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Lancaster University - Student GuideTSR Wiki > University > University Guides > Lancaster University - Student Guide
These university guides by written by our members offer individual accounts of aspects of day to day life. See the main university guide for information on facilities, opening hours, locations, policies etc. The UniversityOverall OpinionsYou can use this section to offer your overall opinions on the university. What one main thing would you like to highlight to future applicants? Username: Date: Comment:
Date: Comment: Campus - Buildings and EnvironmentUsername: The Magic Manatee Date: 17/12/09 Comment: There is a fair mixture of buildings around campus, ranging from the originals that were built in the 1960s through to ones that are less than a year old (as well as those under construction). Most of the buildings are really good quality, especially those of the management school. We also have some fairly stand-out buildings, ranging from Bowland Tower which has 14 Floors and can be seen from miles away, InfoLab21 which is a green and orange building built for the computing department and the new ISS building which is huge, black and ominous, looking a bit like an evil lair! Campus is rather large though, meaning that sometimes treks to lectures can be an effort, especially on cold or rainy days (though the spine can help with the rain). You may need a raincoat, especially if you choose to live in SouthWest Campus. As for the general environment, there are a few areas that you can lounge around in, with a few enclosed quads with grass areas, the Bonnington steps and of course the front fields of the university which always get covered by lounging students in the Summer.
Date: Comment: Campus - NightlifeUsername: The Magic Manatee Date: 17/12/09 Comment: There are 9 bars on campus, one for each of the 9 colleges, each with a different look and feel. Nightlife on campus is relatively hectic before the 11pm closing time, with themed bar crawls a constant occurrence. Pub Golf is a common theme, where groups visit every campus bar and having a specialist drink from each in order to try and attain par. Bowland Bar is like an old man's pub, with traditional wood fascia and typical stools and tables. It is rather small though, with a small bar that can be a bitch to get to at busy times! County Bar is quite new and stylish, with a good atmosphere and a heavy sound system! Lonsdale Bar is more like a small club, with a long bar and large amount of floor space. It also has a lot of disco lights etc. Graduate Bar is similar to bowland, in that it too is like an old man pub. It does have a large range of local drinks though, with the occasional beer and ale festival popping up throughout the year. Grizedale Bar has recently been knocked down and rebuilt, taking the form of a trendy cocktail bar. Instantly noticeable with a modern furniture and lighting, the only criticism being that it is a bit small. Pendle bar is rather large, with a games floor upstairs. It has a rather large bar and a DJ booth. Cartmel bar is quite homely and cosy. It has two linked bars to get too and is the location of the excellent fortnight comedy nights, featuring 3 professional stand-ups (hired from Comedy Central). Best of all, its only £3 with a purplecard, a bargain for 3+ hours of laughs.
Date: 23/12/09 Comment: On campus there are the 9 bars with differing themes/feels as detailed above. In town there are several bars & clubs including the University-run club (Sugarhouse). Elements ("providing a wide range of music 5 nights a week and some of the best drinks offers in town") & Toast ("4 rooms & 2 bars, along with state of the art sound & lighting..& exclusive booth seating & VIP areas available for private hire..open six nights a week") are situated next door to each other and the shortest of walks from Flames (the highlight of fast food in town). Sugarhouse is ~50 yards from these two. Other clubs include Hustle ("retro styled bar, but the music is sometimes anything but..open 7 nights a weeks, with music to suit every taste..an extensive cocktail menu and the largest shooter menu of any pub or club in Lancaster..theme nights!") & Cuba. Of course, for Wednesday nights, in Morecombe there is the Carleton...'nuff said ;) SocietiesUsername: Date: Comment: There are literally hundreds of societies to choose from, theres all the normal sporting ones, lots of religious ones and support ones (e.g. LGBT) and some rather unusual ones (the role playing society has been known to be walking across campus dressed as knights)! all the ones i joined were cheap and everyone seemed really nice and friendly so i'm guessing thats the same for most if not all.
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Teaching and CoursesTeachingUsername: Date: Comment:
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Facilities and ServicesLibrary and Study FacilitiesUsername: Affinity89 Date: 14/11/09 Comment:
Date: 17/12/09 Comment: Some departments have specialist labs that can be used by their students as well. The Physics and Computer Science departments for example have their own labs and equipment open 24/7, which can be extremely useful if the library is heaving. IT FacilitiesUsername: Date: Comment:
Date: Comment: Shops and FoodUsername: Affinity89 Date: 14/11/09 Comment:
Date: Comment: SportingUsername: Sunshine and Doodles Date: 19/12/2009 Comment: While I can't vouch for all the sportng facilities, I will say that from what I have seem Lancaster is impressively well equipped with swimming facilities, a well equipped gym and various sports halls for various sports. My sport of choice is fencing, and it requires a lot of specialist equipment funded by the club itself and the powers that be at Lancaster; but it is very well equipped compared to several clubs I have fenced at. The people are friendly and approachable too, and I have not heard of any other club having problems either. A great way to contact these clubs is by Facebook, so look out for individual club membership groups on there. I can't talk about sport without talking about the annual Roses competition between Lancaster and York. This alternates it's location between Lancaster and York (on Lancaster's campus in 2010) and incorporates nearly every sport that is played at both universities. If there is no parellel club at one university, e.g. in the case of Kendo (Japanese sword fighting) they usually put on a display that is open for everybody to watch, so if you attend Roses look out for some of the more vague and interesting sports giving demonstrations etc. There is also a new sports centre due to open in a couple of years time, although it is still in the early stages of construction right now.
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Date: Comment: OtherAre there any other facilities offered? Are specific facilities offered for religious activity - such as prayer rooms or chapels? Facilities for disabled students? If you have experience of these things, share them here. Username: Date: Comment: i don't have much experience with this but i know there is a chaplaincy centre which caters for all faiths. there are muslim prayer rooms somewhere on campus (not sure where but someone i know uses them) and a church service is held in the chaplaincy on sundays. There are loads of churches within walking distance of campus as well, and even more a short bus ride away. The christian union is fairly strong i think - they seem to have loads of events anyway.
Date: 12/12/2009 Comment: As mentioned, there are various religious societies at the university which hold regular events for members and non-members. For example, the Christian Union often put on lunch time events whereby people receive a talk on a religious issue over a free lunch with a chance for discussion. There are also themed-weeks run by these societies, such as one last term about Islam and understanding the faith beyond the media protrayal. The Chaplaincy Centre offers rooms for different faiths and there are Muslim prayer rooms on campus, located near Fylde College. The former holds events such as multi-faith services including special ones at Christmas time which aim to be inclusive of all who want to worship together.
AccommodationWhat are/were your halls like?Username: lancssa27 Date: 18/01/2011 I am currently staying in ensuite accommodation in Grizedale. I share a flat with six people; you are given the option to have a mixed sex or same sex flat and you are also able to request to live with friends in the same college as you. The room is quite spacious with underbed storage, a wardrobe and book shelves. There is also space under the desk so I would recommend buying boxes or collapsable drawer units if you have a lot of stuff. For most people it will take a while to get used to the change in the amount of storage you have at home. I'm used to having a chest of drawers and a big wardrobe and there is considerably less space but you do get used to it. There is an internal phone which allows you to call anywhere on campus such as other friend's rooms, porter's, security, the gym, tutors etc. There is also internet connection (you will be provided with a cable when you move in) tv and radio aerial sockets (you do need a tv license in your room if you are going to have a tv). The en suite is basically a wet room. It is a pretty decent size and you get a mirror and a shelf, 1 towel rail, 2 hooks and a towel holder next to the sink. I bought a basket that can stick to the wall (for about £3 from Wilkinson's) and this has come in handy for extra storage. The kitchen area has a dining table, 2 fridge-freezers, an oven, a microwave, a toaster, kettle and a hob. EAch person gets two cupboards and a drawer to themselves, the are quite narrow and you can't fit large round plates in them properly but I've got used to it. I tend to keep a lot of equipment that I don't use regulalry or any extra food in a box in my room. There is also a communal cupboard that has general cleaning equipment, mop, brush, hoover etc. and also an iron and ironing board are provided (although rarely used) There is also a cupboard under the sink that we use to store pots, pans and baking trays etc. We have a cleaner that comes in Mon-Fri who wipes down the surfaces, empties the bin and sweeps and mops the floor. She also hoovers our hallway and other communal areas. You are responsible for your own room. It is quite expensive to live on campus but I prefer it. You should be guaranteed accommodation in your first year if Lancaster is your first choice, although it may not always happen as it depends on how many people want to be in which college, other students who need to be on campus more such as disabled or international students. I've been lucky to live on campus all 3 years and have enjoyed it. I have a lot of 9 o clock lectures this term and being on campus is so much easier than having to get the bus to be here for 9am.
Username: Date: Comment: The quality of the on-campus accommodation varies a lot, from the so called "slums" of Bowland Annexe through to the really nice en-suite rooms most prevalent in South West. The standard accommodation offers the cheapest rent, with a potential saving of around £15-£20 a week compared to that of en-suite rents. These rooms are equipped with a washbasin and have shared Kitchen and Bathroom Facilities. The amount of people that you share with varies greatly, with kitchens being shared from 3 people [Furness standard is in flats of 3-5] all the way up to 24 people [Bowland standard]. Understandably shared spaces like these can get rather messy and dirty, but this is dependent on who you are living with. Also there is usually a strong communal atmosphere, especially when it comes to the social life where corridors often go out together as a group :D Username: Date: Comment: I'm in Ash house in Bowland. Its standard accommodation (washbaisin in room) with kitchens and bathrooms shared between 26 people. This is basically the worst accommodation on campus but it is also quite cheap and very sociable. I love it there because you are pretty much guarrenteed to get along with some of your flatmates. there are 2 kitchens on a corridor so the corridor is shared by roughly 50 people. obviously the shared areas can be a bit messy but personally i have never had a problem with queueing for the bathrooms and the only big problem in the kitchen is there is only one sink so washing up can be a bit tricky. If you don't fancy this then all other standard accommodation apart from bowland is much nicer and shared between approx 5-7 people. the ensuite rooms are gorgeous - they look like mini hotel rooms! these are more expensive though so a lot will depend on your budget. Overall i think ALL of lancasters accommodation is much better than what i've seen at other universities when visiting friends.
Date: 12/12/2009 Comment: I'm living in on-campus accommodation for my second year and am thus quite used to both the positives and the negatives. There are five Furness standard blocks, which are located around a central circle [which is a hive of fun and drunken noise most nights of the week]. Three of these blocks are very similar in design. The ground floor hosts two disable-friendly flats for four people with a wetroom shower and one room that is especially large and adapted for use when in a wheelchair. The remaining three floors feature two flats for five people. In these flats the shower is a cubical and communal spaces are slightly smaller due to a fifth room being present. The corner blocks are different due to their shape and in these blocks rooms vary a lot in size, as do the number of people you share with. Some flats have only three large rooms whereas others have seven rooms with a large kitchen and two sets of wc/shower facilities. All come with the same standard bedroom furniture, which is getting rather damaged now, but you have the bonus of being able to move things around freely as nothing is fixed [except the sink and wall shelves]. This allows people to personalise the room somewhat - no two rooms in my current flat look alike despite being basically identical! The kitchens have an electric cooker, fridge, freezer, table and chairs. Cupboard spaces varies but there is usually a cupboard for everyone and then one or two [or maybe a few drawers] left over. These blocks are lax in security terms - far more so than almost all others on campus - as the block door does not lock. The flat doors have locks on them, which you have a key for, but almost all students here ignore that so they are usually left unlocked. [Last year, we tried to get our flatmates to lock up after a few things went missing, but they saw no need and other students in the block almost took offense at the idea that we would feel the need to do so! This year, my male flatmates don't even lock their bedroom doors and never take their keys with them, so to lock the flat would only cause problems!] Nevertheless, we've not really have any problems - none at all this year - but I do think it is something to consider, especially as the neighbouring ensuite blocks are like a high security prison in comparison! The cleaning service is variable. Last year, we had cleaners who used to sit in our kitchen for hours on end, using our cups/spoons etc for their coffee break [which lasted around 2 hours]. They liked that kitchen as they could not be seen by the supervisor [or so they said]. It caused a few issues as they never really cleaned and would merely take out the bins and replenish the toilet roll. This year, the cleaner is wonderful and usually gives the kitchen/bathroom facilities a reasonable clean a few times a week [whilst taking the bins out/replenishing toilet roll daily]. The supervisor is a keen note-leaver should washing up or recycling be left undone but we've never had any real problems. Maintaince is quite good - definitely a plus for campus accommodation. Due to the age of the blocks, things seem to go wrong quite a lot. For example, our cooker hob exploded - literally - one Sunday night but by Monday lunchtime, it was fixed. [Strangely, the following Sunday a similar thing happened in the flat next door!] You log the faults on the computer and they email you to let you know the progress of the repair. Most things tend to be dealt with quickly, especially after the initially few weeks have passed. The only complaint I really have - other than the 4/5am noise from other students - is how long they take to return your deposit. We moved out at the very beginning of July last [academic] year and did not receive the deposit until September. They are also eager to deduct money from it for things that seem quite strange on occassion. For example, everyone in my flat was charged because they had to repaint the corridor. As we never really spent any time in the corridor and certainly didn't attack the paintwork, I'm not sure why but oh well. I would, thus, definitely recommend being precise and through with your inventory form when you move in - it just ensures that you have proof for all the problems that were there when you moved in, to limit how much they can take off your deposit. Despite ending on a negative, I am planning on living on again for my third year so I definitely think the positives outweigh the negatives! For one thing, I am literally 1 minute away from the Furness college building where most of my classes are held. Nothing is sweeter than being able to roll out of bed at 8.40am and have time to get washed, dressed and still be early for a 9am class! :) Non-University AccommodationUsername: Date: Comment:
Date: Comment: The City of LancasterShops, Buildings and EnvironmentUsername: Magic Manatee Date: 17/12/09 Comment: There are quite a large number of shops considering the small size of the city. There are quite a few clothes stores, both for men and women including TopMan and TopShop, Burtons, River Island, TK MAX and more. We have two main markets, a Sainsbury's and a Somerfield in town, though ASDA is only a short car journey away, as well as Morrisons in Morecambe. As a special note, ASDA also deliver to campus if you can't be arsed to trek down town, good for a large food shop! There are also plenty of places to get bargains, such as the indoor market which houses many butchers and the "Frozen Food Store", where you can get pizzas, pies etc for quite cheap. Nearby is also Bargain Homes, which offers food and utilities at a cheaper price than most other places. There is also a Wilkinsons on the high street, which is useful for buying kitchen and cleaning stuff! There are also plenty of restaurants, covering all areas. Recommended is Marco's the Italian restaurant (quite near SugarHouse), as well as the Sphagetti House. For Indian, there is the Sultan's, which is a world away from the branch on Campus. No fast food here, only a wide range of tasty curries. There is also Miyabi's, the Japanese Restaurant where the food is cooked in front of you. We are also home to 2006 Best Chippy: Hodgsons Chippy!!! Also, not in town but just down the road from campus (A nice walk in summer especially) is the Plough, a pub with the tastiest and largest meals around. Here you can take up the Godfather Challenge, involving a monster of a burger and a mountain of chips! Lancaster is quite a small city, but is located in an ideal place for exploring. Preston, Blackpool and Manchester are just a short train ride away, or if you want to travel further, we are on the directly connected to Edinburgh! The Lake District is also only a short train/car ride away. It is always worth a visit to see the amazing views and it is easy to waste a day or two there hiking, pubbing as well as boating out on Lake Windemere. As well as this, Morecambe is only a bus or two away if you want to visit the beach or fancy a bit of bowling or LaserQuest.
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