|
|
|
University of Gloucestershire
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Gloucestershire
 The University of Gloucestershire is split across fours campuses in Cheltenham and Gloucester. The Oxstalls campus is in Gloucester while Pittville, The Park and Francis Close Hall Campuses are all in Cheltenham. The university seems to focus on the less traditional and perhaps more vocational courses. Big subjects include education, health, social care, business, law, computing, media, journalism, arts, sports studies and socials sciences, though some physical and biological sciences and humanities subjects are studied. FacilitiesLearning and Information ServicesThere are 4 learning centres which house the library and computing facilities. Francis Close Hall Learning Centre in Cheltenham has resources for education, humanities, biological and physical sciences and social sciences. It's open 7 days a week and open until 9pm during the week. Oxstalls Learning Centre in Gloucester has collections for health, social care and sports related subjects. It's open 7 days a week with late night opening on Mondays and Tuesdays until 10pm while it's open until 9pm Wednesdays and Thursdays. Park Learning Centre on Park Campus in Cheltenham has the resources for business, law, computing and tourism/hospitality courses. It's also open 7 days a week and closes at 9pm during the week. Pittville Learning Centre at Pittville Studios in Cheltenham focuses on arts, design, music, media and journalism. It's open 7 days a week and open until 9pm during the week. The uni's libraries hold over 300,000 volumes which includes books, journals and newspapers. In addition the Learning Centres offer photocopying and audio-visual services. The centres also give you access to PCs with over 500 networked PCs across the four centres. In addition you get ICT help and support too. SportsIf you join the Sporting Union at Gloucestershire you will get great deals and discounts for facilities in the area. In Cheltenham town there is the Recreation Centre and Prince of Wales Stadium. These provide sports halls, a swimming pool, gym, athletics track and an outdoor pitch. The SU has loads of sports clubs which range in ability. These often result in teams which play at different levels including BUSA. There is also the annual Varsity competition against Worcester University which takes place across loads of sports. Current sports clubs at Gloucestershire include:
WelfareIf you have welfare problems you might want to make use of the medical or chaplaincy services, though the uni has other help too. The counselling services will offer you a confidential place to talk through your problems and is open to all students while on all campuses there are student advisers who can give help on a range of academic issues. The university also has systems in place to help support disabled students and mature students. HealthcareThe Uni has a medical centre which is a part of the local Underwood Surgery in Cheltenham. Here you can get medical services from seeing a GP or a nurse and from getting information about medical and health issues. The centre is open 4 and a half days a week (it's closed on Friday afternoons). During opening hours you'll be able to see the nurse and make appointments though the doctors are only available for appointments between 10am and 12pm and between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. The centre also has it's own website. The uni has no provision of a medical centre for students living in Gloucester so you may either register with the medical centre in Cheltenham or register with some other surgery in Gloucester. ShoppingThere are plenty of shops and arcardes to browse in within Cheltenham and Gloucester. Cheltenham give shoppers the Promenade where you'll find shops such as Oasis, GAP, Cavendish House, Waterstones and so on. The Regent Arcade and Beechwood shopping centres also provide a good selection of stores such as Disney store, Debenhams, River Island, Bay Trading, TK MAX and etc. Christmas time the German open market also arrives in time, giving shoppers a wide choice of presents for family and friends and also purchasing of foods which are something special at Christmas. Gloucester has a wide selection of shops to choose from. All the high street names ie Primark, Debenhams, H&M, Topshop, Boots and etc which are all in close reach of one another. Christmas time the German markets also visit Gloucester giving you a varied and wide selection of gifts and foods you simply can't resist! Gloucester also has an outdoor ice rink to make sure you definately have a shopping experience you'll never forget. The Mall and Kings Walk shopping centre are both in close reach of one another and are filled with many high street stores.
RestaurantsBanksCheltenham and Gloucester provide a wide variety of high streets banks in the centre of both towns ie Lloyds, Halifax, Abbey National, Nat West, Halifax and so on. TransportThe University of Gloucestershire provide students with an intersite bus which can take you to each of the University campuses in Cheltenham and Gloucester. This service is free to use and is a great way to save on travel, so no need to bring a car. The bus pass provided by the University also allows you to use any Stagecoach bus within the Gloucestershire region. This is a great way to to travel and it also lasts the whole time you are studying at this University! Careers serviceThe careers service has advisers who can provide information on careers choice and help you with writing CVs, making applications and preparation for interviews. They have a computer based system called 'prospects planner' to help you look at career choices and find jobs. In addition they hold workshops on all these topics and have lectures and talks on specific careers to help you make a choice. Bigger events such as careers fairs and conferences are also organised by the careers service. Everything is a big help to you in preparation for when you graduate. Part-Time WorkFinding a job at University is sometimes a tricky situation and is often a long process in trying to find one to fit around your studies. The University of Gloucestershire's student union offers a job shop for students where jobs on a weekly basis are added. Students also have the opportunity to sign up with local agencies in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Religious facilitiesThe Chaplaincy is based in the Chaplaincy Centre and Chapel at Francis Close Hall and currently has one full time C of E chaplain. The centre is somewhere you can go for advice and talk, for worship and to take part or experience the cultural programme they have running through the year. This 'programme' includes music and art exhibitions. They also host lectures and lunches. If you are of any religion you can get contacts from the Chaplaincy for local faith groups and local churches. SocialBars, pubs and clubsIn the Cheltenham area, there is much to do at night. There are several different clubs catering for different tastes in music. Moda (situated opposite Burger King) on a Wednesday night is a very popular night called 'Cheese', normally with some kind of fancy dress theme. Blush (near the Everyman Theatre) is popular on Thursday nights, known as Propaganda it has two floors, one for Indy music and the other for Rock. Other clubs include Subtone, which has a piano bar, and The Night Owl, for your emo/rock/heavy metal/goth scene. There are many other clubs I haven't mentioned, it is one thing Cheltenham is not short of. 2Pigs is a popular pub/club/venue. Opposite Primark, and just behind Cobbler's Corner, the 2Pigs has bands play on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. These will usually be small bands from the local area and there will be about 3 or 4. The venue is small and can get quite crowded at times. Drinks are reasonably priced. After the bands have finished there is a 'club' night. The 2Pigs also holds a monthly night called 'Judder' - popular with the goth/industrial/cyber scene but also keeps the rock crowd. These nights are usually themed. EventsThere are loads of uni run events throughout the year with things happening every week. Then you get the big Balls which are always popular and are held a times lie start of year, end of year and Christmas. Clubs and societiesGloucestershire SU says you can have a society about any topic ('anything goes') and any society is open to every single student at the uni - so you can join any that exist or set up you own if you want to. Current societies include:
If you are interested in music there is a lot to get involved with too. The uni has a choir and a Chamber Orchestra which are open to all students. If you can sing in tune or of at least grade 5 on your instrument then you'll be able to join one of these groups. AccommodationEach campus of the uni has some halls, and there is a free bus running between campuses. This means you may need to travel to a different campus than the one you're living at. You also rent the rooms for 38 weeks and are charged somewhere between £67 and £92 per week. Accommodation policyAll places in halls are reserved for first year undergraduates. If you aren't a first year or are a postgrad student, then you'd better get looking for a privately rented place. FacilitiesAccommodation is self-catering and most halls have a cafe/restaurant/refectory/dinning room near by in case you don't want to cook for yourself. The shared kitchen-dinning areas in the accommodation is equipped with:
Also, there will be a laundry room somewhere near your room too. ResidencesIn Cheltenahm:
Private sectorIf you need to look for a privately rented house (of which some people needed to right from their first year) you can get a list from the university. It's also available online - make sure you look in plenty of time. Student unionThe SU runs several bars - one on each of the four campuses and named after the campus. The biggest and best is the Park Bar which is also home to the really big events of the year like the Fresher's Ball and Halloween Party. It's got something on most days too, so it's never quiet and an added bonus is that you can get wireless internet access in there. The FCH Bar has recently been renovated and looks much better. It's often the place to go for watching big sporting events. Pittville Bar is a popular place for live music and DJs and many great nights are had there. Oxstalls bar is quite new and in Gloucester to provide something for the students there. It's got a big screen for sports events and is becoming popular for it's themed nights. The SU also run toneradio - a student run radio station that is broadcast 24 hours a day and can be listened to online and an online shop where you can buy uni and SU branded items. EnvironmentArchitectureLocal areaTeaching qualityThe entry requirements can be very low for some subjects - as low as like 100 UCAS Points. Others are higher - up to around 280 for the highest offers. It got a score of 3.9 in the 2006 National Student Survey for it's teaching quality. Scored out of 5 that is a pretty standard result. On research assessments the top subjects included things like English Language and Literature, theology, divinity and religious studies. Applying to GloucestershireThinking of applying to University of Gloucestershire? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Gloucestershire ArticlesWhy not read these other University of Gloucestershire Articles? Links | 
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
