Paisley University - Student View

It's on three campuses: Paisley Campus, with 8000+ students, in the centre of the largest town in Scotland and 5 minutes' walk from the train station; Ayr Campus, on the seaside some 35 miles away, has 2000+ students (formerly a teacher training college, now has nursing and a plethora of business, music and media courses); also new campus at Dumfries.

University is modern and progressive and largely vocational; many Honours courses offer an optional extra year-long industrial placement (taken after the second or third year). New buildings every year: recently a union building at Paisley and university library.

Private accommodation in Paisley is typically cheap; university accommodation varies from a new students' village with its own sports centre, to a small number of dreary (but dirt cheap) tenement flats.

Union building at Paisley is across from university with bars, cybercafe, refectory, video games and pool tables, etc. Busy students advisory service offers careers guidance, access funds, counselling and welfare cover from Students Association's (SA) welfare adviser.

Wide variety of sports, social, lifestyle, departmental and religious clubs, some better organised than others. Paisley tends to be very apolitical. Diverse student body; increasing number of international students, mainly EU.

Many students live at home (and have part-time jobs, so have a relatively high disposable income). Staff/student relations are generally constructive; staff always keen to encourage participation. Overall it's a reasonably happening place. Work hard and party harder.