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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Liverpool John Moores University

Liverpool John Moores University is a large university in Liverpool in the North of England. It was created in 1992 from Liverpool Polytechnic, but has a history dating back to 1823. The university has three campuses around Liverpool at which over 24,000 students study.

Facilities

Libraries

Liverpool John Moores has three main Learning Resource Centres (LRCs): Aldham Robarts (Mount Pleasant Campus), Avril Robarts (City Campus) and IM Marsh (IM Marsh Campus). Each caters generally for the subjects in the campus it services, but materials can be requested from the other LRCs.

Books, journals, videos, DVDs and periodicals are all available for use or loan. Each LRC has a desk for loans and returns with some very friendly, helpful staff and a separate desk for computing issues such as printer credits and technical problems. There are also self issue and return points. Access to the LRC is gained swiping by your student card, and this also acts as your borrower card.

The two main city-centre libraries are very modern and have excellent facilities including group and quiet study areas, lots of computers, photocopying and access to electronic journals.

Aldham Robarts LRC

Situated on Maryland Street at the heart of the Mount Pleasant Campus and right opposite the Student's Union, Aldham Robarts caters mainly for the Faculty of Business and Law (Accountancy, Business, Criminal Justice, Economics, Information Science, Languages, Law, Librarianship) and the Faculty of Media, Arts and Social Science (Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, European Studies, Geography, History, Interior Design, Media, Critical and Creative Arts, Politics, Social Sciences, Design, Visual Arts)

This LRC is open 24 hours during term time.

Avril Robarts LRC

Avril Robarts is located on Tithebarn Street on City Campus, and covers three faculties: Faculty of Health and Applied Social Sciences (Childhood Studies, Health, Midwifery, Nursing, Social Work, Youth and Community Work), the Faculty of Science (Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Biophysics, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Construction Management, Countryside Management, Earth Science, Forensic Science, Microbiology, Pharmacy, Physics, Psychology, Science, Sport, Wildlife Conservation) and the Faculty of Technology and Environment (Building, Building Surveying, Civil Engineering, Commercial Property, Computing, E-business Technology and Management, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Management, Housing, Manufacturing, Marine Engineering, Maritime Studies, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Planning, Quantity Surveying, Technology Management, Statistics, Transport Studies, Urban Renewal)

This LRC is open until 11pm during term time. (Bottom floor - social learning zone, is open 24 hours)

IM Marsh LRC

This services the IM Marsh campus at Aigburth and covers the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure (Consumer Studies, Dance, Education, Food and Nutrition, Leisure and Tourism, Outdoor and Environmental Education, Physical Education, Tourism and Leisure) which is situated at this site.

This LRC is open until 11pm during term time.

IT and Computing

There are many computers in the LRCs, and some teaching buildings also have their own designated computer rooms. Both colour and black and white printing is available in LRCs. Most of the computers work on a first come, first served basis, although some are available to book. Usually gaining access to a PC is not problematic, but leave extra time around deadlines just in case, the libraries get very busy near to the end of semesters. Laptop points and wireless access are available in the LRCs and in some teaching buildings. Printing costs start at 4p for a double sided black and white A4 printout.

Each user has a log on name and password. Passwords must be changed every sixty days. You will have access to your own space on the server for saving work and will also get a university e-mail address. Check this regularly (links from the JMU homepage) as lecturers will often communicate important course information via this method. Some courses also make use of Blackboard, with documents such as course handbooks, essay questions and key readings distributed in this manner. Timetables are available from the JMU homepage before each semester.

Sports

Welfare

Healthcare

Shops

Liverpool is currently undergoing a major renovation, which makes the city centre a bit of a nightmare at times. Nevertheless, there are plenty of places to spend that student loan should the urge take you. All of the major high street chains are represented, usually on Church Street, the main shopping street in Liverpool, which boasts the new five storey Primark building, a Topshop/Topman, M&S, Dorothy Perkins/Burton, John Lewis's, H&M, Zara, WHSmiths and River Island to name but a few. Elsewhere, you might be drawn to the designer names in the new MetQuarter shopping centre, or the Cavern Walks, a favourite of many a WAG. For something a bit more alternative, try Bold Street or Grand Central (the new Quiggins, as it is known to many) for some vintagey and emo-type shops. Bargin hunters will love St. John's shopping centre, which seems to have hundreds of places boasting pairs of shoes for under a fiver.

A major new shopping centre, the Paradise Project, is currently under construction in the city.

If you're living in the city centre, the likelihood is you will end up food shopping at one of these locations:

• Tesco Metro - situated in Clayton Square at the heart of the city centre and near St. John's. It's quite small and busy and leads to a very stressful shopping trip especially on Saturdays. There is an even smaller Tesco by the Metropolitan Cathedral and Uni of Liverpool which seems to be generally less busy but has a very reduced stock offering.
• Tesco Superstore - Found on the outside of Liverpool 1 shopping centre, up the road from the bus station behind John Lewis.
• Sainsbury's - located next to Central Station. Obviously more expensive than Tesco but often quieter. Range tends to be quite limited.
• Iceland - very cheap for frozen food and there is generally enough room to move about and I personally have never had to queue for too long in there. Not really any good for non-frozen groceries though as these tend to be overpriced.
• Lidl - on the outskirts of the city centre, near the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Cheap and a little depressing, but good if you aren't bothered about buying brand goods.
• Aldi - Brand new just opened a few months ago, right in the city centre.. insanely cheap and never too busy however usually full of old people if youre into that kinda thing..

If you are living in the suburbs, you are more likely to have access to a decent supermarket (the Asda on Smithdown Road is a student favourite). If you are in the city centre, consider internet shopping with flatmates and splitting the delivery cost, or sharing a taxi to the outskirts.

Restaurants

Liverpool, like most major cities, is not short of places to eat. All the usual chains are well-represented, and there is a proliferation of all-you-can-eat buffets (prices around £4.95 for lunch, £8.50 for an evening meal).

There are far too many places to give each one fair mention, so I shall just outline a few cheap, studenty favourites and you can find the rest yourself:

• Tokyou Noodle Bar - on Berry Street, near the Mount Pleasant Campus. Around £5 for a large noodle dish and a drink. Always a favourite for after lectures.

• Tea House Cafe - Another Chinese restaurant on Bold Street. Great traditional food and traditional drinks, including a wide range of teas.

• Whirley's - next to the SU. Very cheap, does all day breakfasts, an excellent place to meet your coursemates before lectures. Licensed and now open in the evenings.

• Yums - an all you can eat buffet. Superb tasting food.

• Tavern and Co. - a gorgeous Mexican in Queen's Square. Not actually that cheap, but on Mondays you get a free bottle of house wine with every two main meals purchased. Because of this it gets very busy on a Monday so booking is advisable. Around £10 for a main course. Good for birthdays and other treats. Offers 10% student discount with student ID.

• May Sum – Popular with students based in the city center accommodation; offers a 10% discount on food when you present your student ID.

• The Flute- Popular student pub on Hardman Street serving good traditional food at cheap prices, Great drinks offers try it once you will be back again and again, Also a great night out for those on a budget, 50p shooters, 99p spirits, great selection of ciders and cheap cocktails. A must*****

• Shiraz Cafe - found next to the Shakespeare pub which is opposite the theatre. Does the best all day breakfast in Liverpool: 2 sausage, 2 bacon, 2 hashbrowns, 2 rounds of toast, 2 eggs, tomato, beans, mushrooms, black pudding and a choice of tea or coffee all for £3.99.

• The Lobster Pot - either opposite the Metquarter or opposite Central Station. Classic chippy which does loads of food all for a good price. The Lobster Pot opposite the Metquarter has a cafe upstairs where you can sit down and eat.

Banks

A few of the major banks have student branches (e.g. HSBC and Barclays), but these are situated at Uni of Liverpool. All major banks have branches in the city centre though, including the Co-operative Bank.

Cash machines can be a bit of a pain when on a night out in Liverpool as they all seem to be situated in one place, towards the shopping areas of town rather than where the bars and clubs are. There are two cashpoints within easy access of the SU though; one on the wall outside and one at the HSBC around the corner for when that one's broken.

Transport

Liverpool is fairly easy to reach by road and rail. Lime Street is the city's main station, with regular routes to other major UK cities. If you are approaching by road from Wales then be prepared for the Mersey tunnel toll which currently stands at £1.40 each way if you do not wish to take the long route through the Runcorn-Widnes bridge.

Transport in Liverpool is managed by Merseytravel. The Merseyrail network of trains serves Liverpool and it's outskirts as far as Southport in the north, Hunts Cross and Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the east, and Chester in the south. Travel on the trains is reasonably cheap. If you wanted to go to Chester for the day it would be £4.15 return without a 16-25 rail card and Liverpool to Manchester is around £7.

Buses into the city centre from the outskirts are usually managed by three operators; Arriva, Stagecoach and HTL. On most major trunk roads into the city, buses run every two to three minutes. 24 hour services also run in areas with a high student population such as Smithdown Road and Aigburth. A student ticket usually costs no more than £1.20 for a single journey. Night buses can cost more. Bus passes are also available, either from the individual companies or from Merseytravel.

Flights from John Lennon Airport operate to over 60 destinations. The airport is easily accessed from the city centre by a shuttle bus that runs every 20 minutes. Parking at the airport is currently an issue due to its rapid expansion.

Honestly, if you're studying at LJMU you will be living in accomodation which only requires a 10 minute walk into town and to your campus.. I know a few people who study on the IM Marsh campus and they have to get a bus or a train in every day but its cheap and the bus comes every 15 mins or so.

Careers service

The university offers a careers guidance service located next to the Aldham Robarts LRC. Appointments cannot be pre-booked and must be made on the day. Generally, the university will be able to provide an advisor specialising in your subject area.

The university also works in partnership with Workbank, an agency who have an office in the SU. Be warned that the work they offer is often temporary, sporadic and sometimes just downright horrible. You can occasionally get good gigs like stewarding and invigilating though.

Part-time jobs

Part time jobs can be hard to come by in Liverpool, so try and get applications in early, preferrably before the start of term. This may improve as more shops open up in the new centres.

At the end of your first year you can apply to work in the SU bars during the next academic year.

Religous facilities

LJMU Discussions

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Go to Liverpool John Moores University forum Post new thread

Social

Bars, Pubs and Clubs (Non-SU Related)

The Ship and Mitre

This is a hidden gem that is shared by public, students and lecturers alike. Found on the end of Dale Street nearest, to the Byrom Street campus, it is the tall white building near the flyover.

Decor is traditional with plenty of seating as well as TV screens and dart board.

Serving real ale every day there are over 200 beers to chose from. But don't worry if you don't like beer as they still serve spirits and wine... if you don't mind looking out of place. There are deals on German bottled beer (3 for £9, and 5 for £15) and beer festivals throughout the year though. Make sure you keep note of the alcohol content of your drinks as some contain up to 11% alcohol!

Feeling hungry on a Wednesday and can't be bothered cooking? Well worry not, buy two pints of beer on a Wednesday and they'll give you a bowl of Scouse (tradition Liverpudlian stew) absolutely free! The kitchen also sells the expected pub classics such as burgers and nachos, sometimes with a twist but not an explosion in price.

Don't be put off if you think this is "and old man's" bar - its not. Every student studying at the Byrom Street campus must visit this bar at least once during their degree.

Others of Interest

Liverpool students are in the fortunate position of having over 200 bars and clubs at their disposal. Where you will want to go will depend on what you're into but here are a few places of note. The Flute on Hardman Street A great place to start your day or night cheap food all day and even cheaper drinks at night eg 99p bacardi n coke double vodka redbull £2-25 cocktails and shots from 50p. a student venue through and through Near the Mount Pleasant campus there are quite a few bars and clubs. The Pilgrim on Pilgrim Street (near the Anglican Cathedral) is a favourite for that lunchtime pint (available from £1.60) and is also a good place to start a night out. A bit grotty (but better since the smoking ban) and a favourite with arty, writery, drama-ry types. Bumper, round the corner on Hardman Street is a bar with a late licence and is a student favourite. Hannah's Bar, a little down the road, is famous for its beautiful barmaids, but it can be a bit pricey.

Closer to town is Liverpool's Barfly, who host many up and coming bands as well as cheap indie nights on Mondays and Thursdays. Near this is Heebie Jeebies, a relatively new venue which has become a student haunt. Half of it is underground, and the upper level boasts a terrace for gigs and smoking alike. On a weekday, head to the Jacaranda for a few £1 bottles of Stella.

In the town centre, bars tend to be centred around two main areas; Concert Square, home to chain bars such as Walkabout, Mood and BaaBar, and Matthew Street, further on towards the docks and more catered towards locals than students but still a good night out. Other places of note include Le Bateau, a bit out of the way at the bottom of Duke Street, but cheap (£1 for a bottle of Kronenberg) and playing a good mix of music for indie kids. Lovers of dance, house and RnB will no doubt be regulars at Medication, the Wednesday student night at Nation.

There are also many places to drink outside the city centre, especially in areas where there is a high concentration of students.

Events

Liverpool itself always seems to have something going on, and this can only increase as we go into 2008. Annual events include Liverpool Music Week (this year featuring the Kaiser Chiefs and Madness, among others) and the Matthew Street Festival. In 2008 Liverpool will host the MTV European Music Awards at the new dockside Echo Arena.

Accommodation

The university no longer owns any accomodation, instead securing places for its students in the many private halls in Liverpool.

These include halls owned by Unite, Cosmopolitan, Victoria Halls, Opal and other private companies. Many of these are en-suite. A city-centre room will usually set you back around £70-90 (single room) a week.

There is a wealth of student accomodation available in Liverpool, and students looking for shared houses are advised to use Liverpool Student Homes, a service run by all three Liverpool Universities. Rooms in shared houses usually cost from £40-60 per week.

CHECK THIS PAGE OUT ON FACEBOOK:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/LJMU-Students-2011-Accommodation-and-Course/153142648080622

Hopefully it'll be a good way for you all to meet people who you'll be studying with and sharing accommodation with!

Accommodation policy

LJMU guarantees all new students a bedroom in city centre accomodation.

Facilities

Residences

Private sector

Student union

Bars, Pubs and Clubs (SU Related)

The Student's Union at LJMU gets a lot of bad press from its students. In truth, the union was having financial problems last year, and as a result, students slowly moved away from the dire entertainment and rising drink prices. This year the union is fighting back. The main SU venue consists of three main areas: Scholars, The Cooler and The Sanctuary.

Scholars

Scholars is a traditional pub-style bar with a warm and friendly atmosphere. It's very "safe" if you're a student and runs pub-style entertainment such as a quiz on Monday nights and karaoke/Irish bands on Sundays. On other nights, music and atmosphere is provided by the touchscreen jukebox. Sky Sports for the big game. Pints start from £1.85, or team up with a mate and get a 4 pint pitcher (Carsberg or Fosters) for £6.

The Cooler

The union's nightclub. Tuesdays - funky house, Wednesdays - chart, Thursdays - indie, Fridays - Flirt (chart and dance), Saturdays - RnB and house, Sundays RnB. Good for meeting people when you're a fresher but there are definitely more exciting venues in Liverpool.

The Sanctuary

A coffee bar by day, a chill-out room to The Cooler by night.

The Raz

Held every Monday and Tuesday night (Monday for Liverpool Students, Tuesday for JMU however you can turn up to either regardless where you study) in the Blue Angel Night Club, it's a pound in and the drinks are cheap. One of the more value for money options is the Fat Frog, a mixture of three alcopops making up two incredibly sugary pints. It may give you a heart attack, but for £3 it's worth the risk. It has a reputation for being a particularly grimey place (protip: don't wear white shoes and they won't come out white) however is definitely one of the most fun nights out you'll have. They have a dancefloor in the basement playing mainly chart music and the ground floor has seats. Worth trying at least once!

Events

The university organises a number of events throughout the academic year, including the President's Pub Crawl, Snow Ball and the Graduation Ball. Trips are also available to locations such as ice skating, North Wales and even Amsterdam, all at a reasonable price.

Clubs and societies

Clubs and societies usually recruit annually at the Freshers Fair. The union's website currently lists the following non-BUSA clubs and societies:

• Dance Music Society
• Afro-Caribbean Society
• Anime Society
• Asian Society
• Business & Economics
• Christian Union Society
• Conservation Society
• Drama Society
• Film Society
• Friends of Falun Gong
• Fusion Christian Network
• Greek, Cypriot Society
• History Society
• International Society
• Islamic Society
• Japanese Society
• Jewish Society
• Labour Students
• Law Society
• LGBT Community
• Liberal Democrats
• MUTE Magazine
• Politics Society
• Revelation Rock-Gospel
• SLAGS Guides/Scouts
• Socialist Student Society
• Socialist Workers
• St John Ambulance
• Student Teachers
• Tanzania Book Project
• Thai Society
• Underground Society

Environment

Architecture

No two John Moores buildings are the same, and they are scattered all over the city. Many are modern, and some are monstrous, but equally there are some very aesthetically pleasing ones.

Local area

Liverpool has quite a bad repuatation, and like any major city, it suffers from some crime and deprivation. However, there is a large student population and many businesses catering to them. Parts are run down, but the city centre itself is looking quite good these days, although a major makeover is still very much underway. For an escape to the city, try heading up the coast to Freshfields, where there is a beach and squirrel sanctuary, or if you can't be bothered going that far, Sefton Park is a nice compromise.

The city centre is, on the other hand, quite nice. One of the best things about it is the amount of character you find within a relatively small walking distance to, for example, Manchester. In half an hour you can get from the famous Albert Docks to Bold Street which is full of little boutique shops and restauraunts catering for everybody. On top of that the main shopping centre, Liverpool One, is also close to the middle of the city centre (using the radio tower as reference) containing popular high street shops.

Teaching quality

Obviously this varies enormously from course to course and even lecturer to lecturer, but the majority of departments have very good or excellent teaching assessments. It is worth remembering that JMU is a new university and as such puts more emphasis on teaching than it does on research. The university operates a personal tutor system, and these people are supposed to be your first port of call if you have a problem. However, usually most members of staff will be more than happy to help you in any way they can.

Applying to John Moores

Thinking of applying to John Moores? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Other John Moores Articles

Why not read these other John Moores Articles?

Links

• Our John Moores Discussion Forum
• John Moores University Homepage
• A-Z of Universities