Business Finance degrees

Its a very welcoming environment and both Staff and students are a delight to talk to. Help is always on hand when needed, whether its the library assistance or just support with everyday student life at the university.

Overall great place, very friendly and helpful all around. As a committee member for a society there has been a few issues which could be improved involving the union (as we booked a room months in advance for the event however the day of the event we were informed we weren't allowed to use the space as they did not want to turn the heating on despite approving our request in advance) but other than small situations everything has been rather perfect. Most issues I have would be rather difficult to resolve however, sometimes it is frustrating to be unable to do work unless I am using the university computers due to the software being outdated when I downloaded the same software at home using the provided student services and licenses. I do accept it is difficult to fully update all pieces of software as students are still accessing the versions being provided but there has been times I have started work at home and been unable to open it at the university, making it difficult to work on my assignment unless I work exclusively at home or exclusively at the university. My only other major issue is how loud some of the ventilation can be. I have a very difficult time differentiating sound in my brain and the loud buzzing of some equipment has made it hard to understand what the lecturers are teaching. At most this may simply be distracting to some but for me personally it can make it harder to understand the information being taught if there is multiple locations of sounds (such as the class being taught, sounds of the computers being used, eternal equipment, others talking which the lecture is occurring, etc.). Once again these issues are most likely unable to be solved but I mention them just incase. Finally, some of my courses have put clear information out about AI use and its prohibition of it (for more modern AI developments such as generative for art). While AI is at a point where it is unavoidable, I deeply appreciate that the university is showing its stance on the matter for it is a comfort to know that despite being on a course which AI is attempting to 'improve' by taking the work myself and other artists ate using without compensation, the people behind the course and teaching it are not allowing the use of such AI for our development. I have heard from others than some lecturers are pushing for AI use to be more common in university (which honestly feels rather disappointing as what is the point in paying for this degree if it is not my work behind the grade?), but there has been many efforts to band together to show what stance the students personally have in hopes of not having our work devalued due to AI being used by others. My general experince at this university has taught me a lot and helped me meet others so I can improve as a person overall. There is very little to criticise due to how smoothly everything is ran, outside of small issues which are very difficult to 'resolve' or are commonly caused by my own personal situation which they cannot change. After being here for almost 2 years I feel like I have a solid grasp on what and who I wish to be in the future, thanks to the university's support after being stuck in life after college.

The student union at our University is amazing and very helpful, the social life is great too and both the SU and University have several events on throughout the week meaning there is something to do everyday. The accomodation on campus is lovely too and there are so many different options to suit different preferences, everybody I have met has loved their accomodation regardless of where they’re staying. I would say that some parts of campus are fairly rundown, a lot of main buildings are big square concrete buildings and so after time they discolour and look a bit worse for wear, some newer buildings like the Business School are absolutely gorgeous but I do find the majority of spaces could do with some refreshing. Additionally, the Albert Sloman library claims to be open 24 hours but that’s only true for I believe 4 out of 7 days which can make last minute work slightly difficult at times. The thing I would like to see improved the most at my University is the selection of cafes and restaurants. I find this to be the worst aspect of the uni because most of these places serve food that is either very unhealthy (I.e. fast fried food, pastries, pizzas etc) and honestly not all that appetising. When I compare it some of the campus food and drink facilities of other universities, they all seem to be very modern, on trend, healthy etc. and I think that Essex lacks that in some areas.

Best has been the campus is large and the SU is good most of the time, very cheap drinks. Kpa is also a great pub with good lighting. Worst aspect may be the overbearing course content. Lectures aren’t always helpful in understanding content.