OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
When I initially arrived in halls on the first day there was no one in my flat and I had a very confusing and disappointing freshers week if I'm honest. In the long-term however my flat is chilled out and I like the fact that my friends aren't in my hall so if I need some alone time I have my own space. The course was also very confusing and seemingly unstructured - I guess everything was just a shock to my system - but since being given actual pieces of work to complete I feel like it's coming together a little better. I'm involved in a few things outside of my course, however I feel like other people are doing much more and yet I don't seem to have the time. University (especially at a campus uni like Loughborough) is very full-on. The campus never switches off, there is always people about and you can never really get away from it - almost has a boarding school type feel that city universities don't have, but without being told what to do. It takes a lot of getting used to but once you're settled it starts to be okay. In fact, it's better than okay - being at Loughborough is an honour.
Job Prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
As a first year I haven't experienced much of this yet myself, however there have already been many talks and emails going round about placements and employability, and I know I have a module next semester on skills for employment!
Course and Lecturers
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
The variety of topics we cover - I thought university would mean that my learning would be even more targeted than at A - level, and although it is - with different modules I feel as though I'm still doing different subjects which structures it a bit more. On my course there is micro and macro, human geography modules and maths / statistics modules (surprisingly more maths than I'd expected).
Students' Union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
It's great, the team behind it are great at their jobs but considering it's meant to be one of Loughborough's best features I was slightly disappointed? There's a lot of focus on union nights out and though they are smashing, aside from them the day time or alternative events don't seem to draw in such a crowd. However, the rag and action departments seem to offer lots of opportunities and the building itself is a great place to chill out.
Accommodation
What do you think about the safety, condition, location and cost of your accommodation?
Really clean, well managed and relatively spacious. The rooms in my hall are almost identical which gave me comfort in applying. The way my hall is laid out isn't very good for meeting people initially however in the long-term it's nice and peaceful which I know is rare!
Uni Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Brilliant. Only thing I'd say is that some of the lecture theatres / department buildings / halls of residence that haven't been improved in a few years suffer for the sake of the sports facilities and such.
Local life
Is your university in a good location in terms of distance to accommodation and local amenities?
I mean, there isn't a city of such. I can go to Leicester if I need city life but this doesn't happen very often - although the travel links are very convenient! As for Loughborough town, it's okay. There's lots of places to eat or buy groceries, and there are some good bars and clubs however I don't think any of them have anything on the SU. The town itself is a bit quiet and seems a little run-down but I guess that makes it a better first place to live as opposed to a large city.
Societies and Sports
How would you rate the variety of societies/sports?
There is a lot offered, and they all seem pretty good. Some of the sports clubs seem a little elitist, but that makes perfect sense as this is Loughborough. What surprised me is that some of the sports clubs are student-led and don't have professional coaches.
Student Support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
There are lots of links made early on to make sure everyone is okay. They offer personal tutors (a lecturer) and student mentor (second or third year) and for personal issues there is a counselling service which I did use early on but in the end there is little they can offer if you're homesick or struggling. But it was nice that there was someone I could just go to to just talk it out with, although the waiting list for counselling is very long which seems like an issue to me.