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Lancaster UniversityTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Lancaster University
FacilitiesLancaster University is situated in a self-contained campus about 3 miles outside of the city of Lancaster itself. The university consists of 9 individual colleges, and four faculties. The official prospectus is available here. Collegiate Pastoral SystemLancaster University is based on a collegiate system and has 8 undergraduate colleges. The colleges provide a friendly and relaxed environment and pastoral framework outside of the academic faculty that you are studying in. This means that students typically have two main "university families" - their college and their course/ faculty. The 8 undergraduate colleges are: And the postgraduate college: LibrariesThe main campus library is situated just off Alexandra Square. It's a big place and it's easy to get lost if you are new to the place! As you go in there is a eating/drinking room to the left. This place gets busy during lunchtimes especially during winter when students come in to shelter from the cold and eat their lunch! Near the door is the help desk, if you've got any problems/enquiries they are there to assist with whatever help you may require. Current journals and publications (of all subjects pretty much) are located on the bottom floor, all you have to do is pick up the one you want to read and take a seat. There are a few comfy chairs located around that area and it's a great constructive way of wasting time before a lecture! Previous journals can be found within their individual subject areas. Additionally, aside from the "physical" library; being a Lancaster student grants you access to a wealth of online resources. A key area of the ground floor of the library is the short loan section. Books in this area are either on 3 hour loan (bookable) or 24 hour loan or are purely for reference and are not removable from the library. The library is divided into three zones (A,B and C) and sub-divided into blue, green, purple, red and yellow zones. Maps can be found in various places and sections are generally well signposted. If you are unsure of where to find a particular book then you should consult the library catalogue. Computers linked up to the catalogue are scattered around the library, which can come in handy if you get lost or stuck trying to find something. Library opening hours are available here. There are many computers available for use around the library and the entire building is a wifi hotspot. Other facilities include a large study hall and group work rooms. Learning ZoneAside from the library, which is not open 24 hours a day; the Learning Zone can be found on the opposite side of the main square on campus. This is a 24 hour, 365 day-a-year facility that is both secure and comfortable to work. It has complete wifi coverage and laptops can be hired during the day and had a variety of bookable study rooms - ranging from an official boardroom, to a beanbag room and touchscreen rooms to do group work. This facility is exclusively available for the use of students and is a great location to pull an all-nighter! The ISS Service Desk can be found in the Learning Zone, and is staffed during normal business hours, Monday-Friday. IT and ComputingAs briefly highlighted above, computer support is available from the ISS Service Desk on a regular basis. Computer issues not related to the university services including Health Checkups and virus removal can get support from "The Workshop" which is operated by ISS. Most of campus is equipped with good quality wifi coverage, lots of computers to logon to use and great printing facilities. There is a professional print-shop and bindery on campus, and a small peripherals shop for ink, components etc. If you are living on campus, access to ResNet is included in your accommodation payments and features high-speed access. The entire campus is geared up for laptops, smartphone access and other general-use wifi requirements - though not in the residential spaces that predominantly rely on cabled LAN. SportsLancaster has a lot of inter-college sports alongside more formalised teams that compete with other universities, and the Students' Union has about 36 sports clubs. There's everything from football to darts to ultimate frisbee and if there's no sport for you, establish your own club! Every year Lancaster competes with York University in the Roses tournament which is always a great event (Lancaster won in 2010 =P). The tournament alternates venues and the host university choose what each sport is worth in points; whenever it's in York top points are for rowing and badminton etc. A great sport to get involved in while you're at Lancaster is AeroBall - which is almost a cross between trampolining and volleyball! Healthcare
There is a health centre on campus, which is a part of a surgery in Lancaster city centre. Here you can see a doctor, by appointment only (and only once you have joined the practice) between 8.30am and 6pm. There clear benefit for seeing the doctor rather than the nurse is that the doctors can give you a prescription. That said, both are available for basic medical care and advice. The practice's website is available here.
There is a private BUPA accredited dental surgery on campus, which is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. NHS Services are only available by ringing Lancaster PCT, where you will be placed on a waiting list, except in an emergency where you will be referred to an NHS Dentist ASAP.
There is a pharmacy which is open 11am till 1pm and 2pm till 6pm each weekday during term time. This is located quite a distance from the health centre, behind Bailrigg House and is best accessed (if coming from the health centre) by walking along the perimeter road towards the North Drive. They often have HC1 forms available and offer a range of general items, varying from plasters to dental floss. Restaurants & Food Outlets[Roughly north campus to south.]
Grocery Stores
Banks and Services
Shops
TransportThere is a regular bus service to Lancaster University from the town (journey is approximately 20 minutes, give or take). Bus numbers X1, 2, 2A, 3 and 4 all go to the uni and arrive and depart at the underpass. Some services (3 and 4) go to southwest campus - serving Grizedale, Pendle, Cartmel, Lonsdale, Furness, Fylde and Graduate Colleges. The 3 is the fastest bus from the campus to the town centre. Timetables are available here. Details can also be found on the site for the "UniRider" bus passes, which are sold in termly or annual increments. Without a bus pass, the cost of a return trip from the campus to the town centre is £2.25. A single ticket is £1.50. Part-time WorkStudents looking for a part-time job can join up to the university's very own "Job shop". Basically all you have to do is sign up, choose your preferences (e.g. evening/weekend work, type of sector etc.) and you'll be notified of suitable matches via email. Some jobs are available at the student union including working in the Sugarhouse nightclub or on-campus shop etc. Ad-hoc, on-campus work is normally available as a tour-guide or representative. Students can also make money from participating in psychologocial studies, posters/notices can normally be found around campus on the psychology department notice board. Occasionally you may receive emails requesting your help with student studies etc. The local town has many high street stores offering jobs. However the job market in Lancaster is not particularly good and finding a job may be difficult. The best thing to do is look in shop windows, look on the jobcentreplus website or in the local newspapers for vacancies. Religious FacilitiesThe Chaplaincy Centre is located near the entrance to campus. This has a Catholic Chapel and an Anglican/Free Worship chapel inside it. There are often different religious events/meetings at the Chaplaincy Centre and there's a large room with comfy chairs where you can just sit and chat/do work. There's also a special Prayer Room for meditation, worship or reflection. There is also an Islamic Prayer Room, with separate facilitates for men and women, on the perimeter road. There are also lots of religious societies on campus- check out the link to Lancaster's Societies in the Societies section. Lancaster Discussions
SocialBars, Pubs and clubsOn campus there are a grand total of NINE bars! Yes, one for every college. So you are pretty much spoilt for choice. In town there is a student or student friendly night on every single night of the week, considering Lancasters size you will be spoilt for choice! You've got the Sugarhouse nightclub which is run by the student union. This is the biggest club in town and the prices are student friendly and the music is varied. Elements, another nightclub, is located just infront of the Sugarhouse. They play more chart music/r'n'b and dance, not so much alternative music. Toast is directly next to Elements and is a much smaller place. Cuba is a small club/bar which is extremely popular on a Friday. Revolution (Revs) is the place to go if you're a fan of Vodka and/or shots. Hustle is your typical crap nightclub, cheesy music and flashy lights and the legendary "48 shot challenge"...self explanatory! If you're a fan of cocktails, there's a really nice and fairly new cocktail bar called Mint. Lounge is another small club/bar which is a relatively new venue. Out of town in nearby Morecambe is The Carleton. This place is exclusively for Lancaster Uni students on a Wednesday and is a popular and relatively cheap night out. If you'd rather visit one of the local pubs, there are some great ones around, e.g. The Waterwitch which is famous for its cheese board and the White Cross, and also the Gatehouse- these three are all by the canal. More central to town there are two Wetherspoons (one at the top of town near New Look bus stop and one at the bottom near the bus station) and then you've got pubs in town like the Pendle Witch, the Litten Tree and many others. EventsThere are various events going on throughout term time, some of which are centrally organised but much of which are college based. The Student Union hosts events at the SU nightclub in Lancaster - The Sugarhouse - including guest DJs and recently, "Friday Fury" which was a university-wide event incorporating all the college bars and the Sugarhouse itself. Other non-college based events are put on by various societies, particularly the theatre group who stage plays quite frequently (most recently, they staged "1984"). College-based events are organised by the elected JCRs. Furness College [as an example] host a Monday night event called "Twist" (it is a combined event each week with Grizedale and Cartmel and a nightclub in the city called "Revolution") along with other events throughout the week. At the north end of campus the University houses Live at LICA which programmes professional touring theatre, dance, music and art within the Great Hall complex. Live at LICA events run during the term time and are open to all students (regardless of subject of study), the staff and the general public. Alongside it's professional touring programme Live at LICA also plays host to various student productions from the theatre group society to the university's music society. Clubs and societiesLike any university, Lancaster offers a wide range of clubs and societies to join. Joining a society is a great way to meet like-minded individuals and make friends. Some more unusual societies include skydiving (freefall), role playing, American football and fencing. There is bound to be something that takes your fancy! For a full list see here AccommodationAccommodation policyYou are guaranteed a room on campus if you are in your first year and apply by the deadline. They try to accommodate people for the remaining years of their degree, but this isn't guaranteed. There is often a good chance of staying in university managed accommodation, if you wish, as there is Chancellor's Wharf in the city which is for all non-first year students. However, even if you do not live in university owned accommodation, you can go through LUSU Housing, which owns various properties in the city. If you are an international student, you are guaranteed accommodation throughout your degree. FacilitiesComputing facilities are available 24 hours a day in the ISS (Information Systems Services) run labs. All on campus rooms have 100Mbps connections to the residence network (Resnet) which has many outside services to things like Xbox live, many games, instant messengers and various other things - obviously web and email are fully supported. Video chat currently is best described as patchy. Multicast TV/radio services are available such as those provided by the BBC (google for BBC multicast). ResidencesWhen you join a college, you are given the option of taking up one of the college residences on campus. In other words, if you are in Fylde College, you have the option of one type of room (ensuite) whereas if you are a member of County College you have a wider choice including townhouses, standard and ensuite. You are guaranteed a room on campus if you are an international student or a first year who applies by the deadline. They are quite good at offering accommodation for later years but this is not guaranteed. This means you could live on campus for all three years, although this should not be seen as a definite. Most campus lets are 40 weeks, taking you from the end of September through to the end of June (including the holidays). There are some lets that are slightly shorter, as they do not include the Easter holiday. Bowland: Offers some of the oldest residences on campus, which is why they are usually a £1 or so cheaper each week. The range includes standard and ensuite. Cartmel: Located in the relatively new south-west campus, offering ensuite rooms. County: The biggest college and thus dominates much of the north side of campus. The range includes newly opened townhouses (12 single study bedrooms over three floors, with one bathroom between every two. The ground floor features kitchen and living space), ensuite and recently refurbished standard accommodation (these are more expensive than the standard rooms offered elsewhere). Fylde: Located at the heart of campus, offering ensuite rooms in blocks built in the last 5 years. Furness: At the heart of campus offering ensuite rooms in newly built blocks and standard rooms in blocks built in 1992. Grizedale: Offers a range including townhouses, ensuite and standard rooms. Currently having massive amounts of building work carried out. Lonsdale: Located in the relatively new south-west campus, offering ensuite rooms. Pendle: Spread out over the south spine and south-west campus. Offers ensuite, standard and self-contained studio rooms. Graduate: The original college for the south-west campus. Offers a wide range of accommodation including en suites, studios and houses. Some buildings being refurbished over the summer of 2010. 51 week lets available, en suites are cheaper than the undergraduate ones and most are less than five years old. Private sectorLUSU Housing: This is a company operating through the Student Union to provide housing in the city. They have houses with three plus bedrooms and the rent is similar to campus (roughly about £70 a week including bills). These houses are managed by LUSU so you have direct access to them should things go wrong. Link Yellow Door Lets This is a major letting agency in the city, whose houses all have a yellow door (hence the name). The prices are similar to LUSU Housing. Link Other There are lots of independent landlords in the city, some of which offer some very good deals Link. Make sure they are accredited landlords and that any promises they make are written into the contract. Be sure that you are clued up on the requirements as some, less than recommended, landlords will try to convince you that they need not be accredited etc - don't be fobbed off! Student unionPricesLUSU (Lancaster University Students Union), have a huge presence on campus and have a shop next door to Spar at the side of Alex Square. The shop stocks stationary, sandwiches, drinks, food, uni clothing, memorabilia and this year Souped Up (a student-managed vegetarian food business). Price List Pens from 25p Notepads from 65p Postcards from 15p University Hoodie = £25 Full price list available at: http://shop.lusu.co.uk/index.html EnvironmentArchitectureCampus There is a range of architecture styles on campus. The centre of campus is in a 1960s design (although many of the interiors have been refurbished and brought up to date) which isn't to everyone's taste but it is surrounded by cultivated flower beds and water features. The more recent additions to campus are ultra modern - glass and steel type buildings. The City Located three miles away from campus (the distance filled with countryside and the quiet suburbs), it is a historic centre which is reflected in the beautiful Georgian architecture. Local areaLancaster University is situated just outside the City of Lancaster. Although named a City, Lancaster is infact more like a town. It has City status due to the presence of a Castle and a Cathedral.
Lancaster is surrounded by fields and countryside, there are plenty of places to take a stroll or have a summer picnic (if it ever stops raining, of course :p) The canal, which can be joined at various points between Lancaster and Galgate, offers a flat but interesting place to walk, and can be followed to Glasson Dock or Garstang. Another tourist attraction is the Ashton Memorial, based in Williamson Park at the highest point of Lancaster- another nice place to have a picnic if it's not raining! Further up the coast from Morecambe, you come to Bolton-le-Sands and Carnforth (where Brief Encounter was filmed). Both are easily accessible by bus or along the Lancaster coastway (good for cycling and walking along). A bit further up North (about half an hour or so on the motorway, give or take) and you're in the beautiful Lake District, which you can get to by train and is a really nice day out- try the chocolate shop in Ambleside or the gingerbread shop in Grasmere- and there are also loads of lovely walks to go on. From campus, you can also get a direct bus to Garstang. This lovely town holds regular specialist markets and is host to some wonderful, quirky shops. The buses continue onto Blackpool - the wonderful, if a little tacky, seaside town - or Preston. Currently, it costs just over £6 for a day ticket along these routes, which makes them a cheap and convenient option for a day out. Teaching qualityApplying to LancasterThinking of applying to Lancaster? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?
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