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University of Wales, Newport
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Newport
 The University of Wales, Newport is a university in the city of Newport in Wales. It was created in 2002 out of the University of Wales College, Newport, though it's origins started back in 1975. It has two campuses in Newport: Caerleon near the city centre and Allt-yr-yn further out. Over all the uni is quite averagey size, perhaps a little small, with just under 10,000 students in total. FacilitiesLibrariesOne library at each campus (Caerleon and Allt yr yn) Open seven days a week IT and ComputingBrilliant IT suites in both campuses! with PCS and Macs galore. No matter where you study you will find a computer to work on. (the suites are not open in Allt yr yn during the weekend though) SportsThe uni has a good sports centre with large sports hall, gym, fitness suite (with 40 pieces of equipment), an out door pitch and two floot lit tennis courts. The centre also running coach training sessions too and you can get help and support to develop your sporting skills through the unis sports bursaries and sholoarships and through the 'Elite Sports Squad'. If you are interested in talking part in sports, you can go to any of the fitness classes run at the sports centre, take part in competitions such as the intra-mural sports and uni teams or just join one of the many SU sports clubs. These clubs include:
WelfareThe uni has provision for all sorts of welfare problems you can face. The Welfare Office is there to help you if you have any problems with money, landlords, academic or employment problems. You can drop in and see them any time during the week or get the basic 'help' info off their website. For more personal problems you might want to use the counseling service which is free and confidential and is somewhere you can go and talk through your problems to find your own solutions. If you need to see one they try to get you an appointment within 5 working days. The uni also has a lot of help and support for students with disabilities, students needing child care provision and international students. HealthcareNewport Uni has a health centre which is staffed by nurses (meaning you can't actually see a GP there, though they can tell you where you can register with one). The nurses are helpful and can deal with minor problems and also provide you with loads of info on a range of health issues. They can also refer you to other student services which might be of more help for you than the nurses themselves. The nurses also run annual health fairs to keep issues in the forefront of your mind. These include topics like sexual health, healthy eating, stopping smoking and alternative therapies. The uni website also lists basic info on many of these issues too as well as advice for dealing with minor problems like flu and diarrhea and the signs for more serious problems like meningitis. ShopsRestaurantsBanksTransportThe uni has a free shuttle bus between the two campuses to make it as easy as possible for you to get about. This bus also stops in an area of town where a lot of students live, and also opposite the train station on the way to the other campus. If you are needing to get to and from town on weekends, the number 2 bus runs between the central bus station and Caerleon Campus while the number 14 runs out to Allt-yr-yn take Campus. The train station in Newport is just about a 15 minute walk from Allt-yr-yn take Campus and from there you can get trains all over Wales and further afield, with hourly services to London and Birmingham (both of which can be reached within 2 hours). Careers serviceThe careers service is open during the week, but has a load of info on it's website too (accessible from the main Newport site). The service is there to help you with general careers information, to offer advice and information tailored to your needs and run workshops to help with all aspects of applications and interviews. They normally host a careers fair each year where loads of employers come to speak to you and give you information, but as well as this they have more general liaisons with employers and you can go in to talk to the careers staff to find out more. Part-time jobsThe careers service gives you a lot of info to think about part-time work. They guide you through the need for good CVs and applications on their website and also have an online list of advertised jobs. If there is not enough choice there, they also provide a long list of other websites which can list part-time jobs in the Newport area. Religious facilitiesThe Chaplaincy provides spiritual and pastoral care for students. As well as being somewhere you can go talk to people, the service holds events through out the year, such as social lunches and trips and a Christmas Carol Service. They can also provide you with information about religions and about where to find others who follow your religion. SocialBars, Pubs and clubsThere is one SU bar on campus (main Caerleon one) which is big enough and hosts events occasionally. Caerleon itself is known for the vast amount of pubs, you can take your pick of which, just be careful to avoid the old man pubs! Newport itself if full of clubs, for every music and scene taste. EventsThere are loads of events throughout the year. In Fresher's Week (well fortnight!) there will be loads of stuff happening, topped off with the Freshers Ball. There are lots of other balls too, like at Halloween, the Snow Ball just before Christmas, the Valentines Day Dance and the May Ball. These all prove really popular. In addition there are loads of smaller events each week like quizzes and live music.
Clubs and societiesThere are a few societies at Newport. These include:
If there is nothing you want to join, then you are encouraged to set up your own society - you just need 10 people and a £5 membership fee and you're on your way! AccommodationAccommodation policyYou can only apply for accommodation once you've accepted an offer. You'll also need to apply by the 1st September deadline to be guaranteed a uni room - though you should still try to send the form back as soon as possible as the rooms are allocated on a first come first served basis. If you wait too long you risk not getting not just your first choice, but any of your choices. Once a room is given to you (normally about the end of August) you have to reply to them to confirm you want the room. DO NOT delay doing this as you only have a few days to respond and if late you will have lost your room to someone else. You also need to send back a £200 (repayable) bond with the acceptance - again you'll loose your room if you do not do this. No candles, incense sticks, fairy lights, chip fryers, pets including goldfish, minifridges or large white goods are allowed in rooms. Facilities
ResidencesYou can have an en suite for 39 weeks costing a total of £2710.50. Standard rooms come in two price ranges. In Abergavenny, Blaenavon and Camelot they cost £2262.00 for 39 weeks and in Dolaucothi, 39 weeks costs £2106.00. (These prices are for the 2007/8 year.) Private sectorIn Newport accomodation varies in price from about £50 a week to a maximum of £100. £50-60 tends to be the kind of 4-5-6 bedroom terraced student houses, usually with 3 floors - dependant of the area. £70 and above tends to be less rooms and more house, nicer housing, possibly for more mature students. The main areas are around the Caerleon campus, Caerleon itself is hard to find accomodation in, Maindee is very popular with students, as is St Juliens, these areas are ok, albeit on the rough side at night. For the Allt-yr-yn campus there are a couple of local houses, these tend to be more expensive due to Allt yr yn being a desired area for families. In 2008/09 the Students' Union aim to set up an online 'estate agency' to assist students in finding good quality accomodation once they leave campus. Student unionThe SU is there to help you both with academic and welfare issues and with having a good time. In addition to all the events and societies mentioned elsewhere in this guide, the SU also has a radio station, International Radio Noize (www.radionoize.co.uk) and a new online TV channel NTV (www.newportunion.com/ntv.php). They also run The Clarence Bar which has been recently done up. It's where many of the smaller events are held and also a place to catch sporting events on TV. The SU also use the universities Main Venue for the bigger events it holds such as the final of its hugely popular, X-Factor inspired competition, The Port Factor and Band Nights. In 2008/09 the Main Hall should be reinvigorated as a live music venue and a nightclub on Saturdays. EnvironmentArchitectureLocal areaCaerleon itself is a beautiful little town with countryside surrounding, Newport itself is OK, but nothing special. its an easy commute to Cardiff and cheap too. which is always useful! The main campus at caerleon is lovely, set in a beautiful place. Its located very close to a old Roman settlement, still got the amphitheatre in tact. Teaching qualityNewport is good for its sports department and its art media and design department - especially for photography courses. Applying to NewportThinking of applying to Newport? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Newport ArticlesWhy not read these other Newport Articles?
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