The University of Essex is a great place to study as it is a campus uni, surrounded by acres of parkland, meaning that everything is really close together and it is really easy to stay on for sports and societies which take place in the evening. We have our own theatre and cinema on campus, and tickets are always discounted for students. I am never bored, and I make sure that I keep on top of the work by studying in the library which has so many varied study areas and resources. Although I don't go out often, we have two bars and a night club all on campus, so if you want to party, there isn't a long trek home afterwards! The Student's Union is also really good at listening to students' opinions and creating real change based on their feedback; they put on really good events during Fresher's Week and beyond such as SU Makes (weekly craft events), mixers for different groups of students, Holi Festival, November fireworks etc. Location-wise, there are buses every 20 minutes into the town centre, and the nearest train station is about a 15 minute walk away from campus. Trains to the seaside (Clacton, Walton) take about 30 minutes, or you can head into or into London which is just an hour in the opposite direction. I feel very supported by staff (we have a personal tutor system who you can go to for anything), lecturers, and the life-long careers services. However, one area of improvement could be increasing funding into the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Services as they are very understaffed and can take a long time to get back to students when they are struggling. Having said that, my personal experiences with them have been pretty positive.

Most lecturers are really engaging and clearly care about their subjects; they are also really open to questions and feedback and respond really quickly by Email. I volunteer as a Student Rep, so fellow students can share positives and negatives about the course, and we can then pass that on to lecturers and administrative staff so they can put changes in place for the following year. Teaching is almost always in person, except for when we are using computer software and students prefer it to be over Zoom. In the first year, I had about 15 hours of teaching a week on average, including labs (which are 3 hours long), however, in second year it has been about 8 hours a week which is a very manageable amount of time.

Colchester has lots of nice things going for it including Colchester Zoo outside of the city centre and Firstsite Gallery, two theatres (The Mercury and The Headgate), escape rooms, shops, restaurants, and night clubs in the centre. I don't like being in the centre on my own at night as it can start to feel a bit unsafe in terms of people being quite rowdy and loud, however with friends it is fine!

The University of Essex is really good in terms of being able to provide uni accommodation for all 3/4 years of study! I decided not to move off-campus into private accommodation as it wouldn't have been any cheaper and I would have further to commute every day. The security and maintenance on campus is also really responsive and I didn't want to lose that! I stayed in the Houses for my first year in a single ensuite room and have absolutely no complaints (except for messy flatmates which the university can't do much about). I always felt safe and at home in my room, and it had plenty of storage space and really good lighting in both the bedroom and bathroom! The flat was shared between 6 of us and cost £151 a week (it has since gone up). The kitchen was not massive (we could never have all eaten in there together), but it had good drawer and fridge space, and was well-equipped with all the essentials. It was right in the heart of campus, but the area around it was mainly green space and so it was very quiet and peaceful living there. For my second year, I was put down the names of my friends when I applied for accommodation so 8 of my friendship group live together in a flat of 12. I am currently living in the Pastures shared facility accommodation which also cost £151 and it is two to a bathroom (I share with my friend). The kitchen is absolutely massive and we have loads of cupboard space, but only one shelf each in the fridge and freezer which could be improved. My bedroom itself feels spacious and has good light (the windows open fully!), and the bed is a small double which is definitely large enough for me. Opposite my flat is the Mini Store which does pastries, hot drinks, and general groceries; it is now open every day of the week which is really handy. The only downside of the Pastures is that it is run in collaboration with Uliving and their security are much less friendly and approachable than the university ones . The buildings themselves also feel very rushed and the main door to the flat has broken multiple times which doesn't help with feeling safe and secure.

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