Which universities should I avoid if I can't walk up hills?
Scroll to see replies
Original post by barnet1471
Durham is hilly. Have you considered UEA, assuming it does a course you are interested in?
I hadn't until now, but seeing its been mentioned a few times I researched it and did find that I quite liked the biology modules they cover, so have added it as a potential candidate.
Original post by Joinedup
could be worth considering Manchester or MMU
The train lines go through the city on a high level so the station main entrances are up man made hills. Piccadilly station has escalators and lifts from street level and (IIRC) Oxford Road station has lifts - I think those would be the stations you'd want to use most. Other than that the city is basically level & there's tons of buses.
The train lines go through the city on a high level so the station main entrances are up man made hills. Piccadilly station has escalators and lifts from street level and (IIRC) Oxford Road station has lifts - I think those would be the stations you'd want to use most. Other than that the city is basically level & there's tons of buses.
Manchester does sound good from what people have been saying. I had a look and if I'm correct it seems that it's also quite close to the city centre, which would be nice. Thanks for your help!
Original post by The yung bean
I live in Sheffield and it is pretty hilly. I'm not too sure about the uni itself but I have been round that area quite a few times. There are quite a few hills that I know oif. Maybe it would be good option to email/ring the unis and ask?
That is a good idea, though I was thinking to narrow it down first before doing any inquiring with individual universities since given the length of my list it may take a while
Original post by Isinglass
Re Birmingham, the campus itself goes uphill from the Bristol Road end to the Vale, where quite a bit of first year accommodation is and then the main streets for post-first year accommodation do run generally uphill from Bristol Road in the opposite general direction. However, there is quite a lot of student accommodation, both halls and private rentals (some of them very imaginatively refurbished, like the house a friend of my son lived in a couple of years ago - who knew you could fit so many en suites into a little terraced house?) in the flattish bit in between - e.g. Jarrratt, Bournbrook and the one I think of as one of the Victorias, but may be called something else are close to shops (especially Aldi) and cafes etc.
Exeter really would be one to avoid, though. Uphill from practically any direction and then some...
Exeter really would be one to avoid, though. Uphill from practically any direction and then some...
I did find Jarratt and Bournbrook on their website after just looking now, they did look quite nice. Would you know how close these are to the main university area? I was a little confused looking at the map, I looked at google maps and it said about a 3 minute walk from the main university area to the large cluster of accommodaton buildings I could see, but I can't find whether Jarrett and Bournbrook are within this.
Original post by PQ
Someone mentioned Liverpool as being un-hilly up the thread but it does have 1 hill (albeit quite gentle compared to many other cities) - and UoL is up this hill (brownlow hill) from the city centre - 112ft elevation over about a mile's walk https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/29+Ranelagh+St,+Liverpool+L1+1QE/University+of+Liverpool,+Life+Science+Building,+Crown+Street,+Liverpool/@53.4069917,-2.9802694,1408m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x487b2124f74f5307:0x6b4610175a2fc781!2m2!1d-2.9800833!2d53.4051057!1m5!1m1!1s0x487b211a1477678f:0x3be9b10340b2af2b!2m2!1d-2.9631838!2d53.4069015!3e2
It's probably worth having a play about on google maps for universities that people have mentioned for the walk from halls > town/city centre > campus and then clicking on the elevation info on google maps to get an idea how steep the hills are (especially if you can compare it to some local walks you know you're capable of managing
It's probably worth having a play about on google maps for universities that people have mentioned for the walk from halls > town/city centre > campus and then clicking on the elevation info on google maps to get an idea how steep the hills are (especially if you can compare it to some local walks you know you're capable of managing
Thank you so much, I definitely need to make more use of that feature on google maps, especially now that people have mentioned a lot of potentially problematic areas, so I know which routes to look at. Previously I wasn't so sure since I didn't know the areas, so had no clue where to even start looking. Although not entirely reliable, sometimes looking at google street view helps me too! Thanks again.
Original post by Maya.20
I did find Jarratt and Bournbrook on their website after just looking now, they did look quite nice. Would you know how close these are to the main university area? I was a little confused looking at the map, I looked at google maps and it said about a 3 minute walk from the main university area to the large cluster of accommodaton buildings I could see, but I can't find whether Jarrett and Bournbrook are within this.
It does look quite close on their map, Maya.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/university/edgbaston-campus-map-mobility.pdf
The Biosciences faculty seems to be the square red shape next to the yellow buildings. As far as I can see, it wouldn't be too far from Bournbrook to Biosciences.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
The aforementioned example of Cambridge is a good one to consider, as it is very flat basically all through town. However, something to be aware of is some of the buildings are both very old and listed, so there is sometimes more limited accessibility for them for e.g. wheelchair users. Likewise the pavements are often somewhat uneven and have very steep curbs, which can make it harder for wheelchair users (there was an article in the local news about this a couple years ago, among other things, with respect to accessibility in town for wheelchair users). Not sure if this applies for you but may be worth considering. But generally the town is very flat almost the whole way through and increasingly pedestrianized (although the cyclists are sometimes worse than the motorists for pedestrians!).
As usual in your anti-Oxbridge crusade you are straight up spreading misinformation. Biological sciences is actually the one field where you can get away with exclusively studying biology papers in natural sciences at Cambridge and not have to take "other" science options, and so Cambridge bio-natscis can study exactly the same depth in the biological sciences as any other degree in the field, except with more flexibility to either a) include other sciences or b) include more of an unusual split between bioscience fields in their degree e.g. combining ecology with more physiology options.
Also the as I understand Cambridge degree certificate does not list any subject no matter what field you study so it's irrelevant if your degree is in natural sciences, biological anthropology, or land economy, as you still just get a BA (or BA + MSci/MMath/etc). It's really up to the graduate how they frame that on their CV, and for academic purposes (the main area where specifically doing particular forms of bioscience degree is important), the OP will certainly not be disadvantaged by studying at Cambridge and PIs and prospective supervisors at other unis will understand the nature of the degree (unlike you, apparently) and be happy to take on a Cambridge natsci grad.
As usual in your anti-Oxbridge crusade you are straight up spreading misinformation. Biological sciences is actually the one field where you can get away with exclusively studying biology papers in natural sciences at Cambridge and not have to take "other" science options, and so Cambridge bio-natscis can study exactly the same depth in the biological sciences as any other degree in the field, except with more flexibility to either a) include other sciences or b) include more of an unusual split between bioscience fields in their degree e.g. combining ecology with more physiology options.
Also the as I understand Cambridge degree certificate does not list any subject no matter what field you study so it's irrelevant if your degree is in natural sciences, biological anthropology, or land economy, as you still just get a BA (or BA + MSci/MMath/etc). It's really up to the graduate how they frame that on their CV, and for academic purposes (the main area where specifically doing particular forms of bioscience degree is important), the OP will certainly not be disadvantaged by studying at Cambridge and PIs and prospective supervisors at other unis will understand the nature of the degree (unlike you, apparently) and be happy to take on a Cambridge natsci grad.
Uneven pavements wouldn't be too much of a problem for me- I'm not using a wheelchair or walking aids. Not too sure about the steep curbs though, since my other problem is stairs (and steep curbs are pretty much similar). Other than that, Cambridge sounds like it could be a very good area.
Do you know how lift accessible the builsings in Cambridge are? I didn't enquire about lift accessiblity in universities since this information is much easier to find on individual uni websites (and most universities seem to strive to be lift accessible these days anyway). However I was never sure about Oxbridge given how old their buildings are.
I had never properly considered Cambridge, since I had seen that Biology in itself wasn't a subject, and myself assumed that natural sciences would be heavily dependent on physics and/or chemistry also (which I am not good at). However, since this doesn't seem to be the case I think I may have to look at natural sciences again.
Original post by Kerzen
It does look quite close on their map, Maya.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/university/edgbaston-campus-map-mobility.pdf
The Biosciences faculty seems to be the square red shape next to the yellow buildings. As far as I can see, it wouldn't be too far from Bournbrook to Biosciences.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/university/edgbaston-campus-map-mobility.pdf
The Biosciences faculty seems to be the square red shape next to the yellow buildings. As far as I can see, it wouldn't be too far from Bournbrook to Biosciences.
Thank you for the map, I had been looking at a much less detailed one. And yes that does look very close.
Original post by Kerzen
Maya,
Further to what you have said already, I was wondering whether you could perhaps have one of those sit-on scooters with you on campus.
Further to what you have said already, I was wondering whether you could perhaps have one of those sit-on scooters with you on campus.
That is a possibility, although in reality I was hoping that if I chose the right university I wouldn't need to depend on one in the first place, and could perhaps walk as much as possible.
Original post by Maya.20
That is a possibility, although in reality I was hoping that if I chose the right university I wouldn't need to depend on one in the first place, and could perhaps walk as much as possible.
Out of the ones you have looked at so far, the one with the shortest distance between the accommodation and the Biology faculty seems to be Royal Holloway - the two buildings look just a few minutes apart on their map. I haven't looked at the maps for some of the others, though, apart from the Birmingham one which also looks feasible.
The one thing about Royal Holloway which might be a factor for you could be that it's not in a city and the opportunities for clubbing and the like are not going to be the same as, say, Liverpool, Birmingham or Manchester. It does look very nice, though, I used to drive past it on a regular basis and think of the area as being very green - Windsor Great Park is not far away.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Maya.20
Uneven pavements wouldn't be too much of a problem for me- I'm not using a wheelchair or walking aids. Not too sure about the steep curbs though, since my other problem is stairs (and steep curbs are pretty much similar). Other than that, Cambridge sounds like it could be a very good area.
Do you know how lift accessible the builsings in Cambridge are? I didn't enquire about lift accessiblity in universities since this information is much easier to find on individual uni websites (and most universities seem to strive to be lift accessible these days anyway). However I was never sure about Oxbridge given how old their buildings are.
I had never properly considered Cambridge, since I had seen that Biology in itself wasn't a subject, and myself assumed that natural sciences would be heavily dependent on physics and/or chemistry also (which I am not good at). However, since this doesn't seem to be the case I think I may have to look at natural sciences again.
Do you know how lift accessible the builsings in Cambridge are? I didn't enquire about lift accessiblity in universities since this information is much easier to find on individual uni websites (and most universities seem to strive to be lift accessible these days anyway). However I was never sure about Oxbridge given how old their buildings are.
I had never properly considered Cambridge, since I had seen that Biology in itself wasn't a subject, and myself assumed that natural sciences would be heavily dependent on physics and/or chemistry also (which I am not good at). However, since this doesn't seem to be the case I think I may have to look at natural sciences again.
So in terms of steep curbs, it varies across the city, there are of course crossings which have the curb flatten out towards the street, but if you were just crossing the road randomly in some places (not at a crosswalk for example) sometimes the curb might require you pick your feet up a bit more than average. I think it is something you can generally avoid but you might need to sometimes go a little further down the road to a crossing or something or where the curb is a bit lower, maybe?
With lift accessibility, the general principle is that all buildings should be lift accessible. In practice it varies quite a lot across the departments and buildings, depending on size, how new they are, and when they were last refurbished. It's worth bearing in mind that a lot of the old looking buildings have very modern interiors as they have been furbished internally. However some of the older ones (e.g. from the 70s-90s) may have fewer elevators and/or they may be out of service more often. But generally the departments are pretty good about making sure those are in working order to accommodate the needs of staff and students. The bioscience departments tend to be fairly modern inside and I so I would expect that not to be a problem with them. I think most if not all lecture theatres also have either elevator access or ground floor access (as most LTs are arranged over more than one floor with the seats arranged descending towards the bottom). Note this is for the uni and departments; colleges may vary a lot more, especially some of the older central colleges (although I expect they would try and accommodate you somewhere that was accessible for you e.g. on the ground floor or somewhere with lift access).
In terms of the course, in nat-sci you are pretty free to choose your options, and unlike the physical sciences it's possible to take all bioscience papers in first year along with the compulsory maths paper, and henceforth take whichever bioscience papers you wish (there is a great range of options available) in second year, then in third (and if you did biochemistry or chose to continue into systems biology, fourth year) you will usually be specialised in some particular area (e.g. zoology, genetics, pharmacology, PDN - physiology, development, and neuroscience - among other options). That said I believe former nat sci students on here have indicated that a good background in chemistry to A-level is necessary for many of the bioscience papers (like the first year biology of cells paper) and apparently there is some physics in the first year physiology of organisms paper.
(edited 2 years ago)
Cardiff is a lovely University.
My thought is that you might enjoy a smaller campus university, like Lampeter St Davids. However I don't know much about biology so I don't know if they offer that subject.
My thought is that you might enjoy a smaller campus university, like Lampeter St Davids. However I don't know much about biology so I don't know if they offer that subject.
Cardiff should definitely be considered as an option as the campus area is flat as is the walk into the city centre. The city centre is completely flat too. Accommodation however is quite spread around so you would need something fairly close to the campus.
I can see that a few people have mentioned Royal Holloway. I spent a day there and can tell you that it would not be suitable. Except for the main buildings at the front of the campus it is quite hilly plus there is a big hill to get into the town, which has very little nightlife. Lovely looking campus though.
I can see that a few people have mentioned Royal Holloway. I spent a day there and can tell you that it would not be suitable. Except for the main buildings at the front of the campus it is quite hilly plus there is a big hill to get into the town, which has very little nightlife. Lovely looking campus though.
Original post by Maya.20
I did find Jarratt and Bournbrook on their website after just looking now, they did look quite nice. Would you know how close these are to the main university area? I was a little confused looking at the map, I looked at google maps and it said about a 3 minute walk from the main university area to the large cluster of accommodaton buildings I could see, but I can't find whether Jarrett and Bournbrook are within this.
https://campusmap.bham.ac.uk/explore/projects/23/categories/5d6dc44e6a4c3f006c2d1722?groupBy=parent_name
Jarratt Hall is the big purple blob on Dale Road. The one I thought might previously have been called Victoria something was actually a Liberty something and is now Oak Brook, on Grange Road, so the nearest entrance onto the campus (and yes, only a few minutes' walk) would be the Grange Road Gate. Biological Sciences is closer to the entrance near University station, but a shorter walk to go in at Grange Road rather than walk round.
I am an 'occasionally visiting parent' (currently on second consecutive UoB undergraduate child, so to speak, but obviously haven't visited much in the past year); hopefully someone with current experience or a better spatial memory can advise re changes of levels between the Selly Oak halls and Biological Sciences.
Original post by jonathanemptage
Are we talking about the same uni here it seemed to be on a hill when I went for some speech therapy but that was a few years ago now.
Hey @jonathanemptage,
Thanks for the reply!
The campus itself has no hills at all. I'd say there's an incline if you are walking from the town back to the university, however its not really a hill and its pretty spread out over a large area. One thing you could perhaps do is look on google earth to check out the area and see what you think yourself?
I hope that helps
Daisy
2nd year politics and international relations student
Original post by UniofReading
Hey @jonathanemptage,
Thanks for the reply!
The campus itself has no hills at all. I'd say there's an incline if you are walking from the town back to the university, however its not really a hill and its pretty spread out over a large area. One thing you could perhaps do is look on google earth to check out the area and see what you think yourself?
I hope that helps
Daisy
2nd year politics and international relations student
Thanks for the reply!
The campus itself has no hills at all. I'd say there's an incline if you are walking from the town back to the university, however its not really a hill and its pretty spread out over a large area. One thing you could perhaps do is look on google earth to check out the area and see what you think yourself?
I hope that helps
Daisy
2nd year politics and international relations student
Royal Holloway seemed like a very weird place to me. I did a short course there. The student rooms in the modern en-suite part were so tiny, that it was like living in a bathroom. Very claustrophobic. The various rooms on the campus were locked up and there was a general feeling of paranoia about security - not sure why, as it is in the centre of the countryside. It felt bleak.
Southampton is great! The university campus has no hills and if you stay in halls you get a free Unilink bus pass which takes you right to the University and all around the city. One of the accommodations, Glen eyre is up a hill but the free bus pass will take you up and down there. plus the bus service is amazing too, and the buses are very regular.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Kerzen
Out of the ones you have looked at so far, the one with the shortest distance between the accommodation and the Biology faculty seems to be Royal Holloway - the two buildings look just a few minutes apart on their map. I haven't looked at the maps for some of the others, though, apart from the Birmingham one which also looks feasible.
The one thing about Royal Holloway which might be a factor for you could be that it's not in a city and the opportunities for clubbing and the like are not going to be the same as, say, Liverpool, Birmingham or Manchester. It does look very nice, though, I used to drive past it on a regular basis and think of the area as being very green - Windsor Great Park is not far away.
The one thing about Royal Holloway which might be a factor for you could be that it's not in a city and the opportunities for clubbing and the like are not going to be the same as, say, Liverpool, Birmingham or Manchester. It does look very nice, though, I used to drive past it on a regular basis and think of the area as being very green - Windsor Great Park is not far away.
That does sound nice, I'll do some research into their specific biology modules too. Although like you said, it may not have the lifestyle I'm looking for, I guess its still worth taking a look.
Original post by Flamingcheetos
Southampton is great! The university campus has no hills and if you stay in halls you get a free Unilink bus pass which takes you right to the University and all around the city. One of the accommodations, Glen eyre is up a hill but the free bus pass will take you up and down there. plus the bus service is amazing too, and the buses are very regular.
Thanks!
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Bathmophobia - fear of steep slopes or stairs
- University of EXETER accomodation
- Durham colleges
- Exeter University Accommodation
- Durham discrimination
- Which University is better?
- The Big 'Recommend Me A College' Thread
- NTU or EDGE Hill delema pls help
- Bangor Accommodation
- Leicester or Surrey
- Béton House
- University of Leeds Accomodation!
- Preferred College
- Durham Colleges!
- Durham PPE offer
- Cambridge Colleges
- Uni of Surrey accommodation
- Where are lectures for Comp Sci with Cyber Security UNI OF SOUTHAMPTON
- Kingston Halls of Residence
- Official Edge Hill University Applicant Thread for 2024
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%
