rurounihime | Another question post...

This one has nothing to do with HP and everything to do with colleges in the UK.

I am looking into various grad school programs in the British Isles, and I am wondering if you, my lovely f-list, can help me out...

If you do or did attend school at these universities:

Leeds
Sussex
Newcastle
Kingston, London
Bangor, Wales

...what did/do you think? Now's the time to tote your school! Even if you didn't actually attend school there, but you know something about these places, please comment. I want the opinions of my peers because, as much as I love the prospectuses (prospecti?) I've been receiving, of course each university is going to talk itself up. So I want candid opinions on anything: living arrangements, scholarships, financial aid, professors, the cities and areas nearby, travel within town and to other towns, and of course... THE ACADEMICS.

Thanks so much everyone! This will be really, really helpful to me. ♥

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First of all, we don't call them schools; schools are what children go to over here (unless you're talking about a subject-specific part of a university, which is called a School, e.g. School of African Studies).

Leeds is a fine city, I'm sure, but grey in a 'grim up North' kind of way, and from what I remember (I had a boyfriend at uni there in the late 1980s) the areas of the city that students usually rent in are pretty grotty.

Sussex uni is actually on the edge of Brighton, which is a brilliant place if you're into music or gay (men's) culture or alternative-y things or organic food or crafts or any aspect of 'counter-culture'. It's also on the coast and only an hour's train ride from London.

Newcastle is very far north, so cold in winter, but drier than you might expect in summer. The people are friendly and, along with Sunderland, just over the River Tyne, it's an up-and-coming centre for the arts.

I hope that's the kind of info you were after.

None of the universities you list are collegiate, therefore they are not colleges iyswim. The only collegiate unis in the UK afaik are Oxford, Cambridge and Durham.

Hahaha, I think the US/UK terminology crossover is what is causing issues here. No worries. I've just given up trying to use the UK terminology in this case, as I don't know all that much about it.

Okay, university, then. ^_^ As for inner-departmental schools, I am looking specifically at writing programs, just to give you more info.

I do like the area where Leeds is, I have to admit. I'm very much a fog and rain kind of girl. I loved York when I visited, and the Dales, and all of that. I have a friend who went to Leeds on a study abroad program, but I believe she lived on-campus. I will have to ask her. Good to know about the city, though. O.o I definitely do not wish to live in a grotty area!

Sussex is actually the college I know the least about, as their 2008 prospectus is not yet available. But the area definitely appeals to me. I went to undergrad in an oceanside town. I would love to be in that environment again, and I hear Brighton is very lovely. Sounds like my kind of place, from what you've told me.

Newcastle appeals to me because it is so close to Scotland, definitely. I'm still undecided about them, though they were on their game with sending their info to me immediately. Unlike Leeds. I still need to do some comparing and contrasting. Kingston sounds very appealing right now, too. ^_^

This is great! Thank you!

Oi, flame, I'm on YiM under the old spelling of my name... I think. I'll get it installedon the laptop. Ru knows my YiM if I've got it wrong.

Hehe! I've put in an add request to that name - let me know if you don't receive it.

Hey Lus? Can I ask you a quick Brit-picky question?

Is there a specific term in the UK that is the equivalent of the US's "durable power of attorney"? (The person who would make all medical decisions for someone else in case of emergency or catastrophe, should the someone in question be incapacitated in any way. For example: if someone were in a coma, their durable power of attorney would make the decision to keep them on life support or not.)

We just call it 'power of attorney'.

Hahaha, seems simple enough. *laughs*

Thanks, love.

Cool idea. I hope more of your f-list comes through with talking up the various (doesn't know what to call them so they are now called:) Berts. Cuz all the Berts over here in Caliland suck. Especially SF state. ~FLIPS OFF SF STATE WITH TWO FINGERS!!!~

All right, that's my 2 cents. Thank you.

They have been INCREDIBLY informative! Check out all the comments! Wow.

In related news, I have received several prospectuses that we can look over. I recommend sending out for your own because they tend to take some time to get here.

I know nothing of the university there, but I'd love to live in Newcastle.

It's all Susanna Clarke's fault.

BTW, what happened to your plan of going to Japan?

Ah yes, Japan. Well, the company I applied to has denied my application for the second time. Thus, I am calling it quits as far as they are concerned, and heading in the direction I have been wanting to go for some years: back to the UK.

Ru, I LOVE Newcastle: fabulous city, stunning coastline, northumberland mooors and close to Alnwick castle. If I could, I would move further North.

Then again, I like Brighton too, beware the London prices.

Leeds is 30 miles from me. Buzzing city and night life. I went to Nottingham Uni - shame it doesn't do the type of course your after.

The Northumberland coast is one of my favourite places on this Earth. I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks volunteering at the Bamburgh Research Project at Bamburgh Castle; the most stunning workplace I'm likely ever to heave, I think.

It's always nice to hear from people who love the north; my friends at uni are mostly from the south and are under the impression that the north is something of a savage wasteland with no civilisation to speak of...

So howay the north, an' howay Ru, and mek the reet move to tha toon. Gannon, man.

My best friend lived in Newcastle, before emmigarting to Canada, so I got to know the city and coast line quite well.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay in Newcastle when the Tall Ships race was leaving from the Tyne in 1994. One afternoon we sat on Bamburgh beach with the kids watching various types of tall ship in full sail sail on by. It was fantastic!

That sounds lovely! ^___^

Out of curiosity: do they pronounce it "bam-burg" or "bam-burrah" there? ^_^ I'm going to guess the latter, but I don't really know.

Oh yay! A lover of the north! I too enjoyed being in the north when I was there. I am much more of a cold-rain-and-fog person anyway. When I got a chance to visit the Yorkshire Dales, I was in heaven. *laughs* The countryside was lovely. Though I admit, twas incredibly cold.

So howay the north, an'howay Ru, and mek the reet move to tha toon. Gannon, man.

I lurve you. *grin*

Hehe, thank you :)

It is indeed pronounced as you guessed. When I was working at the castle, I had the misfortune of working with a documentary film crew from the Discovery Channel. Generally, they spent a lot of time asking really, really, stupid questions and pronouncing all of the local place names incorrectly; Bam-burrah (Bamburgh) was Bam-BERG, Anik (Alnwick) was Alan-WICK and my dear old Duram (Durham) was DER-Ham. I'm sure that somewhere in the final cut you'll be able to hear me spluttering in outrage when they get it wrong time and time again, after being corrected persitently (and hotly) by everyone else on site.

Hahahaha! I hope they give you credit for the grumbling! *giggles* I get so annoyed when people don't even seem to be attempting to pronounce things the way the native country would. It seems so disrespectful.

Newcastle has been getting quite a lot of good comments here. *laughs* That's VERY promising.

Oh yes. *shudders* I remember the London prices. Eesh. It was so sinister as well, because the WRITTEN price for any given item was usually the same as the price in the US... only in pounds, not dollars. O.o I forgot that a couple of times...

Yeah, I looked at Nottingham. Alas... *weep* No writing to be seen, at least as far as post-grad goes.

Thank you for this information! ♥

I live about 10 miles away from Bangor. A really nice small city [only really a cit due to the Cathedral - doesn't really fill the population quota] which is right by the sea.

I think it depends really what you want to study! It is one of the top universities [3rd next to Oxford and Cambridge] in Psychology and there is a great atmosphere within the town. A little of everything! Beautiful scenary and yet shops and buses and a train station etc.

The library and main hall is amazing! really looks like the great hall for Hogwarts from the outside.

IN terms of expenses, the accomodation is below average price for Britain but the food and neccessities are quite cheap, especially in comparison to London and other big cities.

Problem is i guess, most people think it is a little cut off from the rest of the country as there is only one route to get to England which goes east along the coast. However, it is really close to Hollyhead if you were ever interested in going over to Ireland!

ummm... yeah! I personally go to Aberystwyth which is in mid-Wales, but my boyfriend studies Chemistry at Bangor and he seems to really like it... you know, beyond the whole work thing!

Anyway, I hope that was of some use to you! :P

This is wonderful, because I know even less about Bangor than about the others. Thank you!

I am looking into Writing MAs, so alas, Oxford and Cambridge are out of my jurisdiction. I checked them out almost immediately and was saddened to discover that they don't have the proper MA. But I love love love small cities and beautiful scenery! Bangor sounds very nice in that regard.

I am definitely interested in the price difference. I was astounded at the difference in York versus London when I was there a few years back. Having lived in London, pretty much anything else sounds preferable, price-wise. *laughs*

I never made it to Ireland, and would love to go. Alas, I do admit to being a little standoffish about being so far removed from England. I will need to ponder Bangor again and find out more about it.

This was DEFINITELY of use to me. Thank you! ♥

i applied for York but i just couldn't afford the living expenses. Round here it is much cheaper!

it can seem a little cut off but by train it only takes me 2.5 hours to get to Birmingham New Street Station.

Can't really tell you much about the curriculum or about any scholarships or bursaries but as a place to live it is good! guess it all depends on what kind of social life you want! really! well, i hope all of these have been useful! which was are you leaning?

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Oh, you can relate then, fellow university applicant! *hugs* Daunting task, isn't it?

Haha, I had no idea that they were party unis. That's very interesting. And it's nice to know that they are doing well for their respective cities.

So, you don't really recommend Sussex? How so? Are the academics not up to par? The atmosphere not a favorable one?

Okay then: do Edinburgh or St Andrews offer much in the way of writing MAs? ^__^

Thank you for your help, love!

I'd probably want to be in or near London, but I admit I'm biased. I understand the longing for Scotland, having Scottish relatives. I think something to remember, that is often hard for Americans to understand, is how small our country is. You can get anywhere fairly easily/quickly by rail. So I would probably choose someplace where there is a lot going on that you can make use of if you choose, but from which you can go travelling as whim and necessity demand (hence my London preference).

As for the programmes you've mentioned, I'd gone up to Oxford, so I've not got a personal view on those other than to say that you should apply to one of the Oxford colleges and sit for a programme there! :)

I did love living in London, that's for sure. And Kingston really appeals to me in that regard, because it is so very close, yet perhaps far enough removed so as not to break my bank completely. *is still O.o from some of the expenses of living in London*

I agree: I don't think I was putting the size of England into proper context for myself. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is very close, relatively, and easy to travel to. ^__^ I would also be a bit agitated if I got too far away from London, I think, in some respects. I really do love that city, and I like being close to a biggish metropolis, if not quite in it.

I did look into Oxford. The university I went to here in Cali is actually designed after Oxford's college system, so that was a big plus. And I do like Oxford (city) itself a lot, too. Alas, I discovered they do not offer the MA I would like (I'm looking into writing MA programmes).

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UEA suggestion seconded - I don't know what the creative writing courses are actually like, but it has an immense reputation.

Good city? How's the size?

It's quite a small city, compared to places like London or Manchester, but I'd guess it's about on a par with Cambridge, or maybe Oxford. Very old, lots of history, everything's made of flint. You can get some amazing food there, and the people are... well, there's this phrase: "Normal for Norfolk". (Norfolk is the name of the county of which Norwich is the county town.) Until the fens were drained in the C 18th, Norfolk was pretty much cut off from the rest of England, which has led to some cultural peculiarities (and the obligatory and uncomplimentary suggestion of in-breeding).

Norfolk as a whole is very flat, dry in summer, but windy and can be very cold in winter (it's on the edge of the North Sea). The university itself is well outside the city. The campus is 1960s/70s grey concrete, but don't let that put you off.

Um... that's all I can think of for now. You could always try upmystreet.com for more info: http://www.upmystreet.com/l/Norwich.html

Very old, lots of history, everything's made of flint. You can get some amazing food there, and the people are... well, there's this phrase: "Normal for Norfolk".

You know... that actually sounds a bit like my old college town, Santa Cruz, CA. *cackles*

which has led to some cultural peculiarities (and the obligatory and uncomplimentary suggestion of in-breeding).

Oh no. *cracks up* Hahaha, oh dear! I am most intrigued now. This sounds like a cool city.

(it's on the edge of the North Sea). The university itself is well outside the city.

Sounding better and better... ^_^

Thank you for the links!

Hehehe!

I just realised I may have given an incorrect impression of Norwich's location vis a vis the sea - here is a map which might help (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=623500&y=308500&z=7&sv=623500,308500&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=623500&ay=308500).

Oh lordy! I KNEW there was one I was forgetting to list! Arg! *smacks forehead* Yes! I am also looking into East Anglia, and this info is very, very nice to hear. I will put more effort into figuring UEA out, as it is particularly renowned for its MA in the subject.

Ha, and I would LOVE to live near York. York was fantastic.

Yay for Newcastle!! I don't know that much about the Uni, other than it has a good reputation (depending on the course you do). But I live here and adore it! Best city in the country! Yes, I am probably biased, but I spent seven years in London and was only too glad to move home.

We have nightlife, shopping, culture, countryside, music, beaches... And it's not really any colder than the rest of the UK. We get more bright sunny days than the South East and London, just because of the way the weather patterns flow over the geography.

Shout me if you want more info on anything :D

Newcastle has been getting quite the vote so far! *laughs* That's wonderful to hear.

I am specifically interested in its Writing MAs. Do you know anything about those in particular?

And the weather sounds fien indeed! ^__^ I happen to be a rain-and-fog girl, but I assume I'll be getting plenty of that. *laughs*

I'm a native of the North-East (of England, that is) and have spent the last several years studying at the University of wales in Lampeter. I'm studying archaeology, and can really only speak knowledgably about the departments related to that, so speaking academically, I can't really give you much helpful information. In terms of place, however, I can speak highly of both Wales and Newcastle as a place of study, though for very different reasons.

Wales is a beautiful country. Although I don't study at Bangor, I've heard very good things about it as a place; night life isn;t exactly rocking, but the selection of pubs available seems to be good. However, I haven't always heard only good things about the academic staff, though the comments I've encoutnered seemed to relate mostly to the geography types. If you're an outdoors type, or simply enjoy walking in the countryside, Wales is perfect; wherever you are, you're not every far from National Parks, mountains and a very pretty, often dramatic coastline. Getting places in Wales and around Wales vcan, in my experience at least, be difficult, so that's definately something to be wary of.

I live less than twenty minutes from Newcastle, and have done all my life. My best friend is just about to enter the final year of her Business Management degree there too. Academically, it's reputation is very good. However, the class sizes are large and unless you really, really make an effort with your lecturers you tend to be just another face inthe crowd. Of course, it's different with postgrad, depending on your course etc. etc, and you have to bear in mind that I'm used to really, really small lectures (my biggest this year had all of twenty people in it and my smallest just three). Socially, Newcastle is fantastic. It has good cinemas, good club scene (if that's your thing), but also many good pubs. Restaurants are varied, the shopping is good, and if you want to get out of the city and visit other places both locally and nationally, the transport connections are really good; Newcastle Airport and train station are easily accessible and buses run almost everywhere regularly (though not always reliably but hey, that's public transport).

I hope that ramble was useful! If you have any questions about anything, please do let me know and I'll do the best i can to answer them for you. Oh, and I used to be a representative to the Student Union from Lampeter University (Iwas the Raising and Giving Officer), so if you have any Union related questions, I can possibly help you out with them too.

I don't know much about Wales at all. I have an acquaintance who lived there for about a year, maybe two, but I haven't had the opportunity to ask her about it, so this is wonderful. Thank you for commenting!

What have you heard in terms of bad things about the staff at Bangor? I am interested in the writing opportunities, but I think any information is helpful, especially in the regard of the professors and instructors.

I am definitely curious about how... well "cut off" (for lack of a better phrase) Wales is from everything. I have heard that the countryside is fabulous, and I tend to agree. ^__^ But I definitely would shy away from not being able to travel readily, or go other places with relative ease. What are your thoughts on that front?

I, too, am used to small lectures and seminars. I was spoiled in college because I went to a communtiy college (where it is VERY one-on-one-oriented) and then transfering as a junior to a four-year university, which allowed me to skip most of the huge lecture classes that the freshmen and sophomores usually have to take. So that is of interest to me, definitely.

Newcastle has been getting The Vote so far, it seems. ^__^ Lots of people like it! That's nice to hear, and very helpful. (And yeah, I think possible unreliability is just part and parcel to pub trans in any city, often enough. ^_~ )

Your ramble was very useful, thank you for it! And yes, I would love to hear about the Student Union at your uni. Would you consider it fairly indicative of how other unis run their student unions, or it is unique? I haven't ever really belonged to a student union, at least not one that I took active participation in. So I am curious about general things... anything you can tell me would be welcome.

I'm sorry this reply has taken so long; ironically, my preparations for returning to uni in Wales have rather got in the way of everything else in the last few weeks.

Although transport in, to and around Wales is difficult, it's only really a problem if you're the kind of person who needs to be places -now- as opposed to being a rather more relaxed individual, who is happy to watch the hills and the coastline and the trees as they go by. If you're able to use a car, even better; you'll have a much greater freedom and range of movement.

You asked about the Student Union too. If you go to Newcastle, you'll be a part of the National Union of Students (NUS). If you were to study in Wales, you would be a part of the National Union of Students in Wales (NUS Wales). There's very little difference between the two, except that NUS Wales has language policies and union positions (namely that of the Welsh Affairs Officer) that are absent from English universities. They also run campaigns that are slightly different to those of the English universities.

As I've already mentioned, Lampeter is a bit special in that is one of (in fact, I think it might be -the-) smallest uni in the UK, with only 750 students on campus. As such, out union is totally dissimilar to pretty much every other Union out there. So rather than bore you with union policy in the backwaters, I'll give you a very brief, general overview of typical union structure in the UK (it's still boring, but it'll be more relevant to you at least).

Generally, you have three Sabbatical officers: the President, who is responsible for the management of the Student Union Exec and the general day-to-day running of the Union; the ENTs Officer who is responsible for organising and publicising events (parties etc.) that take place through or at the Union and the Welfare Officer, who is there to help students access financial, medical, emotional and pretty much any other kind of aid you can imagine. The Sabbatical officers are full-time, and are paid as their jobs require a full day's work to be done properly.

They are supported by an Executive Committee of unpaid students, who execute their duties at the same time as they are completing their course. On a typical exec, you would expect to find a Clubs Societies and Associations (CSA) Office, an Athletic Union (AU) Officer, a Women's Officer, an LGB Officer, a Student's With Disabilities (SWD) Officer, an Environment and Commerical Services (ECSO) Officer, an Raising and Giving (RAG) Officer and finally and probably of most relevance to you, the International Students Officer (ISO). The responsibilities of the Exec vary a little from Uni to Uni, but if you want to more about their typical roles, you should take a look at the NUS website, www.nusonline.co.uk.

It's a lot to take in, but I would really encourage you to become familiar with the Stiudent's Union where ever you study; it really helps you become familiar with your rights as a student and can be fantastic support network. Again, I feel I've rambled rather a lot more than advisable, but I do hope this has been useful in some way.

Oh, don't even worry about it taking a long time. I myself have been quite distracted by RL, so I understand. No worries!

Thank you SO MUCH for such a detailed explanation of student unions in the UK! Wow. This is so much information. I really appreciate it. Everyone has been so helpful in response to my questions, but this is great. Thank you! ♥

Heya, I've been stalking your journal for fic and just saw this post and grinned. I would love it if you would let us know what uni you decide on. I am also going to be going for my MA in Writing in another about two years and have though about Leeds, so this post has been helping me lots too!

I will indeed keep people updated! Sorry for taking so long to respond. I've had RL tackling me lately... I am so glad to know that this post has been helpful to you as well. ^___^ Good luck on your studies!

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