Loughborough University - Student View

It has an excellent reputation for engineering, sport science, business, social sciences and art. Workloads tend to vary according to course, with time required on practicals for the science-based courses.

Many courses offer the opportunity to spend a year working in industry or abroad. Assessment through coursework, exams and practicals. Very easy to change course at the beginning of first term (by seeing two heads of department). Effective academic representation through system of trained course reps. Good facilities for students with special needs.

Accommodation excellent - over 5000 places. For those living out, there are many clusters of student-inhabited streets; good atmosphere and generally centred on a pub! Area is flat so good for biking, and a campus bus goes into/back from town every 15 minutes.

The SU has a membership from 3 constituent student bodies - university, FE college, RNIB vocational college - over 18,000 members in all. It has a confidential advice centre, employment exchange, and nursery provision (with subsidised places).

Students meet easily; the SU building is the centre of activity with 6 bars, 5 food outlets, travel bureau, and loads of ents (excellent cabaret, theme discos, and free bands on the NME/MM circuits). SU building has high-tech media centre (editing studio, sound and TV studios, as well as campus radio station. LCR, and LABEL magazine). Union council is active democratic structure, concerned with student interests in all areas of life. Very active Rag (raising approx £294,000 pa) and Athletic Union (58 clubs - many very successful; BUSA women's champions for the last 24 years, men's for 22).

Everything is on campus - some students don't leave it for the whole 3 years! Good community action group, active town/student relations. Lots of pubs, markets twice a week, theatre, cinema etc. 20 minutes to Nottingham and Leicester by train.