I am staying in the on - campus accommodation. The university has a peaceful ambience because of its location. There is a small lake inside the campus. The university follows sustainable environment practices. There are occasional events organised by the students and the staff to make the Uni life exciting. The student’s union also plays a significant role in supporting the students. They distribute once in every two months a small packet of food and clothes. The music lecture halls, music and film studios are sound proof and exhibit industry standard equipments. The out station compulsory course trips take place twice a year for a small fee. The lecturers are always keen to help with the queries. They can be contacted on either MS teams or email outside the lecture hours. In terms of safety, fire alarms are tested each week and fire drills take place twice a year. All the areas are accessible only through a key card (issued only to the current students & staff). There are monthly visits by residential advisors to ensure the welfare of on campus residents. The staff is friendly and caring. There are also monthly maintainance exercises for the whole campus. The security personnel is available on campus and can be contacted 24x7. There is a place called ‘Sanctuary’ on each campus where the students can come to relax, talk to a chaplain, have some free snacks or congregate for a small event. It is also open on the weekends. However, the university is spread across three campuses - Park, Francis Close Hall and Oxstalls and the accommodation over five localities. The university can provide for a free bus service for the students and the staff between these campuses and localities. The university can also partner with local firms for part time jobs for the students so that they support themselves. Nonetheless, it is one of the best places in U.K. to study and experience the Uni life !

The music lecture halls, music and film studios are sound proof and exhibit industry standard equipments. The out station compulsory course trips take place twice a year for a small fee. The lecturers are always keen to help with the queries. They can be contacted on either MS teams or email outside the lecture hours if they are not on campus. The teaching is mostly with practical examples for better understanding. The sessions are offline, interactive and taught through power point presentation and audio softwares. The student attendance is monitored and contact hour policy is strictly followed. There are collaborations with students from the game course which is not a part of a module but helps to learn and understand more. Some lectures take place in the open (for example a park) to understand and capture the ambient sound.

University of Gloucestershire is spread across 3 campuses: 2 in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester. The cities have a serene and green environment. The campuses have bicycle stands and battery powered VOI scooter parking spots. Markets are at a walking distance. Almost all places are served by the Gloucestershire’s Stage Coach buses. The cities also have good restaurants of diverse cuisines. Occasional street market are set up near promenade in the town centre. The student accommodation and private rental housing is cheaper than in London. London is at 2 hours distance via train and Birmingham is 1 hour away via coach. Cheltenham festivals showcasing literary and music works are organised each year. Students can also participate in them. Cheltenham marathon takes place in summers. There are also good opportunities for part time jobs in the cities. Overall it’s safe with student friendly vibes !

The rooms in the Park Villas are en-suite with common kitchen. There are 3 floors with 9 rooms on each floor and a kitchen. The kitchens have amenities like refrigerator, 8 cooking hobs, 1 microwave, 1 electric kettle, 1 toaster and 2 ovens. The present rent is £163.00 per week. It can be paid either in a single transaction or over a period of certain months. However, the contract length may vary depending on the applicant’s requirement. Fire alarms are tested each week and fire drills take place twice a year. All the areas are accessible only through a key card (issued only to the current students & staff). However, for the accommodation, the key cards work only for the allocated Villa. The laundry service is provided by the student’s union through circuit laundry which is expensive. It costs about £6.00 per laundry including wash and dry. The Internet service is looked after by the IT & Library department. Students can connect to the Internet either through WiFi or one dedicated Ethernet port in each room. There are monthly visits by residential advisors to ensure the welfare of on campus residents. The staff is friendly and caring. There are also monthly maintainance exercises for the whole campus. The security personnel is available on campus and can be contacted 24x7. It’s a good place to make friends !!

The people certainly do make the experience. My lecturers, coursemates and additional technicians and staff members are always friendly, accomodating and knowledgeable. In terms of the worst aspects, id probably have to say the students union as they are practically unseen around campus. There are practically no events (atleast very few if you include the occasional open mic night) and have very little influence on the day to day uni experience which is a shame. Even the student union radio isnt functional anymore...

Facilities are ace, rehersal rooms and studios can be booked out in advance for any musical requirements. Lecturers are some of the best people ever! Very knowledgeable in their subject areas

The placement of the halls is great, but it seems theres very little budget to maintain the halls - the kitchens are basic and a lot of the hardware (kettles, toasters, ovens etc) need updating as they are leaps and bounds below halls such as pitville