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University of East Anglia (UEA)
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > UEA
 UEA is a friendly, campus university located in the fine city of Norwich. While the university is not the most visually spectacular of universities, rather its main features are the tonnes of concrete it was built with, its friendly and welcoming atmosphere more than makes up for it, as does the 320 acres of parkland it sits on with its very own lake. Rated consistently highly in the league tables, with many outstanding subject areas (more specifically Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, English Literature, Law and Computing Sciences), UEA is becoming a highly rated institution for research, with the Norwich Research park located next to the university with strong links between the two. Norwich itself is a safe city with a friendly vibe, the city centre features new architecture alongside old, giving the place a unique feel and nothing like a 'clone' town. Shopping is very good and a brand new shopping centre was opened in September last year, featuring 80 new shops and restaurants, making the city much more attractive. Nightlife is also very good, and caters for all tastes, and all student funds! The university is currently under going many changes, accommodation is being built and older halls updated, new research centres are being created and the library has been extended - doubling the floor space - and the refurbishment of the old section is nearly complete. All of these are just some of the reasons why UEA is such a great and exciting place to study! Facilities UEA has one main library in the centre of campus. It is currently being extended and refurbished, almost doubling the size. Every room in university accommodation has an internet connection to broadband included in the price of the rent, so it costs no extra whether you have a computer or not. The sports park is a huge multi million pound complex which includes and huge sports hall, outdoor athletic track, 50m swimming pool, state of the art gym, climbing wall and dance and martial arts studios. The UFO (Union Food Outlet) sells basic food and alcohol supplies, and is very useful if you're in need of some milk or super noodles, and is also quite reasonably priced. DOLChE VITA, along the street, sells coffee and baguettes made to order and is fairly reasonably priced and quite popular. The union bar also sells a good range of baps, rolls and sandwiches which are very well priced. LibrariesUEA has one main library in the centre of campus. It has just been extended and the refurbishment is nearly complete, making it far more pleasant (no more drab yellow carpets and dark dusty aisles!). The library is fairly easy to find your way around, during the first 4 weeks of term there are induction presentations to give new students an idea of how to find their way around, how to use the catalogues etc. Lots of study space, where you can sit on your own or in a group. There are also private carrels which can be booked for those that want to study in complete silence. On floors 0 and 1 there is a new 24 hour computer suite, which is useful for those last minute deadline when sitting in your room trying to do it is providing far too many distractions! IT and computingEvery room in university accommodation has an internet connection equivalent to broadband speeds included in the price of the rent, so it costs no extra whether you have a computer or not. The network is usually very efficient, and the IT department do forewarn you of any likely disruptions due to maintenance work. Gaming is permitted, providing it does not interfere with the efficient operation of the network.
The university is connected to Cambridge and Colchester by a 1gbps (gigabit per second / 1000mbit) optical fibre connection and acts as the regional service provider for all institutions which require an academic or research connection from JAnet. If you don't take a computer, there is the 24 hours computing centre in the library and also most schools in the university have computing facilities for their students to use. For more information about IT within the University, visit the IS Homepage  SportsYou'd be crazy not to take advantage of the sports facilities at UEA - the Sportspark is a huge multi million pound complex which includes a huge sports hall, outdoor athletic track, 50m swimming pool, state of the art gym, climbing wall and dance and martial arts studios. Prices are fairly good for students, and most sports have a club, most of which are around £10 to join for the year. WelfareThe main welfare for students is Nightline, a service run by students (directed by the Union Welfare Officer) for students, where you can go any time of the day or night for a chat, a pizza delivery number or even a condom! HealthcareIn the first 4 weeks you have to register with the university health service, there is a brand new health practice with full time doctors and a pharmacists on campus, as well as a dentists, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is also very close should you need it! ShopsThe UFO (Union Food Outlet) sells basic food and alcohol supplies, and is very useful if you're in need of some milk or super noodles, and is also quite reasonably priced. There is also the Paper Shop, which sells stationary and the like, and a post office. Waterstones also has a small branch situated on campus, which stocks many of the main textbooks for most courses, as well as books for leisure reading. There is also a second hand bookshop run by the union that buys and sells used books, however you have to get there early to get many of the core text books you will need! Also there is the travel shop that sells tickets for trains, the National Express and even for holidays! Endsleigh insurance company also has a branch on campus, and there is the ICTS shop which sells everything computer related. RestaurantsThere is plenty of choice as to where to eat on campus - Mango, along the street, sells coffee and baguettes made to order and is fairly reasonably priced and quite popular. The union bar also sells a good range of baps, rolls and sandwiches which are very well priced. The same range is also sold upstairs in the newly refurbished Hive, along with hot and cold drinks! There is also The Blend - a cafe and sells a small range of hot food as well as sandwiches and rolls, coffee and cold drinks - and downstairs is 'Zest' which serves hot meals all day. Both Zest and The Blend have been refurbished over summer this summer, and made into non-smoking environments. The were eateries in the Sainsbury Centre for Arts, however the centre has been closed for a massive refurbishment project due to be completed Spring 2006. BanksNatWest and Barclays have branches on campus, but all major banks are situated in the city centre. TransportBuses stop on campus and are very frequent throughout the day. Single tickets to the city centre cost £2. Return tickets are not available but there is an unlimited day pass for £4, but buying a bus pass at the beginning of term works out cheaper if you go to the city fairly frequently, and also stops the hassle of finding change for bus fare or risking annoying the drivers when you try to pay with a tenner! Buses run right through the city centre to the train station, and routes 22, 25, 26 and 27 currently stop at the university. Bus routes
CoachesNational Express coaches to London stop at the University on a Saturday and Sunday morning on the way there and on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays on the way back. This is often a cheaper alternative to the train. In addition there is a service 10 times a day to London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports via Thetford and Newmarket which calls at the University. From Norwich bus station you can catch any number of services to London running 5 times a day. TrainsThe Norwich to London Liverpool Street intercity service runs every 30 minutes, and it costs £6 single if you book in advance but will cost £21.50 (with a rail card) if you decide to go last minute. The Norwich to Liverpool cross country service runs approximately every hour and will connect you to virtually every major city in between. There are also local services to north Norfolk (Cromer and Sheringham) as well as the other seaside resorts Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. FlightsNorwich also has an international airport. There are frequent flights to Amsterdam Schipol where you catch a connection to major destinations around the world! FlyBe now offers flights to UK destinations too. CareersA careers centre is located on campus and runs several careers fairs throughout the year. Also talks and advice sessions are frequent - current programs of events are available on their website. Part-time jobsThe Union runs 'Employability' which enables students to find part time jobs in the area once you sign up they will notify you by email of suitable jobs for you that you may want to apply for (you fill out a questionnaire saying the type of job you are after etc). Otherwise part time jobs are relatively easy to find as long as you are fairly flexible. Religious facilitiesThe Chaplaincy on campus is somewhere for any person to go, no matter what religion, to meet other people and learn more about faith etc. They also run Sunday services I think, but I I will look into this. Social lifeMain student night is Tuesday, although you can find somewhere with a student night on pretty much most of the week. In the union there is the LCR disco every Tuesday - legendary amongst students (cheesy music, students and cheap alcohol)! Most Tuesday LCRs this year have a theme - ranging from 999, heaven and hell, Barbie vs Action Man to Western, Skool Daze...the list goes on! Most weeks there is also an additional night in the LCR, usually Thursday or Saturdays, which include Brighton Rocks (indie/rock music), Club Retro (get your 80s gear out!) and Now 90s (relieve all your childhood memories - odds on you owned CDs by at least half the artists played)! There's also plenty of places in the city should the LCR not tickle your fancy (or you get sick of it!)... Bars and clubsPlenty to chose from catering for all tastes! Main student night is Tuesday, although you can find somewhere with a student night on pretty much most of the week (except weekends where the drinks are hideously expensive and its mainly locals). The union also owns The Waterfront, which just out of the city centre, offers the best alternative music night in a Saturday night, and the prices are more expensive than the actual union bar, but much cheaper than other bars/clubs. Also every second Friday of the month there is 80s night, which is the best place to go if you need to feel young again! EventsAside from the LCR discos, the union also gets very good bands, many big names have played there and the bands announced already for next year are very good (even Status Quo and Bob Geldof have played recently!). Gig tickets are usually around 8-15 depending on the band and the venue (gigs are held both in the LCR and the Waterfront). Clubs and societiesMost interests are represented by a society or sports club! If you can't find anything that suits you, you can start your own society - you need 30 signatures and a risk assessment! Most socs are £3 to join, sports clubs more expensive depending on type of sport and how often you had practice etc. But prices are for the whole year (so if you join the swimming club for £10 you have free access to the swimming pool during training times, even if you don't train with the club). AccommodationAccommodation policyAll accommodation is offered to students in their first year of University, and also for those students who are spending a year abroad at the universtity itself. All residents are open throughout the year on a 38 week letting, therefore charging students an annual fee. Students are required within UEA's halls to follow rules such as to keep the place in a clean state, but also to be sensitive to the needs of other students. Currently all halls are allocated a Resident Tutor, who is often an older student who lives alongside the students and is their linkage should anything disastrous go wrong. The RTs act on a strictly confidential basis therefore if you report a problem it is not discussed with any third parties, unless there is need to. All reports are written by hand and therefore there is no record of them post the initial report. FacilitiesFacilities vary from residence to residence. For obvious reasons, the standard rooms are often described as 'prisons' for they lack plaster on the walls and the exterior of the building is very much like a prison. However, these rooms are often larger than the en-suite room, and students get the pleasure of an oven, and a bath. The floors are smaller too, therefore allowing only 5 people to use one kitchen, one bathroom, and two toilets. However, the kitchens are spacious and can hold more than the 5 people who live on the floor. Standard rooms are often in the City Centre, therefore giving you the advantage as a resident to learn the layout of Norwich, which has proven useful for students when they move out in their second year. Students are within close distance to the Market, and a variety of pubs, clubs and other activities such as cinema and theatre. Standard rooms on campus are to be found in the pyramid shaped ziggurats which overlook the UEA broad and are probably the most central residence on campus. The two terraces have both been refurbished in the last two years, and are now much more comfortable than previously. They have large-ish single rooms with sinks and plenty of storage and there are 3 bathrooms and one kitchen per floor which can cater for up to 14 people. One disadvantage of the Ziggurats is that the large windows quite often cause the rooms and kitchens to turn into greenhouses, but they are probably the most social accomodation and are significantly cheaper than other accomodation on campus. Within the more expensive rooms you see the introduction of the personal shower and toilet. The pods which are named 'shower pods' resemble something out of Star Trek and give you the luxury of a personal shower, sink and toilet. Residences again are spread around campus ranging from the University Village which is on the outskirts, to Britten and Paston House giving you the luxury of waking 10 minutes before a lecture and allowing you to stroll in without travel. The rooms however are smaller, but you get the luxury of a single bed; whereas in the standard halls you get the 'fish finger' bed (named because of its thin-ness). The amount of people you share a kitchen with also increases to 9 or sometimes 11; therefore making the kitchnes feel slightly cramped. However there is just enough storage space for everyone. Should you be unfortunate to ever loose your keys there is the delight of having security bringing you a spare set; all for the price of £25. Many students do loose their keys and therefore they are open 24 hours, but also act on other emergencies such as fire alarms, robberies etc. ResidencesPaston House is the furthest on campus accommodation for home students. The flats in this house, like Britten and Colman Houses, are usually comprised of 12 roomsoff one corridor, each with their own bathroom and shower pod. Each flat has a kitchen, which in Paston House vary in size more than Britten, but each contains two large tables, with as many chairs as there are flatmates. There are four electirc hobs, a toaster and grill, and two "microwave/oven combos" which are notoriously difficult to use, an have been the cause of many smokey kitchens over the years. Each kitchen also comes with a water boiler, so no need to bring a kettle when you arrive. Private sectorStudent unionPricesAs per usual with universities we can see that prices within UEA are quite expensive. Students are used to forking out around £5 for lunch, or £1 for a cup of coffee. The food unfortunately is not worth this price due to there being a shortage of vegetarian options but more pressingly vegan options. The waterstones on site encourages many students to buy their books first hand therefore students end up giving hundreds of pounds worth of money to them to receive the books. Gig prices however range from the cheap to the expensive. The LCR events on Tuesday nights, fancy dress Tuesday is reasonably priced at £3.50; however tickets sell out very quickly and often gig tickets are all sold out by the beginning of the term. EnvironmentArchitectureThe Architecture of UEA is a contentious issue, some love it and some love to hate it. Famous for the unusually high proportion of concrete, it’s certainly not to everyone’s taste and can seem pretty grim on a rainy day! However, there is a certain beauty to be found in Sir Lasdun’s listed Ziggurats, Norfolk and Suffolk Terraces. There is also the world famous Sainsbury Centre designed by Norman Foster, and one of the most energy efficient buildings in England, the Zuckerman building. The campus is centred around the main square, a wonderful space for initiations and lazing about on a summers day on the steps, and according to legend, the campus was designed so that no one building is more than 5 minutes from another. Unfortunately this is no longer the case due to expansion and new residences, but it remains compact and practical, located in a wonderful environment, overlooking the Norfolk Broads. The city of Norwich contains some lovely historical buildings including the castle and the cathedral. Local areaTeaching qualityApplying to UEAThinking of applying to University of East Anglia ? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other UEA ArticlesWhy not read these other University of East Anglia Articles? (Link to all pages on this university and PS subcategory) Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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