University- UWE (The University of the West of England)
Course- BA English Hons
Okay, the REAL facts about the uni and the course are as follows. Ofcourse (before we begin) you have to realise that this is all subjective and bias info, because I happen to love my course and my uni.
Firstly you have to realise that UWE is not set out like a standard university, all our campuses are spread around Bristol, the mother ship being the mighty FRENCHAY Campus, an awe inspiring urban jungle filled with tech-monkeys.
Depending on what course you do, depends on which campus is yours. So, us English students will be at St. Matthias in Fishponds (not a made up name.) ahhh...St. Matts...we share a campus with phycologists, cultural media peeps and drama thesbo's.
It truly is the campus for the camp...there are no techni-mathematical-computer-business-scientific gimps here...oh no, this is a campus for the sensible people. The campus is about the size of two football pitches, on it there is a big scandinavian looking library, several computer rooms, a gym (when I say gym I mean an big empty room with a varnished wooden floor) a reception and ofcourse a bar.
There are loads of clubs and societies in the uni, and the following train/practise at St.Matts- break-dancing, trampolining, jiu-jitsu, tai kwondo, cheer-leading, fencing, aerobics and football.
The course
The degree is marked equally over your 2nd and 3rd year. You choose four modules in the 2nd year, two of which will be 'core' modules, passed core modules have been- Shakespeare, Renaissance Lit, Realism and Naturalism, Modern and Postmodern...but new ones will probably be added or swapped.
In the 3rd year you choose four more modules, you pick two more core modules...one of which is usually your da da daaaa...Dissertation module!! The rules and regulations of the core modules to differ from year to year. Anyway, your degree rests on the outcome of all these modules, but you are marked out of 7 (your weakest module is dropped)
English is fantastic, but it is hard work. Although it seems that you do not put the time in on campus (english students have 8 hrs a week) You are expected to do a lot of primary and secondary reading. The thing I most liked was the uni were not afraid to experiment with new ideas in thinking about literature, not only did we study the old greats but we were also allowed to experiment through creative and imitative writing modules, Drama modules and more modern and contemporary modules like Children's Literature or Sex Gender and Sexuality in writing. I guarentee you will learn something new, it is has been a brilliant degree!
Okay enough, now the night-life!!...No other place I have been to in England compares with the Bristol nightlife. It matches and even surpasses London, because it is SO much cheaper. Remember that our uni has 22,000 people in it, plus the students from Bristol University make our city the most student friendly one in the nightlife department. If your into your Nu Metal there's the Bier Keller among others, if you like your Hip-Hop and R&B give Thursday nights at the Bristol Academy a go, if you like your Chart and Cheese its the Works on Tuesday, if you want Drum and Base its gotta be Creations or the Bar Latino. You want pubs? We got pubs. You want bars?...we got bars. Infact we have EVERYTHING...plus a night bus home!!!
TOP TIP
When you first leave all your school mates and you start comparing your uni life to theirs, yours will probably be a bit different because of the fact that you are not always "on campus." You will have explored and got to grips with Bristol way before your other mates even leave their Halls of Residence. The thing is, you can not expect everything handed on a plate. You have to realise that uni will work for you if you want it to work, but you have to be willing to put in the effort with your course, your new friends and your city. And remember, university life is not for everyone, the majority of people like it, but that doesnt meet YOU will or have to. EXPECT NOTHING, EXCEPT WHAT YOU PUT INTO THE NEXT THREE YEARS.