The University of Nottingham, a Russell group university with more amenities than you could need the University of Nottingham seems perfect on paper. The University of Nottingham has received high praise from students. The university offers vast amounts of choice for you to further your education, undergraduate or graduate. It has vast amounts of sports and societies and notable alumni with Nobel Prize winners.
When you look at the stats the University of Nottingham seems absolutely perfect. Campuses in Malaysia and China and over 40,000 students worldwide what could be better? It is truly a global institution.
However, stats are not everything. Here is what I, a third-year student at the university, has to say about Nottingham.
The Campus
One of the things that struck me when I visited the university was its campus. Its amenities on the campus and its sheer size. It can take over 20 minutes to walk from the gym to the humanities lecture halls. And that’s only on its main campus University Park.
Because yes, there is more than one. In fact there are three campuses within Nottingham. Along with University Park you have Jubilee which you can access on the free Hopper Bus and the Sutton Bonnington campus. Sutton Bennington is a bit further out but it’s where all the veterinary science and subjects like those happen.
Many of the buildings on the main campus have cafes you can buy food and drink and work. Furthermore, there is a Costa coffee as well as multiple other food outlets in the Portland Building which houses student services, the very successful University radio (URN), Impact Magazine and more.
In the Portland building there is a student bar referred to as Mooch and another cafe which sells amazing cakes and coffees called Portland Cafe.
However, food and drink aren’t the most important. The lectures halls and seminar rooms are spacious and all have ways for you to plug in your devices which makes long days easier and worry free that your computer will run out of charge.
There are so many libraries on campus, the main one being Hallward Library. There is a pick of places to have some quiet study time. Or some study time with friends.
Sports
One of the biggest thing you might notice is how popular sports are here. The David Ross Sports Village is literally a village. It has four large sports halls, a 25m swimming pool, a 12m climbing wall, spin studio, numerous workout classes. It has courts for netball and tennis as well as hockey pitches.
There is also a sports injury clinic, a high performance zone and wellness zone.
The University offers over 70 sports clubs. There is quite literally someone for everyone. From Ladies Cricket to Korfball to trampolining. And the best thing is there is no pressure to compete for these sports. You can play just to have fun. For me joining Ladies Cricket was one of the best decisions I’ve made with my time at UoN.
On Campus Accommodation
What you might want to know is what is on campus accommodation like? And this is where I’m going to be really honest. But you must remember that everyone can have a different experience.
Most first year students live in university accommodation. On campus accommodation is all catered. There is lots of choices and it is quite useful because you don’t have to worry about making your own dinners, and worry about getting groceries. When you are figuring uni life it is certainly quite useful.
However, I found that the catered food options were quite limited and found myself eating pasta quite a few times a week. If you are a picky eater I would recommend picking a self catered accommodation and braving the shared kitchen.
Personally I did not enjoy living in halls. It does happen that I was the COVID cohort so it might not have helped, but the university and accommodation teams didn’t handle the pandemic well. Students in isolation were only served two meals a day and it was not the best. Of course they were busy and it was a stressful time but students in isolation deserved more.
Societies
It must be said that there are very many societies on campus. Along with sports you are sure to be able to find something you will like. If you love Taylor Swift there is a society for Taylor Swift fans, if you want to write for the University’s magazine Impact, if you are an archaeology buff or want to travel.
There are nearly 300 societies on campus. Most schools also have a society! For example the School of Politics and IR has a politics society, the History department has one. These societies organise balls, Christmas dinners, trips abroad.
It is a great way to make friends. However, it must be said that all these societies have a small cost in order to buy membership. Whilst it’s amazing joining a society bare in mind that they do cost money.
Study Abroad
Speaking from experience, studying abroad is a must. Especially since Nottingham have a large study abroad program. They have partners across the United States and Canada, Asia and more. And you can also spend a year or a semester at one of Nottingham’s sister campuses in Malaysia or Ningbo, China.
However, these are extremely competitive programs. For the university wide program you need a minimum of 60% to apply. But keep in mind that this is the bare minimum. If you want a true chance you need to have over 60% to be placed higher on the list. Whilst studying abroad is a great experience if you want to go the US it is very competitive.
As someone who went through the process and did not get a spot in the University wide scheme, I believe students need to be made aware that 60% is not enough and you are likely not to get a spot.
If you see that 60% is too hard for you to achieve then you can always experience what was called Erasmus. To apply you only need 55%. Much more attainable.
Something that should be said is that once again the university did not handle the COVID-19 pandemic well. Whilst we might be over that hump nearly 3 years later, there is always the possibility that there will be another event like the pandemic and students should be prepared.
The university wanted to cancel my study abroad because Austria was on the amber list three months prior to departure. I had to fight with everything for the university to not cancel my study abroad.
Conclusions
There is no doubt that Nottingham provides so much. Great sport, great amenities and great teaching. However, there are little things like their organisation and their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that left me a little disappointed of my study at Nottingham.
You must keep in mind that every experience is different. But if you choose Nottingham I encourage you to take part in the student life and have a great experience.
