Good so far

Good so far

Great

Portsmouth is a great place to study and live. The university is within the city centre so you don't have to walk far to find what you might be looking for. Everything is quite literally in walking distance, such as; shopping centres, the beach, bars/pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, university buildings, the library, etc. Most accommodation is also within the centre so it is a very convenient place to live. Being away from home for the first time can be scary for some but at Portsmouth, the student union and ResLife are run by great people who are always ready to listen and help. There are plenty of events in the first few weeks/months for you to get involved in getting used to the area, university life, and to make friends for life. For those that are interested, the nightlife could be better as there are three main clubs (two of which are connected as one most nights) and they don't tend to change much even on 'themed' nights, so it can get quite boring if you go often because it just all feels the same. However, when with new friends it can be a good time. There are lots of options for accommodation but it is definitely worth coming to see them in person and ask the ambassadors what their experiences have been like. My advice would be to come and ask questions and explore the area. I have no doubt that you will love it here just as I did when I came on an open day.

My course is mostly taught in person, we have had some online sessions but they were for library services and placement induction. The lecturers on my course are great and all come from paramedic backgrounds (some are still working as paramedics alongside teaching) so they are very knowledgeable about the subject. They are really easy to talk to, so if you have any questions or worries then you can always approach them. There is a lot of content that needs covering, especially one lecturer who does a large bulk of it but I feel we don't have enough time with them so the lectures can be a bit crammed sometimes. This does mean there is a lot of self study, which I do like because it means that I can do it within my own pace and not feel like I am being rushed. So far our course hours have been really nice, we typically have lectures Monday-Wednesday with Thursday and Fridays off. Occasionally we might have something on Thursdays and Fridays but not often. This is not the same for other courses. One of my flatmates has lectures everyday on his course. The facilities for healthcare courses are fantastic. We have classic dummies, as well as life-like ones of all ages, simulation suites of a hospital ward, GP area, nursing home, and a flat, all of our equipment is what you will use on placement too so you can have plenty of practice before going out to your placement areas.

There are plenty of places within the area that you can find part-time employment that is close by. For example, the city centre has plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafe's, Gunwharf Quays, pubs/bars, etc. The only problem is that at the beginning of the academic year, there are quite literally hundreds of first year students looking for jobs so it can be difficult to get one. I would recommend looking in the months leading up to moving here and applying early, and explaining your situation to the employer. Or you can look outside of Portsmouth if you're able to get there. Or if you are like myself, save up as much money as you can before coming here so you are covered for your bills/expenses for the first couple of months until recruiting becomes better. I would say Portsmouth is a safe place to live, however I have only lived here for a couple of months so might not be the best person to comment on this. Since moving here I have not witnessed or heard of any unsafe situations happening.

When it comes to accommodation, there are plenty of great options, both in the centre and a little further afield. I would definitely recommend coming to see them on open days so you can have a proper look around at the different places. I would also recommend asking the ambassadors who live in the accommodations you are looking at what it is really like to live there and if they've had any issues. I currently live in Catherine House, which is not run by the university but is advertised on the uni website and run by YUGO. I never saw the building in person so I never had the chance to ask questions about people's experience living here, I just went by the pictures online. Since living here, there have been a few issues within the building and maintenance but nothing bad enough that makes me want to leave, just things that I would have liked to know beforehand. For example, the showers don't drain very quickly so you have to be careful when getting out of it and making sure you don't take too long (I have managed to flood my bathroom once), some people have had issues with the wifi cutting out but I have not had that issue. Another thing is there is only one laundry room in the building so when it needs maintenance, you have no other way to do your washing unless you go to a laundromat or take it back home. There have been other problems with other people's flats but me and my flatmates have not had those issues. Considering how much the accommodation costs, I wouldn't have expected some of these problems or how long it takes for them to be fixed. So I would highly recommend coming to visit the different accommodation buildings and get honest reviews from people living there before making decisions. Remember that you are paying a lot of money to live there, you should be happy with your decision.