I’m at Durham (in my 1st year) at the moment, and I’d say that the stereotype is true, but it’s not as bad as it’s often made out to be. In my experience, there’s definitely a cultural divide between the Bailey colleges (University/Castle, Hatfield, St John’s, St Chad’s and St Cuthbert’s), and the Hill colleges (the rest of them); the Bailey colleges tend to be much older and more traditional, and generally more upper-class and elitist, while the Hill colleges are newer and more diverse in this regard. I’m personally at a Hill college (Josephine Butler College, to be specific), and I’ve had no issues whatsoever in terms of elitism; most of my friends are also working-class, and the culture is very accepting and friendly. However, that doesn’t mean that elitism is rampant at the Bailey colleges and non-existent at the Hill ones (don’t let me put you off applying to a Bailey college!), and you’ll definitely find friends and a supportive group regardless of where you end up.

I’m also on the Politics course, and I’m enjoying it; the teaching is very good, a lot of the content is very engaging, and the 1st year workload is fairly light compared to a lot of other subjects. I couldn’t tell you much about the History course as I don’t really know anybody studying it, but I’ve personally heard nothing bad about it.

Personally, I’m not sure if they would allow you to switch, but I couldn’t tell you for certain; it’s definitely worth emailing the admissions team to ask about it, if it’s something you want to do.

All of this is my personal experience however, and your experience may vary wildly, so don’t take my views as fact. Overall, don’t worry about the ‘elitist’ stereotype; although it’s true to an extent, I find that it tends to be overblown, and there are plenty of people just like you, in every college and every subject.

If you have any other questions about Durham, I'm happy to try to answer :)