Is UEA an ugly university?

When I tell people Ive applied to uea they say its an 'ugly' uni and boring city...
is that true? I havent been to see it but just wanted to know if thats true?
Ive seen pictures but they can be deceptive..
also, is it a racist place? :s-smilie:

sorry but just trying to clarify things people have said

Reply 1

079

OP

bump?

Reply 2

MrShifty

9

Original post by 079

When I tell people Ive applied to uea they say its an 'ugly' uni and boring city...

With regards to the university, it depends a lot on your tastes. At first the architecture can be a little jarring, but I quite like it and parts provide a pretty good example of brutalist architecture (unlike a lot of 60's universities, which tend to look like bland industrial park office space).

As for Norwich being boring, again it's going to depend on what you're looking for, but I don't think that's true. No, it's not going to have a nightlife of London or Manchester, but for a rural county town it's remarkably lively.

also, is it a racist place? :s-smilie:

sorry but just trying to clarify things people have said

Not that I know of.

Reply 3

Captain Hindsight

11

I don't particularly like the campus, it's too grey, urban and miserable...

Reply 4

Karne

1

Yes, the architecture is poor.

Reply 5

Hazular

14

You can all get dicked, I think it's beautiful. :heart:

We have a lake. A BLOODY LAKE! And fields with little bunnies and from my window I see loads of fields and it's just really pretty.

And no, it's not a boring city at all, especially when you consider how tiny it is compared to places like Manchester, Birmingham etc.

Reply 6

xXxBaby-BooxXx

19

With regards to the buildings, yes the main bit of campus doesn't look that nice when you first see it, but the uni is so fantastic that you stop noticing it after a while. And all the new buildings that have been built all look really pretty (maybe in a bid to counteract the main square :p:

)

It's not worth rejecting UEA based on the look of a few buildings - you'd be rejecting a fantastic uni :yep:

Reply 7

mrdoovde1

17

When I read up on UEA being to concretey I was a little concerned but when I actually went there, I quite like it.

Also, there a little to non shops nearby however there is a shopping centre in town with designers clothes store like River Island, House of Frasier as well as an Apple Store and much much more

Reply 8

Fran Katzenjammer

8

Original post by mrdoovde1

When I read up on UEA being to concretey I was a little concerned but when I actually went there, I quite like it.

Also, there a little to non shops nearby however there is a shopping centre in town with designers clothes store like River Island, House of Frasier as well as an Apple Store and much much more

Who would've thought Norfolk would have an Apple store. :eek:

UEA's architecture can be off-putting at first, but very quickly it just feels like home.
And I kind of like it, it's a great campus overall and in nice weather, with red/orange or green vines growing on the buildings and lots of grassy spaces (not forgetting the lake and bunnies) it's a very pleasant place.

If clubbing is important to you it's not the best place, but it is a student city so there are options. It's more pubbing than clubbing though.

Other than that the city has all the shopping and stuff you would want in a big town/small city. It's definitely a place to be explored if you visit UEA. It's so close by.

(I'm in the States atm on my year abroad, and you learn to appreciate how lucky Europe is with comprehensive public transport and where pedestrians are not ostracized)

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 9

makingamemory

3

Original post by mrdoovde1

Also, there a little to non shops nearby however there is a shopping centre in town with designers clothes store like River Island, House of Frasier as well as an Apple Store and much much more

I did all my xmas shopping today. At first I was scared cause the last time I tried to go shopping in Norwich I was trying to find the MAC shop for a friend and got lost down one of the streets near Jarrolds. But I got everyones stuff in a day!! Usually it takes a few days darting between Kingston/Wimbledon/Croydon/Epsom to get everyone's presents. Love Norwich for shopping. Got my mum a dancing singing reindeer to add to her christmas decoration collection haha

anyway, it's personal preference with the campus, to be honest at first when I saw it I did think concrete jungle, until I was on the tour outside the ENV dept and saw the broad and fell in love with it. Plus if you choose to live in the village you have a daily walk past Earlham Park which takes the concrete edge off of the campus. I rarely notice it though to be honest, except when we're slowly dying in our tuesday labs and it's dull looking outside on the broads too.

As for racism, I'm mixed race and have never had a problem. Hell I'm originally from London and people here are 10x nicer, it's strange how nice they are.

Reply 10

LuckyBlackCat7

I went there on the open day. It looks kind of like a multistorey car park :s Saw the lake,it was very pretty and peaceful. Fed the ducks some shortbread :-) It's not the prettiest uni, but the atmosphere made up for it- I got a really positive feel from the campus.

Reply 11

Lucyyy

12

The older buildings, so most of the centre of campus, is indeed pretty ****ing ugly. BUT the newer buildings (EFry, business school, medical school) are much newer and a little more pleasing on the eye. However, we do also have a pretty big lake with plenty of grassy area between it and the buildings which is really lovely, especially in summer! So nice to pop to the pub at the end of the day (or in the middle..) and take your drink down by the lake in the sun. Looooovely. City centre itself is also great, plenty of high-street stores in addition to various department stores (M&S, Debenhams, House of Fraser and a local one, Jarrolds) and two malls. It by no means has a particularly large scene in terms of clubbing but the main places (Tao, Lola Los, Kartel, Project.. RIP Knowhere though :emo:

) do put on great nights aimed at students. The LCR (club-type affair on campus, used for gigs as well though) isn't quite up to the same standards but does the job for a cheap night without having to go far.. also, weekly fancy dress nights. Yeaaaaaahhhh. And no, not racist at all :smile:

Not that i've ever heard of anyway.

I think a pretty important to make though is that I've lived 30 minute from Norwich all my life, and after applying to unis far from home in the north/Scotland, I just withdrew my application and went for UEA because really.. Norwich is a fantastic city with a great uni.. why would I give that up?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

jelly1000

21

Original post by Lucyyy

The older buildings, so most of the centre of campus, is indeed pretty ****ing ugly. BUT the newer buildings (EFry, business school, medical school) are much newer and a little more pleasing on the eye. However, we do also have a pretty big lake with plenty of grassy area between it and the buildings which is really lovely, especially in summer! So nice to pop to the pub at the end of the day (or in the middle..) and take your drink down by the lake in the sun. Looooovely. City centre itself is also great, plenty of high-street stores in addition to various department stores (M&S, Debenhams, House of Fraser and a local one, Jarrolds) and two malls. It by no means has a particularly large scene in terms of clubbing but the main places (Tao, Lola Los, Kartel, Project.. RIP Knowhere though :emo:

) do put on great nights aimed at students. The LCR (club-type affair on campus, used for gigs as well though) isn't quite up to the same standards but does the job for a cheap night without having to go far.. also, weekly fancy dress nights. Yeaaaaaahhhh. And no, not racist at all :smile:

Not that i've ever heard of anyway.

I think a pretty important to make though is that I've lived 30 minute from Norwich all my life, and after applying to unis far from home in the north/Scotland, I just withdrew my application and went for UEA because really.. Norwich is a fantastic city with a great uni.. why would I give that up?

Never heard of Kartel, where is it?

Reply 13

Lucyyy

12

Original post by jelly1000

Never heard of Kartel, where is it?

It used to be called Havanas, if that sounds any more familiar :smile:

I haven't been there since it's been rebranded but they're now putting on all the old Knowhere club nights, plus they've reopened the roof terrace which was always quite fun. It's just past Lola Lo's and on the first left. Easy to miss from the outside though, tiny looking place!

Reply 14

jelly1000

21

Original post by Lucyyy

It used to be called Havanas, if that sounds any more familiar :smile:

I haven't been there since it's been rebranded but they're now putting on all the old Knowhere club nights, plus they've reopened the roof terrace which was always quite fun. It's just past Lola Lo's and on the first left. Easy to miss from the outside though, tiny looking place!

Ah yes, I've heard of Havanas, (and Knowhere, cos we got a booklet of vouchers which included an advert for Knowhere & Havana, though from the advert it looked like they were the same place)

Reply 15

Ralpharm

7

Original post by 079

When I tell people Ive applied to uea they say its an 'ugly' uni and boring city...
is that true? I havent been to see it but just wanted to know if thats true?
Ive seen pictures but they can be deceptive..
also, is it a racist place? :s-smilie:

sorry but just trying to clarify things people have said

DON'T listen to anyone including me, visit the uni yourself then make your own decision. You'll soon begin to appreciate the concrete once you start attending and the architecture is great imo, very different from the norm. I don't find it a boring city, I'm out 3 nights a week. I'm doing a fairly intense course so I've never really seen the city during the day :tongue:

but the clubs are fine, I'm from London & I've been to ministry of sound, oceana etc, although obviously not as big . With regards to being racist, I'm pretty sure there are already racist people in Mars! so there will be racist people anywhere on earth. Although, I've never heard of anyone complaining of racism neither have I experience racism since being in Norwich.

Reply 16

wills3

Originally Posted by 079
When I tell people Ive applied to uea they say its an 'ugly' uni and boring city...
is that true? I havent been to see it but just wanted to know if thats true?
Ive seen pictures but they can be deceptive..
also, is it a racist place? sorry but just trying to clarify things people have said

Dont think any of those statements are true.

City has good shopping, entertainment and quality of life.

Certainly not known as racist, most people pretty laid back and welcoming.