Planet Mad

One of the most important issues for the majority of sixth formers is university, and they are full of questions about it. One of the hardest things that teachers have to do is answer those questions. I, like many others, look back on my undergraduate days with a certain nostalgia, with an enthusiasm that's probably verging on the fanatic; to have to take one step back and advise others objectively becomes very difficult. It's even worse when faced with questions about Durham in particular, because it's not just questions about the university but also about colleges. After all, my opinons are prejudiced by my educational background, by the attitudes of my friends at Durham and by my abhorrance of rahs with too much money and not enough sense. Many's the time that I've started the sentence "Well - Hatfield's just full of public school kids with lots of money..." and then realised that I'm talking to - yup, you guessed it - public school kids with lots of money. You can see the flaw in THAT argument.

Anyhow, one of my lower sixth is going to Durham for the day tomorrow for a visit to the modern languages department and an informal tour round Grey College (recommended to her as "sound" based on my experience!!) and she came round to ask me for a map. I got into cartographer mode and was a tad carried away with detail, marking my sketch map with shops, pubs, cafes and the occasional landmark (there are, after all, one or two knocking about the place). As she left, she said, "I can see that I'm going to fall in love with Durham," and it made me realise how much influence I'd exerted without even meaning to. I'm not sure I can handle such responsibilty: what happens if she hates it?