What is the student life like at Reading University?

Hey!

I'm exactly the same as you; not particularly one for clubbing and was nervous about moving out. I started at Reading last year (just finished my first year), so not the easiest year to move either, but I can say I did feel safe the whole time.
On campus, there are security at all hours, meaning there is always someone nearby and if you are ever walking through campus on your own at night and would prefer someone to know so they can keep an eye out for you to make sure you get back safe, you can tell the teams as they have a system which means they can then track you through campus until you reach home safely (this is what they told me back when I visited at an open day too!). The campus is one of the most friendly campuses I have been too and definitely one of the top reasons I ended up choosing Reading in the end as it's where I felt most comfortable!

Outside of the campus, I've found the immediate community surrounding the university to be relatively friendly. Obviously with the pandemic, there hasn't been a great deal of opportunities where everything has been open to go exploring too much, however I have had a good wander between having to find a house for 2nd year, going to church and town, and also being on placement in various areas, and I can honestly say I've not ever felt at risk. Reading isn't actually a city, although it is one of the largest towns I believe, so it's not too busy in terms of nightlife in comparison to how other bigger , city-central universities are, but like anywhere, can feel uncomfortable if you're walking through town alone or something at night when everyone is leaving the pub for example, but this is the same as anywhere else would be, and my advice would always be to walk with people or get public transport home, and always let people know where you are - but this would be my advice in any area. On the whole, I haven't experienced any situations where I've felt in danger or uncomfortable, and no one I have been in contact with has ever said they've felt that either!
As I said, I've had to find a house this year and so I've been able to go around the local communities/areas and I've also been to a couple of the local churches in various areas, and everyone I've come in contact with has been lovely up to now with the areas seeming reasonably safe from what I can tell. I have friends in other years who have been living in student areas off campus for a while and they have all commented how they've never had any issues and always enjoyed their university lifestyle since being there.
And, of course, if there were ever any safeguarding/welfare concerns, you can always let the university know and someone will always be happy to help/support you.

In terms of moving out, like I said, even from the open day I found the people at Reading to be really welcoming and helpful and the same was true when I moved in. I was absolutely terrified if I'm honest but they were so good! There were people everywhere (covid-safe of course) ready to help - be it handing out information about how to sign up to the doctors, or offering to show you around, etc - and the atmosphere was lovely which was just what I needed when I was so anxious! Obviously the worries are still there after that first moving in day, but there are always people to help. There are halls teams and mentors, welfare teams, finance teams, and so on - basically, if there's a worry, there's a team on hand to help with it! They know the stress of moving & especially moving away, they've had years of practice to figure out what freshers need when moving in terms of support and everything else. Everyone else is feeling the same as you, even if they appear to mask it, so don't worry - it's normal to be nervous, but they're used to it. And, remember: no question or worry is a stupid one! If you're finding things tough or your living arrangements aren't working for you, there's always someone to talk to and they are pretty flexible with being able to find a solution to help.

Having most recently had the first year experience, I've actually really enjoyed my time at Reading and it's become more homely to me than I ever thought it would. I really thought I was going to struggle and end up wanting to come home as I never wanted to study away from home before and this is more than 2 hours away from me, but I can't imagine myself at any other university now!

So great to hear you're interested in History and Archaeology! You may want to chat to Maya who is studying that subject who can answer any questions you have about it and give you her perspective of her time at Reading!
Have you looked into Reading as a university to apply to?

Good luck with your decision making! If you have any other questions or thoughts, please don't hesitate to ask us!

Skye
1st Year Speech and Language Therapy Student