It's crazy to think that, by the time this post makes it to you, I will have more or less finished my first year of university. Now I don't know about you, but this year has both dragged and flown by all at the same time! Despite the very peculiar circumstances surrounding this academic year — and dare I say it, that might be putting it lightly — I have decided to honestly review my first-year experience, which may be helpful for any prospective students, or perhaps also to those of you that are just curious. As per usual, leave any thoughts you may have in the comments below, and I hope that you enjoy this post.
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Academics
Anybody that has attended an open day at UCL will know that the university is rather proud of its league table ranking, which I believe is currently tenth in the world. However, league table rankings are barely reliable at the best of times and so while the university is certainly prestigious, do the academics live up to the name?
Any institution, I believe, is going to have its good and bad apples, and UCL is no different. Certainly, I had modules that were well-organised, engaging and enjoyable. In fact, some of the modules that I thought I wouldn't enjoy as much ended up being my favourites! Having said that, I also had modules where I felt those very factors were lacking. In all honesty, I believe a lot depends on the professors coordinating and delivering the course. Moreover, we can't forget that the transition to online learning was no easier for staff than it was students themselves. Naturally, I think the learning atmosphere will be very different once we return to in-person classes.
With regard to contact hours, I must admit that I was slightly surprised to discover that I had only had 9 and 7 hours of teaching time in terms one and two respectively, with none at all in term three. The expectation is that, as a humanities student, you spend more time studying independently as you prepare for your next lectures, seminars and assessments. To some degree, it was nice to have more flexibility and control of my own learning. On the other hand, it definitely added a lonelier feel to the experience.
For the most part, I would say that the workload was manageable and certainly, with good organisation skills, allows you to fit in a number of additional commitments outside of your studies. I am aware, however, that this is likely to change in second and fourth year. The facilities provided by the university were also very good. By way of example, rarely were there instances wherein the university libraries did not have a specific text or article that I needed to access.
Unfortunately, where I did have issues was with the university's admin. There were multiple occasions in which I had contacted staff several times about issues such as changing modules, or even just clarifying a question I had regarding upcoming assessments, yet received no response. Similarly, I was supposed to be allocated a personal tutor, yet have still heard nothing about the matter to this day. From what I have seen, the issue was more prevalent within my department but certainly not unique to it. That being said, I feel the sentiment of universities being run as businesses rather than for the students' sake is pretty commonplace at many universities now.
Any institution, I believe, is going to have its good and bad apples, and UCL is no different. Certainly, I had modules that were well-organised, engaging and enjoyable. In fact, some of the modules that I thought I wouldn't enjoy as much ended up being my favourites! Having said that, I also had modules where I felt those very factors were lacking. In all honesty, I believe a lot depends on the professors coordinating and delivering the course. Moreover, we can't forget that the transition to online learning was no easier for staff than it was students themselves. Naturally, I think the learning atmosphere will be very different once we return to in-person classes.
With regard to contact hours, I must admit that I was slightly surprised to discover that I had only had 9 and 7 hours of teaching time in terms one and two respectively, with none at all in term three. The expectation is that, as a humanities student, you spend more time studying independently as you prepare for your next lectures, seminars and assessments. To some degree, it was nice to have more flexibility and control of my own learning. On the other hand, it definitely added a lonelier feel to the experience.
For the most part, I would say that the workload was manageable and certainly, with good organisation skills, allows you to fit in a number of additional commitments outside of your studies. I am aware, however, that this is likely to change in second and fourth year. The facilities provided by the university were also very good. By way of example, rarely were there instances wherein the university libraries did not have a specific text or article that I needed to access.
Unfortunately, where I did have issues was with the university's admin. There were multiple occasions in which I had contacted staff several times about issues such as changing modules, or even just clarifying a question I had regarding upcoming assessments, yet received no response. Similarly, I was supposed to be allocated a personal tutor, yet have still heard nothing about the matter to this day. From what I have seen, the issue was more prevalent within my department but certainly not unique to it. That being said, I feel the sentiment of universities being run as businesses rather than for the students' sake is pretty commonplace at many universities now.
Student Life
I must admit, I was rather surprised when I found out that student satisfaction was a fair bit lower at UCL than at other universities of a similar calibre. I believe this is, in large part, due to the fact that UCL is in the heart of Central London — and while that certainly has its pros, it has its cons too.
There's no two ways about it; no matter how good your budgeting skills are, living in London will be considerably more expensive than, say, living in Newcastle. Certainly, while this may put a slight dampener on your university experience, it isn't difficult to make it work. Yes, your accommodation will probably not be as nice as some of your friends' at other universities, and you may not be able to eat out as often as you'd have hoped, but you're in the heart of London, and there's so much to do that doesn't cost a penny! At the end of the day, it's all about where your priorities lie. Personally, I have loved being able to explore the city amidst my studies and, if anything, have found it to be more accommodating, given that I am somebody who is not a big drinker.
Seeing as I mentioned accommodation earlier, I thought it would be helpful to give a few more details on the matter. UCL isn't known for having outstanding accommodation but, at the the end of the day, what matters is that it's functional. At first, it was really rather frustrating as it felt as if appliances were breaking down every single week but, for the most part, these issues were resolved quickly. Unlike other universities, you do not have the option to select your accommodation yourself at UCL. Admittedly, this was something which I had great anxiety about, but didn't need to in hindsight. That being said, I would have appreciated a greater selection criteria so that people who do not drink or prefer a quieter atmosphere, for example, would be better catered for. I believe this is something that other universities like Durham do excellently.
On the topic of flatmates and meeting others, I don't think I will surprise anybody in saying that this year's circumstances have made socialising challenging, to say the least. However, I do not believe this is the university's fault; unfortunately, Zoom socials will never not be awkward! Luckily, a large number of societies continued to run this year, despite the obvious disruption. As a matter fact, I was able to try out a couple of new activities out myself this year, in spite of everything going on. I must say, those dance classes really were a saviour when the work began to pile up! That being said, I do think that the university does not have as great of a community feel as other universities — in part due to the very large student body, and in part to the fact that it is a city and not a campus university. However, this is not something which negatively impacted my university experience and, if anything, made it feel more like 'real life' and less like a university bubble.
Finally, I wanted to touch upon the careers support provided by the university. On the whole, I am very satisfied with the services that I have used thus far. Firstly, the university held a good number of online panel events with speakers from a wide range of industries. I thought these events were well-organised and certainly helped me to narrow down my choices. Secondly, there were general events held which dealt with matters such as improving your CV, which I again thought were very useful. Finally, you can request a more personal service, with one-to-one appointments available both for general careers advice and review of applications. Certainly, if you are thinking about attending the university, this is not something to miss!
There's no two ways about it; no matter how good your budgeting skills are, living in London will be considerably more expensive than, say, living in Newcastle. Certainly, while this may put a slight dampener on your university experience, it isn't difficult to make it work. Yes, your accommodation will probably not be as nice as some of your friends' at other universities, and you may not be able to eat out as often as you'd have hoped, but you're in the heart of London, and there's so much to do that doesn't cost a penny! At the end of the day, it's all about where your priorities lie. Personally, I have loved being able to explore the city amidst my studies and, if anything, have found it to be more accommodating, given that I am somebody who is not a big drinker.
Seeing as I mentioned accommodation earlier, I thought it would be helpful to give a few more details on the matter. UCL isn't known for having outstanding accommodation but, at the the end of the day, what matters is that it's functional. At first, it was really rather frustrating as it felt as if appliances were breaking down every single week but, for the most part, these issues were resolved quickly. Unlike other universities, you do not have the option to select your accommodation yourself at UCL. Admittedly, this was something which I had great anxiety about, but didn't need to in hindsight. That being said, I would have appreciated a greater selection criteria so that people who do not drink or prefer a quieter atmosphere, for example, would be better catered for. I believe this is something that other universities like Durham do excellently.
On the topic of flatmates and meeting others, I don't think I will surprise anybody in saying that this year's circumstances have made socialising challenging, to say the least. However, I do not believe this is the university's fault; unfortunately, Zoom socials will never not be awkward! Luckily, a large number of societies continued to run this year, despite the obvious disruption. As a matter fact, I was able to try out a couple of new activities out myself this year, in spite of everything going on. I must say, those dance classes really were a saviour when the work began to pile up! That being said, I do think that the university does not have as great of a community feel as other universities — in part due to the very large student body, and in part to the fact that it is a city and not a campus university. However, this is not something which negatively impacted my university experience and, if anything, made it feel more like 'real life' and less like a university bubble.
Finally, I wanted to touch upon the careers support provided by the university. On the whole, I am very satisfied with the services that I have used thus far. Firstly, the university held a good number of online panel events with speakers from a wide range of industries. I thought these events were well-organised and certainly helped me to narrow down my choices. Secondly, there were general events held which dealt with matters such as improving your CV, which I again thought were very useful. Finally, you can request a more personal service, with one-to-one appointments available both for general careers advice and review of applications. Certainly, if you are thinking about attending the university, this is not something to miss!
And that's all for today! I believe this post covers most aspects of the university experience but, of course, do be sure to get in contact if you have any queries — be it on Instagram or in the comments below. I hope you have a good week, and hope to see you on Every Little Thing Blog soon!