If you're looking for a smaller city and don't think big city Uni life is for you, then Chester is a great option. Small city centre, not overwhelming, manageable, with beautiful architecture, and still everything you could need, with great train links to places like London etc, the location is great for this aspect. As a Fine Art student, the Arts Campus (Creative Campus Kingsway) is so vibrant and arty, as it houses Art, Music and Drama students. This makes for such a creative, inspiring space to have lectures and practical sessions in. The lecturers are so knowledgeable about their crafts, and the support is there for you at any given time. Because of the smaller class sizes, in comparison to big city universities, you get that personal one-on-one time with the lecturers, and they know you personally within the first few weeks. This makes for great feedback on projects, as they know you, and know what you can achieve. The facilities are great and include a huge range. You are encouraged from day one to make the most of them, in and outside of scheduled lesson time. The Creative campus is a little out of the way from the city and the main campus, which can be a hassle to get to for 9am sessions.

Contact time with lecturers is really good, they are very invested in helping you, and their knowledge of their respective fields is very good. You feel in safe hands. All sessions are in-person, which is good for a practical course. However some of the shorter lectures, like careers lectures that are only an hour and a half, could be online, especially for commuting students. The studio spaces for Fine Art students are really good, and both the space and the lecturers are really accommodating to each student's needs for scale and materials. You are encouraged to bring your own materials in, though there are communal basic materials such as acrylic paints, charcoal, pencils etc available in the store room. Some scheduled days can be long, with long hours inbetween each session, which can be tiring for commuting students, but you are encouraged to use that time for practical work in the studio, or studying in the library. Contact with lecturers is very good, and their doors are always open if you didn't understand something in a lecture. Either that or you can email them any questions.

Weekly cleaners to clean bathrooms, kitchen areas and hallways were always very good and thorough. On the cheaper end of the accommodation options, it is pretty good value for money. Inside the city walls, just off the main road into the city centre, it is great for nightlife, and only a 15-20 minute walk from the main campus. The kitchens are spacious, but a bit sterile. A bit like being on a high-school residential. But for the lower price compared to other options, it's okay. If you're not fussed about studio apartments or sharing bathrooms and kitchen, then this is a cheaper option. There is the option for choosing quiet accommodation, and you get placed in a house where other people have also selected the want for quiet accommodation. It can get quite loud though. University services are usually quite quick if things break, and there is an allocated on-site staff member who you can contact for any emergencies. Leaking showers are a problem though. The uni services only patch up the problem temporarily, instead of installing a whole new shower cubicle.

If you're looking for a smaller city to study in then Chester is a really great choice. I found city Universities and their spread-out campuses overwhelming when I went on Open Days, but the small size of Chester and how everything from shops to campuses are all within walking distance were great for me. As an art student the history and Tudor architecture and the Roman Walls are also a massive bonus! In terms of travel, it is right near the border to Wales, a 50 minute train ride away from Liverpool, and an hour+ train from Manchester. It's also right near Crewe, which has direct trains to places like London. It feels like a very friendly city, and and that goes for the University as well. The staff are all very accommodating and ready to help. The main campus, Exton Park is also only a 15 minute walk to the city centre, which is handy. I know there's only so much you can do at university and so much information to take in at once in the first year, but I would have liked to have been told more about the buildings where other courses are held, as there are still parts of the main campus I don't know about. Also the sports facilities feel a bit distant if you aren't a sports student. They do a have a good range of activities and sports sessions you can go to though. The library facilities are great = 24/7 access, vast amounts of journals, books and newspaper archives for you to research both online and physically. The shelves and sections are bit confusing to navigate, but there's usually someone at Reception you can ask for help, and scheduled sessions throughout the year to teach you how it all works. The same goes for the Library's online access. In regards to Creative courses, the great thing I'd say is that your tutors know you personally within the first week. Unlike other institutions, you aren't just a number, and your groups are often small enough that your tutors have time to help you. I would recommend Chester to anyone who is looking for a small, friendly University experience and who lives better in a less crowded environment.

The contact time with tutors is second-to-none. The smaller courses for Creative courses mean you always have tutors on hand to help you out, who know you personally and understand you. The Creative Campus is quite a way out from the rest of the University buildings and city centre however. There are buses, or it is a 30 minute walk. The Creative Campus offers a diverse range of art facilities, from the Print Workshop and Woodcutting machines to 3D printers, which you are encouraged to use no matter what course you're studying. In terms of the Fine Art course, the first year consists of exposing you to a range of different approaches to art-making and developing your practice, with lectures scheduled alongside introducing you to the history of Art, to contextualise your work. Practical courses are mostly in-person, with a Feedback session or Work Placement lectures done online over Microsoft Teams. There is a lot of help and support available in terms of preparing students for careers after the course. Tutors are there with advice whenever you have questions. The lecturers are very skilled, experienced and knowledgeable in what they teach. The only thing I would say when choosing your course is, consider what your potential course is going to contain. For example, I am interested in learning the basics of painting and drawing, but which isn't covered as much as I would have liked, as the course focuses on the Contemporary aspects of Fine Art.

For me it cost £109 per week. At the cheaper end of the cost range, it was alright value for money. We had problems with leaking showers above my room, and my ceiling had water leaking through. This caused my bed to be soaked multiple times, and the doorframe to swell, meaning my door would stick. I physically couldn't open my door a few times, due to the water and the expanding door. The porters did come round to sort it out, but they only used temporary solutions such as changing the door, and putting down a new shower floor, instead of changing the entire shower unit, which they said was the source of the problem. The Uni doesn't fund full renovations until the problem is unliveable. The kitchen facilities all worked, and so did the heating. For the cheaper type of accomodation, it served its purpose.