University choices help!

Hi
I have been offered a place at Roehampton University, St Mary's University and Anglia Ruskin University to do Primary Teaching I was wondering if anyone had any good/bad experiences of these unis as I have to start making my choices soon and I don't know which to pick??

Reply 1

twiglet44

I've accepted an offer at Anglia Ruskin although also had an offer from St Marys. I chose Anglia on the basis of not having to move away from my home town but I have friends at St Marys who really ,really rate it and if it didn't mean me leaving the area to go there, I think it would probably have been my first choice.I guess you could look at OFSTED reports to help you make your mind up..... Anglia didn't do too well last year but seem to have really tried to turn negatives into positives...Also consider location- Twickenham is a really nicepart of London, Chelmsford is OK but the University campus is v. nice. What was your gut feeling about both placeswhen you went for interview? Personally I do pay attention to the vibe I got at Interview although to be fair I felt positive at both places. Probably not help at all to you but best of luck... hope you make the right choice.

Reply 2

RUAmbassador

Original post by Lois88

Hi,
I'm doing Primary Education at Roehampton. I am in my second year now. Have you visited the Universities? If not, and if you have time, I would suggest this as it will give you a better feel for it, even if it's not on an Open day. Different people prefer different Unis for different reasons. You could look at the surrounding areas, the course modules at each one or you could look on University guides. I love Roehampton. It is a college University in London with a pretty campus and has a friendly, community feel to it. I find the lecturers on my course very helpful and the lectures interesting. It is in Greater London, near Richmond Park but not too far from Central so I feel we get the best of both worlds.
Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any specific questions about Roehampton.

Reply 3

roeydancer

Hi,
I'm a first year at Roehampton and absolutely love it. If you are looking for an institution that has specialised in teaching for several years, Roehampton is definately the place! The main percentage of students at Roehampton are studying teaching and so it is well prepared with all the right facilities.
Although I do not study teaching myself, my flatmate does and she finds the course to be very well organised with good specialised facilities.
I love Roehampton because it's ideally located being so close to Central London but is also set in lovely surroundings. The nightlife is also great here, and there is something for everyone.
If you have any more questions about Roehampton or uni life in general, let me know and I'll be happy to help :smile:

Reply 4

Lois88

Hi thanks for the advice I just wanted to get the students perspective of some of these universities as I have been to the open days but just wanted to find out what the Unis are actually like. What are the lecturers like at Roehampton because on my interview they seemed really strict and hostile with us i wondered if this was a way to prevent some students from wanting to go there. But i think that it probably is a really good uni and I spoke to the student who took our tour and she said the lecturers were all really nice. What do think of roehampton accomodation? which halls are you in?
thanks

Reply 5

RUAmbassador

Original post by Lois88

It's a shame you felt like this on the open day. On Primary Ed, there are only about 20 people in each lecture group so it's very interactive and you get to know your lecturers and colleagues quite well. You get to have discussions about your experiences and theory; you don't just sit there and get lectured. Usually lectures only last an hour and a half so it's not too long. All the lectureres have been teachers themselves so know what it's like to teach! You also get a personal tutor right at the beginning of the course who you can email and meet with if you are finding anything difficult that's affecting your studies; they can then try and suggest a solution to help you.

I lived in halls last year, I was on Froebel in Aspen so had an ensuite which was good. These are flats of 7 people and are about 2 minutes away from lectures which is handy. A cleaner comes in twice a week to clean the communial areas as well which is nice!

Reply 6

Semolina

Original post by Lois88

Please, please, please don't go to ARU....the PGCE course may not be running next year. Tutors are lacking enthusiasm and communication is so bad! I'm a 2nd yr student there. St. Mary's is a lovely campus and very friendly. Good reputation too. I think you'll get much more support from the teaching staff there. Support is the most important aspect of studying...it's frustrating otherwise.

Reply 7

tinysmiley

Original post by roeydancer

Hi do you know anything about the sociology course at Roehampton? Cause i'm a bit stuck with choosing between Roehampton, UWE and Northampton.
Help! :frown:

Reply 8

Lois88

Hi I'm just trying to decide whether to accept Roehampton or Winchester for primary teaching. Is the course at Roehampton really hard work to do in 3 years? Do you do alot of time in schools? What accommodation are nice and which should I avoid?
thanks