University of York

York

Tell me about the University of York!

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I had a place to study at York, but after I visited (after results day), I withdrew my offer and chose RHUL instead.

York as a city is lovely and reminds me a bit of Canterbury. Lots of history, shops, nice environment. Then you get to the university and it's an absolute dump. It's got horrible concrete buildings and other horrible 60s architecture, it's muddy and covered in ducks and duck poo, it's got a horrible fake lake in the middle which is so mirky you can't see anything in it, and for me, the university had no character.

The student reps spend 90% of their time talking about alcohol, bars and clubs. York uni did not appeal to me whatsoever.

Funny, I'm also making my decision between York and RHUL. :s-smilie:

What else about RHUL made you choose it over York?

University of York

York

Reply 41

kat2pult

Original post by XJofo

Funny, I'm also making my decision between York and RHUL. :s-smilie:

What else about RHUL made you choose it over York?

Proximity to London, lots of history, feels more intimate and even has an ice rink there!

I just loved my time at RHUL, I had so much fun there. I got a good impression off of the place and I really didn't off York. I was worried that York was better than RHUL in the league tables, but I don't regret choosing RHUL at all.

Reply 42

Ivanka

Hello everyone!

I am an offer-holder thinking of either firming or insuring York :smile:

I am just browsing through the list of societies, everything looks so impressive that I will be stuck about what to choose should I go to the uni!

Is there anyone acquainted with the concert band? I play the flute (well, attended lessons 3 years ago...) and would love to revive my passion. Should I be an ultimately skilled player to join or are recreational players admitted as well?

Reply 43

gummi_bears

Original post by alexmagpie

Oh hey there! :smile:

What are you applying for?

I'm doing psych, what about you?

Reply 44

rainbow drops

Original post by Ivanka

Hello everyone!

I am an offer-holder thinking of either firming or insuring York :smile:

One of my housemates is in the concert band and it's not elitist at all, don't worry! Anybody can get involved. It seems like a very friendly society. :smile:

Reply 45

laser

Is there anyone acquainted with the concert band? I play the flute (well, attended lessons 3 years ago...) and would love to revive my passion. Should I be an ultimately skilled player to join or are recreational players admitted as well?

There's no auditions for Concert Band, and recreational players are admitted - they're a pretty relaxed bunch!

Reply 46

Jimbo1234

Original post by welldoesntthissuck

Hey

I've got an offer for Philosophy but I haven't visited the uni yet. I will be but I wouldn't mind some opinions of people who've visited/go there. So if you'd be so kind as to tell me about the colleges, the city itself or the course if possible I would be rather grateful.
Thank you :smile:

I hate the ruddy place.
The Uni tries to screw you over for every penny and shows little interest in investing this money back for the students. A good example is the bridge that has been without a roof on it for 4 years now, along with the DIRE graduation ceremony.
The town is very historical and makes a good day out, but it is **** to live in/use. The charm dies quickly and the cramped streets and tiny shops and clubs become very annoying.
The locals are a pain in the ass. Although they are not as bad as St Andrews or Durham, they do try to start fights and everyone I know who has a bike has had it stolen whilst in York.

However if you are slightly sheltered, do not mind tiny sweaty clubs, or believe that an entire nightout can be judged by the predrinking, then York will be fine.

Reply 47

Clumsy_Chemist

Original post by loonyplatypus

I don't know about the ducks, but the geese invaded Alcuin and crapped all over our paths :angry:

And the poo is green! I visited Alcuin recently, it's near Chemistry which is what I'm applying to - the only thing putting me off York is the geese!

Reply 48

Phantom_X

Original post by Clumsy_

And the poo is green! I visited Alcuin recently, it's near Chemistry which is what I'm applying to - the only thing putting me off York is the geese!

Tbh its not as bad as people make it out to be. I fed a duck though and it kept following me ( I might have been the cause of the Alcuin duck invasion, still not entirely sure). tbh the paths are usually ok so i wouldn't worry about it too much- in fact i wouldn't let te geese distract you at all !

Reply 49

Laura373

Original post by loonyplatypus

Well, we have looooooads of societies which is great for the social side of things :smile:

You can pretty much guarantee that you'll find something you want to join! Although I'd recommend having a look at them online before you go (http://www.yusu.org/societies) because the Freshers' Fair can be a bit crazy.

Another good thing in terms of socialising is that everything is close together - I live right at the edge of the campus, in Alcuin, but it still only takes me about five minutes to walk into the centre of campus (i.e. to the lake/Central Hall), so it's easy to meet up with people. The only colleges that are out of the centre a bit are Goodricke and Halifax, but even then it's only about a 15 minute walk to each of them :smile:

Afraid I can't offer much input on clubs/going out since I'm not really a fan, but the majority of people I know enjoy the nightlife in York, and if it's not enough then you can still make trips to Leeds for nights out :smile:

Accommodation varies quite a lot throughout the university... the best places to be are Goodricke, Alcuin (especially the new quad which is where I am, it's gorgeous :suith:

), and New Vanbrugh. Worst places are the old parts of James (aka Old Goodricke) and parts of Halifax. But in general, wherever you end up, you'll be happy!

Personally I love the atmosphere here ^_^ It's quite a small uni but I like that, it feels more cosy, kind of. It's easy to find your way around and you bump into people you know when you're wandering round campus. There's tons of stuff to do in terms of societies, and everyone I know is getting on well with people and not having any issues with not having friends! It's a fantastic place :biggrin:

Anything else you want to know? I'm quite happy to answer questions :smile:

Also...

I don't know about the ducks, but the geese invaded Alcuin and crapped all over our paths :angry:

I also live in your quad! L Block! How about you?

Reply 50

lonely14

Original post by Kerny

In terms of academics York is a quality university. If you want to be surrounded by ancient buildings and ivory towers, though, you should think twice. The disadvantage of places like York, Warwick, East Anglia and the other 60's universities is that they are not asthetically 'grand' like some other institutions, such as KCL. York is also a relatively small university. On the other hand, York is a relatively cheap place to live in, and the city of York itself is a very nice place. Also, like I said, despite York's asthetic shortcomings it still has a particularly strong academic profile. It attracts very capable students and academics alike. Finally, York's student satisfaction scores are much higher than average, so they must be doing something right.

So there you go. Ignore the trolls and generalizations saying York sucks, because it doesn't. It has its ups and downs.

Not according to this link!

It's the most expensive student city.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 51

Kerny

Original post by lonely14

Not according to this link!

Bad York Vision article is bad.

Have you any idea how much it costs, as a student, to live in places like London or Oxford?

Reply 52

lonely14

Original post by Kerny

Bad York Vision article is bad.

Have you any idea how much it costs, as a student, to live in places like London or Oxford?

No.

But I always thought it would be London. :redface:

Reply 53

Interrobang

Well considering in central London accommodation is well over £100 a week London is really expensive!

Reply 54

TruckBear

As a 2nd year PPE-er, I'd like to add my tuppence.

Uni of York in general:

+ feels small and has a wonderful community feel (most people you bump into you'll have shared friends with unless you're a hermit)
+ has, imho, a lovely campus - the wildfowl add character
+ close to the city centre for a campus uni (30 min walk/10 min bike), and York is a lovely city
+ on the whole, the teaching has been excellent
+ has a great range of enthusiastic societies
+ the UoY Student Internship Bureau is an under-hyped gem - I'm currently doing a part-time paid internship through them setting up a policy think tank - perfect for my interests and furthering my career
+ the people you come across are interesting and engaging - it's easy to meet people with similar interests
+ the pubs in the city centre are brilliant

- the nightlife doesn't have the range of a big city - if clubbing is very important to you, and you don't like cheese/mainstream, it won't suit your needs particularly well
- the sports facilities aren't amazing - although not terrible either - due to be significantly improved from 2012 onwards

The Philosophy course/department is brilliant. The modules are, the teaching is and the support offered is excellent. It has just moved into a new, lovely, purpose-built building. It's the best department that I've been involved with. If you want any more information about it, feel free to PM me.

PS I went to Cardiff Uni for a year which is a big uni in the centre of a fairly large city.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 55

Picnic1

I really want it to be true that the University of York has a great collegiate spirit so if you see someone who is looking a bit moody for Gods sake speak to them and involve them with your studying and extra cirriculars because its location means that it's not just a university, it is effectively a small city unto itself. There is no good reason why intelligent but quiet people should suffer. Educate - to bring out. If we are convinced that there is nobody who is bothered about us then we do not bring out, we rely on others to bring us out of our shell, no matter what we have to offer.

Reply 56

loonyplatypus

Original post by Clumsy_Chemist

And the poo is green! I visited Alcuin recently, it's near Chemistry which is what I'm applying to - the only thing putting me off York is the geese!

Nooo, don't let it put you off! It's only because of the weather that they became an issue, they don't bother you at all most of the time :smile:

Original post by Laura373

I also live in your quad! L Block! How about you?

N Block

Reply 57

Nylliax

Some people have been mentioning certain accomadation as ones to avoid and it all really depends on what you're looking for in accomadation.

I'm in James N Block (formally known as Cell Block C) and while yes, the kitchens are too small, things keep breaking and the rooms are some of the smallest on campus, I have to say that it has an incredibly good friendly atmosphere.

I've got 17 friends just from the people in my flat, let alone the others. There is always someone about to talk to and do things with. From what I've heard from people in the other James blocks (which we have dubbed as 'nice' James) which have smaller numbers to a flat, we are much more social. Even if they offered to move us into nicer accomadation we've all said we wouldn't go. I find it's the people that make it rather than the actual place.

Reply 58

*R*a*c*h*

I love York. I love old buildings and the campus does lack those, but after a while you do appreciate the charm of the 60s spaceship/those sky window pyramid things. And also - it a 25 min walk/5 min bus ride to the city - and if you want beautiful old grand buildings you needn't go any further.

I like the park like feel of York as well particularly in the Spring when all the flowers are out and the trees have leaves on - there's loads of places to sit outside (just avoid the duck poo) and it was always nice walking past people having bbqs! The way the accommodation's structured means the older colleges are right in the centre of the campus and even the ones further out are at max 15 mins away. York's a smaller uni and I liked this because you would always bump into someone you know. Being on a campus (over a city uni) is also good because it really feels like a community and everything is in close proximity. If you don't want to get stuck in the campus bubble like some 1st years do, join societies such as canoeing, caving, walking etc.

Nightlife. Some people love it, others don't. It's not London. It doesn't pretend to be. If you like pubs, there’s plenty. There’s a good deal of bars too. There’s 4 student nights and everyone tends to end up in the same club on the same night e.g. Ziggys on a Wednesday. I like that because it means you bump into loads of people you know but I know that’s not to everyone’s tastes. The music is generally mainstream too. Leeds in 15 mins away, but even my Londoner ‘dubstep’ loving flatmates only went there 3 times in our 1st year. There are a few ‘quirks’ to york nightlife as well - there’s a bakery and a hogroast that stay open to midnight/1am... forget kebabs!!!

The societies are brilliant on campus too. There really is something for everyone and people do tend to get involved. All societies have to put on at least one drink-free social a term. They range from sport-music-drama-media-harry potter-doug soc-medieval re-enactment-circus skills etc. Non-drinkers shouldn’t have a problem finding something fun.

Yes weekends can be quiet - but my friends say this is true of other unis too. Most likely, you'll be sleeping/catching up on work. If you do any sport - the weekend will be busy. Sometimes musical stuff has rehearsals on the weekend too and if you're on a newspaper, production happens on sunday night. But not everyone clears off - most of my friends stayed on campus - maybe one or two would dissappear once in a while to visit friends.

Accommodation - look at the thread but at the end of the day its the people who make it - and there’s no way you can predict who your flatmates will be. I really enjoyed living in Alcuin but I also know people who got unlucky with their flats in Alcuin. But those people just make more of an effort to get involved with other people in their college/in a society/on their course.

If you want to know more about a uni, it's often worth checking out their student media too (as they do takes on the accommodation, nightlife etc)

www.nouse.co.uk
www.yorkvision.co.uk
www.theyorker.co.uk

I'm a 2nd year and I've had some brilliant opportunities with York - I've made some great friends, written for one of the student newspapers, got involved with societies, gone to Edinburgh and Berlin with History Soc, played in several concerts with Concert Orchestra and tried something new by playing Canoe Polo. I'm currently on exchange - an opportunity that I may not have had (or got) if I'd gone somewhere else. My exchange uni, Berkeley has a lot more investment (= higher fees) in it than York (academics, old buildings, sports) but I'm still excited to return to York in my third year. It’s only when you go away somewhere different, you appreciate what you’ve had.

Academically - the small group teaching at York is brilliant - 16 people max in a discussion group. Comparatively - in Berkeley it’s 25 (unless in a 15 person seminar), but because of timetable clashes it’s more likely there will be 40! Because York is small you also get to at least recognise most of the people on your course too and I’ve always found the lecturers very approachable. I miss the ducks too. :-(

To the OP, I really hope you like York but don't just go on any one of our posts - if you can visit, do so. And speaking as a former tour guide - ask questions!!! And not just to the guide, to any student you meet. :biggrin:

Reply 59

loonyplatypus