prospective student who likes their privacy and ability to prepare your own meals, then this is the college for you. Jo Butler is the only college with self-catering options, and all the rooms come with ensuites and lovely furniture. Flats are compact, with only 6 roommates as opposed to large floors of up to 20 students sharing bathrooms at some of the other colleges. There are also weekly cleaners who vacuum your bedroom and kitchen, and take out the trash. It is up to you to clean the dishes though, and the cleaners will get upset if you leave the kitchen a real mess, since it prevents them doing their job.

The college has its own gym, albeit pretty small and shared with Ustinov college, and you do have to purchase a gym membership to use it. The laundry rooms are located next to it in the Howland's building, and it bears remembering that its a bit of a walk to lug your clothes up there in the cold winter weather.

The bar is enormous. Like an aircraft hanger. Since I graduated I believe a lot has been done to make it feel more intimate and cozy. The principal is extremely strict about drinking games, and when I was at college this dissuaded a lot of students hanging in the bar for long periods, as they preferred to go to other college bars or city bars. It also deterred other college students from visiting, also with the fact this college is at the top of the hill.

Over all I had a good time at this college and having small flats, where you can fill in a survey to place you with students with similar sleeping habits etc, means you will make friends for life.

Pleasant accomodation and facilities around the mound. Park and ride buss connection to University campus and Durham.

The whole place is a bubble inside the Durham bubble, they live in Tellytubbies mole hill, have to commute into town, have no catering and is not much more pleasant than living in the crematorium next door, the crematorium has people with more character than anyone in JoBo.

Might be ok for undergrads but don't go here for post-grad study. The college staff get confused when you explain you're a postgraduate student. They expect you to move out during vacations when the department expects you to be in work as usual. You won't get notified about maintenance work in college (I came home once day to find the shower in my room had been deconstructed, and it was common for maintenance staff to unlock and walk into my bedroom without any prior warning) or facilities being closed. Notifications for those things are only sent to undergrad mailing lists.

Got screamed at over the phone because I couldn’t properly understand. Then proceeded to laugh at me. Don’t come here if you want to be respected. Not polite at all

The heater is not turned on 24 hrs causing the room very cold at nite. And it is ridiculous that not to have heater during nite. Even the heater is turned on, I can’t feel any heat in my room. Such a extremely bad experience in JB college. Pls don’t choose this college. Far to main campus and the facilities are a little bit old. If u r chosen this college better live out.