Criminology and Law (Study Abroad) - BA (Hons)

Lancaster University

Lancaster offers amazing support in relation to career planning and applications. In addition, it is a great environment to study in as it is quite a quiet and small town, meaning there is minimum distractions. Lancaster being a campus university is also ideal as it means all classes are relatively close by and easy to travel between. The one downside I have experienced whilst studying at Lancaster University is that the Students' Union are quite reluctant to fund academic competitions and some sports teams, which is not ideal. But please note, I do not know all of the background information regarding this and perhaps there is a valid reason, this is just my experience.

I think the best aspects are the location and course itself. I love the course and I think that its closeness to the lakes, and remoteness from town makes it as ideal as someone who is relatively introverted. I think that the course is well structured and the universities careers service pushes a range of opportunities in my field. I also think that the placement program is very necessary. I think the worst aspects are the student union. As someone who does a lot of sport, they are unwilling to help fund my sport specifically, there is minimal conversation over changes to procedure and there have been times where the student union have actively campaigned against my society in funding talks. I also think that the SU's statement surrounding the recent controversy with the University allowing a convicted rapist to graduate was disingenuous. They have on numerous occasions, failed to get involved with supporting clubs when members have accused other members of such things. I think that the student union needs to have more transparency and a better level of accountability. I also think that more support needed to be given to the campus bars, as the loss of them has been a tragedy for community space.

Lancaster campus is such a lovely place as it has everything you need on campus. The only negative I would say is being a little bit out of town if you do need to go into town.

I love the campus and the feel of it. It’s beautiful and very close-knit, which makes it feel like a community. I love the library and other facilities provided and the fact that there are always events going on somewhere makes uni life more exciting. I would say the worst aspect of my university experience so far was the fact that I need to be wary and cautious of what I say and do. For example, I might be joking, or saying something without literally meaning it and I would get reported and invited to a meeting for that. These measures are necessary sometimes but require me to attend meetings which I would rather not attend because it’s not major most of the time for me. Another thing is that the porters lodge is not always available and for example for picking up parcels, there can be inconvenience which causes delays

Best aspect is that everything is available and easy to contact. If I was struggling or needed support I know where to go. The lecture halls are great as are the rooms where my seminar takes place and the teaching is great. Worst aspects are probably accessing the work online on a platform called Moodle. I, and a lot of my colleagues, find it really difficult to access and find the work especially considering we weren't given a lot of direction on how it works.