Going into my second year at Keele - Ask Me Anything

OP

Original post by Brownclown

- what are you studying?
- how friendly are the other students?
- how is the social life?
- are you enjoying your time there or would you prefer to have gone to a larger city based uni?
- are the transport links around the uni (buses, train etc) good?

I'm studying computer science and marketing dual honours.

The other students are great, its a mature and friendly atmosphere and the majority of students are always willing to make friends. However, like everywhere there will be the odd person who is an ********.

If you are referring to night life, in my opinion was great, i got on really well with my flatmates so it worked well for regular nights out etc, we usually went out 2-3 times each week. Keele do well to put on acts etc so there is always something to look forward to.

Personally, I am loving my time so far.. The course is just right for me allowing me to do the two subjects I wanted side by side and time really does fly by.

As for the transport links around the Uni, I can't really comment as i lived off campus at Liberty Court. i got the bus each day (free bus pass provided by liberty court for freshers) which took around 30-40 minutes; at first this sucked but I soon got used to it. If you want to get to Stoke train station from Keele its about half an hour on the number 3 bus, there are other quicker buses but since the number 3 was included within my bus pass i just used that one.

Reply 3

Did you find yourself using the grocery stores on campus or did you go into town to shop?

Is there a discount for Keele students at the campus grocery shops?

If you did your grocery shopping in town, which store was the best to shop at?

Thanks

Reply 4

OP

Original post by ooleg

Did you find yourself using the grocery stores on campus or did you go into town to shop?

Is there a discount for Keele students at the campus grocery shops?

If you did your grocery shopping in town, which store was the best to shop at?

Thanks

Being totally honest I rarely used the grocery shop on campus other than for one off items; id say you could potentially survive doing your shopping just there but the likelihood is you would be paying more than you have to and there isnt exactly a huge variety.

I usually did an online shop from ASDA once every two weeks, it worked out best for me as I could take my time and there was less chance to go over budget, I always planned my meals for the week and bought only what i need. Plus if you're paying for a bus into town and back the £1 delivery charge for ASDA is cheaper.

I have heard the farmers market which Keele put on weekly along with the town centre have great deals for fresh groceries; although for me it was more convenient to just get everything bought and delivered to my accommodation all at once as i lived about 30-49 minutes from campus.

This year i'm living closer so i may use them more.

Reply 5

Original post by C0nfused_Student

Being totally honest I rarely used the grocery shop on campus other than for one off items; id say you could potentially survive doing your shopping just there but the likelihood is you would be paying more than you have to and there isnt exactly a huge variety.

I usually did an online shop from ASDA once every two weeks, it worked out best for me as I could take my time and there was less chance to go over budget, I always planned my meals for the week and bought only what i need. Plus if you're paying for a bus into town and back the £1 delivery charge for ASDA is cheaper.

I have heard the farmers market which Keele put on weekly along with the town centre have great deals for fresh groceries; although for me it was more convenient to just get everything bought and delivered to my accommodation all at once as i lived about 30-49 minutes from campus.

This year i'm living closer so i may use them more.

With regards to this food delivery service "ASDA", would you have any idea how that would work if you lived on campus? Specifically, do they still deliver to the school and do they deliver to the school post office for you to pick up or do they deliver it straight to your room?

It sounds like this would be a good option with regards to shopping for groceries, so I appreciate you passing on the knowledge.

Reply 6

OP

Original post by ooleg

With regards to this food delivery service "ASDA", would you have any idea how that would work if you lived on campus? Specifically, do they still deliver to the school and do they deliver to the school post office for you to pick up or do they deliver it straight to your room?

It sounds like this would be a good option with regards to shopping for groceries, so I appreciate you passing on the knowledge.

They deliver to your halls, usually they give you a ring when they're outside and you go down and pick up your groceries. I imagine if you asked nicely they would help carry things to your room but I usually either carried it up to my room myself or got a flatmate to help. You could always do the online shop together and save a little extra money too.

Reply 7

Original post by C0nfused_Student

They deliver to your halls, usually they give you a ring when they're outside and you go down and pick up your groceries. I imagine if you asked nicely they would help carry things to your room but I usually either carried it up to my room myself or got a flatmate to help. You could always do the online shop together and save a little extra money too.

That sounds pretty handy considering going into town for groceries could take up to 2 hours.

I guess all I have to ask is whats the catch. Specifically, what is stopping every student on campus from using this service?

Is it more expensive than groceries in town or is there less selection?

One would think paying a few pounds for delivery is a good trade off for a few hours in the day.

Ps. Do students get discounts at Keele grocery shops?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 8

OP

Original post by ooleg

That sounds pretty handy considering going into town for groceries could take up to 2 hours.

I guess all I have to ask is whats the catch. Specifically, what is stopping every student on campus from using this service?

Is it more expensive than groceries in town or is there less selection?

One would think paying a few pounds for delivery is a good trade off for a few hours in the day.

Ps. Do students get discounts at Keele grocery shops?

There is no catch, you see Asda/Tesco vans driving around campus quite frequently, not to the amount that its annoying or even that noticeable. Obviously not all students use the home delivery service as they prefer to actually go into the shop and look around etc. Its just what different people prefer, for me it was much more convenient and easier to budget.

In Newcastle town centre there is obviously much more selection and you can probably get a lot more for your money if you take your time and be smart about it, although for me the convenience of delivery outweighed that and i was happy at buying just what I need for the prices online.

The student shops state that they do offer discounts if paid for on your Keele Card, although i didn't really notice this as i preferred to pay in cash.

id say use a supermarket/town for a big shop and only use the on campus grocery shop for last minute and top up items as they dont have as much variety and are more expensive than a supermarket.

Reply 9

Original post by C0nfused_Student

There is no catch, you see Asda/Tesco vans driving around campus quite frequently, not to the amount that its annoying or even that noticeable. Obviously not all students use the home delivery service as they prefer to actually go into the shop and look around etc. Its just what different people prefer, for me it was much more convenient and easier to budget.

In Newcastle town centre there is obviously much more selection and you can probably get a lot more for your money if you take your time and be smart about it, although for me the convenience of delivery outweighed that and i was happy at buying just what I need for the prices online.

The student shops state that they do offer discounts if paid for on your Keele Card, although i didn't really notice this as i preferred to pay in cash.

id say use a supermarket/town for a big shop and only use the on campus grocery shop for last minute and top up items as they dont have as much variety and are more expensive than a supermarket.

Yea every student to his/her own I guess.

My degree will have a lot of work involved so I will probably be using this service more often than not.

Its not even just time though. If you go into Newcastle to shop, you would probably have to shop prudently and avoid larger/additional items or risk being unable to carry it all home.

On the topic of Keele cards, I am curious as to why you enjoy paying for everything with cash. I was under the impression that it is easy to load your keele card with cash and use it around campus. One would think that discounts + easy reload ability would make them more efficient than simply cash. Whats your take on this?

PS. When you say "student shops", does that extend to the bookstore as well? What are the limitations regarding places where one can purchase discounted items with their keele card?

Reply 10

OP

Original post by ooleg

Yea every student to his/her own I guess.

My degree will have a lot of work involved so I will probably be using this service more often than not.

Its not even just time though. If you go into Newcastle to shop, you would probably have to shop prudently and avoid larger/additional items or risk being unable to carry it all home.

On the topic of Keele cards, I am curious as to why you enjoy paying for everything with cash. I was under the impression that it is easy to load your keele card with cash and use it around campus. One would think that discounts + easy reload ability would make them more efficient than simply cash. Whats your take on this?

PS. When you say "student shops", does that extend to the bookstore as well? What are the limitations regarding places where one can purchase discounted items with their keele card?

I think I only topped up my Keele card like 3 times over the year. For me cash was easier and more flexible, especially with living off campus. If i lived on campus it may be different as i'd be buying from shops on campus more rather than the local shop at the end of my street. It does come in handy to grab food or drinks on campus though without having to worry about cash,

In terms of discount, discounts are minimal if at all there. I spend a lot of my time in the scruffy squirrel (main student bar) which doesn't offer discount for using your Keele card. So i didn't see any point in me limiting where i can spend my money.

A lot of my friends however did use their Keele Card a lot when buying food and drinks on campus. Its also very easy for parents to top up for you rather than them sending cash if you are lucky enough for them to do so.

Reply 11

Riley95

9

What's the nightlife and social life like at Keele? In stuck between Keele and Liverpool and I'd ideally like the best of both worlds, but that can't happen lol. I heard the SU is good but does anyone go into town often? Does it get boring or isolated on campus? And what are your contact hours like? Thanks

Reply 12

OP

Original post by Riley95

What's the nightlife and social life like at Keele? In stuck between Keele and Liverpool and I'd ideally like the best of both worlds, but that can't happen lol. I heard the SU is good but does anyone go into town often? Does it get boring or isolated on campus? And what are your contact hours like? Thanks

Night-life for me was ideal. I usually went out 2 or 3 times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. These are the most popular.

As a summary, Monday is the messy night where you shouldn't really go out and get in a state but you do anyway because its £1 drinks so why not. Wednesday is either Guilt or Flirt, plus most sport socials happen on this day so there is always plenty of people out and commonly dressed up as something ridiculous or in ridiculous states. Friday is basically a standard night out, usually quite busy with plenty of people seeing the weeks lectures off. Also, Keele SU provides 'safety buses' for free rides home after nights out. They are limited, but if you time it right if you live off campus you can save yourself a few quid by not getting a taxi.

Weekends are usually pretty quiet around keele as most of the nightlife happens during the week. Although the SU bars are open for sports etc, you could always venture into either Newcastle Centre or Hanley; usually plenty of people out too since Staffordshire University is so close.

Keele SU do try hard to get some good acts on so that it keeps things interesting, not only for Freshers but throughout the year. For me I found it ideal, there is a good mixture of something for everyone whether you love to go out all the time or enjoy a nice chilled drink midweek.

In terms of social life, everyone is pretty friendly so it is what you make of it. There are plenty of societies and opportunities to make friends regardless of what you may be into.

For me, since i have never been on a student night out in Liverpool i can't comment, although since its a pretty big place id expect the nightlife to be pretty good however it may be quite expensive.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 13

OOtaigbe

Hi, i was just wondering if it is possible to ask Keele to change my Accommodation, because at the moment i really unhappy with the one that was offered because i applied for it accidentally .

Reply 14

Keele University

13

Original post by OOtaigbe

Hi, i was just wondering if it is possible to ask Keele to change my Accommodation, because at the moment i really unhappy with the one that was offered because i applied for it accidentally .

Hello,

Always worth asking! The accommodation contact details are all here: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studyatkeele/accommodation/contactus/ Just make sure you have your student number and offer details to hand. Our apologies if you can't get through/we don't reply straight away; as you might imagine it's rather busy today!

-Jo (Accommodation Digital Ambassador)

Reply 15

Me123456789

21

Original post by Keele University

Hello,

Always worth asking! The accommodation contact details are all here: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studyatkeele/accommodation/contactus/ Just make sure you have your student number and offer details to hand. Our apologies if you can't get through/we don't reply straight away; as you might imagine it's rather busy today!

-Jo (Accommodation Digital Ambassador)

Does Keele allow a transfer between courses within the university? Would it be possible to go from chemistry the first year to the first year of pharmacy the next year?

Reply 16

Niqah15

Hey I've been given accommodation at Liberty Court and I'm super worried about how far from campus it is! could you give me some advice about Liberty Court, maybe some perks as I'm worried :frown:

Travel is definitely my main worry. Does it get annoying? I really wanted to be close to campus for freshers week; do you feel like you miss out on a lot?

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Niqah15

Hey I've been given accommodation at Liberty Court and I'm super worried about how far from campus it is! could you give me some advice about Liberty Court, maybe some perks as I'm worried :frown:

Travel is definitely my main worry. Does it get annoying? I really wanted to be close to campus for freshers week; do you feel like you miss out on a lot?

I lived at liberty last year, for me the biggest perk was just how nice the accommodation was, you get a 3/4 bed, huge desk, decent reliable internet, ensuite, a kitchen with a seating area, laundry room and common room with a bunch of sofa's and large tv. Compared to campus accommodation where you share a kitchen and bathrooms with sometimes over 12 people with no real place to sit and eat a meal or chill out with flatmates other than your bedroom. For me I really wanted a social space where your flat is like your home rather than just living on a corridor amongst a bunch of other people.

Liberty Court is also a walk away from both the train station, Hanley town centre, Tesco, the cinema etc and although it is like 30minutes on a bus from campus you do get used to it. It almost forces you to become good friends with flatmates and other people at Liberty as it becomes a sort of little community where you all know each other, so most of the bus rides you end up sharing with people so they aren't too bad. As for nights out, to campus you can either get the bus for free (free student bus pass from liberty for freshers) or a taxi which works out about £2 each and then get the safety bus back for free.

There really is nothing to be worried about, you will be amongst lots of other people in your situation all with something in common, plus Liberty do a good job at matching you with flatmates on the same courses as you do so you will always have somebody there to do work with or catch the bus with since you will be in the same lectures.

Reply 18

OP