30,863 discussions, 145 guides
Anglia Ruskin University
30,863 discussions, 145 guides
Anglia Ruskin University
There are two campuses, Chelmsford and Cambridge.
Bishop Hall Lane
Chelmsford
CM11SQ
Tel: 01245 493131
East Road
Cambridge
CB11PT
Tel:01223 363271
1992
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Apex
This is a free fortnightly newspaper with all the relevant sections - sport, politics and features. It operates as a Union organisation and is entirely reliant upon students' involvement.
Staff News Letter Brief summary of what is going on in the Students Union.
E-Letter E-mail based letter for the whole student body consisting of general day to day news about the University. (Run by Students Union).
Tax exile Michael Ashcroft is donating £5 million to the development of a new management centre at Chelmsford. Plans for more student accommodation are also in the pipeline.
Michael Ashcroft - Tax exile, famous Tory
Adam Ant - 80s pop star
Kim Howells - Labour MP
Tom Sharpe - Novelist
Patricia Scotland - First black female judge
There are new Student bars on both the Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses.
Two new bars have recently opened at Cambridge and are situated within the Opex One complex. The Academy is open in the evenings and provides an array of entertainmrnts including bands, comedy and club events. Kudos, situated upstairs, is open during the day for food and refreshments and serves as another entertainments venue in the evening.
The new Tindal building on the Chelmsford campus will have its own version of Kudos which should be completed and ready for some serious freshers fun at the begining of the next academic year.
BOGOFF - Tuesdays - buy one get one free - literally. Every fortnight there is also General Elektric night with breakbeat, hiphop and drum and bass. Playstation - Wednesdays - play on it for free in the Union bars and winner gets free playstation game. Spirit Promo - Cheap spirits on Thursdays. Every fortnight Funked Up is held, featuring funk and acid jazz. Twice a term this hosts Rock Night Fruity Fridays - Popular event, goes on until about 2am but the bar closes at 11pm. Everyone is entertained by the resident DJ.
Other regular but less frequent events include: Mumbo Jumbo - Held in four rooms with a different kind of music in each is a very popular night.
Top of the party list must be the Summer Ball, held at Chillford Hall Vineyards. Recent acts have included The Lightning Seeds, Atomic Kitten and DJs Grant Plant and Wamdue Project. Amongst numerous entertainments there is a Funfair and Bungee Jump.
Another major event is the Sports Ball where all the sportsmen and women get really pissed and lose the medals and cups that they were awarded in the prizegiving. The Hockey, Rugby, Football and Rowing clubs also host Annual Balls or Dinners.
Clubs and Societies at the Cambridge Campus should satisfy most tastes - there are about forty in total including the all the usual sporting, musical, cultural, religious and academic societies. If this doesn't suit, you can join University of Cambridge Clubs and Societies. However if you play hockey then you may as well play for the home teams as they are top of the Cambridge College league.
The Chelmsford Campus isn't so good for diversity as there are only about fifteen Clubs and Socs. Sports Clubs include: Badminton, Cricket, Football, Hockey, Rugby, Skiing and Squash. If you want to do more than just study, try and get a course based at the Cambridge site!
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You may find it difficult to get into Halls of Accomodation in the First Year. There is a desperate shortage of accommodation but there are plans for more halls to be built. If you live within a twenty mile radius of Chelmsford or a thirty mile radius of Cambridge, then you will be on a low priority list, you will probably also have to be offered a place before the 25th August to stand a chance as well, so bear this in mind when applying through clearing.
Cambridge accommodation
Bridget's and Nightingale Halls of Residence
Situated in the historic part of the City, a comfortable 20 minutes walk from campus. The Halls are part of the local community, served by local shops. Each of the 108 single study bedrooms has a washbasin and all the furnishings you would expect in a good hall of residence. Groups of 10-13 students share kitchen and bathroom facilities.
£69.63 - £76.59 per week
Peter Taylor House A very high standard of accommodation. Located on the Cambridge Campus, Peter Taylor House is home to 252 students. Within easy reach is a thriving local community served by local shops, swimming pool and a large shopping centre. Served by the campus launderette. All in all, a pretty plush set up with good security as well.
Individual bedrooms are well equipped, including a TV aerial socket and a phone socket. Small groups of students share communal kitchen facilities. A number of the rooms are adapted for students with disabilities.
£79.27 per week, inclusive of utility bills.
Swinhoe Hall Swinhoe Hall is very close to busy local shops, takeaways, a swimming pool and a large shopping centre.Space is a little bit more limited here but it is well worth trying for.
Swinhoe has 118 single study bedrooms with washbasin and small groups share kitchen and bathroom facilities. All rooms are furnished with everything you'll need and there are a number of rooms adapted for disabled people.
£72.31 - £76.59 per week, inclusive of utility bills.
YMCA APU has 32 rooms in the Cambridge YMCA located on the edge of the historic city centre and next door to a public leisure centre. The campus is about 5 minutes walk away.
All study bedrooms have a washbasin and are fully furnished. On average, five students share their kitchen and bathroom facilities. Other facilities include a launderette, communal area with digital TV and vending machines and an on-site gym (subject to membership).
£73.00 per week, inclusive of utility bills.
Sedley Court Sedley Court is a brand new complex of 30 student cluster flats for 5 sharing. It is managed by Aldwyck Housing association and available to APU students from September 2005. It is about a 15 minute walk or five minute cycle ride from APU's East Road campus, located just off Mill Road and close to good bus links and supermarkets. Local shops and takeaways are available nearby, and Parkside swimming pool and the city centre shopping facilities are easily accessible.
£83.27 per week including utility charges.
Chelmsford accommodation
Ransomes Way Student Village The student village is on Rivermead Campus and provides attractive and safe accommodation for 500 students close to lecture rooms and the APU library. On-site facilities include a supermarket, launderette, pharmacy, bank, bookshop and take-away outlets. All rooms at Ransomes Way have excellent facilities, each benefiting from a phone line connected to the University network enabling you to receive incoming calls, call internal extensions and make external calls using a chargecard.
£68.02 - £73.38 per week, inclusive of utility bills.
The University is based on two main sites, each with their own unique feel. The Cambridge Campus, formerly the Cambridge College of Art and Technology, despite being small and somewhat overcrowded, does have the distractions / temptations of Cambridge. Students are able to take advantage of all that the city has to offer, including punting on the river (it isn't exclusive to Cambridge University students) and drinking in the many pubs around the city. Many functions and events in Cambridge are geared towards the large student population and consequently there is always some form of entertainment. The campus is socially quieter than Chelmsford, and students here tend to go into Cambridge or to Cambridge University. (See Cambridge guide for more info.)
The Chelmsford Campus, in the heart of Essex, is made up of ugly 60s concrete buildings, but has a little more of a campus social life than Cambridge. However, its size means that gossips are rife and often other people will know what, or who, you've done before you do. Chelmsford has a few pubs and clubs that the students frequent, there are also three theatres and a cinema. The internationally renowned V Music Festival is held in Hylands Park and welcomes a wide range of performers from Robbie Wiliiams to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. On the whole most people socialise on campus. Some students do go into London, but getting back after the clubs can be expensive.
You are not allowed a car at the Cambridge Site. In any case Cambridge is very unfriendly to the driver and as a result most have bicycles, due to its size Cambridge is a very easy place to get around by bike or on foot, plus its good for you and the environment! You may find yourself subject to University disciplinaries if you bring a car back. Parking permits can be aquired in special circumstances.
You may be able to find sufficient parking in Chelmsford depending on which Hall you are staying in. There is also parking in the student houses around the town but watch out for the traffic wardens!
There's a bank on the Chelmsford Campus. Both campuses are so close to their respective towns that an ATM or bank is never more than a short walk away.
Due to the recent developing over the last decade both campuses are kitted out to cope with disabilities. The Cambridge campus is probably a little bit better, but both have lifts and ramps for wheelchair access and there are rooms for students with special needs in halls.
There is are general stores on both campuses which sell essential ingredients for most student meals - plenty of chips, beans and microwave meals in other words. Alcohol, cigarettes, stationery, papers and photocopying are also available and if funds are tight there are usually some selected promotions, how about Fabulous Bakin Boys Flapjacks-Buy two get one free! The shops in Cambridge and Chelmsford town centre are, in any case, only a few minutes walk away if you after something unusual, like healthy food.
There's a bookshop on the Chelmsford campus. The Union does run a second hand bookshop, which can be worth a call, since most textbooks these days are pretty extortionately priced. There are also branches of Browns and Waterstones nearby though. Finding books in Cambridge is certainly not a problem, there are numerous bookshops around the centre catering for all needs, no matter how obscure.
Cambridge Campus Facilities aren't bad on the whole, but they are out of town. The University owns over 20 acres of playing fields, including 3 rugby and 2 football pitches at Cambridge, and it also pays for the sports teams' use of an astro-turf pitch. Transport to and from matches and training is also free. Besides that, more locally, there is the Kelsey Kerridge Centre, just a stone's throw away from campus consisting of a swimming pool , gym, sportshall, squash courts and climbing wall. APU students are also entitled to play for Cambridge University clubs and use their facilities. APU Clubs take part in all the collegiate leagues.
Chelmsford Campus Chelmsford has similar facilities to the Cambridge Campus, including a sports hall, playing fields etc. There are also two off-campus sports centres, the Doredale Sports Centre and the Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre both have lots of facilities and offer student memberships.
There is none. However the police station is right beside campus and Cambridge is very student friendly so you should feel very safe walking home at night. There are regular bus services in Chelmsford and Cambridge and getting a bike, especially in Cambridge, is a worthwhile investment.
Both campuses are in the centre of their respective towns and as a result you have to travel a bit to find the vast expanses of flat East Anglia. However there is a park in the centre of Cambridge (right next to the University) and the Universities do own sports pitches on the outskirts of both towns. Lots of the Cambridge Colleges (part of Cambridge University) have their own areas of green which can be visited by the general public, however, a small fee is sometimes charged.
The Cambridge Library Generally good opening hours: 8:30am to 9:00pm weekdays. the main section of the library is closed on Sundays. The four-floor library houses the Arts collection of APU - Economics, History, Law, Psychology and Sociology.
The Rivermead Library Same opening hours as above. This is a much newer library on the recently developed Rivermead Campus, and houses the collection for Business, Law and Construction. Serves the Chelmsford campus, but it is about 10 minutes away.
The traditional services are complemented by a rapidly growing 'Electronoc Library' of online information.
There are about 350,000 books between the two sites and the 1200 study spaces certainly are not adequate for the large student population.
Cambridge Campus The Sinclair building houses the computing facilities in Cambridge and used to be the Headquarters of Sir Clive Sinclair's business before it went bust. Although the bulk of the workstations are here, there are also some in the library. Printing costs are faily high though at 10p for A4 laser printer, or 30p for A4 colour printer. Only 12 hours per day of computer access
Rivermead Campus Access is a little bit better and there are 18 hours in the day to get your netsurfing done, but you'll have to leave at three - I doubt you'll be there before 9am though! Prices same as above.
All in all there are about 250 workstations, woefully inadequate relative to other institutions. Free email and internet access.
Nurse and health clinic at the Cambridge site. There is no health centre at Rivermead and you will have to go to the local surgery for attention (its quite nearby). The Student's Union provides a welfare adviser at each campus, as well as an overall welfare administrator. Overall there are 3 counsellors (5 more part-time ones, and a doctor) based in the couselling unit.
Other facilities include: Creche, self defence classes, student employment agency,
