OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
I have loved my uni experience so far! Not only have I met friends who I'm sure I will keep for life, but I have had the chance to...
University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
I have loved my uni experience so far! Not only have I met friends who I'm sure I will keep for life, but I have had the chance to learn more about the subject which I love. I have thrown myself into my uni work and am very proud of all my results so far. At the moment I can't imagine ever wanting to leave university as it is the part of my routine which I look forward to. Northumbria have allowed me to feel this way and I am so glad I chose this uni
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Excellent! As previously mentioned, the sports facilities are very good and as a result the uni hosts a lot of external sports events. As a chemistry student I spend most of my time in the labs and the labs at Northumbria are very modern and are pleasant to spend time in. There are lots of computer suites and study areas, and the uni is continuously building more. The computers all have the software that you need and never run slowly or break which I personally think is a miracle! The library is a very cosy area to work rather than being a cold building full of books. My only criticism would be that it needs to be even bigger than its current 7 floors! Finally, there is a range of lecture theatres and tutorial rooms, all of which are pleasant to spend large blocks of time in.
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
I have never needed personal support from university so am unaware what they offer with regards to counselling etc, however this may suggest that they don't advertise this type of support very much. I'm sure it would be available to those who need it.
With regards to academic support, I get a lot of this! As previously mentioned, my lecturers doors are always open so whenever I need help I am encouraged to go and talk to them. At the start of every year we are also assigned personal tutors who we have meetings with at least once a term, more if needed. When it comes to exams and assignments, we are also provided with feedback when we get grades back which is very useful as often helps us improve for exams or future assignments. As well as our course lecturers, the library team often also run revision workshops providing alternative techniques on how to revise if you feel like you're struggling with your current revision technique.
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
Facility wise my universities students union is very good. There are multiple floors, a cafe, a restaurant, a bar and a function room. There is lots of space and it is a lovely environment to be in. In terms of student representation, I see less of the background of this. However, we have student reps on every course and from experience any issue you raise with them, they chase up and often changes are made becuase of it which is very good.
Local life
Is your university in a good location in terms of distance to accommodation and local amenities?
As previously mentioned my uni is about a 15 minute drive / 30 minute bus journey from my accomodation and so this isn't ideal. However, the uni itself is right in the middle of the city centre so if I need to do some shopping or need food whilst at uni I have a lot of options. For this reason I tend to stay at uni for the majority of the day, even if I don't have many lecturers as I have everything I need nearby.
Societies and Sports
How would you rate the variety of societies/sports?
I do a lot of sports outside of university so I am not personally on a uni sports team. However, I have a lot of friends who are and there seems to be every sports club imaginable even for sports such as american football! The sports facilities are excellent too. I am part of chemsoc, which is the universities newly formed chemistry society. I am also aware of their being lots of societys including an LGBT society and societies supporting students who come from specific cultures and backgrounds
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
What I enjoy the most is that the lecturers feel less like 'teachers' and more like people trying to help you achieve your goals. They always have your best interest at heart and their doors are always open. The lecturers are also very good at doing recap lecturers periodically to go over a set of lecturers before moving onto a new topic, this is very helpful. One thing I'm not too keen on is that often we are sat in the same room for a large block of time with few breaks and it is often hard to maintain concentration, therefore I think lecturers could try some different teaching styles on these days to try and keep the class more engaged. The lecturers are very open to feedback on their teaching though so the way my course is taught is very good.
How many contact hours per week do you have?
20
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
We have a very proactive careers department, so much so that part of one of my first year modules was focused around employability skills such as CV writing. The careers team are always willing to meet with you and have facebook pages where they keep people updated with things like new work placement opportunities since most course offer a year in industry. The university also hold lots of skills workshops and upcoming is a workshop about 'women leaders' which I think is very inspiring