The city is what makes Newcastle such a great place to study. There is so much to do beyond your studies with so many different areas to explore - the countryside feel of Ouseburn, the coast at Tynemouth, and the markets on Quayside. Teaching staff are lovely and always ready to help. The facilities at Newcastle are a blend of old and new which I like - you get the traditional buildings with old architecture, and new, open plan, state of the art study spaces which make it a pleasant experience. It isn't the smallest university in terms of student population, but it also isn't the biggest which means every time I am on campus I get a community feel when I see people that I know. The range of clubs and societies on offer is great! There really is something for everyone. I have made lifelong friends through joining the canoe club (a sport I had never got the chance to engage in prior to uni). I love Newcastle's vibrancy and liveliness and wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else for university. Even though I can pick apart things within my degrees, it really is the choice of city that makes your experience perfect.

Very limited course contact hours which, during my undergraduate degree in sociology, impacted my engagement. Attendance from other students in my undergraduate degree was abysmal and often meant I was sent home early because no one else had showed up - despite paying for this education. I'd have appreciated more support during this time, especially given the transition from high school to university being quite a big leap. In my masters it is quite disorganised with limited modules in my actual interest areas and more faculty wide modules which are very basic having already studied sociology in a UK university. I find these faculty wide modules a waste of time - they could be more structured to make attendance more worth while. Given that my course is 'Social Research' I would have liked a more distinctive module delving into the world of social research rather than modules repeating how to do a dissertation from non sociology staff. I cannot fault the sociology staff. They are all incredible, doing research into really interesting areas. They take their time to learn who you are if you express interest and engagement into the course, and their passion is infectious. They make it worth it.

Loved Windsor Terrace. One of the cheapest accommodations because you share bathrooms (which is not a problem at all) but, in my opinion, the price didn't reflect in the facilities at all. The organisation of these halls into houses with four flats in each, made it feel like a community in comparison to other accommodations at Newcastle. The location was absolutely perfect. Right next to the Robbo library and on the very edge of campus, it was super easy to get into town. The best located accommodation in my eyes. I can't fault it.

The location is amazing because it is close to the city centre and easily accessible for newcomers using public transport. It is also beautiful and well kept. The facilities have clear markers on where to go if you need help, and makes it easy to navigate your way around the building. The worst part is how far the gym facility is from the metro, my commute is around 40 minutes including the walk from campus to the gym making it difficult to get a quick workout in with my busy schedule. This is a difficult one to fix but I could not think of any other struggles I’ve faced!

I like how quick and clear I have gotten responses from lecturers. Each class has clear guidelines on what to expect/prepare for the class leaving no surprises when the lecture comes along. The content is concise and the significance is clearly stated with support of interesting references to help with assignments and deeper understandings of the course/content. It is also great as a student athlete to have accommodations if class needs to be missed for games and so far I have run into no troubles there.

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