Nearing the end of my first year at the University of Hull, I can safely say that I have no regrets coming here. Its a great uni with great, knowledgeable staff who both enjoy what they're doing and want you to succeed as well as great facilities for learning, including the laboratories, aquarium and extensive library. The campus is a good mix of small with everything you'll need within walking distance and open with places to sit and study or talk with friends. Whilst I haven't used much of the student union, from what I have seen and used, it's a key asset for students and even has a Spar (although perhaps overpriced for a shop in the heart of a campus) and a Wetherspoons. Whilst the Spar can be expensive for more general grocery shopping, Tesco Express, Lidl and Sainsburys are a relatively close 20 minute walk and if you live on campus, supermarket delivery such as ASDA is easily available. I lived in the Courtyard for my first year and it's a nice place to live. I shall be returning to the Courtyard for my second year. And whilst I haven't lived in any of the other university-owned accommodation, I've heard good things about both Taylor Court and Westfield. Overall, the University of Hull is both a great university to study at as well as a great, comfortable place to live. I would definitely recommend.

So far, I have fully enjoyed my course. Its fun, enjoyable as well as interesting. The course material has been engaging, the lecturers have been great and the practical sessions in the lab or out in the field have been amazing and engaging. With the covid pandemic having been an issue still during my first year, my first semester was mostly online lectures with the occasional in person workshop or practical and in the second semester, it has changed to more of a blended learning approach with the option of both on-campus teaching in lecture theatres or online via Teams so it has mostly been down to personal preference. However, with the university opening back up, things will most likely be different for my second year or for any new first years interested in the course. Contact hours and course hours are a good balance so far, as well as time with personal supervisors both in our tutorial groups or one-on-one. Additionally, personal supervisors are available often if you have any struggles with the course or for any questions you may have.

The area surrounding the University is great. There are plenty of ships available, all within walking distance as well as a number of churches and other places of worship for those that would like that. It's welcoming to students too which is great. There are plenty of buses available with the East Yorkshire bus services or Stagecoach being available to take you where you need to go, including Hull town center with access to even more shops or amenities you'd expect from a city centre, including places like the Deep.

The Courtyard is pretty good. It has reasonably sized rooms with good-sized beds with a great amount of storage and shelves. The on-suite bathrooms are what you'd expect, even if the shower can be pretty cramped with an unruly shower curtain. The kitchen and shared living space is well-sized and, with each regular on-suite flat having 8 students, there's plenty of refrigerators with you most likely sharing a fridge/freezer with one other person. There is plenty of cupboard space for your food, pots and pans, plates and other cutlery or utensils and it has a decent sized dining table as well as access to a television. The sofa, however, could be bigger, or an additional sofa fitted in. All Courtyard residents have access to a games room with a pool table and table-tennis. There's also access to a quiet study space and small library in reception as well as access to laundry. Reception is manned 24/7 by security staff that are able to collect, store and give you parcels, offer help and advice related to accommodation as well as being one way to report a fault, damage or problem with your accommodation. The reception staff are friendly and approachable. My only real problems with the Courtyard this year has been both the laundry services as well as the WiFi. The laundry services (provided by Circuit Laundry) can get pretty expensive depending on what you need with just a single wash and dry cycle costing anywhere from £5 to £7 depending on your washer and dryer settings and the dryer sometimes leaves your clothes feeling damp. The washing machines also use their own detergent which shouldn't smell of anything but can sometimes make clothes smell weird for a bit. You're also unable to use fabric softener or colour catchers. As for the WiFi (provided by Ask4) can be a bit finicky at the best of times. You're quite easily able to connect anything to it such as full computers, laptops, phones, games consoles or even devices like Amazon Echo or Google Home but the WiFi can be very slow at times. There's also been times where the WiFi has shut off completely with no or intermittent internet access which has sometimes taken ages to be repaired. Overall though, The Courtyard is a good place to live for any student regardless of their year of study.