University of Gloucestershire

Accommodation

Halls are fine, they lived up to my expectations and were an upgrade from my family-home, so I'm very happy.Best aspect is having so many people to talk to. Worst aspect is (only in certain kitchens) flatmates that don't wash up! Certain halls are friendlier than others, but this is purely based on the students living in them.I don't think any have particular reputations. The rules are the same for all halls and it's pot-luck who you'll end up living with.

2016, 2nd year, Fine Art Not Elsewhere Classified

Academic Experience

On the Uni of Glos' IT course, the amount of teaching each week is only 2 hours per lecture, an hour down from 3 from the last years. In this time, you do receive a relevant lecture on your topic, but they often seem stiff and not very interactive that would help you to engage yourself better, making the course not very interesting at times. However, lecture slides are available on Moodle and that helps a lot when it comes to essay writing, where lectures are very relevant in assisting you in what to write about. Sometimes practicals do follow after a lecture however, so that helps to stimulate interest. General feedback from tutors is only really received /after/ you've submitted coursework, which is fine, however I think they could offer more support as you go along as opposed to right at the end.

2016, 3rd year, Systems Analysis & Design

Finances

Costs are difficult to get a grasp of. Mine is to just keep costs low. Try Lidl and Aldi and the pound shop. Check prices against other supermarkets and try different shops. Tescos is the nearest supermarket. Aldi and Sainsburys are a little further out. Lidl, Iceland, Wilko and all major banks are in town.Work is good. The racecourse is the easiest to get a job during the races. It's a nice little lump sum. Then there are Christmas jobs that crop up. And lots of temp jobs around town.

2016, 2nd year, Fine Art Not Elsewhere Classified

The downside

Some of the modules could do with better organisation. In the case of an absent lecturer, the cover up lecture should be related to the assignment. A few of the practicals didn't go as planned due to failure of equipment

2016, 3rd year, Networks & Communications

Careers

The university organises many events each week in order to help us with the future. There are many events related to graduate jobs, work experiences, internships etc each week. It encourages students to join these events via email and university site. We have many talks from companies who provide information about graduate jobs and what is expected.

2016, 3rd year, Networks & Communications

Academic Experience

Personally I have two solid 9.15 - 4.15 teachings days (with breaks of course!) but also have one study day where you dont normally have to be in but there is time to do uni related work etc... I had 70 days placement this year in the first semester and will have a 100 day placement next year in my 3rd so Uni are quite good at giving practical experience I find!My modules on the whole have been really interesting and insightful, many of our lecturers are still working in their field as well so can bring a depth of knowledge! We do quite a lot of group work, group discussions, debates etc.. which is good to hear other peoples perspectives on things!My course is mainly coursework based rather then exams and also we are observed on placement etc.. it can be hard but generally the help is out there if you are struggling so its really important to utilize the staff! However, we have had issues with the electronic submission where grades werent being realized on time or some people's were held back... Feedback I find it also erratic and not consistent across the board - we are trying to push for a more standardised marking proforma or something! I think things are slowly improving the more we feedback to the communities though!

2016, 2nd year, Social Work Not Elsewhere Classified