Software Engineering

University of Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a unique city with lots to do. The University is in the heart of that. The sports and library facilities are great too. Timetabling could be improved

Best: - Great location (near the beach) - Great support for students with different backgrounds - Great opportunities to self-grow and CV - Lots of socials and events to help students Worst: - Some buildings need to be upgraded - Some equipment should be upgraded - Some lectures should be substituted for younger and open-minded people

Best is the facilities, recent years they have implemented the best around. To be improved could be news boards and better ways of informing students of what is happening around campus and city.

My experience with Portsmouth Uni so far has been pretty good, the first year for me started right after Covid rules relaxed a bit, so they just switched back from online only. Despite that, the experience wasn't too bad, I was able to use the library when needed, and they have pretty good cafes on campus built into some of the uni buildings, you can also occasionally receive free fruit from the library. I switched from Computer Science to Software Engineering after the first year, the switch was very easy, I was told I would need to study a module over the summer to be refreshed on the relevant topics, although I didn't receive access to the module. It didn't affect my studying but is something to note. One of the key downsides is honestly Moodle, some lecturers use it religiously others don't, and the inconsistency is very annoying, it isn't very standardised. A lot of module lecturers use Discord to give out information, while some use strictly Moodle, most lecturers give out the presentation after a lecture some do not. I think a key improvement for the University of Portsmouth would be a standardised Moodle layout, with Discord as a forum for student collaboration. One of the key upsides is the progression, in my time at the University they have evolved multiple modules from previous feedback, and the infrastructure has been improved (they literally added more benches/seats outside the Dennis Sciama and Buckingham buildings a few weeks back), so generally I can't see why it wouldn't improve further down the line. The good: Module Lecturers - the ones I have had are great. Open Access IT - there are loads of access points to use the University computers. Walking distance - this may depend on the faculty you join but, for the School of Computing the distance between the library/Gunwharf Quays/Portsmouth city centre is good, you have a range of options for lunch. The Library - during my second year this was my second home, it is open pretty much always, has lots of seats (but does get full quickly), and has a pretty good system for booking private rooms to study as a group, most of which have a whiteboard, TV with HDMI cable and a half dozen chairs with a table. The bad: The software - generally using the software off-campus requires a 5-8 step process, usually: type login details to log into VPN, go to email, get 2FA code from the email to put into VPN, and do whatever you were trying to access. This is obviously a security-related thing but it is very annoying, when they introduced the 2FA system I had amassed 60 login codes within 2 weeks because it seemed to hate me. The module explanations - for a lot of the modules I took as an optional it wasn't very well explained what the content would actually be, they have a module catalog to view all the ongoing/future modules but it really doesn't get updated accurately enough. I have taken an optional module that I assumed based on that catalog but turned out to be vastly different. I have enjoyed them all so far, it just felt misleading. I think the catalog system they have could be improved to help students get a better understanding of the modules before starting. Timetabling - I understand this is a huge complex issue booking lots of different modules for thousands of students/lecturers, but every year so far I have had in one teaching block or the other a 2-3 hour gap between timetabled lectures/labs. This might not be a problem for you if you live on campus within 10 10-minute walk, but I live 25 minutes away via car, which means I have to either commute twice to the University or just hang around somewhere until the next session. You can use this time to study or explore Portsmouth but as an at-home student I prefer doing my work on my home computer, which puts me specifically in an awkward position, again this might be fine for another person but I find it quite annoying.

The university is amazing for the course i have chosen, i did lots of research went to applicant days, normally it feels like professors and staff will try and act differently to sell the course and instution to you, but in my experience, they truely are that passionate and that excited about the course! My only downside is the students union and the look of some of the buildings, some of the university buildings seem tired and in need of a fresh coat of paint, some just need a refurbish, and some just need to be gone. The student union for most universitys is the heart of the uni, its where people go to study hang out, make friends, drink, party. In portsmouth it seems like an afterthought, they dont really seem to be a part of day to day life. I have never even seen a reason to explore the building fully!