Journalism, Communications and Politics - BA (Hons)

Cardiff University

I love studying at Cardiff - it's a great city with loads to do, amazing people, vibrant and lovely, and it has a great selection of courses at the university. I really enjoy my course and studies, and there are a number of extracurriculars and events going on all the time. The staff and lecturers are really great, and I meet regularly with them to go through assessment feedback, module content, and 1-on-1s. Most of the buildings are really aesthetically pleasing and also practical, although some are better than others. The SU is great - I think YOLO and The Taf really set Cardiff apart from other universities. There are always fun events happening, and the prices are great. However, I've dropped a star this year due to a lack of student support. Last semester, I experienced an incident that I reported to the university in the hope of support and assistance, and I was met with silence, which was extremely disappointing. Timetabling this year was also really annoying. Although I knew this before arriving, the JOMEC building is so frustratingly out of the way. Being a Joint Honours student, JOMEC is an absolute nightmare in terms of travel, timetabling and work.

The campus help and availability is amazing. It seems as though everybody is willing to help you out on any needs you have. Student life is fun and there is rarely a dull moment as you can always find something to do. The only issue is since it is a city campus, I have to do a lot of walking since my classes are in the city centre, but all other activities are near the main campus and students union. The campuses physical and athletic support could be improved however. As facilities are minimal and there’s minimal space for physical training and recovery for top teams and athletes outside of practices which other universities fulfill. Overall, Cardiff is a wonderful place to study and the nightlife is simply amazing. No matter what type of person you are you can find something right for you at Cardiff.

The support I have as someone with SEN is very good and would recommend for anyone with an EHCP! The location of the Cardiff University campus is fairly good, however the building I am in for my degree is far from student living - particularly first years (50 min walk!)

The best part of Cardiff is the perfect mix between nights out and study spaces provided by the student union. CSU is massive and caters to everyone whether you want to drink or not. One thing that can be improved at Cardiff university is the accessibility to support networks. Both from personal experience and from friends, sometimes communication can be poor, for example I was once made to wait a whole weekend by my lecturer to find out if I failed an exam to turn up Monday and be told by student support that it wasn’t even a question that I would fail.

Cardiff is a very lively and social city and it is very easy to meet new friends by joining societies or just on a night out. Some of the accommodations in Cardiff are outdated and with tiny kitchens, but if you have good flatmates it won't matter. YOLO is the best club in Cardiff and I will be sad when I graduate and cannot go anymore. Everything in Cardiff is really close together with the town only being a 20 minute walk away from most accoms. Overall, I have had the best uni experience at Cardiff and would highly recommend.