Earth Sciences degrees in Southern England

I attend UOG Francis Close Hall campus and it's so incredibly inspiring. It's a great oldy-worldy historical site and it was really the deal-breaker for me choosing UOG; although my course mates and I were severely let down when we were told we would have to move to Oxstalls campus in Gloucester... we managed to get the union involved but only managed to get it pushed back a year for us, all new students in September for social science will be in Oxstalls and won't get to experience the beauty of FCH. Such a shame. Despite this, the facilities are amazing, staff are equipped with great knowledge and are all incredibly friendly. All students are friendly and light-minded, it's a great environment to study in and socialise. I commute so I cannot speak on the social side of student accommodation and/or going out, but as a commuter it meets all my needs! I really recommend studying here, the lecturers know what they're talking about, and are amazing at illustrating theories and concepts in ways that make sense.

It is great as there are a lot of green zones, a lot of parks, etc. There are a lot of students and it’s easy to make friends. The bad part is that the amount of coursework doesn’t let me totally enjoy all of the amenities

Overall, my uni experience has been really positive. It’s a pretty new university, which shows in the facilities, and there’s a lot of support available if you need it. The lectures are generally good and engaging, which makes a big difference. That said, there have been some frustrating moments, especially with miscommunication around things like timetables—it can get confusing and a bit stressful when information isn’t clear or changes last minute. The handling of the meningitis situation could also have been better, as we only got an email quite late after cases had already been reported, which didn’t feel very reassuring. Outside of uni, Canterbury is a nice place to live and has a great atmosphere, even if it can be a little boring at times.

i love the facilities at this uni, the library and the teaching is great. there are many places for all types of students ,quiet or not, to go and the nightlife in the city is prety decent. it is quite affordable compared to other universitys close by. the societies are fantastic aswell. the university could improve on certain teaching aspects in the first year to ease us into how very independant it all is

The lectures in my course are very helpful and always get back to you when you have questions. We have good weeks timetabling where we have online lessons and in person and we start at a nice time as well which gives people time to travel. Our lectures give us PowerPoints which we can also look at when at home for more revision. The university is big and is a couple bus stops from train stations which is helpful as well. There is lots of places to get food and they have a wide variety of things.

WIFI is absolutely awful and there are many dead zones around campus. How can a top-level engineering university provide such poor internet connection, especially when all of our assignments are internet based and due online? I am constantly searching for places around campus with any useable connection and the VPN speeds when you're off campus are just unusable. It's the year 2024. How have we not figured this out yet? It's absolutely unaccusable. You have the money to build an entire new campus, but can't fix the internet at your main campus? Awful.

The lecturers are lovely and the course material is good. I think the study could be somewhat more guided, though that may just be the reality of university. I think neurodiverse students, such as myself, would benefit greatly from more explcit and personal guidance

The best aspects of my university experience have been the sense of community and the opportunities for personal and academic growth. My course is taught by passionate lecturers who make the subject feel relevant and engaging, and I’ve appreciated how approachable most staff are when I need help. There are also plenty of extracurricular activities and societies, which made it easy to meet people with similar interests. The campus facilities—like the library, study spaces, and wellbeing services—have also been a big part of what makes it a great place to study. In terms of what could be improved, there are a few key areas. Communication between departments could sometimes be clearer, especially around deadlines and timetable changes. At busy times of the year, access to study spaces can become limited, and more quiet areas or longer opening hours would make a difference. It would also help if there were more practical, hands-on learning opportunities such as placements, workshops, or industry links, as these really enhance understanding and employability. Overall, the university offers a supportive and stimulating environment, but with better organisation and more resources during peak periods, the student experience could be even stronger.

Most of the lecturers are great and very talented. But I would say the first year is very intense in terms of pace and the amount of content for each lecture so a little overwhelming. There’s a large amount of neuroscience and stats. Feedback can be a bit vague. There are societies and sport clubs. I tried a few societies but found them cliquey but others like them. Can’t comment on SUbas I’m a commuter and never been. The location of the uni is pretty isolated and boring. I’m a commuter but would feel bored living in Egham. It just feels like a village and is a 2 mile round walk. The uni is next to an A road and the walk up the hill is dodgy (narrow path). The people here tend to be on the posh side. I do think the campus and library is pretty, there’s a good library and teaching quality is good.