OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
Quite good, it is meeting my standards in the sense that I am meeting a range of different people, engaging in groups and activities...
University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
Quite good, it is meeting my standards in the sense that I am meeting a range of different people, engaging in groups and activities I wouldn't have partaken in before, and pushing myself to build on certain skills I was lacking before. I am also enjoying my course and building a balance between work and social life.
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Very good: there are many available on campus, barely need to go to town except for weekly shopping excursions, great atmosphere and community spirit.
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
It depends on the student. The student has to push themselves out of their comfort zone and access those support systems themselves, as opposed to always feeling like they are available to them. Other than for compulsory termly meeting with academic advisors, many students don't take advantage of the support offered, either because they are unaware or because they choose not to.
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
I don't think there are many opportunities available for first year students. There have been some job/volunteering opportunities available however I don't have much prior experience, which is a prerequisite/requirement for most of them, meaning I am not considered as a strong candidate to get involved. This is still the early stage of my university career, though, so I am not yet sure how involved I will be with LUSU.
Local life
Is your university in a good location in terms of distance to accommodation and local amenities?
Friendly and student-friendly, however there could be more events held in town as most of us have to travel to Preston or Manchester or Blackpool to get to major events.
Societies and Sports
How would you rate the variety of societies/sports?
Very mixed – there is a wide variety of societies, however I don't feel like they are very strong/promoted/'out there' in the student community. Most have quite irregular meetings too, and it can be hard to keep up with what is happening around campus.
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
Seminar groups are usually quite small and good especially with Autonomous Learning Groups which encourage students meeting outside of the allotted time to prepare for the seminar. This isn't for every course, however. Some seminar tutors are quite reserved and quiet, or do not know what the lecture we just had was about, which isn't always great as they do not actively engage with the students and try to trigger conversations.
How many contact hours per week do you have?
9
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
There is a careers centre which helps when writing your CV and cover letters, which is quite helpful to that regard. There are also regular career fairs. However, I believe there is still room for improvement, such as individual career mentoring, which would help immensely, where every student is assigned a careers supervisor who gives them suggestions for events or possible openings/experiences that may enhance their CV.
University halls
What do you think about the safety, condition, location and cost of your accommodation?
Pretty good, there are all the facilities required, good social life; however there is still room for improvement in terms of quality of some resources, practicality, and (at a lesser priority) luxury.