OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
It's been pretty good. There's been bumps in the road along the way, but putting that aside, it's been great fun. Mainly the social...
University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
It's been pretty good. There's been bumps in the road along the way, but putting that aside, it's been great fun. Mainly the social side and making new friends, which I think most people would say. Also expanding on my interest for my subject too has been really rewarding for me, and I am looking forward to continuing this and starting to specialise in certain areas.
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Excellent. Everything I could ever need. Very good sports facilities, a gym, a huge library with 7 floors and an observatory on the 7th floor, plenty of computers (they can be pretty full during the day sometimes but on an evening, it's usually nice and peaceful), and of course the union building which has lots of social spaces and food places. There's also a fair few cafes dotted around campus.
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
The lecturers and my AST are very kind and helpful, and reply to emails very quickly. Feedback could be a bit more detailed - sometimes I've had things like 'no', or 'ok' from lecturers. Single words are no good to me! They do try to get to know you as a person though, rather than just treating you like 'a student'. The counselling service is quite good, sometimes you have to wait for an appointment, but the people who work there are lovely and helpful.
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
The facilities in the union are fantastic. There's a nightclub that has weekly themed club nights, a bar that's open all week selling food, drink and also does karaoke, a Waterstones, a pizza takeaway, wellbeing/support and a Spar for essentials, hot food and snacks. The Union represent students very well, and are very active on social media.
Local life
Is your university in a good location in terms of distance to accommodation and local amenities?
It is very close to essential amenities, such as small chain and independent shops & pubs, and is very close to all university managed accommodation. However, to get to the centre it's a bus ride, and it does get costly so you have to limit how often you visit the centre.
Societies and Sports
How would you rate the variety of societies/sports?
There are loads of societies to choose from, so there's something for everyone! They're excellent for sharing interests, making new friends and having fun!
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
Most: The variety of content, brand new and challenging content, being assessed in various ways, enthusiasm from the lecturers and they are very friendly! Good contact hours.
Least: Some content can be a bit dry, although that is to be expected as you are taught a large variety in first year, both physical and human, there's quite a high workload to get used to, some lecturers could be more enthusiastic and engaging. Not many seminars - I'd say add more, so more discussion is going on. I've had about 6 this academic year!
How many contact hours per week do you have?
12
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
At current, not much, however I am just finishing 1st year. They do hold job fairs, and later in the course there is the opportunity for work placements.
University halls
What do you think about the safety, condition, location and cost of your accommodation?
Very safe. A little expensive but good for what it is. Could be closer to the big shops.