London Metropolitan University

London

Honest and genuine opinions of this uni?

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Hey,

I study Economics at London Met.

I had the same concerns before I joined the uni. Many people told me that London Met is the worst uni, that I won't learn anything etc. However none of these people actually studied there.

I decided to go to London Met anyways; Mainly because as one of not many universities in London, during the second and third year gives you an opportunity to choose a work placement as one of your modules, which gives you some extra work experience. I definitely don't regret joining London Met. Every signe lecturer that I've come across was very helpful. Also you surely won't learn less than anywhere else.

I've got friends studying the same course as me at different universities in London and our material is pretty much the same. At the end of the day, it's only up to you how much you learn, no matter if you're at London Met or any other university. Also, the employers will look at your skills and experience rather than the ranking of university that you went to.

Before I'd listen to opinions to people about any university, I'd make sure that they actually have some experience with this uni :smile:

Cheers

London Metropolitan University

London

Reply 21

DanteTheDoorKnob

It's interesting seeing people trying to polish a turd.

Reply 22

MO.mo

As a student at London Met, i can give you a first hand view about the university.

if you want a university that is very much about the student experiance... then london met is the one.

You will hear things from many people, but the truth is you can find and point flaws in ANY university.

At london met, ive found that staff have always gone the extra mile to help students, i've even seen (first hand) staff using there breaks to run support groups where they use their breaks to meet students and explain things any student might be finding challenging.

The student union is very much active and engaged with students and easy to approch, The sports teams are great and engaged.

If you want a real and honest view of london met, come to an open day and sew for yourself, it is not something you will regret and i will give you my word on that.

To round it up, at LMU you will feel active, engaged and not just a student, but also in the life of the university. Opportunity is everywhere and the staff do everything to push you to become the best you can.

Reply 23

RogerRabit

The one thing I will say is YOU ARE WHAT YOU MAKE THE UNI.

And oh just to let you know the reason they are low on the league tables is due to the fact that the league tables assess unis on 5 areas, London metropolitan only falls under 2 of the categories... so obviously they will be low.
If you want dedicated staff and staff that love to help then you go to London metropolitan otherwise you go to the others.

Oh and another thing ask the other unis about contact points and try and see whether it beats London metropolitan's 120 which is highest in the country... and that isn't put on the league tables and guess what contact points mean... interactions with students A WEEK! Not per month per week

Reply 24

PsychoD

"Your're in year 12, so don't be pessimistic and aim for the top. Smash your exams and go somewhere worthwhile"- someone who was in a similar situation to yours 2 years ago.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 25

Raykhan

Honestly it is a good uni. I am currently studying BA Translation here at London Met and the tutors are incredibly supportive and encouraging possibly even better than the ones I had in sixth form. Do not be put off by the bad reviews from people who have never been here!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 26

dean01234

Original post by PsychoD

"Your're in year 12, so don't be pessimistic and aim for the top. Smash your exams and go somewhere worthwhile"- someone who was in a similar situation to yours 2 years ago.

Posted from TSR Mobile

The issue OP has is that without having studied maths / physics they are limited to the universities which they can study at.

Don't pay too much attention to what TSR has to say about lower ranking unis, most people (at least the vocal ones) couldn't imagine going to a non RG uni. But the truth is that university rankings only really matter on TSR and to a small handful of employers. I went to herts and most of my close friends (including one that did engineering) are doing incredibly well for themselves.

A degree from a reputable uni will help your case but work experience is more important, as is enjoying your course and where you're studying.

Reply 27

imoldgreg!

Ok, I'm a current student here and can honestly say it's not as bad as everyone makes out. I'm a mature student and so I've previously completed another degree, I've stayed at various universities with friends and family, and don't rate London Met that badly but they weren't inner city uni's. There's the good, the bad and the ugly with all universities, you just have to see the good and remember 'haters gonna hate'. Not to come across completely bias.....

Pros
1 All the lecturers are amazing and are totally focused on helping you achieve the very best, they will see you anytime they can. London met has the highest contact time with lecturers in the country, I always have a personal meeting befre I submit coursework, not many universities will grant simular service
2 The science department is great, with the biggest teaching lab in the country, it has some of the best fascilities and teaching staff in the UK
3 Its got a high employability rate for graduates and some companies will favour London met as it's highly diverse with lots of cultures and a high proportion of mature students
4 Transport links are amazing for London, right on the Piccadilly line
5 If you're an Arsenal fan it's right next door :tongue:

6 The courses are more affordable

Cons
1 The layout of the building (at Holloway) is a nightmare to navigate as its an updated polytechnic building, there remains old sprawling corridors that look like an abandoned school
2 City campus closure means Holloway will get very busy to accommodate their courses, so its seemingly a bit strapped for cash
3 Its reputation as being a bit **** so in some respects if you're competing with a student from King's or UCL for example , they might go with higher ranking graduate (but that's speculation)
4 Other universities seemed to have a better social life and way more societies, I've heard amazing things about Brighton.
5 There's no park within strolling distance if its sunny
6 The future of the university is in doubt as its been downsizing for a few years, do you want a degree from a university no ones heard about in the future?

Other than that, I would recommend it here. I've made amazing friends and am doing really well. Its what you make of it, most people in this world don't have the same luxury.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 28

Excellence2000

What would you all rate better: London Met or the Open University?

Reply 29

math42

Original post by Excellence2000

What would you all rate better: London Met or the Open University?

Open University

Reply 30

Excellence2000

Original post by 1 8 13 20 42

Open University

Thanks for your feedback! Why do you say this?

Reply 31

math42

Original post by Excellence2000

Thanks for your feedback! Why do you say this?

I do not have a reasoned argument, just looking up things a tiny bit it sounds somewhat more useful...
Perhaps make a thread if you want knowledgeable answers

Reply 32

Dream-on-96

Being a current student at London met that has just finished my first year I would like to let you know what happened to me, this might help you make a better judgment and answer your question.

I was at sixth form and had a year left

On results day this is what happened -
I got my results then thought because the sixth forms science deparment was failing us as students and it didn't look like I would get the grades for uni the next year. I quickly phoned up several unis despite not having set up UCAS or anything to see if I could get onto a foundation course which is equivalent to a levels.

I phoned up
- Westminster
- London met
- kingstone
- south bank
To try and get onto there science foundation year courses

After 1 hour I had 4 offers and considering I hadn't intended to go to uni I wasn't very prepared in terms of accommodation and student finance. So I thought I need to commute for the first year as I can't be dealing with organising accomodation. I hadn't been to any open days so it was pot luck and I picked the uni that was easiest for me to commute to from were I live which was London met. I took up London mets offer for there Bsc science extended degree.

My typical week:

Takes me 1 hour 30 mins to get to uni but it was only 3 days a week so this isn't to bad . It costs me £120 per week in train fair (£40 per day I go to uni) due to southeasterns ridiculous train prices. However still cheaper than the accomodation in the area which is about £195 per week.

Typical day has a lecture followed by a tutorial - everyone is friendly and I met loads of people because everyone talks to everyone.

After this year my grades were AAAA and I have secured an offer for dietetics and nutrition at the same uni.

Good points:
You will get the grades if you work hard
They provide opportunities to make higher education accessible for all - you will get offered a place quite easily whether through clearing or not
Everything is at an average/ acceptable standard
People there are friendly
It's not as bad as people say it is

However Let me share with you the bad points:

- disorganised
I have had staff not turn up for tutorials/ lectures

Some staff make a lot of errors when marking work however this in general is easy to get sorted but it shouldn't really happen in the first place

Tutorial and lecture rooms need to be updated its all looking a bit sad there

It's not a personalised experience - you are a number

I have had marks allocated to my online account that are different to the marks on the exam paper and have had to chase them up to change them.

Try and get a meeting with you academic advisor - it just doesn't happen, any problems you have you have to sort your self.

Overall:

Yes the uni is at the bottom of the league table but its a bit like OFSTED - can't be trusted and should be taken with a pinch of salt

At the end of the day if your dedicated you will get the grades

There are better unis out there

My main problem with the uni is disorganisation and marking issues. I think if everything was more organised there wouldn't be so many minor problems.

It's not an awful place to be as its "acceptable " - I can put up with being there for another 4 years it's not going to be painful however I may enjoy another uni more. If I were to move uni the main reason would be due to the lack of lower level organisation at the uni.

What I can't knock the uni for is offering me a place and providing me with the opportunities they have. Yes there are improvements to be made but the uni isn't the worst place on earth to be. Everything runs at an average level - it could be improved.

It's minor issues that get in the way. For example when something isnt marked right you have to chase the staff and push for what you want it's these little things that turn in to hassles for you and is another thing you have to get sorted. Some staff lack enthusiasm but I'm sure you get that at all unis.

I think I will get what I want out of this uni However I may have less of the everyday hassles and disorganisation at another uni.

If it's your only option or is convenient for you then come to London met if not and you going to be miles from home then consider one of your other options.

Reply 33

London Metropolitan University

Original post by Excellence2000

What would you all rate better: London Met or the Open University?

Hi Excellence2000,

I just saw your question and thought it's best to give you an honest review of the university. I graduated last Friday with a degree in journalism, but I also work in the marketing department at the university.

I loved my three years at university so much that I applied to work there as I wasn't ready to leave. Sure, there were some problems but nothing that another university wouldn't have and nothing that didn't get resolved very quickly. I'll give you my overall opinion. :smile:

Positives:
- My lecturers were fantastic. They were extremely supportive and made sure they were always available by email, phone or in person. I even had a conversation with one on Christmas Eve about coursework. They cannot be faulted. Of course, it can't be guaranteed that every lecturer in every course is the same, but many students do leave with nothing but positive comments for their lecturers. My advisor was always available, always booked appointments with me and checked my work constantly. If for any reason my lecturer wasn't around when I needed her, the other lecturers were more than happy to stand in. I can say, hand on heart, if it wasn't for two of my lecturers, I would have dropped out during the second year over personal problems. These personal problems made some lectures and days hard for me, but the lecturers were fantastic, understanding and made sure I was comfortable.

- The opportunities available for you are amazing and that's not just down to being in London. The university goes out of their way to offer you great opportunities. At the moment, there are some great internal internships. I was helped to get an internship and freelancing work. Now, lecturers are helping me to build a campaign from scratch.

- Facilities are great. We have a good gym that is affordable and not going to break the bank. The classes are fun and helpful. The equipment you can take out is top notch and if you need help with any equipment or computer software, there are plenty of people in the university who would be willing to teach you the basics. I spent a lot of my time in the TV studio and the radio studio making packages. The library has anything you need and if they don't or they don't have many, you can request it and they will try to stock it or more of it. My reading list was going to cost me over two hundred pounds, but the library stocked them all and had plenty of free online versions.

- Most of all, everybody is so friendly here. We have a hugely diverse community and that's what I loved the most. I spent all my time with people from around the world, learning about them, their cultures and opinions. I had so much fun and made friendships that will last a lifetime.

- Problems got sorted quickly. Of course, like every university, there is going to be some problems along the way, but London Met made sure they were sorted quickly. I had fines on my account that were incorrect, I contacted them and within a day they had been removed and they apologised. Some marks were incorrect on Evision, I contacted my tutor and three days later they were corrected and they apologised. I disagreed with a mark that I was given, but I contacted the teacher who marked my work and the head of the course and gave my reasons as to why I thought the mark was unfair, they went over it again and gave me a better mark and explained why they gave me the mark in the first place. Yes, marking isn't always perfect (but I'm sure students at another university would say the same thing) but instead of being unhappy with it, contact the marker and the head of your course, explain why the mark isn't correct or unfair, ask them why you have that mark and you will find that they respond and help. With university you have to put in what you want out. If you are not happy with something, tell them and you'll get a response from it.

Negatives:
- The university could do with some colourful paint on the walls. It's slowly been decorated.

- My ID card stopped working at random occasions, which meant I couldn't get in the building or out, but they fixed it straight away each time.

- There aren't many societies compared to other universities and our uni bar doesn't have many day-time things going on.

--
London Met is a wonderful university so please don't let people who have never been there tell you otherwise. Like I said, you will get out of university what you put into it. You'd have a wonderful time here, just like I did, and you'll learn new skills, meet new people and grow as a person.

Having London Met on my CV has definitely not harmed me in getting jobs or internships or opportunities. I did a lot of extra curricular stuff while in university (because they push you too) and employers love it. They always pick up on it.

I hope this has helped and please do get in touch if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Molly :u: