FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING YOUR UNIVERSITY BY DIONNE GRANT AND TENDAI FRANKLYN-BROWN

The most important thing to consider in choosing a university is the quality of education offered ...

...CAMPUS LIFE
Campus life for some students is the epitome of university life. The independence and the freedom gained by living on one’s own is vital to personal development. Many choose to experience their first time independence at university. Most students who embark upon new living arrangements tend to live in the halls of residence provided by the university. Abosede Gbago, 22, studied Law at UCE (University of Central England) in Birmingham, and found halls to be: “Not very nice. It wasn’t the best place to be, quite honestly. My room was a single room, quite small with a sink in it and a desk, a single bed and wardrobe space was tight. It was a mixed gender campus but my house was single sexed.” However grimy campus-life seems, most universities provide purpose-built study rooms, which are multi-functioning. All utility costs are included in the rent, ranging on average from £69-£80, and most rooms have internet access plus the added bonus of 24-hour security. There are flats designed for students with disabilities and the halls are within easy walking distance of the department buildings. With many students opting to move into alternative accommodation and rent their own property, they tend to flatshare with friends and experience a true sense of independent student living. Tesfa Williams, 23, went to Brighton University and studied music composition for professional media. He said: “I didn’t live on campus at all, I stayed in a flatshare nearby in Brighton. The people I stayed with were quiet. They weren’t university students – they all worked in Brighton. It was a different experience altogether. I would come home from uni and they would all be in the pub, then come home and go to bed, and that was it. But there were other things going on like live shows. Terri Walker was down there quite regularly, there were a lot of big House DJ’s – I was down there when Fatboy Slim had his gig down on the beach and I’d DJ at local clubs like the Music Library.” Brighton and Birmingham are areas that are considered to be culturally diverse. While there is a white majority population in Brighton, Tesfa found it to be, “proper cultured. There was not that much black people down there, but there’s something for everybody. You know that there’s loads of gays down there, everyone is live and let live. Everyone is doing what they’ve got to do. You are who you are.” Find a flatshare in Birmingham flatshare Birmingham.

FACILITIES
University facilities are crucial to students’ learning ability. Luton University students are aware of the impact that the new £5.5 million Arts Centre has had on their studies. Navinya, a former student, enthused how night access to the state-of-the-art IT rooms helped her and others. “Obviously, being a student you leave things to the last minute so you’re in the library typing away all night, so that was really good,” she said, “It saved a lot of people.” Nevertheless there are institutions without such great facilities. Vanessa, who went to Goldsmiths, said: “The facilities are weak, the library closes at 8.30pm, which is poor compared to other libraries, especially during exam time. Although they would open the IT section, you really needed the books to write the essays and do the revision and you were only allowed to take out 10 books, which doesn’t help, especially when you’re doing your Masters. We didn’t have a gym. I know they’re opening one now but I think that would have helped.” Some universities have great facilities, which Tesfa found out whilst he was at Brighton. “The facilities were top for my degree. The media department is one of the best.”

Published: The Voice, 20 July 06