The university itself drew me in through being completely different to the experiences I had with others when I was looking for where to go after college. Most if not all universities just herded prospective students into generalised lectures where someone you probably would not be taught by would tell you things you end up not needing at all. It was rinse and repeat everywhere until I went to UoG. In the introductory session to my course and such on the open day I attended we played a board game instead of being talked at, the staff knew my name and I shared the time we had for lunch having a good conversation with a lecturer that did end up teaching me. Maybe my course is niche and I was just lucky but the university as a whole is simply different to all the other's I visited and looked at. I am a few years in now and I have had great academic support, the lectures aren't hell and the assignments are only slightly soul crushing. It says above 4 overall and my ratings are harsh I feel but genuinely, it is 4:22 AM and my assignment I am working on is due at 3 PM today and I don't hate the place. That is the highest praise I can give. 10/10 University, deserves more funding.

No complaints, everything is pretty great honestly.

Fair contract, responsive staff and I can't think of much to complain about.

The University of Gloucestershire is a great place to study. The campus spaces are beautiful and full of green spaces to make you feel really at peace with the world around you and gives you a moment to breathe and refocus when things are getting tough. The help and support from academic and personal tutors is second to none. They are supportive and only want to enhance your university experience and see you thrive. Academic staff are incredibly high up in their fields of research, allowing us as students to be have a deep insight into the academic world and careers that benefit and interest us after our degrees. We, as students, are provided with endless careers support from the careers team and are always encouraged to research and get involved in opportunities that will benefit our future and also provide us with memorable experiences that we will carry with us throughout our university journey. My personal experience of being a course rep over my 2 years at university has also really enhance my university experience and made me realise how great the University of Gloucestershire is as a place to study and learn. Improvements could be made to the Student Union. Encouragement to join the SU team are always in our university email inboxes, however, that is the only time that they are reaching out to students. Only in the first freshers week of each year do they put on activities and events that enable students to meet and connect. This would be even better if this was continued throughout the academic year so that pupils are able to reach out and feel comfortable engaging with other people they may not have met before, and connecting over joint interests. I would love to see the SU coming more into lectures, and introducing themselves face to face, and engaging with students more in person. This would make them more accessible. Highlighting and making known the different societies available to join would also be a great way for the SU to improve and reach out to a wider range of students. Overall, the University of Gloucestershire is a great place to study and grow, both academically and in a personal sense.

Studying International Relations at UoG is easily the best experience I have had to date. Attending my lectures and being given the opportunity to learn with some of the best academics, whose research and experience I really value. The recent experience of the pandemic and how that has affected our learning has been more difficult than traditional teaching. Spending my first year at university on online Microsoft Teams calls was at the start, a bit daunting. However, the lecturers and my personal tutor made the experience a lot easier. Always quick to reply on emails and ready for a teams call at any point if I needed it. I am lucky that UoG was able to go back relatively quickly to in person learning and that transition was well managed and we were given support the whole time, with lecturers being very accommodating and understanding of the situation. The course content is by far the best part of the course. International Relations was something that I stumbled cross on the universities web page and immediately caught my attention. The range of content that we are able to cover is something that you don't get with other degree courses. Due to the nature of our course, we are able to cover topics that are happening currently in the world. The lecturers really let us lead the way with our learning and we have a big say on what we learn and how we learn. As we are a small course cohort we have made a great bond, and despite being interested in a wide range of topics, we are always encouraged to pursue our interests and they are reflected back in the content that we are taught in class. Contact hours with our lecturers and tutors is something that I really value and so do the academics at UoG. Lecturers are always ready for a teams call or an in person meeting if you are ever struggling or need a bit of help. Even just for a talk on something that you are interested in, they are happy to help you pursue your interests further. The feedback and marking that we get on assessments helps me to develop my writing skills and other skill sets that I will need for the workplace and future careers. Overall, International Relations at UoG is a really great course.