There are many development opportunities available and career fairs, career guidance etc. The university makes a point of promoting mental well-being events and services which is good. The variety of clubs and societies was really good and allows for trying new things regardless of previous experience. The lecturers are mostly helpful to give guidance and explanations when you have questions. Having the majority of exams (even for modules completed in the 1st semester) in the summer exam time (May) was quite intense and i think stress levels would have been better if the exams were more often spread out. For example the 1st semester modules being examined and completed by January, so as a whole more focus can be put on all modules in each semester. Rather than trying to balance all of them at once while still performing well (it is doable just very stressful).

The majority of lecturers reply to emails and questions well and in a timely fashion. The online classes were difficult in my first year of university during the course especially for things like labs and any computer work as getting help for more practical things is much easier in person. However when the teaching became in-person again, the loss of recorded lectures in some classes was unfortunate as it is helpful to be able to go back and re-listen to a lecture if you need a quick refresher on a certain topic. The tutorials for homework was incredibly helpful as solving problems in maths or physics is the best way to learn but sometimes the hardest part is knowing were to start. So being able to ask questions for an hour etc is great. As my course is a joint-course I did notice on certain things like coding a full maths or full physics student would have a lot more focused practice/teaching on it compared to us. So it was quite daunting being thrown into a coding assignment with barely any previous teaching, although lecturers were helpful it would of been nice to have some lecture notes or something to refer to. Overall an applied maths and physics degree is quite a demanding course with lots of hours of doing assignments and studying required (best way to treat it like a 9-5 and maybe even a few hours on weekends) but it is manageable and may benefit from more exams being completed in January for the 1st semester modules to lighten the load in summer. Finally although the course is generally good at getting information to us occasionally for a joint student the announcements between maths and physics could feel a little disjointed. That being said if you email to ask for clarifications they do get back to you with helpful responses.

I had a unique experience at elms as when it was my first year, Covid was still quite big so most of my flatmates were on 'rent-break' or just never came back. This meant there was between 2-4 of us in the flat made for 11 people for most of the year which was great! Two ovens, microwave, kettle and plenty of fridge and freezer space, Also it was easy to keep the kitchen and bathrooms clean even having a shared bathroom wasn't that bad and the cleaners did well too. The best part about staying in halls is having the built in amenities like the Wi-Fi, the tv channels and the heating without having to worry about paying bills on top of rent but it should be noted that it is so much more expensive compared to renting privatively (even including bills). Although security was quite excessive when I was there, it did feel safe and maintenance was good at fixing things timely. I wish the beds were a little bigger but having a sink in the room and a desk was so handy. Elms is also a great and easier place to meet and find friends with fellow university students and having events organised helped with that too. Overall, Elms is a great place to start your university experience.

Good quality accommodation May have to move to acquire job.