The Student Room Group

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

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Reply 120
Original post by Isinglass
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.

Oh I see it now- that does look very close. It does seem like it would be really convenient. Thank you for all your help.
Reply 121
Original post by artful_lounger
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.

I guess steep curbs are definitely something that can be avoided, like you said by walking slightly further to places where they flatten out. In the grand scheme of things they are a very minor problem. It is reassuring to hear that lift accessibility is good. As for natural sciences, I had another look and found that although lack of chemistry/physics knowledge is a disadvantage, it is possible to overcome this with some extra learning and preliminary reading. So although I am still a little unsure, Cambridge is somewhere I have decided to reconsider. Thank you so much for all your information!
Hi,

One of Sheffield's downsides is that it is a very hilly city. The University campus is very accessible, but overall will be a struggle to completely avoid them.

Daniel
Third Year
Biology with a Year Abroad
With Warwick Gibbet Hill campus is, funnily enough, on a hill, but there is a free shuttle bus from the bus interchange to the top of Gibbet Hill, and the rest of campus is pretty flat. If you asked for accommodation in old Cryfield/Cryfield Townhouses then it's really close to the centre of campus and the bus interchange, and Warwick will pay the price difference between ensuite and standard rooms if you say you need the townhouses for a disability reason. The sports centre is quite a trek and a very gentle incline but the rest of campus is decent. Tesco is also a long way and uphill but you can easily get deliveries if you group up with someone in your kitchen. Life Sciences are also really good about disability adjustments and are generally a really great department, although the main uni management is kinda **** and they always screw us over with exam timetables and stuff :s-smilie:
Reply 124
Original post by Yelena Icefaren
With Warwick Gibbet Hill campus is, funnily enough, on a hill, but there is a free shuttle bus from the bus interchange to the top of Gibbet Hill, and the rest of campus is pretty flat. If you asked for accommodation in old Cryfield/Cryfield Townhouses then it's really close to the centre of campus and the bus interchange, and Warwick will pay the price difference between ensuite and standard rooms if you say you need the townhouses for a disability reason. The sports centre is quite a trek and a very gentle incline but the rest of campus is decent. Tesco is also a long way and uphill but you can easily get deliveries if you group up with someone in your kitchen. Life Sciences are also really good about disability adjustments and are generally a really great department, although the main uni management is kinda **** and they always screw us over with exam timetables and stuff :s-smilie:

Thank you for the extra info! And that does sound like dealing with the uni managment must be very annoying for you- I guess every uni has its cons.
Avoid bath! Everywhere there is some sort of hill to walk
Do not go to Leicester. Its such a hilly place

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