Fun, interesting and practical

Always offering extra curricular courses

Interesting practical and friendly tutors

Good sports facilities

tad busy

Very active, friendly, enjoyable

Very good, always around to help

I studied for 4 years at York St. John, having studied an undergraduate and postgraduate here. I student my postgraduate degree here because I loved my undergraduate and wanted to continue my education with lecturers I knew, with amazing facilities and in a city I loved. I wouldn't change anything about my time here!

There is a dedicated careers team with an open walk in office in our main reception building. They offer advice and send regular emails about local jobs and graduate roles at the University if you sign up for it. The sports department have great links with local businesses for work experience and local professional teams for experience, research and prospects of paid opportunities. I managed to work in academy football, semi-professional rugby league and amateur futsal. The experience I have gained with these teams has allowed me to grow as a researcher and a professional in different environments and roles.

My class sizes were small and this suited me fine. The small sizes allowed lectures to know you on a more personal level and could be easily contacted at regular intervals. I really enjoyed the practical approach to teaching and the use of state of the art equipment to prepare us for the world of work. The academics on my course emphasised the production of valuable research, aiming to publish our final research thesis through a peer reviewed journal and even paid for attendance to research conferences.

5

I think our Students Union is a beautiful building with regular events to keep students engaged and entertained. There is certainly something for everyone, with quiz nights to karaoke. The three appointed presidents of the Students Union work hard to help all students. They run campaigns and open sessions regularly to improve student satisfaction and safety. There is a heavy emphasis on sports participation within the Students Union, with a growing interest in societies. While societies had been given less help in past years there was a noticeable push to support societies recently. As a committee member for a sports team, I found the Students Union to be accommodating of simple requests but more difficult when the request was not something they had encountered before. This required additional explaining from the committee to gain the Students Unions approval.

The universities facilities are brilliant!! As a sport student, and having participated in sport, I had access to our wonderful Haxby Road site which had multiple all-weather pitches, grass pitches indoor facilities and a strength and conditioning suite. Additionally, on our main campus there were biomechanics and physiology labs. Having access to these facilities meant that I was taught in industry accredited labs and state of the art facilities that mimicked real-life situations. Having access to lots of different equipment allowed me to research multiple different areas and learn to use equipment that is required within the professional world. The University Library spanned three floors, with a mixture of group work space and quiet areas. This gave me options that suited my needs and desired study methods. There is an onsite gym that is small but cheap and effective.

York is an outstanding city! I absolutely loved my time in York. There is always something to do when you go into town. A mixture of bars, museums, shops, and other attractions will keep you busy all year round. The city itself is beautiful, the minster is stunning and walking the city walls in the summer was one of my favourite things to do. There are lots of festivals that go on in the city centre throughout the year; my favourite are the food festival and the Christmas market.

There are a large variety of sports and societies, especially considering the small size of the university. I have seen multiple new sports and societies be founded in my time at York St. John, which shows it is ever growing. The sports teams have a mixture of competitive and recreational focuses, with societies also adding a non-competitive element. Sports and societies are encouraged to complete charity and volunteering events during the academic year. This keeps the university busy with regular events that raise money and increase engagement between sports. charity events were always a great social event that helped me meet lots of different people at university. The sports and societies also hold loads of fancy dress events all year round. Getting dressed up and going out was a definite highlight of my university life.

The academic support is brilliant. I always found my academics to be easily contactable and ready to help. There is also an online booking system where you can schedule meetings with academics when you want to talk. Personal support was definitely well ran at York St. John. There is financial, academic, mental health and careers support available from the reception area. They run regular drop-in sessions most days of the week and hold additional events throughout the year. I accessed several of these and found the support staff to be kind and helpful.