PhD Psychology - Perception and Action

University of Nottingham

I have enjoyed the course thus far, I have enjoyed exploring the campus and the opportunities for meeting new people and trying new things. Student support services are extremely helpful and efficient in addressing any issues/concerns raised whilst staying at the university particularly in regards to mental health. However meeting and becoming friends with new people has been a bit of a struggle and the first term was somewhat lonely, there are times where I have also felt confused on my course and unsure of what to do/ where to go for help. The style of learning is very different from that of previous education which takes a lot of adjusting to which has meant that I felt as though I was not really learning very much. All the things available to do/ get involved in can become very overwhelming and confusing so keeping this as clear, concise and without clashes (with other events) would be helpful.

I feel like I belong here, I love the people that I’ve met and I really enjoy the course. The university has such great facilities, particularly the gym.

I adore how beautiful the campus us! The greenery and lake is a perfect place to take a walk in between lectures to refresh your mind. I find it so beneficial. The facilities are second to none, 24 hour libraries, cheap coffee and a bar all on campus, what more could a student want! The student life is incredible, with so many nightclubs and bars in the city, but also things to do if you are not into nightclubbing, like ice skating or board game cafes. I feel so supported at the university with many points of contact for support, such as my tutor, the careers, team, the wellbeing team and even on on campus counselling building. I am still to this day so grateful for being accepted into Nottingham, because I truly has been the best 4 years of my life, and I really don't want to leave!

The nature around the campus is beautiful. Although the nature is beautiful, the outside of most buildings looks terrible (the gloomy dirty bricks), but the inside of the buildings I have been to are modern. It is not in the city centre, so its very peaceful, however if you need to go to city centre it does not take long to get there with good transportation links. It is also in a very safe area; not once have I felt unsafe to walk around campus at night. There are activities everyday for students to take part in provided by the residential experience team and the students' union. A great sports village - although they do not provide gym memberships where you can pay monthly instead you have to buy a long term membership in one go. You need the gym membership to enter any part of the building apart from the cafe, so this I thought was the worst part of my uni experience, as the clubs I wanted to attend, I could not due to not being able to buy the membership in one go. In addition to this, if you just want to attend one club, you have to pay for the gym membership as well as the club, even if you don't plan on going to the gym, since you need it to access their facilities. This I feel could be heavily improved, perhaps separate turnstile gates for the gym. Note that if you live in any catered halls on campus, or Dagfa, you get the gym membership for free. Nonetheless, the night life is good and it is a lively student city.

A massive draw for me was the amazing sports facilities at the university of Nottingham (UON) ; the multi-million pound David Ross sports centre equipped with its own pool, climbing wall, gym and sports halls. Furthermore, if you are living in UON owned halls then you receive a free membership to the David Ross centre. There are many sports societies available, The Campus is also beautiful- it's very green and full of wildlife such as rabbits and even has it's own lake. The Campus is also situated next to the stunning Wollaton Park and there are excellent transport links into town via the bus or tram which only take around 20 minutes. The university puts a lot of effort into student experiences: the Residential life team run lots of free social events for those living in university halls. Academic wise I find my lecturers engaging and am satisfied with the broad range of module choices available to me. My only negative feedback is that I am doing a joint honours degree but only have a personal tutor from my lead department so sometimes it's hard for me to know who to approach when struggling with questions from my other topic. Overall I am extremely glad that I chose to study at the University of Nottingham.