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University of LiverpoolTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Liverpool
 The University of Liverpool was one of the original 'red brick' universities created in 1903 but it has a history dating back to 1881 when it was created as University College Liverpool. The uni is mostly situated on a single campus just 5 minutes outside Liverpool city centre though a couple of departments are located across on The Wirral. FacilitiesLibrariesThere are two libraries in the University. First is the Harold Cohen Library, this is on "North Campus" and is across the main road from the Guild. It contains the collections for Science, Medicine, Engineering and Vetinary Medicine. In addition, there are various study rooms (mainly on the ground and first floors) and a few group study areas. There are eight computer centres, giving a total of 280 computers availiable for student use. The other library is the Sydney Jones library, this contains the collections for the arts and humanities, and is located off of Abercromby Square on "South Campus". There is a few formal study rooms, accessed via the service desk, and various work areas within the atrium. There computers are located within the "Abecromby wing" which is an open plan area containing 360 computers and 2 computer clusters on both floors of the Grove Wing. SuperRoamNet (wireless network) is available in all areas of both libraries. University ID cards are required to access and leave the libraries and the University uses the "Library of Congress" classification system (this takes a while to get your head around). All books and journals can be found through the OPAC online catalogue. The Harold Cohen is open non-stop from Monday at 0830 through to Saturday at 2300, and is also open on Sunday from 1200-2300. Staff are availiable Monday-Friday 0900-2130, Saturday and Sunday 1200-1700. The Sydney Jones is open non-stop from Monday at 0830 through to Saturday at 2130, and is open on Sunday from 1200-2130. Staff are availiable Monday-Friday 0900-2130, Saturday and Sunday 1200-1700. There is also a library at Leahurst Vetinary Hospital on the Wirral, this is open 0800-2200 everyday during term time. Whilst LoU students and staff also have access to the Liverpool School Of Tropical Medicine's and The Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory's Libraries. IT and ComputingIf you have your own computer you can get 24/7 internet access in your room at halls or use wireless free in either library or the guild. If not there are computers available in the libraries and in many academic buildings on campus. There are also small computer rooms situated out at the halls of residence. The library computer rooms are open 24 hours Mon-Fri, and during library opening hours at weekends (Saturday 0000-2300 and Sunday 1200-2300 (Sciences library) or Saturday 0000-2130 and Sunday 1200-2130 (Arts Library)). Most other computer rooms are open between 0830 and 1730. SportsSports clubs at Liverpool (coordinated with the Liverpool Guild of Students) include:
WelfareIn terms of student welfare, most facilities are found in the Guild, where you'll find the Student Accomodation Office and Student Health. There is also a team of student representatives to deal with any issues. In addition to this, there is a free counselling service offered, where it is possible to book hour-long appointments in six-week blocks with qualified counsellors. In addition there are childcare facilities, with a children's pre-school located on Crown Street opposite the Department of Chemistry, the fees are subsidised by the University, but are not free.
HealthcareThere is a recommended GP's practice on site next to the guild which is part of the Brownlow Medical Group, the surgeries run everyday through the week and being registered allows access to any other practice in the group including the Student Health drop in at Carnatic called S.H.A.C, however this is only a small GP. There are also many GP surgerys around the area that are happy to take on students. This includes many on campus and around the halls and just off Smithdown Road. Due to the large medical school in the city, there is also no shortage of hospitals. Though the only A&E in the city centre is at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (near the university campus), with an additional A&E at Fazakerley Hospital on the North side of the city. Students who try to do so don't have trouble finding an NHS dentist. ShopsThe main shopping areas in the city centre are:
Although formerly the city did not have the same standard of offering as Leeds and Manchester, Liverpool's city centre has a wide variety of shops. It's not missing any of the big chains and also has a wide selection of smaller, independent shops. A recent addition the world's largest Primark outlet, some 10,000 sqft larger than the oxford street store. It also has a growing Met quarter where a number of high end retailers have opened branches. The City centre has recently completed the current phase of redevelopmets, with the opening of Liverpool One. Liverpool has all the major brands you'd see in any city centre, as well as a new entertainment level with a new Odeon cinema and various restaurants. There is still the Church Street shops including Marks and Spencer, Primark and BHS. The other key shopping areas are Clayton Square (mainly clothes stores, but also has a Boots) and St John's Precinct (with a market, Wilkinsons, Pound shops, and various independant traders). There is also Quiggins, which is similar to Affleck's Palace in Manchester or the Corn Exchange in Leeds. In terms of Supermarkets, there is a large ASDA store on Smithdown Road (the main student road), which serves as the main student supermarket. There are Tesco Metro branches Edge Hill, Greenbank Road (near the halls) and in the city centre, with a 24hr superstore next to Liverpool One and on Allerton Road (also with a petrol station). There are also Morrisons (in Speke, near the airport) and Sainsbury's (in Old Swan). There are various branches of Aldi, Lidl and Netto.  RestaurantsIn Liverpool City Centre you've got the regular McDonalds, Burger King, KFC etc. Going more upmarket, there are various Chinese restauranrs in Chinatown and there's a few restaurants in Liverpool One. Going out of the city, there's Lark Lane with many multi-cultural restaurants and Allerton also has various restaurants. Some student favourites include:
On top of this, there's various Pubs and Chippys dotted throughout the city. BanksBeing a big city, there are plenty of banks and cash machines throughout the city. On campus (or nearby) there is a branch of HSBC and Natwest (underneath Mulberry Court, opposite the Font Bar, these have limited opening hours, 9-4 term time only), Barclays (on the Alsop Parde (Brownlow Hill near the Vet Med faculty) and Royal Bank of Scotland (inside the Guild). All of the above have a couple of cash machines each, there is also a Lloyds TSB cash machine. Most cash machines give out £5, £10 and £20 notes. For the more obscure banks and the building societies, your best bet is the city centre, though some will only have branches in Manchester. TransportAll transport is operated in zones, but for the most part you wont venture outside of the C (or city) zone. All services are subsidised by Merseytravel. Arriva is the main operator of services in Liverpool, and serve all parts of Merseyside radiating from Liverpool city centre. There are also services operated by Stagecoach (mainly in North Liverpool) and various independant operators. Buses directly serving the University campus are routes 6 (to Warrington), 7 (to Huyton), 7A (to Warrington, evenings), 7B (to Rainhill, evenings), 14 (to Runcorn or Rainhill), 61 (to Widnes), 78 (to Halewood) and 79 (to Netherley) The university has 2 main halls of residence, Greenbank and Carnatic. The number 699 bus stops at these two campuses and at Abercrombie Square near City centre. It goes every 10 mins from about 8am until about 8pm when it is then every 20 minutes. It costs £1.50 per journey (student single), £3.30 for a day ticket or you can buy an annual arriva bus ticket online for £213. This is highly recommended if you live anywhere other than the centre of town. There are also multiple other routes that run within 5/10 minutes walk of the halls of residence. In terms of other transport, Taxis are easily available all over the city centre and will cost about £10 to the Carnatic site or £8 to Greenbank, with taxis to other student parts of Liverpool being around £7.00 (in a hackney) or £5.00 (in a private hire cab). In terms of railways, most services (and all long distance services) operate out of Liverpool Lime Street, destinations include London, Birmingham, Manchester, Wigan, Blackpool, York and Norwich. There is also Liverpool Central, offering services to Southport, Kirkby, Ormskirk (via North Liverpool) as well as Birkenhead and the Wirral (Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby). The nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport (a hub for low cost airlines) and Manchester (for long haul destinations). Both are easily accesible by public transport. One thing to say about buses from Liverpool Airport, do not use the service 500/501 as it costs twice the fare as normal buses (which are equally as quick as the express bus and go into town). For vets, there is a bus link between the Vet School in the city to Leahurst (on the Wirral). Careers serviceThe University has it's own Careers service located in the Guild building. It is known as "The Careers and Employability Service". There's a couple of options as regards Guidance meetings, first there are "quick query" appointments which are about 15 minutes each, meaning you can get a couple of issues sorted (and can be taken by any advisor) or "guidance" appointments, which are about 40 minutes each (and have to be taken by the careers advisor specialising in your department/faculty). Quick appointments can be booked on the day whilst guidance interviews need to be booked in advance. The careers office also has various reading materials about various part-time jobs, research oppurtunities and graduate careers. It is open 1000-1630 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with opening hours on Tuesday being 1000-1830. Also, there are normally employment oppurtunities advertised in your department. Part-time jobsAs it's a major city, there are various part time jobs availiable especially in the commercial and nightlife markets. For more information, consult the careers service. Religious facilitiesThe University of Liverpool has a vibrant Christian Union. Called the City CU, it welcomes students from all 4 major Liverpool Higher Education institutes and meets all over the city. As well as main meetings, there are small groups that meet every Monday night at sites city wide. Liverpool also has many lively churches, popular with students, alongside some more traditional one. Most people find a church they can settle into pretty easily. The CU are also involved with "Church Search" where older students take freshers to their churches with them so they can try several churches out without fear of getting lost. Liverpool Discussions
SocialBars, Pubs and clubsBeing in the city, there are various bars, pubs and clubs within short walking distance. GuildThe Guild (which is our students union) is good for a quiet drink in one of the bars, but not much else, they have ocassional club nights on (Double Vision is the major monthly event), but going out on the town is more favoured (as it's easier to get home from at the end of a night). It is the hub of activities in Freshers week, with the week finishing with the Freshers fair. However it is not open during weekend daytimes. Inside the Guild is the base where you will buy tickets for most events linked to the Guild such as Concerts held there like The Enemy, Feeder and Dizzie Rascal and socials for societies. Pubs near CampusIn terms of pubs, the main starting point of a night is The Font pub (which has been discussed above), cocktails are £2 a glass and other drinks are reasnobly priced, other options include the Augustus John (or AJ), which has very reasnobly priced drinks (£1 for a Corona), but don't be suprised to see your lecturers there having a lunchtime drink. There are various other pubs around the campus (but these have less of a student appeal). Pubs near the HallsThere are subsidised bars at the halls (Carnibar, Greenbankbar), which again offer reasonably priced drinks and a good craic, but coming away from the halls, the main student place is the Brookhouse, which is a Scream bar (chain of student bars), which being designed for students, offers cheap drinks. There are also at least 11 pubs on Smithdown (good pub crawl material) Bars in the CityThere are many bars in the city centre, but a few student favourites are:
ClubsThere is a club to suit all tastes in Liverpool. The main student nights out are Monday's, Tuesday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's although there are student nights on the other days too. The city centre is student land during the week, with most of the locals only coming out of a weekend. Some of the main nights in Liverpool are as follows:
EventsSame fare as every other University city. There's gigs for all tastes either at the Guild, the O2 Academy and the Echo Arena, with smaller gigs going on at various bars and clubs across the city, the Masque being a favorite amongst students. Carnage is a student pub crawl, which has various stops before finally ending in the Krazyhouse. A good place to start if you don't know the city very well, but the stops may not be to all tastes. There's various departmental/society pub crawls and there's also pub golf. Carnage happens on a pre-selected Monday. Another event is Student Fest which "takes over" Concert Square for a full night. The various clubs and bars (Mood, Walkabout etc) are all "taken over" by the big nights such as Medication (takes over Walkabout) and Cheeky Monkey (takes over Mood) etc. Student fest happens on a pre-selected Sunday. Clubs and societiesThere are probably around 100 non-sporting student societies at Liverpool Uni - all connected to the Liverpool Guild of Students. You'll be able to join any of the societies once you are there and as if the 100 or so aren't enough for you to choose from, you'll be able to try and set up your own new ones too. AccommodationAccommodation policyAccommodation is guaranteed to all first year Undergraduates as long as you have a firm place at Liverpool and apply for accommodation before the end of August. FacilitiesResidencesOff Campus Accommodation
Greenbank
Derby and Rathbone
Roscoe and Gladstone
Dale
Lady Mountford
Morton
McNair
Rankin
Salibury
Campus Accommodation
Mulberry Court
Philharmonic Court
Philharmonic Court Flats Info on the 80 self contained flats:
Melville Grove
Private sector
Student unionThe Student Union, known as Liverpool Guild of Students, LGoS or more informally 'The Guild' is the largest in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. During the day, the guild is generally rather full owing to the reasonable prices for food/drink, the warmth, and its central location with regards to the departments. The guild is also used for society meetings, for example debating society, and as the starting point for departmental pub crawls. Freshers' fair is also held here, and any large meetings or talks from the university staff are generally given in the hall. PricesPrices in the guild are good. However, since the shop changed at the beginning of the academic year, it's generally cheaper to bring food in from Greggs or Tesco (across the road near SAS building). Prices include: Wraps and sandwiches range from about £1.70 to £2.90 but surprisingly they're pretty appetising. A pint starts at about £1.40 and can be as much as £2 depends on the current offers. I'm sure like me though, you'll know the exact price of your drink of choice after about a day. Spirits vary, with a double spirit and mixer about £2.50. Soft drinks are dirt cheap, 30p for a cordial and soda, and coke is about £1.40 for a pint. Halls bars serve at a similar price. EnvironmentArchitectureLiverpool is home to the largest number of grade 1 listed buildings in the country outside of London, and the Royal Albert Docks are the largest grade one listed area. Liverpool city centre and docks are also a UNESCO world heritage site. The city centre has some good examples of architecture, with the main highlights being the Catholic Cathedral and the three graces at Pier Head, which is a must see area and it's beauty and grandour is a strong reflection of Liverpool's former position as one of the major maritime cities in the world. There is a mix of very modern and very old buildings, and the skyline suggests this. The Anglican cathedral is of a more traditional style to the Catholic cathedral and produces a nice contrast to the modernist "Wigwam." There are many beautiful houses in the Georgian quarter, some of which are available privately as rentable student accomodation. In general Livepool has a wealth of architecture, mixed from throughout the decades.
In terms of the campus, the majority of buildings on the pure sciences campus leave much to be desired, they were more built for function rather than asthetics, and seem to be mostly 1960s style buildings. The Guild (or at least the Brownlow Hill end of it) on the other hand is in a rather art-deco style. The arts and social sciences campus (the area around Abercromby Square), is the complete opposite, with most departments being based in Georgian Terraces (with lectures taking place in the University lecture theatres). The medical faculty is mixed, varying from the very modern Sherrington building (across the road from the hospital) to the rather grotty Duncan building (which is more an extension of the hospital). Local areaLiverpool's city centre is nice, and still improving. However, there is no major reason to go onto the other districts of Liverpool (especially in first year), as there's not much in terms of attractions, it mainly consists of lots and lots of houses. In terms of parks, there's various parks dotted about the city, with the major park being a stonesthrow from the halls (known as Sefton Park or Seffy). There's also Wavertree Park (or the mystery), Newsham Park (just outside of Kensington) and Croxteth Hall and Country park which includes a farm and a stately home that you can visit. Further afield, the main places of interest are: Birkenhead (a large park and also a space museum (alot better than it sounds)), Freshfield (aka Formby point, a nice beach especially in the summer), Southport (an upmarket seaside resort) and West Kirby (a very wild seaside town). Chester is also very easily accessible from the city centre. These are all on the Merseyrail network, so trains are every 15 minutes to all points. Teaching qualityLiverpool normally ranks in the mid-20s to mid 30s in the league tables - a pretty decent position. The entry requirements range from just above average to high depending on the course (so from about 280 UCAS points to 390 while the National Student Survey ranked the uni 4 out of 5 for the quality of it's teaching. It's considered a great place for subjects like veterinary science, graduate entry medicine and Irish Studies. Applying to LiverpoolThinking of applying to Liverpool? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? What Liverpool is
What Liverpool is not
Other Liverpool ArticlesWhy not read these other Liverpool Articles? Links |
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