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Writtle College

UCAS Code: W85

Location: South-east England Show on Map

Site: Single campus near Chelmsford.

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Specialist land-based college, a partner of Essex University.

Student Population

Total Students:	2,573
Undergraduates:	37%
Postgraduates:	6%
FE Students:	57%

Undergraduates

Total undergraduates:	951
Male:	34%
Female:	66%
Full Time:	82%
Mature on Entry:	44%
UK Students:	91%
State school entry:	96%

Teaching Staff

81 full-time, 37 part-time

Broad study areas

Art & design, interior design & architecture, landscape & garden design, animal science & management, equine studies & science, equine sports therapy, human & equine sports performance, equine breeding & stud management, sport & exercise performance, horticulture, professional floristry, agriculture, agricultural business management, agricultural crop production, farm livestock production, conservation & environment.

Freshers

Admission Information:	AS-levels and key skills accepted in combination with 2+ A-levels or equivalent (eg BTEC National Diploma). UCAS tariff used.
Points on Entry (Mean):	249
Drop Out Rate:	12%
Accommodation:	Majority of first years housed who apply.

Institution

Founded:	1893
Site:	Single campus on edge of Writtle village, 2 miles from Chelmsford.
How to get there:	Regular service from London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford by rail (40 mins) and coach; just off A414, close to A12 and M11; Stansted airport half an hour drive. Regular bus service to college from Chelmsford.

Student services & facilities

Student advice & services:	Counselling service, chaplains, learner support unit, careers centre, subsidised childcare nursery.
Amenities:	Recreation centre. Social centre with bar and disco. Adequate parking and motorbike storage space.
Sporting facilities:	Sports hall, squash, tennis, fitness centre, college playing fields.
Accommodation:	Majority of first years who apply are housed in halls on campus. 400 places, contracts for full academic year; rents £3520 pa (shared) to £4741 pa (single ensuite), including meal allowance of approx 10 meals a week. Students live in privately-owned accommodation for 2 years: £50–£75 pw self-catering. 40+% of first-degree students live at home.

Study opportunities & careers

Library & information services:	30,000 book titles, 350 journals and access to many more online; 100 study spaces, 20 networked computers and wireless access. Library open 7 days/week in term time (68 hours a week). Information provision, £208 pa spent for each student (FTE). Separate IT services. Ratio of 1:6 workstations to students; 260 computers with access to library and internet. Access to IT facilities 14 hours/weekdays (9+ at weekends); IT helpdesk 8 hours/weekday. 2-day induction to library and information services including tour.
Other learning resources:	220-hectare college estate, commercial glass unit, equestrian centre, equine stud unit, small animal unit, amenity landscape centre, computer-aided design centre, computer suites, science centre, interior design & floristry centre. Access to nearly 1900 hectares of arable land alongside college farm, where there are examples of commercial pig, sheep and beef units.
Study abroad:	4% of students spend a period abroad.
Careers:	Information, advice and placement service

Money

Living expenses budget:	Minimum budget of £4500 pa (excluding tuition fees) recommended by the college.
Term-time work:	College allows term-time work for full-time students (50% believed to work). Industrial liaison administrator helps find work off campus.
Financial help:	Bursaries of £500 pa for students with family income of up to £25k pa, of £200 pa where it is £20k-£30k, or of £150 pa where family income is £30k-£40k. Also academic achievement bursaries of £2500 (£1500 in Year 1, £1000 in Year 2) for students with grades AAB at A-level or equivalent; 15 pa scholarships (free term-time accommodation and 10 meals/week) open to students with family income of £25k or less. Also government and college access funds.
University tuition fees:	Home students pay £8000 pa for first degrees. International students pay £9250 pa.

Courses

Academic features:

Modular courses; flexible learning methods. Optional industrial placement on all courses.

Awarding body:

University of Essex

Main undergraduate awards:

BA, BSc, FdA, FdSc

Length of courses:

3 years full-time; 2 years (FdA, FdSc).

Main subjects offered:

Agriculture
Animal Science
Architectural Design
Architecture
Art
Conservation
Countryside Management
Crop Science/Technology
Environmental Management
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Equine Studies
Estate Management
Garden Design
Horticulture
Interior Design
Landscape Architecture
Landscape Studies
Leisure Studies
Plant Science
Rural Environment Studies
Sports Studies
Wildlife Management

Student view

Felicity Moy, Student Union (2nd year, FdSc Conservation & Environment)

Living

What's it like as a place to live? It has beautiful, lovely grounds, with beautiful views, situated in a country setting.

How's the student accommodation? Accommodation is good, essential furniture is supplied and there are facilities for preparing light snacks and meals.

What's the student population like? We have a diverse population of students from all over the world and all over the UK.

How do students and locals get on? Students and locals get on fine and many students work in the local village shops and support local trade, which leads to good community spirit both on and off campus.

Studying

What's it like as a place to study? As a specialised college, we offer traditional and new land-based courses, with plenty of grounds to help with study.

What are the teaching staff like? Most staff have an open-door policy and you can always contact a member of staff by email to discuss any concerns or queries.

Socialising

What are student societies like? As a small college, I think we offer a wide variety of clubs. There are plenty of sports to get involved in, with facilities on site and day/night/weekend trips away.

What's a typical night out? The student bar on site is the place to be and offers both cheap soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

How can you get home safely? Because it's on campus, it is safe. If you go into town, it is advised to get a taxi to drop you back at the college. Chelmsford offers the same as most towns - pubs, clubs etc - and is situated very close to London and is on the Liverpool Street train line.

Money

Is it an expensive place to live? You have to budget but it is manageable and you can apply for help.

Average price of a pint? £2.

And the price of a takeaway? £5.

What's the part-time work situation? Both jobs on and off site are available, some minimum wage but not all. Jobs are constantly advertised around campus.

Summary

What's the best feature about the place? The fact that we are a small campus, everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other.

And to sum it all up? I fell in love with Writtle 3 years ago on an open day and still love it.

More info?

Ring SU tel 01245 422752, or look at www.writtlesu.com.

Open days

6th June 2012

Higher education open day, 10.45am-3pm, give prospective students & guests the opportunity to find out more about what's on offer, meet course tutors, tour the campus with current students, discover student life at Writtle College, and learn about the support available to students. Pre-registration is essential. Book online.