Lancaster University Guide 2020 reviews

Lancaster University review

ancaster University has been criticised in the past for being a windswept hellhole. Don't believe any of it...

Although located on top of a windy hill some miles from the city centre there is easy access to the city via regular buses. Lancaster isideally located for visiting the Lake District and if you join the right societies or even if you just fancy a trip yourself there is ample oppertunity to go. Lancaster is also a short trip from the shopping metropolis that is manchester and the gambling metropolis of Blackpool.

The campus itself is very well facilitated being that is an out of town campus. As well as a well stocked library, there are 10 bars on campus and possibly as many eateries, including a chip shop and its own Indian restaurant.

I feel that the best thing that Lancaster has going fot it is its collegiate system. this is not a posh or rigid as say Oxford or Cambridge but it does give you a real sense of community. Every member of the university, staff or student belongs to one of the nine colleges (Bowland, Cartmel, County, Flyde, Furness, Graduate, Grizedale, Lonsdale and Pendle). Each college has its own bar and its own J.C.R (Junior Common Room) to run it. You stay a member of your college for the entire time you are at Lancaster and beyond, there are lots of inter-college sporting tournament to add to the rivalry. the best bit however is the end of year party or 'Extrav' that each college has. Last year bands included Idlewild and Space, you can attend as many or as few of these as you like..

Accomadation on campus can vary from the basic rooms at £37-42 a week to the deluxe on-suite at £67 a week, as a first years you will be guarenteed a place on campus and get to meet the people you will end up sharing with in your second year. Houses in the city centre are abundent in the second year although there is always an initial rush, so be careful what you sign, Obviously it is quite a chore to get up to get the bus to campus in the morning but there are very regular buses and a very competative bus pass rate. Alternativly for fitness freaks there is a cycle path all the way from the city to the uni.

Lancaster has a unique 1st year course structure, where you study three subjects whatever your degree course. This give you the chance to see if you chose the right course, if you want to cnahge at the end of the 1st year this is easy as long as you get at least 45% in the 1st year exams. For example i was accepted to study Sociology and i also studied Politics and History, after one year i decided Sociology wasnt for me and i wwent for a Politics degree instead.

The social life on campus is great in the 1st year. Fresher's week is mad and there is always something to do after that. Most of the bars on campus will have theme nights during the year and there are many society organised events. As president of one of the biggest socities on campus, i am obviously going to be biased towards my own, the Alternative Music Society. We organise trips to clubs and gigs all over the north west as well as having regular socials at the uni owned SugarHouse in town. Dont worry if this is not your thing as there are dozens of other societies on campus including a thriving film society.

Lancaster's nightlife is very good, you will find somewhere to go every night. There are the usual chain pubs (Weatherspoons, Yates, Walkabout etc) and plenty of club to cater for all music tastes plus as mentioned earlier the uni owned Sugarhouse and the infamous Carleton in Morecambe BIG CHEESE ALERT. There are also popular cinemas and theatres in the town, all in all Lancaster Is a very cultural place

Finally i dont claim to do any sport, but for all you Yorkshire lads and lasses (like me) the is the annual sporting clash between York and Lancaster Universities called the Roses, come and have your loyalties divided

Thanks for reading

Mark Cooper,
Lancaster University

Lancaster University review

Lancaster is a college based campus that's a couple of miles out of the town
centre (but there's a good bus service). It's on a hill with really pretty
scenery if you're into that kind of thing. Lancaster city centtre has loads
of bars and not a lot else but manchester is only a train ride away! The
campus is fairly grey and concrete filled but there's loads of grass
(they've got building plans so I'm not sure how long this will be true for.)
and bunnies so it's good for chillin' in the sunshine on the few sunny days.
Gorgeous in the summer and bloody grim in the winter (unless it snows).

It's about 50:50 blokes to girls and although we're meant to be quite high
on the fit birds front the men haven't been too hot so far. there's a
society for just about everything so everyone should fit in. Loads of
International students go to the management school so it's got a good
cultural mix. It's mostly wheel chair access too.

Job wise I haven't had any problems yet (that are related to Lancaster!) ,
however less than a 2:1 and you'll be struggling against other top uni's.
There are pretty good facilities although if you take an heavily subscribed
coursse expect the books to be gone early. Could do with more computers but
if you know where to find them it's ok. The campus is a bit like a holiday
camp with shops, cinema, sports centre and nine bars so it's pretty self
contained.

hall range from really nice to 'Ghetto' style...it's a bit luck of the draw!
First years are guarenteed a room but they've messed this up the last two
years and people have ended up all over the place! Mostly the roomes are
singles. They're near to everything. Houses are easy to get in the second
year...if you're not too picky about standards...rent is ?32-70...you need
to shop around and find out what added extras there are. Our's is ?32 but
we have to pay bills and we can't use it in the summer....but we didn't have
to pay extra to keep it for the summer before we moved in!

History and I.R. are a good mix, I have about 12 hours a week and this year
I managed to plan my schedule to give me mondays and fridays off! There's a
good choice of courses and the classes are usually small. There's enough
work but if you don't leave it to the last minute is managable....

Socially it's a good campus...the SU club 'The Sugar House' is pretty good,
I work there so I'm biased! It has music for most tastes and an 'attitude
free' night for all walks of life! There are bars all over the place.
There are also other clubs and live music venues. In near-by towns there is
bowling and cinemas...there's even Morcambe and Blackpool if you fancy a
dip! It's not the cheapest union (pint's ?1.80-2.40..but there are often ?1
a pint nights) but most of the bars in town have student offers. You'd have
to really over-do it to fail your degree but it wouldn't be hard to drink
yourself to a third.

There's a good sports centre and loadsa clubs...some more serious than
others..you can do as little or as much as you want and they encorage the
setting up of new ones.

Lancaster University review

When i first came to uni i was shocked and home sick - i wanted to live away from home and Lancaster uni was my first choice but when in a room the size of a rabbit hutch and on a corridor with 10 other girls whom you have to try and get along with it is hard at first to think you will settle. But as i realised you will! Give it time, get to know lots of people, throw yourself into societies and sports - just do anything to keep you active so you dont get time to think about home. Now i love Lancaster and have settled in great - it does become your home and you will want to be there more then at your parents! Im a second year studying Religious Studies and for anyone wanting to do RS then you must consider Lancaster. It one of the top in the UK and the department is fantastic - you need i think BBC at A-level but when you get to uni you will realise A-levels dont matter any more. I got three A's and a B and thought that i everyone else would have the same and we would be competing - it doesnt matter what you got at A-level or AS coz once you are at uni, all that matters is that you enjoy your course and make friends with people you will spend the next three years with. You have to be so motivated it is untrue - no one will get you out if bed at 9am and it is a hard task to do when no one else is getting up at that time and you were out till 4 that night. Motivation is a must for going to uni or you will fall behind in studying, have to resit exams which is embarrasing and not good for your record. Lectures may not be compulsary but go to them as thats what exams are on and two hourse of lectures is less time that reading about 5 books to catch up. Money - you wont have a lot as rent, food and going out take up so much it is scary - also most first years want to buy books as i did but you probably can get them in the library so do as if you no longer need them and cant sell them its a waste of money. Getting a overdraft is great for desperate times but if you get seriously into debt in the first year you will be in it for the whole of uni unless you work loads to pay it off. Dont go mad with the bank money - they want it back as soon as you graduate with lots of interest on top and it gives you a bad creadit rating if your not careful. Last thought - go to a uni that you really feel comfortable with when you first visit - you will know if you will be happy for three or four years there so dont just settle for uni because of the course or near to home etc - go because you feel happy with the accomodation, campus/town and course. It so important to go to the uni you want to and then work hard and play hard while you are there.

Lancaster University review

Lancaster has systematically been described as the North’s ‘concrete jungle’. But it’s a concrete jungle that sits on the edge of an incredibly green Lake District. It’s a concrete jungle with personality.

When I set off for uni in my first year, I had all these grand plans. I wanted to start a combat sport, to write for the university newspaper, to join all kinds of societies, to meet weird but interesting people.

I still cannot believe I have achieved every single one of my goals. I became member of the English Literature Society Exec in my first year, and it’s president in my second. I took over the role of Scan (the uni paper) arts editor. I started kickboxing and have passed my first two belts. It is so easy to get involved.

Another thing I didn’t know, when I came to university, was the incredible number of student dedicated nightclubs and bars there were. Here’s a typical week for Lancaster University’s professional student clubbers:

Monday: Techno at Liquid
Tuesday: Popscene (comedy and rock night) at the Sugarhouse
Wednesday: Cheese at The Carlton
Thursday: Bootylicious at Brooks (RnB, hip hop, garage, rap, etc…
Friday: Battle of the Bands at The Crypt
Saturday: Official student night at the Sugarhouse and heavy metal at The Dark Place
Sunday: Jazz night at the Waterwitch

And much, much more… I haven’t even mentioned the bars, of which at least five are entirely dedicated to students. The city quite revolves around the university, whose campus is only fifteen minutes away by bus.

And of course there’s the degree… ah yes, the all-important part of university life. What I like about Lancaster is that, like for an American university, you take three subjects in your first year. It gives that extra bit of time to decide what you want to do with your life. Very helpful.

I never thought I’d enjoy being a student so much. I think it’s the university, rather than the institution, that’s made it such an experience.

Lancaster University review

Lancaster University is fast becoming a highly prestigious institution despite its short existence compared to that of other Universities. The standard and quality of teaching and research is very good or excellent in many departments, particularly in the arts and humanities, and the wide range of course options available, some of which fail to exist in other Universities, is astounding. Lancaster University is ever progressing academically and socially, since it boasts over 50 different societies which many students can become involved in, and which broadens opportunities for them, so that upon leaving University, they have obtained a degree as well as the experiences gained from becoming involved in their chosen societies. The University consists of students from an amazingly wide variety of nationalities and cultures, partly due to their high intake of international students. The University could easily reach even higher standards if it was funded more successfully, and I believe that with the right kind of support and recognition of the University's potential and capacity to make full use of their current resources, it shall certainly dominate the league tables for years to come.

Lancaster - five stars all the way

Lancaster as a campus has everything. a load of shops and banks, take aways, luandrey place and much more.
I fell i nlove with the place, with its rolling green hills as you arrive, the mini shopping centre and most definitly its theatre.
As a drama students the Theatre on campus is important to me. Nuffield theatre does not disappoint with its offe to assist professional groups and the oppurtunity to use it ourselves. Although a regular black box theatre, Nuffield allows so much diversity.
The tutors all seem quite lovely [note : not 'luuuhv-ely'], even the dance teacher was quite the character. The place was just great. the course was fantastic.
The accomadation is fairly priced and looks sturdy, nothing falling apart like some universities and nothing extraordinarily expensive..again like some other unis i could mention.
The strength in their visit/ uni day i think was that they kept drama students together so we could learn and interact more. This was important to me because although i migt not ever see those people again, if i do end up in a class with them i can fall back into step.

Not for some minorities

Lancaster has a reputation for forward thinking and being liberal. That was before the Geaorge Fox six of course. I am a 39 year old post-oparative transexual with A-levels who already has a professional qualification. Studying BA (hons) Theatre Studies, or Drama as it is more commonly known.

My first experience was of having an appalling physical illness on my first week (thankfully special afforts by doctors meant that I got steroids which cured the problem after that). No help given at all. Tried to join the drama group, but in the first production there was actually a part for someonme like me a transsexual (in a play about Andy Warhol - it is very difficult as a TS to find parts I can do), despite being more experienced and better qualified the part was given to a heterosexual. When I complained there was only outrage, no effort at all to deal with the appaling ignorance about my minority status, and because I complained about it, a small number of students started to bully in the manner that Shilpa Shetty had to endure.

I stuck this for just over a year, passing exams etc., trying to keep my head down and avoiding any contact to try to avoid problems. After a year or so (in my second year) it just became so intrusive that I couldn't study with it going on so reluctantly I left, leaving with a £7000 debt and no chance to attend a more urban university.