Brunel University

What's it like as a place to live? I often describe Brunel as 'a mini town'. The facilities are fantastic with everything from a doctor's surgery to a gym, an arts centre to a nightclub and a coffee shop to a small supermarket. As well as the convenience of having all these amenities so close by, all the academic buildings are also within a short distance of each other. This makes studying at Brunel a very enjoyable experience. As a place to live Brunel is brilliant! I have found that Brunel offers the best of both worlds with the community feel of a campus university but an expanse of opportunities with central London being so near.

How's the student accommodation? When choosing which university I would like to study at, I was adamant that I wanted to live in nice accommodation in a place that felt safe. All the accommodation at Brunel is maintained to a high standard, the accommodation staff are always more than happy to help should you have any problems and security patrol the campus 24 hours a day. In my first year at Brunel, I lived in ensuite halls on the university campus. The rooms were lovely and modern, a reasonable size and had plenty of storage space for all my clothes! The bathrooms were big enough and practical enough for one person, and the kitchens were big with plenty of food preparation space and storage for everybody's pots and pans. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of living in halls, so much so that I decided to move back onto campus for my third year. In my second year I decided that I would like the experience of living in a house with friends. We found the process of finding a house relatively simple and that the student houses in the area were not of a bad standard. Financially I don't think that the accommodation in and around Brunel is particularly expensive considering that the university is on the outskirts of London. Houses work out cheaper on a weekly basis but by the time you add on bills and the extra expense of paying for the house for a whole year it probably equals out at a similar price.

What's the student population like? I have always found the student population at Brunel extremely friendly. The university itself has students from a diverse range of backgrounds and from many different countries but you rarely see any conflict and everybody seems to get on well. I think everybody recognises that we are all at the university with the same purpose, to get a degree. The many clubs and societies at the university also help people to socialise and find common interests.

How do students and locals get on? In general the students and the locals don't mix a great deal, with the university being all on one site the campus is usually full of just students. From my own experiences there has never been any issues between the students and the locals, everybody seems to get on just fine.

What's it like as a place to study? I have found Brunel to be an ideal place to study mainly because of the convenience of all the academic buildings. Everything you could need to assist you with your academic work is on campus and therefore you have plenty of resources within easy reach. Facilities such as the 24-hour library and the large number of computer rooms makes it easy to study, whatever time of the day or night you may require. Brunel offers a wide range of courses from the very traditional to the more contemporary. Different courses have different resources but all my friends within the university seem happy with the help they are receiving from the university to help them gain their degree.

What are the teaching staff like? My experience of the teaching staff at Brunel has always been relatively good. It is sometimes a struggle to find the academic staff because they are busy people but they are always in their office when they say they will be and emails are always answered quickly.

What are student societies like? The sports clubs at Brunel have had a huge impact on my student experience. At Freshers Fayre I joined the Dance Club and have enjoyed every minute of it, from the weekly classes to the socials to the annual show, it has all been fantastic. Through the Dance Club I have met some of my best friends at university. I am now the Chair of the Dance Club which is scary but exciting. The clubs and societies are a great way of meeting new people, learning new skills and just having fun. There are huge opportunities for the students at Brunel; there is a club or society to suit almost everyone. If there is something that you are interested in that Brunel doesn't yet offer, as long as you get the backing of 10 other people the students union will assist you in setting up the club/society yourself. What I have found is that whilst you are a student you have a wealth of opportunities and at Brunel the majority of the students throw themselves into making the most of the opportunities they are given.

What's a typical night out? And how much does it cost? A typical night out at Brunel is in the university nightclub, The Academy. They have different themed events almost every night of the week which are cheap but usually a lot of fun. The most fantastic thing about the nights out on campus is that they don't involve spending too much money. Entry into The Academy is just a few pounds and drinks are also relatively inexpensive. As the nightclub is on campus you don't need to pay for travel and it is an easy journey to get home to bed! The other 'typical' night out is at Liquid in Uxbridge. On a Wednesday night Brunel literally takes over Liquid, which is nice because you tend to know a lot of people. The drinks are cheap and a taxi home is cheap.

How can you get home safely? Getting home from The Academy is easy − walk! It is probably a good idea to go home with somebody else so that you can make sure you both get home safely. Getting home from Liquid is easiest by taxi; £5 is all it costs so when you share the cost between a car full of people it is definitely worthwhile. Alternatively some people walk which takes about 20 minutes. That tends to be the guys because the girls' feet hurt too much after an evening wearing heels!

Is it an expensive place to live? Money-wise, I suppose London will always be an expensive place to live but the great thing about Brunel is that you get the London-weighted loan but Uxbridge doesn't have the living costs of central London. Many of my friends spend a lot of their time with very little money but I think generally that is just the student way of living! I think if you are wise enough with your money you can manage quite comfortably.

Average price of a pint? A few pounds. I am not much of a pint drinker but that is what my friends tell me!

And the price of a takeaway? Between £5 and £10 depending on what food you go for.

What's the part-time work situation? The part-time work situation at Brunel is very good. The University has a JobShop that helps students find part-time work on campus and in the local area. They make sure that you don't work over 15 hours so that your work does not interrupt your studies but they have all different kinds of work, from retail work to bar work or even being a student ambassador for the university. There are plenty of ways that you can help yourself out financially.

What's the best feature about the place? For me the best feature of the university is the community feel that is apparent on campus. Feeling comfortable at the university makes it easier to study but also makes you feel more at home. I have made loads of friends at Brunel who have enhanced my university experience and helped me out when things have been difficult. Part of the community feel is being part of the clubs and societies at Brunel. I would definitely recommend this to anybody and everybody!

And the worst? Sometimes the academic staff are slow in handing back your grades with your feedback. However when you do get it back the feedback it is very helpful and gives constructive criticism to help you improve.

And to sum it all up? A friendly place with a community feel that helps you to study hard but take advantage of all the opportunities that student life throws at you.

Audley Harrison (boxer); Jo Brand (comedian); James Cracknell, Tim Foster (rowers); Kathy Cook, Iwan Thomas (athletes); Tony Adams (footballer).

Contact Vice-President (marketing & communications) tel 01895 462200, email vp.communications@brunel.ac.uk, or check out website at www.brunelstudents.com.