The best is the student life, the worst is probably the constant strikes and industrial action.

The strikes and industrial actions affect teaching content and quality. But everything else is really good.

No

The Best: For my degree, the staff are so lovely. There’s always an element of support despite the focus and push for independence, which I feel is an amazing balance. The facilities are student-tailored, affordable, and so much fun. Augustine Library — one of three library locations — is absolutely blissful and has a great way of sectioning quiet vs. collaborative study. There are always events that are guaranteed to bring new acquaintances and growth opportunities into your life. All the main essentials for supreme mental health are quite close-knit and within walking distance — the train station, the library, grocery/cosmetic stores, clubs, uni — everything you need you can walk to if you’re able, which makes living even more affordable. The “Worst”: I’ve personally not had to use Student Zone (the support hub for practically every enquiry) yet, but I’ve heard a few complaints from my peers. I do think it’s to do with the fact that they have so many enquiries and not enough time in some circumstances, but that said, I still think improvement would be great. One other thing is the detail of information you are given in some circumstances can be very vague. One example is after being told I’m eligible for a bursary, I wasn’t told the dates at which I would receive it and had to follow up through two different teams to receive this information. And in terms of extra-curriculars, when paying your memberships, the information on what the membership actually includes could be presented better, as after buying my memberships there were additional costs which I was under the impression were already included in the memberships.

The Best: I honestly am struggling to answer this section because I think uni is definitely what you make it, and it is really down to the individual on how well you do. But on the other hand, I may actually only be saying this because I know CCCU (my uni) has done everything they can to support me in my studies — and maybe other unis aren’t actually like that — hence why I feel like I’m in a position to be so self-driven and goal-orientated. For example, all seminar and lecture materials and slides can be accessed long before a session has even taken place, meaning if you read ahead, the lectures are a breeze compared to trying to listen and type, which I’ve personally discovered is not the easiest way to go about taking in information. Everything I need for my studies is in one place on a system called Blackboard, and we are constantly being given feedback on our assignments and pointed to support if we need it. Opportunities like paid Student Ambassador and Student Rep have meant that I get more contact time with staff if I do happen to need any additional help with my studies. The “Worst”: Honestly, like previously stated, everything I feel shaky or unsure about is mostly because it’s work that I need to do myself — for example, extra reading or practice. But one thing I will say is that for some lectures, sometimes the slides are really vague, making pre-reading a bit hard because I don’t understand what the slide is supposed to mean. Then after the lecture, I’ll find that I still don’t quite understand what the slide means. Obviously, this can be overcome by simply asking the lecturer, which is what I have done, but I think it’s just worth saying it here too.

The Best: My accommodation is very cozy. I did have a big thing about insects, but honestly, the insects I’ve seen have been very tiny and haven’t been frequent, which I think is normal for any building, let alone uni accommodation. The kitchen has basically everything you need, and reporting faults is very straightforward and simple — you don’t even have to be in to have faults fixed. The email communication is outstanding — you usually get notified by security when you receive a parcel, when there are dangers in the area, or when there are additional welcome treats they are giving away haha. There is top-tier safety and building management, and the accommodation staff are so lovely. The “Worst”: I did have a problem with my heating when I first moved in — my room was extremely cold for a week, but once reported, it was fixed extremely quickly. So I don’t have anything negative to say really.