Which universities should I avoid if I can't walk up hills?

Would you say the campuses themselves are the problem, or more the surrounding area?

I think you need to extend your list to places like Oxford Brookes or Reading - you need to look at accessibility of buildings too.

Reply 21

Maya.20

OP

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Original post by princessmaire80

As someone with a disability who went to Nottingham Uni (although my mobility was a lot better then than it is now) I speak from bitter experience when I say most of the main campus consists of big hills!
Newcastle has quite a lot of steps up into the campus but there are ways round it, there are some parts of the campus that are on quite an incline, especially the ones near the hospital.
Loughborough is okay, from what I remember it’s not on a big hill and the surrounding area is flat. I found it quite easy to get around when I’ve been there to watch sports matches and things. (I live quite nearby)
I think the problem with York is more the city itself. It’s quite old and there’s lots of cobbled streets and the pavements are harsh on your feet. Same with Durham- it’s a very historical city and yes there’s a fair few hills there!
If you struggle to walk Leicester Uni is quite a walk into the city. There are however buses that run nearby that will take you into the city. I had some tutorials there for my Open University degree and I actually found it quite difficult to get around.

Thank you so much! I will likely rule out nottingham given what people have been saying. I think I was already slightly aware of what York is like, but was hoping it wasn't too bad/the hills were avoidable, since I do quite like the university, and it is probably one of my favourites at the moment. However I will likely have to reconsider. I also didn't realise that about Leicester, would you happen to know if the buses were quite regular?

Reply 22

Maya.20

OP

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Original post by anosmianAcrimony

Came here to say that Bristol is hilly as heck but it doesn’t look like you were considering it so it’s all good :smile:

Bristol was actually a potential candidate, I just shortened down my list to the main ones I was considering (I have a lot of options :biggrin:

). So thanks that does help too!

Reply 23

Maya.20

OP

10

Original post by Kerzen

Maya

What about UCL, King's or QMUL?

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/biological-sciences-bsc/

The nearest tube station to UCL has a lift, by the way.

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/coursefinder/courses/2020/biology/

Thanks for your help. I did think that the London universities were probably best, and was originally considering them, although I think I would prefer an out of London university (just personal preference).

Reply 24

Maya.20

OP

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Original post by Nautilus

The campus at Warwick is flat

I did actually visit Warwick once, and did find that the campus was very easy to get around.

Reply 25

Kerzen

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Original post by Maya.20

Thanks for your help. I did think that the London universities were probably best, and was originally considering them, although I think I would prefer an out of London university (just personal preference).

I wonder whether Royal Holloway could be one for you?

It's a constituent college of the University of London but it's not actually in London per se.

I've visited it and liked the campus.

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/biological-sciences/biology/

Sheffield definitely

OP

Original post by A Rolling Stone

i would say all of them except London tbh. for instance Loughborough is nice and flat, but there will still be a good walk from campus to town that must surely be difficult even if it's not hilly, and there will be lots of steps and mini hills everywhere

That is true, distance has an impact too. Would you say there are good transport links between the campus and town?

Reply 28

Maya.20

OP

10

Original post by Jessilover98

Cardiff uni is great! You should definitely try Cardiff. The campus isn’t too far from the accommodations and the city centre. You could find decent accommodations near the medical school which are close by to the city centre, the park and lidl as well! x

That does sound very convenient, I think I'll definitely have to look into Cardiff then :smile:

Reply 29

Maya.20

OP

10

Original post by Kerzen

I wonder whether Royal Holloway could be one for you?

It's a constituent college of the University of London but it's not actually in London per se.

I've visited it and liked the campus.

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/biological-sciences/biology/

Oh I hadn't actually considered it before, I'll definitely have a look!

Reply 30

Maya.20

OP

10

Original post by Muttley79

I think you need to extend your list to places like Oxford Brookes or Reading - you need to look at accessibility of buildings too.

Thank you, I will have a look at those too. And yes I'll have to do some further research for sure. I was hoping to narrow down generally first, then look into specific buildings.

Reply 31

TJ1997

18

Not on your list but Royal Holloway is on a hill with a good walk down if wanting to go into town. Campus itself is limited, but has a pretty close knit feel which is good if you aren't for getting consistently lost

Reply 32

Kerzen

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Original post by Maya.20

Oh I hadn't actually considered it before, I'll definitely have a look!

It could work for you, have a look at the campus map.

It looks as though Biology is in the Wolfson Building which is close to some of the accommodation. You wouldn't have far to go to classes at all.

https://intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk/students/assets/docs/pdf/-3dcampusmap-17-01-19-with-crossing.pdf

Reply 33

Ghostlady

21

Leicester is a slight hill from the main road (where the library/union is) but its short. York is a good one. The library is on a hill, but there is access via a lift on the opposite side of the road. If you choose this one, do not choose Alciun college as that's on a hill further on behind the library, but the rest of the colleges are ok. your best options are Vanbrugh College, Derwent College, James College as they are on main campus and have all you need. And Yorks pretty flat in the city.

Reply 34

A Rolling Stone

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Original post by Maya.20

That is true, distance has an impact too. Would you say there are good transport links between the campus and town?

i think so, im sure there's a bus but a campus inherently means walking! the tightest-knit campus *i think* outside of London i can think of is Bath. it's on a giant hill but you'd only ever get to and from town via bus

Reply 35

princessmaire80

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Original post by Maya.20

Thank you so much! I will likely rule out nottingham given what people have been saying. I think I was already slightly aware of what York is like, but was hoping it wasn't too bad/the hills were avoidable, since I do quite like the university, and it is probably one of my favourites at the moment. However I will likely have to reconsider. I also didn't realise that about Leicester, would you happen to know if the buses were quite regular?

They are- plus there’s good buses to the halls of residence. Leicester City Centre is quite flat and the shopping centre is reasonably new so is nice and accessible. As well as the buses from the uni there are loads of other stops in the vicinity, and if you’re really desperate an Uber is only a couple of quid.
Also with regards to Loughborough, there is a bus called the Sprint which actually stops on campus and goes to the city centre and train station. There’s two large supermarkets right in the city centre as well. During term time these buses are pretty often.
(I live sort of in between Loughborough and Leicester so they’re my specialist areas!)

Original post by A Rolling Stone

i would say all of them except London tbh. for instance Loughborough is nice and flat, but there will still be a good walk from campus to town that must surely be difficult even if it's not hilly, and there will be lots of steps and mini hills everywhere

That's not true at all, if OP qualifies for Disabled students allowance and describes how their mobility impacts their ability to attend university they will more than likely be able to either 1) live directly on campus with the higher room cost covered by DSA or 2) have taxi travel to and from the campus reimbursed by DSA.
Whilst i wouldnt recommend somewhere like Yorkshire, OP does absolutely not have to discount every uni except those in the capital on the basis of their disability. The whole point of DSA is to level the playing field and increase accessibility to higher education for disabled people.

Reply 37

Kogomogo

18

Manchester is quite flat and has lots of public transport which cna help get you round, only hill i can think of there is the one that leads up to the train station but there is a free bus that goes to the top.

I don't remember Sheffield being too hilly in the central area but i think it was quite hilly around the outskirts a bit, you may have to go that far out for student accommodation but check where that mostly is.

Leicester i remember not being too bad, only the odd small gentle hills in the main central area but again a few more around the outskirts, I would say less hilly than Sheffield maybe.

I haven't really visited the others. It might be worth looking into disabled students allowance, you might qualify for extra funding for transport such as taxis. I'm not sure whether it'd work for you but maybe a solution like an e-bike or mobility scooter might be suitable for a campus / city with a couple hills just to get around. If it's due to disability a uni should be able to accommodate for using such equipment.

Reply 38

Isinglass

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Re Warwick, the main campus is flat, but I think that Biological Sciences is based on the Gibbet Hill campus, which is uphill from the main site? Looking on Google, there seems to be a bus stop and it is only a 'short hop', but you would have to get to the stop on the main campus, so would need to check which accommodation is most suitable (out of curiosity, I put in Claycroft at random, but that is given as a ten minute walk to the main campus stop).