OVERALL UNIVERSITY RATING
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
The university experience so far has been amazing. I initially felt uncomfortable about leaving home, but there’s people in place...
University rating
Tell us about your overall university experience so far.
The university experience so far has been amazing. I initially felt uncomfortable about leaving home, but there’s people in place to make you comfortable as possible.
Facilities
How good are your university's facilities?
The university’s facilities are excellent. From the library being open 24:7 term time to the labs over at the uni being accessible (when classes are not in use). There’s use of a maths cafe, so if I have any problems with the work , I can go there and have help by a lecturer, which is amazing because it really gives the 1-to-1 attention that is needed.
Student support
How good is the support offered by the uni? Think both academic (tutors/feedback) and personal (counselling, etc).
The support offered by the uni is outstanding. When I had financial issues in the first year, I had constant help from the university in terms of the student finance department and the income department. They really made me feel at ease the whole time.
The support offered by the feedback of work is also good. A lot of time when coursework is marked and handed back it has comments in which I can improve which really helps with the exam.
Students' union
What do you think of your Students' Union in terms of student representation and facilities?
The student union, is as from what I can gather, successful in uniting students from different backgrounds together in forms of social/ sporting events and successful in any issues that a student might have about uni and representing these issues to higher up people.
I don’t really get involved with the student union as sporting events aren’t my thing, and I have a close group of friends.
Local life
Is your university in a good location in terms of distance to accommodation and local amenities?
The city life is very good. With clubs and pubs being filled with students and a very good vibe, there’s also a sense that Portsmouth is ‘student city’, with student deals at cafes/clubs/restaurants appealing to this. Due to this student city status, it can feel like a very safe place to live
Societies and Sports
How would you rate the variety of societies/sports?
Haven’t been part of any club/ society so can’t judge it that well but for what they are, they look pretty good
Lecturers and teaching quality
What do you like most and least about the way your course(s) are taught?
I like most the way in which we have focused coursework throughout the year, it can really help when building up to the exam, especially because you have no choice but to learn the unit.
I like least the fact that the classes can be so large, it’s hard to get one-on one help in these classes as other students also require help
How many contact hours per week do you have?
14
Career prospects
How does your uni make efforts to increase your employability (careers department, work placements, transferable skills)?
At Portsmouth, they take great care in trying to increase employability. Even from day one and the assignment of a personal tutor, whom helps increase your coordination and communication skills through presentations and team tasks. Then within my course, we have a dedicated unit in second year where we can learn what can really make you a great employee. The university also offers a sandwich course, in which a placement year can be taken in between the second and third year, which is a great chance for some experience. Also, the use of grad fairs and placement fairs and even a dedicated day of uni for employability day, really give the student an insight into the future, and what type of jobs are available/ right for the student. There’s also an employability center, that will do mock interviews, help put together the CV and help with any anxiety there is. Overall, I think Portsmouth makes an outstanding effort increasing my employability. When I came, I was not confident, had low communication/ presenting skills and really didn’t think I’d be good for any job, but Portsmouth has raised my confidence through events and specific tasks through the course. 100/10!