University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
Firstly it is worthy to know that I am a mature student. The significance of this is that I have very limited time to dedicate to studying. Anytime I do have, including the time spent in lectures, is precious and needs to be used wisely.
That being said, the course itself (BSc Software Engineering) is a well-designed course and provides a student with ALL THE THEORY you could possibly need. This for me personally is problematic and having spoken to many students of varying ages and backgrounds, studying different courses at different universities, it appears the problem I am about to explain is ubiquitous across university courses in general.
The sheer volume of information chucked at us on the course has been insane, that combined with the quick turnaround and multiple modules simultaneously has resulted in me, a third-year student about to finish, feeling as though I barely remember anything we have covered and that I have almost no practical skills. Further to this, in a lot of lectures, I failed to see how the content was relevant to the assignment I needed to complete. Yes, the content was relevant to the overall subject, as I have previously stated though, my time is extremely precious. This extra information is also easily and freely available online and so is very easy to obtain at will.
I see the benefit of a degree in that it proves you are capable of a certain level of learning, but please, whatever university or course you are thinking of, do not kid yourself and think you are guaranteed to come away with a wealth of knowledge and skills unless you are a super learner and/or dedicated and able to spend 100's of hours each month covering all the information individually.
I do not feel ready to work in the field of software engineering. So I am actively looking for an employer that will take me 'under their wing' and teach me what I NEED TO KNOW. In hindsight, an apprentice-style degree, something that is available at the University of Suffolk for Software Engineering, would have been immeasurably more beneficial!
To be clear, I think this is a problem of traditional university style degree courses in general and not at all specific to the University of Suffolk or their Software Engineering degree. It is however something I feel very passionate about and something I had not seen or read anywhere previously. I think every student should be plainly and bluntly made aware of this before committing time and money to a course. Luckily, I have secured funding through non-conventional routes, had I incurred huge debt to be able to study I would have felt hugely disappointed as I fail to see what justifies the enormous charge for studying at university in terms of knowledge and skills. there is however the potential to put you in a position to obtain a more 'prestigious' job/role depending on the grade you obtain. Maybe you're just paying for elitism... That might be worth the investment, depending on the salary.
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
Location
Institution Location
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
Campus look and feel
Institution Campus look and feel
Student life
Institution Student life
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
Course rating
Course rating
Firstly it is worth knowing that I am a mature student. The significance of this is that I have very limited time to dedicate to studying. Anytime I do have, including the time spent in lectures, is precious and needs to be used wisely.
That being said, the course itself (BSc Software Engineering) is a well-designed course and provides a student with ALL THE THEORY you could possibly need. This for me personally is problematic and having spoken to many students of varying ages and backgrounds, studying different courses at different Universities, it appears the problem I am about to explain is ubiquitous across University courses in general.
The sheer volume of information chucked at us on the course has been insane, that combined with the quick turnaround and multiple modules simultaneously has resulted in me, a third-year student about to finish, feeling as though I barely remember anything we have covered and that I have almost no practical skills. Further to this, in a lot of lectures, I failed to see how the content was relevant to the assignment I needed to complete. Yes, the content was relevant to the overall subject, as I have previously stated though, my time is extremely precious. This extra information is also easily and freely available online and so is very easy to obtain at will.
I see the benefit of a degree in that it proves you are capable of a certain level of learning, but please, whatever University or course you are thinking of, do not kid yourself and think you are guaranteed to come away with a wealth of knowledge and skills unless you are a super learner and/or dedicated and able to spend 100's of hours each month covering all the information individually.
I do not feel ready to work in the field of software engineering. So I am actively looking for an employer that will take me 'under their wing' and teach me what I NEED TO KNOW. In hindsight, an apprentice-style degree, something that is available at the University of Suffolk for Software Engineering, would have been immeasurably more beneficial!
To be clear, I think this is a problem of traditional University style degree courses in general and not at all specific to the University of Suffolk or their Software Engineering degree. It is however something I feel very passionate about and something I had not seen or read anywhere previously. I think every student should be plainly and bluntly made aware of this before committing time and money to a course. Luckily, I have secured funding through non-conventional routes, had I incurred huge debt to be able to study I would have felt hugely disappointed as I fail to see what justifies the enormous charge for studying at university in terms of knowledge and skills. there is however the potential to put you in a position to obtain a more 'prestigious' job/role depending on the grade you obtain. Maybe you're just paying for elitism... That might be worth the investment, depending on the salary.
Course content
Course content
Work placements and internships
Work placements and internships
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
Tutor contact time
Tutor contact time
Subject facilities
Subject facilities
University location
University location
I'm a mature student and have been to numerous towns and cities in the UK. Honestly, they are all pretty much the same and so Ipswich is not unique. It has numerous good and bad points that totally vary depending on who YOU are. My advice, ignore any individuals review and do your own research. If you're able to, go to the towns or cities where you attend to study and stay there for a week or so. Get to know the feel of the place, you'll soon realise what is right for YOU!
Cost of living
Cost of living
Public transport
Public transport
Part-time work opportunities
Part-time work opportunities
Graduate employment opportunities
Graduate employment opportunities
Have you stayed in your Universty's hall?
Have you stayed in your Universty's hall?
No