Being a student at The University of Reading has been an excellent experience so far. As an international and mature student (29) attempting my first degree , I was slightly worried about not being able to fully integrate into Uni life, however that has been incredibly easy. There is almost un unlimited number of things to get involved in, and the Uni and its hundreds of student-lead societies are affiliated with numerous organisations in town and surrounding areas to get involved with. The university really help a lot with setting up societies and making extra-mural activities available. I personally am involved with the music society and have been in the Reading University Big Band and multiple other music acts since I began. The cammpus environment is the best thing for me (as an environmental management and sustainability student). Including a botanic garden, a lake, ponds, woodland and numerous meadows, you can easily spend all summer exploring and getting lost in extremely well cared for nature. The university has just been awarded the 4th Greenest/most sustainable university in the UK. The security is also great and on patrol 24/7 and everyone feels safe. The library have extremely good facilities and is open 24/7. I have recieved really good support from the student support centres from finding out how to do anything on campus, to getting extensions on assignments, and help with getting in touch quickly with counsellors and the well-being team during times of mentl health issues. Big green flag for me! The communication with all university staff has been great, from the simple 'ask a question' function through the uni's online portal, to being able to e-mail my lecturers, professors and PhD students for help and advice. In my first year I managed to get in touch with a PhD student who was able to test carbon content in soil samples I had collected for an assignment (as I was not allowed access to this equipment during first year), so although I was not allowed to physically use the equiment, the possibility is still there. Another green flag! One thing the university put a lot of effort into is Diversity and Inclusion of minority groups. The integration of international students and people of BAME communities is evident. In my opinion and experience, it is a valuable thing to meet people from all over the world, it helps you see things in a different way! I meet an international student or a student from a different racial and cultural background every time I am on campus. Working in the cafe's and bars on campus is easy to get into, and provides a good way to meet people! On that note, I have also meet industry professionals from Union leaders to International Ministers, by attending seminars that the univserity host. The uni seem to be well connected internationally. The one red flag for me, are the computers on campus. Although I mostly use the computers on campus (found in the library and computer rooms all over campus and available 24/7) which allows me to save all my work online, the computers can sometimes crash (very rarely) and can be a bit slow. This generally is not a problem for people as most students use their own laptops, but I am still a paper and pen kind of person and tend to use the computers on campus quite a lot. So, not a big deal, but my only red flag. Overall I rate The University of Reading 9/10. Most students I speak to are enjoying their courses and are satisfied with their experiences at The UNiversity of Reading.

This course has turned out to be perfect for me. The content is well constructed and delivered. All the compulsory modules are ecology and nature conservation/management based "small scale" in a way, and I had the option to choose more global scale modules, so there is a great mix of modules to choose from, and it was easy to choose. I find this course to be very practical, which I enjoy. I have been on loads of field trips in first year, and for 2nd year so far we went on a 5 day trip (included in the fees) to the coast. This field trip was incredible, and visiting 2 different sites everyday really showed a glimpse into the real world and what job opportunities are available after university. One bad aspect would be the fact that some content is repeated in some modules. This is only a small amount of content and isn't a bad thing necessarily, as it only helps develop the skills which you are learning.

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I really appreciate the Reading Researchers Development Programme (RRDP) for PhD students. I had a 15 year gap between completing my MSc and starting my PhD. As you can imagine, a LOT had changed in that time! The RRDP courses have therefore been invaluable in bringing me up to speed on various skills - from how to use the library and electronic resources through to academic writing techniques. I have found the university very supportive throughout my PhD journey. The 6-monthly Advisory Panel meetings provide reassurance that I am on track to meeting the required standards and provide useful advice on how to improve. My supervisors have also been very supportive. I really enjoy visiting campus when I am able. The library is highly conducive to study, with various study spaces available. Other amenities are good quality and, I think, reflect good value for money.

As a part-time PhD student, it has been a bit more difficult for me to get as much contact time with my supervisors as I would like. Particularly as I am based in Oxford, and therefore it is quite a mission to get to campus. However, when I do engage with my supervisors, it is always very constructive. As mentioned in my previous comment, the RRDP modules have been invaluable for upskilling someone who has taken quite a break from academia!

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