University of Plymouth

I have enjoyed my time here but certain aspects could be improved. These include free core textbooks, more university big social events, more feedback sessions on course progress. Overall I have had a fairly positive experience at Plymouth University.

The course that I started in September 2019 is a new course. Because of this, there is a lot of teething issues. The course offers an incredible opportunity but because it's so new, a lot of things seem to be changing; very often at the last minute. There have also been issues with timetabling, but often that is just down to technology. Also, there have been issues and confusion surrounding the reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs. We have, as a cohort, been told a lot of different information from different individuals, resulting in stress when trying to organise ourselves financially. Apart from that, it is amazing. The staff are incredible and attentive and really listen to your problems, questions and queries.

The University of Plymouth is one of the post-1994 facilities for further education within the country. You may have heard of its environmental advocation or its establishment as one of the top universities within the country, having placed 2nd within the top 10. The reality is however that like all universities, it is a business. And at the end of the day, it needs to ‘sell itself’ in order to try and attract as many students as possible. The staff and lecturers are mostly friendly, but in my course, most of the seminars and lessons can feel rather lacking. In particular, there can be some times where you may find that the whole module fails to make you think either introspectively or that it doesn’t equip you with the needed skills to stand out more in the long-term outlook of job hunting. The student community is highly diverse, yet there’s a sense that there’s little to do within the campus. A lot of societies have a sense of overlap with one another and there’s not enough range or that they feel too niche for you within the faculties. Even if there’s an emphasis on community, the overall lack of flexibility within the Student Unions’ Society can leave you with a feeling of disconnection that makes you feel isolated. Thus, while the location can be appealing to those who have a genuine love for the tranquil, I would honestly recommend that you look elsewhere especially if your predicted grades are better than whatever the requirements the university has.