Our collection of real, honest student reviews of unis and courses is the largest in the UK, and help you make well-informed decisions about your future. Student reviews also form the basis of our annual Whatuni Student Choice Awards(WUSCAs), which highlight great work carried out by institutions for their students.
2023 WUSCA winners
I like that the library is well supplied with research material and also allows students to request any additional. I also particularly love the accessibility of study materials through various e-Learning platforms that come with the degree such as O'Reilly, Kortext along with many others. These have been instrumental for me in learning new software and keeping up to date with the latest research in my field. Digitally is where Essex truly shines. There are cloud resources available for accessing University computers and licenced software for programming, 3D modelling with Blender, project management with Jira, version control with Gitlab. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I have found the facilities pretty incredible especially in the science labs where I was able to conduct my research into Brain Computer Interfaces with state of the art EEG equipment and testing facilities. This has allowed me to gain an understanding and experience of the technologies as well as begin working on my Start-Up company for which I have been receiving funding. I was also given the opportunity to study Brain Computer Interfaces for my masters project and my supervisor was one of the leading experts in the field which gave me a lot of experience, and confidence learning this relatively new technology. I also received excellent mentorship which has translated to me wanting to build my own Start-Up company to aid Paralysed people control computer game experiences autonomously. One of my favourite features of my university experience has been studying at the Colchester Campus which is set in a beautiful natural parkland with the student Silbarrad building overlooking a beautiful lake. It is honestly a really beautiful place to go for a walk, hang out with friends and unwind. You can have picnics in the park, Barbeque near the lake or play sports in the courts. The aspects I did not enjoy were mostly the food places being a bit lacking in their quality, though this could be offset by the occasional market stalls set up on campus by traders from the surrounding area. I also found the student nightlife to be a mild experience, preferring instead to meet people at meetup events set up by student unions and social experiences with societies such as pool, photography etc. The university seemed to have an interesting e-Sports scene which was nice to see even though the games the societies participated in weren't things I would play. I also did not enjoy the process of finding support information for basic questions as it was difficult to speak to someone on the phone which often left me frustrated. One thing I am thankful for was the ability to use my skills in terms of employment with the University. I worked on video projects and as a Media assistant, in a job I could balance around my studies. Furthermore I truly appreciated the financial assistance I received whilst trying to move homes after a period of illness which allowed me to have a safe place to stay and alleviated a lot of stress for me. The University of Essex is a university that gives opportunity to different types of people and allows them to pursue their dreams in cutting edge technology which can not only change how we live our lives but help many people.
My course was taught with blended learning, and it was mostly an enjoyable experience. I was able to rewatch lectures for study materials. Had access to everything on my moodle page as well as access to a careers hub page. The course materials were always up to date, we were always learning new methods and expanding our knowledge base with lab sessions where we could ask for support from lecturers. We also had dedicated periods of support with lecturers with office hours. The course has many career prospects, and jobs are regularly advertised to students by the facility as well as there being jobs at the university that pay for my field. During my time at the university I was sent through job applications by the faculty and even engaged in a round of interviews. Though unsuccessful it gave me real-world experience of the application process for my field and I feel confident I have been given the tools to succeed in the real world with this degree. The facilities were excellent with access to development environments and licenced software. I feel that I was given a realistic expectation of what to expect in terms of my career options with the software stacks we learnt through our assignments and the expectations of us in terms of writing documentations and reports
What makes the town of Colchester great is it's beautiful nature, such as in Wivenhoe, and the various historic sights like Colchester Castle which is a tourist attraction, beautiful park - as well as one of several museums that can be found in the city. There are also quirky bars you can find around town which serve interesting craft beer, live events and even record players with hundreds of records to choose from for nights out where you can relax and meet all sorts of people. The people are friendly enough, and there's quiet a few bars, coffee shops and restaurant's and the Firstsite Museum which was named the art fund museum of the year in 2021. I enjoy the access to the cinema with several cinema options for students such as The university cinema, Odeon, Firstsite and the Curzon.
I love the lectures and material. I can't really think of any bad aspects.
It's really interesting to learn about economics, and mathematics. The worst part is probably the difficulty of some of the material. At the same time this is the best part for me :)
The location is not student friendly. Would be helpful if there were more shops around.
The best aspect about my course is that the lecturers are very engaging and there is always help avaialable. The worst aspect is that lectures more than an hour become tedious.
Most - i liked the aesthetic Least - the doors to the flat can be opened by anyone if you push then hard enough
Green and huge campus, helpful and professional lecturers, all day accessible facilities, on-campus services are open to hire studentams, offering flexible working schedule and fair wage. I would like to see more qualitative night life with bigger range of music options.
Good variety of Capatone projects, passionate and helpful researchers and lecturers. On my 3rd year 2 out of 3 modules are clashing, so I cannot normally attend classes and access all the information that is required to complete the course.
the on campus market is a great touch to the uni it offers a wide range of cultural dishes however the rooms can be very hard to find. I love the idea of the find my way Essex app however, its not very easy to use or understand unfortunately. I love the more modern buildings such as the stem building and abs in comparison to the ltb building. Generally, I feel as if Essex is an inclusive university that really tries to cater to all
Biomedical science is an exciting and ever-changing field to study. students that study biomedical science courses have diverse career opportunities. Biomedical science courses provide practical skills development for real-world work environments. Graduates from biomedical science courses have strong job prospects. Worst aspects: Biomedical science courses can be challenging and require a deep understanding of complex scientific concepts and principles. Biomedical science courses have a heavy workload that can be overwhelming for some students. Biomedical science courses can have limited opportunities for one-on-one time with lecturers. Biomedical science courses can be expensive due to the resources required.
my absolute favourite part of uni from the bathroom to the quality of the mattress even the shower press and the temperature of the room
It feels homely to me
The university of essex is well situated in a place that is very accessible, and the mode, ways if teachings are fine by me
I love thé atmosphere and the people, I think the facilities are really nice however I think there could be an improvement in teaching styles in the lectures.
Within my course, I think it would be beneficial to have more classes and more interactive/group work as well as more guidance when it comes to answering exam style questions.
I love thé size of my room and the facilities provided.No complaints.
Everything is so modern and close together and the facilities to learn are good. Some of the buildings are a bit dated
I don’t really have contact with my personal tutor however I really enjoy the lectures and the support from class teachers on upcoming deadlines
It’s too small, I am in a flat of 6 and we hardly speak this maybe because there is no communal living area and just stools in the kitchen with no real table or any sense of socialising. Some things in the kitchen could be more modern I enjoy the size of my room and the location it is in as it is very close to most of my lectures
I think that student support is really great as well as the stem facilities, but I don’t feel the safest at times. I think they need to have much more street lighting in and around campus
The labs are very good, but my lecturers aren’t the best.
Very good maintenance people, some rooms and kitchens are a little shabby
Faculty and facilities are simply the best. It would have been better if there were more face to face classes and lesser online classes.
More face to face classes than online.
For repair and maintenance, workers should not be allowed to get into flats in students' absence.