University of Nottingham (Nottingham, England)

by Hilary Fong 

Introduction

Nottingham is like something out of the Pride and Prejudice film (the Keira Knightley version) or Taylor Swift’s Blank Space video. The lush greenery is everywhere you look, and vastly different from any university with a city campus. Located less than 2hrs away from London and Manchester, it’s ideal if you want to travel around Europe.

Accommodation

If you’re looking for housing options, look no further than the 12 catered halls on University Park Campus, where the student life is buzzing. I was lucky enough to live in Lincoln Hall, the best hall with the most amazing people. If you’re looking for a self-catered option, try Broadgate Park or Albion house which are situated not too far from the main campus and still offer exciting student life.

Campus

The university has 4 campuses, the main campus (University Park) provides almost everything you’ll need – banks, post boxes, bars and places to eat and the student union shop which doubles as a small supermarket, and the city centre is located just 20 minutes away from main campus. Free Hopper Buses operate between the campuses so it’s easy to get by if your classes aren’t within walking distance of your home.

Jubilee Campus is a 15-minute hopper bus ride away and is vastly different to University park with its modern architecture but equally beautiful with the serene lake where you can find ducks and swans swimming around. This is where business classes, computer science and entrepreneurship are held.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/about/visitorinformation/mapsanddirections/mapsanddirections.aspx

Academics

The University prides itself on its STEM courses, Politics and Entrepreneurship, and is ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide. Business or Management as they call it, is much more relaxed than UNSW, there is a huge emphasis on independent learning.

Student Life

Nottingham is an incredibly student-friendly city where student discounts are everywhere you turn. There are clubs and bars everywhere, which are inexpensive compared to Sydney’s own. You’ll find every student at Crisis on Wednesdays and Ocean on Fridays. If you need a ride home after a night out DG Taxi’s has you sorted, its university affiliated so even if you don’t have cash on hand, it’s not a problem. And if you don’t want to head out into town, Mooch, the uni bar is just on the main campus.

Extracurricular

The Portland Building is the Hub of the university, where you can join absolutely anything. UoN has an incredible range of sports from American Football to Handball and everything in between, why not join a team? There’s also so many opportunities to volunteer or join a club, just ask the Nottingham SU or go to the clubs and societies website. The new gym has just been built, and although it’s not free, it’s definitely cheaper than anything you’ll find in Sydney and the facilities are world-class.

Conclusion

If that hasn’t convinced you to go to UoN, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park or Wayne Manor is located just behind the main campus. Bonfire Night and Goose Fair are a must, and just wait until varsity rolls around against Nottingham Trent, Ice Hockey and American Football are lit, and can get rowdy af. Or maybe you want to go on an adventure to find the stepping stones and the waterfall on campus. I definitely made the right choice going here, I loved it and miss it all the time.