Hull Applicants 2015

am I at a disadvantage by not doing the knowledge factory? i didn't have high enough predicted grades.. but will everyone else go and make friends there before starting? i'm really scared of not being able to make friends

am I at a disadvantage by not doing the knowledge factory? i didn't have high enough predicted grades.. but will everyone else go and make friends there before starting? i'm really scared of not being able to make friends

You'll make friends for sure, with or without the knowledge factory, the students union and the whole student community and even the people you live with if you're going into halls or student accommodation, there'll be plenty of people in the same situation, me for one

I'll be there on the 11th. Booked to attend the Computer Science applicant day.

Nice! I'm going for Physics and Maths but I'll be visiting the physics department, have you been to Hull before?

How are you feeling about Hull so far? I hope you like it on the applicant day - I absolutely loved it! It was going to be my insurance until I visited, and now I've firmed it.

It seems like a nice university and the department seems great in terms of teaching and student surveys as well as research which is a bonus. The thing that puts me off is my lack of knowledge of the city. I'm used to London and Manchester which are obviously both pretty global cities with plenty diversity and all sorts going on! I don't think I'm even a typical nightlife person ( I don't even drink for one ) but I like the feeling of living in a city where I can take part in big events and actually see civilisation so as to keep things interesting lol

Weren't you the one that wanted to firm uclan for physics, if so - what made you change your opinion?

Yep, my partner lives in Hull and I've been visiting for a couple of years now. So quite familiar with the actual city and very fond of it.

It's nowhere near as big as where I'm from (Glasgow), but it's still a decent sized city and I think there's more than enough things around to make life interesting. I actually do prefer the size and atmosphere of it to the busier places, although I'm not a nightlife person or a major event goer myself, so can't judge it on that aspect lol. I like that it's not a constant hustle and bustle like the bigger cities, although I'm sure there's also a good selection of clubs and pubs and stuff if anyone's into that. Seen plenty around in my travels, though can't give an opinion on any of them personally I'm afraid.

It is close to a lot of places where things tend to happen (Leeds, Manchester, etc) and it's quite easy and not terribly expensive to get to places from Hull. So there's always that.

If you get time on the day, maybe take one of the tours into Hull? With Hull being the city of culture 2017, I'm assuming there'll be a lot going on in the next few years. My chemistry teacher is from Hull, and said it's improved a lot in the last few years as a city. Obviously it's an important factor, so I hope you get to see the city at some point!

Yeah I was... went to the applicant day on Sunday and just didn't like it as much. It felt way too similar to secondary school, and after I leave in May I don't want any reminders of it. The layout of the lecture halls and labs was almost identical to my current school.. it just didn't feel like a university, just a more independent secondary school.. and I felt like I didn't know enough. They basically refused to send me information about modules and won't answer any of my questions... whereas Hull were happy to answer everything. I just felt like I didn't know enough about UCLan to choose it.

I think I may have an hour or two to roam depending on when it all finishes so I'll probably end up exploring parts of the city on my own as I often do when I go somewhere new.

Those were my thoughts of uclan when I researched it! (school like I mean) It's a good thing you found somewhere you like though. Regarding the university or the department, do you think the students there enjoy living/studying there from what you perceived? And what else did you like in particular on your visit?

I hope you get time to see the city, and I hope you like it!

Hull? All the students seemed to love it. Very friendly atmosphere, too. We sat and had a buffet lunch type thing with current students - mostly third years - and some staff members came and sat and asked me what I was applying for/what I found interesting/etc. Had a few really nice discussions with students about my A Level subjects, and student life. Most undergrads live in the Lawns apparently, and they all said they love living there. Physics society is apparently pretty good, as is the student union {which is huge}. We were taken to a telescopes activity first, and then taken on a tour of the campus. Then we had a talk from Dr Buzza who seems really lovely, and a Dr Pimbblet, who gave us a mini lecture on galaxies. He was really enthusiastic and seemed friendly {general consensus of the department is that it's friendly}. Then we were taken on a tour of the teaching labs which were so nice! And then back to the main meeting point for refreshments and to talk to students a bit more.

Overall it was a very friendly department. The students all seemed to love the first year accommodation, and their accommodation in their second/third years. They said the sports facilities were good, and the events held by the union {i know you said you don't drink, but there's a pub/bar and a nightclub in the union, and societies seem very diverse so if you don't feel like going out there are lots of societies!}. Staff all seemed lovely and approachable too, which is nice if you ended up feeling stuck on a question or something? But yeah everyone seemed happy there so that seems good!

I had a long conversation with a woman on the train to Hull once who decided to tell me about when she watched the Humber Bridge being built.

There's definitely a lot of younger people around, and I would assume that quite a lot of them are students. Can't say I've hung around the university area much and the 11th will be my first time visiting the actual building, but the college is towards the city centre and there's always loads of students going in and out there when I've been visiting. So would expect it to be the same in terms of uni students.

I was expecting it to be pretty dead the first time I went myself, so I do get what you mean.

Aw thanks, sure hope so too

Whoops, I did mean Hull, yes lol.
Sounds all well and good; especially the enthusiasm of the lecturers and the atmosphere of the place - now I just have to experience it for myself! Atm Liverpool will be my insurance whilst Hull and QMUL are contending for the firm place. Hull's cost of living really gives it a strong advantage and the fact that people seem happy definitely makes it so much more appealing, also my happiness (sorry for the cringeworthy comment haha is vital and Hull seem quite dedicated to student welfare from both what you've written and what I've researched so that's great too.

One of the things that really drew me in was finding out they have drop-in counselling sessions. I have a lot of anxiety/depression issues and the drop in sessions sound like they'd be so useful. And it said that the accommodation has pastoral care team members you can go to for support too... so it seems very good for student welfare.

I studied MPhys Physics with Astrophysics from 2008-2012 and I am now studying for my PhD at Hull York Medical School.

Feel free to ask me any questions! Hull is a great student city.

They do? That's a really good thing to provide; in fact, just knowing that such facilities are available for welfare is reassuring.



Guess I will do!

Do you think I would be limiting my options for future physics study or employment by choosing to do a physics and maths degree as oppose to just physics - I mean in the sense that most physics/science based career opportunities are experimental or would you say it's not as defined as that and I shouldn't worry about it?

How did you find the transition between A-levels and your degree, and what was different?

What is the customisability of modules like at Hull? As in, I know some departments let you pick whatever modules you want as long as you do a certain set of core ones if you're on the physics course and choosing to do straight physics over say theoretical/astro etc is somewhat preferable because you can pick the modules which are the same as a theoretical student but your degree is labelled physics even though it's identical to the theoretical likewise you can customise as to include bits of astro and theoretical and have a mixed degree yet labeled straight physics.

Does Hull offer language courses/programmes which students can take up?

What are the requirements for studying abroad? Is there a limit to how many student can do this? Is it unto the student to arrange it or does the department offer a lot of assistance? I read in a leaflet that the department sent me that some students have studied abroad (in particular Japan) and I'm interested in taking part in some thing like this.

One of the things that really drew me in was finding out they have drop-in counselling sessions. I have a lot of anxiety/depression issues and the drop in sessions sound like they'd be so useful. And it said that the accommodation has pastoral care team members you can go to for support too... so it seems very good for student welfare.

Computer Science here.