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Brunel University
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Brunel University
 Brunel University is actually in west London - something that is impossible to tell from it's name (which is taken from the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel). It's a pretty new university essentially having been created in the 60s and like the guy it's named after has traditionally focused on technology, engineering and physical sciences. In more recent years it's branched out more and developed strong departments in the arts, humanities, social sciences, geography and health. FacilitiesLibrariesBrunel Library is in the Bannerman Centre provides access to over 400,000 books as well as thousands of online journals, so you'll find everything you need to research your work. There are also over 200 PCs in the library and you can have access to study rooms and private study spaces. Access is available 7 days a week through out most of the year and opening hours are extended to 24 hours a day during exam time. The are also music scores available for the music students (as well as anyone else who's interested), and CDs/ Videos to aid you in your course or just for your leisure. The library is also the place to go for other services like photocopying (both A3 and A4 and colour and black and white options are available). Photocopying is paid for through a card you can buy for £1. It comes with 35p credit and more can easily be added. Or you can just use your library card, which contains your credit for printing and photocopying. These can be topped up on the ground floor of the library at the machines opposite the reception desks. IT and ComputingThe Computer Centre is in charge of computer and technology services on campus. There are lots of computer rooms around campus, some giving you access 24 hours a day if you need to get online or type up an essay in the early hours of the morning. You also have access to printing facilities from these PCs, both colour and black and white - remember your access control card to pick up your printing from the machines. In addition there is the IT Center Shop which allows you to buy printers and cartridges and various storage devices from USB drives to CD and DVDs. Internet access is available in your rooms in halls and there is some wireless network access across campus, though sadly the wireless network does not extend to halls. You will need an ethernet cable in order to access the internet in halls, although these are available cheaply on campus from the IT shop or in town from somewhere like Maplins. You'll need your computers to have certain requirements to use these services, such has having secure passwords to log on to your machine, have an up to date anti-virus software and download up-dates for the anti-virus software and the latest Windows security updates regularly. There is no charge for the use of any of the internet connections on campus, however access to some websites is restricted, a warning will either ask you whether you want to continue to that page, or will deny access completely. If you need to access the page for work, you can "appeal" through the page that it took you to when you tried to access the site.
SportsThere are expensive sports facilities at Brunel. Indoors you have the sports hall, exercise studio, netball hall, squash courts, a climbing hall and and indoor athletics centre (something quite unusual at UK universities). Outdoors you have synthetic pitches, grass pitches, tennis courts, netball courts and an athletics area. As you might have guessed from this, athletics is a fairly big sport at Brunel, much more so than most unis - the outdoor 6 lane 400m track meets IFFA standards and the uni is home to one of just 4 'High Performance Athletics Centres'. Students can make use of all these facilities and there are a number of clubs which you can join. These clubs range in ability from beginners/casual players to people who play in local and BUSA teams and above. Sports clubs include:
WelfareThe uni offers you lots of services to help overcome problems with your wellbeing. This can range from a confidential professional counseling service to teams set up to advice you on academic issues, on disability issues and provide you with legal advice. Your first port of call for academic problems would usually be the tutor who was assigned to you in your first week. If you do not feel able to speaks to them, you can make an appointment to see any member of staff in their own individual office hours. You can also speak to the head of your subject or the head of each module about issues specific to your modules. There are module representatives who are elected at the start of each academic year who can also put your issues forward at the meeting between the student representatives and the teaching staff that happens twice a year. For issues that are not of an academic matter, you would usually speak to the student centre first. This can be regarding problems with finances, disability, mental wellbeing, advice on finding a job at university or legal issues. The student centre are then able to put you in touch with the people who would be able to help you with your issue, whether that's a counsellor or the jobshop where they can look over your CV. HealthcareThe university has a medical centre on campus with several GPs and practice nurses. It is located in the middle of campus near the accommodation office. For students, the medical centre works on a walk in clinic basis, which usually operate between 11.30-about 1.30. This means that if you go in and sit and wait you will get seen that same day, you can sometimes be waiting a while, but it beats waiting weeks like you do for some doctors surgeries! Appointments can be made to see a nurse only, non students can make appointments to see the doctor at times outside the walk in clinic hours. To register you will need your NHS card which would have been sent to you when you registered at your previous doctor. Your can register at freshers fair during freshers week, or can go along to do so at any point during the academic year. The Health Centre is also able to provide you with good help and advice on sexual health matters including contraception. You can also find assistance on the health centres website for how to help yourself with many common problems from colds to back pain - they also tell you when you should contact them for an appointment with these common problems too. ShopsMost shops on campus are situated in the main promenade opposite the Bannerman Centre, which contains the library. The shops on campus are mainly convenience stores, and include: Mace newsagents, Endsleigh Insurance, Costcutter, Brunel Pharmacy, and HSBC. Mace Newsagents and Costcutter contain many crossover items, such as drink and sandwiches, but it is important to remember that Costcutter has a licence to sell alcohol, whereas Mace currently does not. In addition, Costcutter alone has meals, such as Super Noodles and baked beans, and fresh fruit. Mace newsagents exclusively sells newspapers, magazines, stationary, ice lollies, frozen ready meals, such as pizza, and biscuits. Generally, if you need any food, one of the two food shops on campus will serve it, so there shouldn't be a need to venture into town. Both shops open at 8am and close at 7pm during termtime. It is acknowledged that the staff in Costcutter are much more efficient, friendly and professional than their counterparts in Mace, although Mace is undoubtedly the busier of the two shops, and due to its poor layout, queues can be ghastly especially at lunchtimes. In addition to the campus shops, there are two main shopping centres in Uxbridge, known as "The Pavillions" and "The Chimes". Uxbridge also contains a reasonable sized High Street, stretching from near Denham Marina all the way up to the busy Park Road. The Pavillions contains shops such as The Body Shop, TK Maxx and MK One, and is usually referred to as the cheaper of the two centres. The Chimes is a lot more modern, and contains more clothing shops, such as Debenhams and Next, as well as shops such as Boots. The High Street is a reasonable length and as well as containing food outlets, such as McDonalds, it contains much smaller pubs and shops. Harrow is easily accessible by Underground, which contains an equally large shopping area, with a different selection of shops. Central London is also accessible by train within the hour, and contains many flagship stores, both cheap, such as Primark, and up-market, such as Selfridges. RestaurantsOn campus there is the More Food Court which serves up a wide variety of food from all corners of the globe. Situated on the upper floor of the Hamilton Building and accessed via the spiral staircase in the Atrium, More Food Court is a buffet service where you pay for your selected meal before you go and sit down at one of the many tables available. It has been common for More Food Court to offer different international cuisine each weekday, so one evening you may choose from an Indian selection, whereas the following day you may eat a range of Italian food. Meal tickets can be purchased in bulk, meaning that considerable savings are made on each of the three hot meals offered every day. Otherwise, the More Food Court is considered a fairly expensive option, especially for students operating on a strict budget, and it is advised that cooking in halls of residence is usually a far better option in the long term, although the quality of food served up in the More Food Court ranges from good to very good. In addition to the More Food Court, there is a small, fast food outlet called Pronto. It opened in 2006 and has been fairly popular with 'nightowls' on their way back to halls of residence after a night out in Academy. Offering many hot snacks such as garlic bread, chips, burgers, hot dogs, chicken pieces, and sausage rolls, as well as soft drinks and a small selection of chocolate, Pronto is seen as a fairly competitively priced outlet, and it is usually open until 2am Monday through Friday, meaning that it is the only free-admission venue to serve food or drink on campus after 11pm when Loco's shuts. Although queues in Pronto can be quite long during peak meal times, the general feeling among students is that the quality of food leaves a lot to be desired. It is not uncommon to have soggy chips, uncooked chicken, tasteless pizza etc, and by the end your first year on campus you will have probably came to the same conclusion as the majority of students at Brunel: avoid Pronto. BanksBrunel University has an HSBC branch on campus, and also three cash machines, located in between the bank and the adjacent pharmacy, which do not currently charge you to withdraw your money. Queues for the cash machines are often lengthy and a wait of up to five minutes is not uncommon, especially during the middle of the day in termtime. HSBC offer a competitive student account, which many students will accept, although their student account is by no means the best one out there, so do not feel pressured into joining HSBC, as all other major banks are represented in Uxbridge High Street, only five minutes away on the U1 or U3 buses. TransportBrunel is part of the London Bus Network. There are routes which travel around the local area, as well as into central London, which are around 90p a trip with an oyster card, £2 without one. Brunel is also in walking distance of Uxbridge Underground Station. This is on the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Line, going into Central London. If you plan on using either of these regularly, then you should get an Oyster Card, to make the cost of travelling much cheaper. Buying a ticket each time you travel is a rip off in comparison. If you are planning to buy season tickets for your oyster card then it is definitely worth getting a student one which will cost you £5 for the year but will save you 1/3 on all weekly/monthly/annual season tickets. As yet, there is no discount for single or daily tickets. Careers serviceBrunel has a very dedicated careers service specialising in part time jobs, vacation work and sandwich placements for those on the four year course. Brunel students have access to the careers website where they can get advice on all aspects of work such as interviews and C.V's. Part-time jobsWith the large amount of shops in the local area, there are plenty of part time jobs available, both in The Chimes and the Pavillions, and areas which are further out, such as Central London. However, there are many secondary schools and colleges in the area, and so these positions tend to be taken quickly. Religious facilitiesThe university has Christian and Muslim Chaplains based in Meeting House and has links with other faith groups in the area. Their services and the building can be used by any students whether you have a religion or not. The rooms are also used for prayer, worship and meetings of various student religious groups too. In addition a small library provides you with access to various publications for different religious groups. All in all, Brunel seems to have a well staffed, well stock and effective Chaplaincy. SocialBars, Pubs and clubsBrunel has many places to enjoy a night out. The main place to be after a hard day of lectures and seminars is the Academy, which can hold approximately 600 people. On some nights the line to enter the club can be tediously long so it's best to purchase a ticket from the student union bar Loco's well in advance of your intended night out. Tickets can also now be purchased online at brunelstudents. In the 2007/2008 academic year, the Academy offered club nights every weeknight, starting close to 10pm. The most successful nights were Flirt on Mondays, and Global on Fridays. These were mainstream events which offered funky house and cheesy pop. More defined musical tastes were catered for on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a range of clubnights during the year featuring drum n bass, hip-hop, indie, rap, reggae, trance, and even jungle. Such events like this were known as Masti, or Darq, and proved to be very popular. Wednesday nights at the Academy are a bit of a non-entity. Liquid in Uxbridge offer a stunning student night on Wednesdays from around 10pm until 2am (with the 2007/2008 theme being 'Shipwrecked'), and flyers are handed out on campus earlier in the week. Traditionally, entry to Liquid is cheaper if you obtain a flyer. Fancy dress is optional. Due to the endearing popularity of Liquid, Wednesdays on campus are a damp squib. CompetitionsBrunel University was one of the first UK universities to enter the popular Formula Student engineering competition. It is an annual event in which universities from all around the world compete in static and dynamic events using formula style racing cars designed and manufactured by students. The Brunel Racing Team is composed of undergraduate and postgraduate students, each being allocated an area of the car to develop. The students on MEng Mechanical Engineering courses act as team leaders and manage BEng students throughout the year to ensure a successful completion of a new car each year. Brunel Racing were UK Class 1 Formula Student Champions in 2002, and were the leading UK team at Formula ATA 2005, the Italian Formula Student event. In 2006 Formula Student Event, Brunel Racing were also the highest finishing UK competitor using E85 (fuel comprising of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol.) The university also runs a second racing team, comprising exclusively of post-graduate students from the MSc Automotive and Motorsports Engineering course, called Brunel Masters Motorsports. The 20 students on this course are from 10 different countries, with various cultural backgrounds and a with a wide range of industry experience. The BMM team were the UK Class 2 Formula Student Champions in their first year, 2005. Brunel's Formula Student teams have won prizes at the annual competition every year since they first entered in 1999. In 2007, the Brunel Bhangra Team entered the Bhangra Showdown competition, and came second. After entering the competition in the last two weeks. Clubs and societiesAs this is a very sports orientated university the sports clubs are the most popular clubs. The societies range from active to "I had no idea we even had one of those", the ACS, Latin and cultural societies are definitely part of the former. In addition to this the arts and performance societies have received an influx of members especially the dance society. Dance Society
AccommodationAll the uni accommodation is on campus - a bonus, meaning you don't have to travel long distances to your lectures. It's also all self-catered, meaning you have the flexibility in what you eat and when. You can either cook yourself, eat out or eat in the uni food places. You have the option to buy in bulk a number of food vouchers to buy meals on campus. You'll also have your room for 36 weeks - from the start of term until the start of the summer - no moving out at Christmas and Easter like at some places. Postgrad students can have their accommodation for 51 weeks. Accommodation policyIf you want accommodation the you need to say so on your UCAS form in the appropriate place. The the uni will send you details when you accept a place. Sadly you don't get to choose which Hall you go in but choose between either en-suite or standard. If you choose ensuite, there is a probable chance that you will end up in ensuite accommodation - however, this can not be guaranteed. Due to the new Isamabard Complex accommodation, Brunel is now able to accommodate couples, second and third year students. This is on a first come first serve basis. Unlike other universities in London, Brunel accepts applications from students residing within the M25. FacilitiesMany of the halls have en suite rooms and those that don't have a sink in your room. You also get your bed linen provided (if you want it) - something most unis don't have. Regular cleaning takes place too meaning you'll be able to keep on top of the state of your accommodation. Though you still shouldn't expect a mess to be tidyed up - the cleaners are there to clean and not tidy up after you. Try your best to keep things tidy yourself so the cleaners can do a better job themselves! There is free internet access available in all rooms. The halls are all self-catered and you are provided with the basic equipment of kettle, toaster, oven, grill and hob in the shared kitchens. Laundry rooms are found in each hall of residence, but are charged for and you'll need your own powder/detergent to clean with. ResidencesHalls are either all en-suite or all standard rooms. En SuiteAll rooms currently cost £97.02 a week expect Mill Hall which is £92.05.
StandardRoom prices range from £79.03 - £97.02 per week. LIST OF RESIDENCES:
Private sectorThe uni has schemes to help you find private sector accommodation - mostly needed for non-first years. You can use the Housing Office to help you and find a choice between renting a private house, renting a room in house or renting a house from the university on behalf of the houses owner. Near the town centre are some ex-RAF flats too which are managed by the university. They are good value for money, but are 1.5 miles from campus. Student unionThe Student Union or loco's in which it is known to current students, is the place to be to catch up on sports, chill with friends or relax after a hard days lecture. The official student building is adjacent to loco's this is where you will catch the UBS president Jay. Unfortunately the student union isn't as busy as other universities however there are plenty of opportunities to make your mark, so if you think you have a good idea on what will improve the uni then you will be most welcome by the staff. PricesEnvironmentArchitectureBrunel was built in two phases. Phase one was in the late 60's when the university had just begun and people decided that concrete was the next big thing. The scenes involving the 'reprogramming centre' in Kubrick's Clockwork Orange were shot at Brunel, inside what is now the John Crank building, a room in one of the original halls of residence and one of the lecture centre theatres (Giving rise to the annual tradition of film students sleeping through footage of someone in the same room as them having his eyes held open and forcibly glued to the screen, something film studies lecturers here have no doubt often contemplated.) Brunel's recent master plan of combining all it's campuses onto the uxbridge site has lead to a massive amount of building work on the uxbridge campus, which however comes to an end before the 2008 Freshers arrive. The building work has led to: An enlarged administration building, enlarged library holding the placement and careers centre and cafe recoco's , enlarged SU building with shops and an atrium, new social sciences building, 10 new halls of residence (with more to come) athletics track, netball hall, loads of sports pitches. There is also the addition of a digital performance and black box studio to the Boilerhouse drama space for 2008. The campus blossoms during summer days. It looks the best it ever has, as the development masterplan nears it's end. The campus is modern, dynamic thrusting, and the mixture of archietecture compliments each other to create some bizarre effects. The brutalist architecture of the lecture centre's concrete exterior, is now offset with a lawn area, which previously had been concrete paving. More recently the university has decided to start naming its buildings after various people, presumably on the grounds that a sign saying 'library' would be too confusing. A few of the more important buildings are: Hamilton Centre: Student union, refectory, bars nightclub, shops etc. Bannerman Centre: Library, Student Centre, Finance Office, Cafe Recoco's, Placement and Careers centre. Wilfred Brown: Administration centre and reception. The student centre in Bannerman was created to keep nasty smelly students out of the admin block if at all possible. John Crank: Maths , computer services, computer store and 24 computer rooms. Lecture Centre: Lecture centre and AV unit. Named after Reginald Lecture-Centre, noted 19th Century Industrialist. Local areaBrunel students have the best of both worlds, london is 40 mins to an 1hr away by public transport, but if you can't be bothered to travel that far there are some pubs and clubs namely Liquid/Envy for a goodnight. However you won't really need to venture out that much because Brunel is a campus university and has all you need. Notable AlumniPolitics
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Applying to BrunelThinking of applying to Brunel? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Brunel ArticlesReview of Brunel, (Good Times University 2007) Links | 
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