Uni of York is extremely scenic and enjoyable to walk around, we have great opportunities for support however, we are never followed up for lack of attendance or queries regarding student mental health or support. I also find as well as course companions, the quality of teaching can be next to zero in terms of effort or quality.

We have had an improvement in the proceeding academic year in terms of contact and workshop varieties, which I’m happy to attend. However, the lack of quality teaching and enthusiasm from staff makes it challenging and it shows in attendance from majority of the lectures

York is a surprisingly expensive place to live, which is something I did not expect. Considering my halls was one of the cheapest options I would still consider it very expensive and hard to manage money wise. The building itself was old and had mould but did hold lots of character. I did enjoy my stay in fairfax but in terms of value for money you could live in much nicer places with the same money.

The University of York is an optimally placed university that is incredibly safe being situated in York, and the staff are incredibly friendly and warm. Unfortunately, this warmth and the kind words that come with it do nothing to help international students who are essentially disregarded. The university offers NO consideration for international housing and accommodation - not even bothering to offer themself as a guarantor unless the individual is estranged or essentially destitute. That is not the point to finally step-in. If the University of York is already siphoning almost triple the home student's tuition from international students, so why can they not reasonably budget even a fraction of that income to be the assured guarantor of their international student body? Why must every student be treated with such disregard when the international student body faces so many more obstacles to study and make a life for themselves in the University and country they find themselves in? Otherwise, I find myself enjoying the university experience of lectures and seminars, they are well put together and the academics are sound - my issues are with the university administration itself who seems more caught up in attracting new students than actually making the experience more sustainable and enjoyable for the students it already has. The student union as well has done some, petitioning back the robbed ability of students to freely take the 66 and 67 bus routes around campus but even then, there are stipulations of tapping on and off and failing to do so incurs a hefty fee. It just seems the University is putting its funding towards new projects instead of enhancing what it has; such is a recurring theme at the University of York and one that leaves much to be desired as current students feel robbed, superficially supported, and at a loss from their university heads. The university as well could be much better if it could actually house all of its undergraduate students and provide more services - there is not even free wash and dryer services. It is all paid for and its costs shifted onto the student body. The University and Student Union touts about the cost of living crisis yet a York student cannot even explore York's many museums without tourist fees - the university Nisas that are meant to offer bare minimum prices, are often times MORE expensive than Mark's & Spencer's and other high end grocery stores. A wash and a dry, not including wash liquid is at minimum 4.90 quid. The machines themselves are not even large enough for a typical wash load! I believe the University needs to take a step back and reexamine itself and all of its available avenues to improve student life and more importantly its support services - especially for its underserved and neglected international student body.

My course is entirely in-person learning with all lectures recorded for later viewing or if someone misses that lecture. I really enjoy in-person over online classes, and especially enjoy being able to build relationships with the lecturers and get to know them as they instruct on the module materials. The facilities of my course seem rather bare bone at the moment, with the most sophisticated thing we have being a projector, though not much is needed aside from a blackboard and writing utensil. The buildings are stuffy and old for lectures, and I, coming from America am not used to a severe lack of air conditioning, as each building seems to be sweltering hot or just right - and this is in the cold months, so I fear what is to come temperature wise. The career prospects for Actuarial Science are amazing, however, I am highly skeptical of the university/department's ability to provide any aid for work placements or internships and I am even more skeptical of their support to be offered - hence why I went through the painful process of "changing course" by going from Actuarial Science to Actuarial Science with a year in industry. I believe it absurd the department provided no support for this change and then the university still demanding I pay so much for the RIGHT TO WORK. Imagine having to pay to live in the UK then having to pay to work for money. It is a convoluted concept and one that is incredibly frustrating to deal with as an international student. I am also the first ever American to take Actuarial Science at York in its over 60 year lifetime, so I am even more terrified that I will be at a severe disadvantage because of my international status compared to my peers. Company's simply do not want any part of sponsoring international students and the university simply pretends this is not the case. Again I cannot stress enough, the lecturers and seminars are amazing - the University administration is not, the visa compliance team is not, the international support team is a joke. They did not tell me or assist me in any way with my visa and have given 0 warning that there would be a price doubling by the UK government for IHS surcharges or the quadrupling of application fee back in the fall. The entire international support team at the University should be ashamed of itself for essentially leaving the international student body without support or notice for these CRITICAL changes to the very means of our living and functioning in the UK. The physical BRP for international students is also set to expire at the end of 2024 and be transferred online - yet even this the university's visa and international teams have been SILENT about. Is that not their core function as a department? My course itself is in critical danger because the University just fails to communicate anything important to its international student body.

The university is located in the beautiful city of York and it is incredibly safe. Anyone can walk home at nearly any hour and have no run-ins with dangerous people. It is an incredibly safe city with very little to be concerned about for safety. There is little diversity - not that this is an integral part of the city or its functionality as it does not need this as a pillar whilst its primary issue is its cost of living. This is because York is unreasonably expensive - you know it is bad when London has similar prices. This is all because York suffers from tourist prices that people living here have to endure as well. Part time and placement work seems nigh unattainable due to how competitive everything feels for work here, I have applied to almost 50 jobs now with no success and little progress and I am beginning to wear down because of how much time I have been spending applying to what few opportunities fit my needs as I am an international student and have no car for transit. The public transportation works but is nothing special - many buses are cancelled or delayed and recently many buses have been 'out of service' and unreliable for transport.

Compared to the horrors I am now facing going into the York renting market, the Anne Lister College accommodation is amazing. This only agitates me more the University is able to offer such amazing accommodation with such fantastic value for the expenses, only to kick everyone out - I even applied to go back to University accommodation for next year and they denied me! The university only offers special privilege to first years and after that, they see international and home students the same - despite international students having to pay additional costs to have a guarantor as the university does not provide this comfort. The sickening thing is that the university only offers guarantor services to people who fall under the same category as those the university offers accommodation back to.