30,887 discussions, 145 guides
Birmingham University
30,887 discussions, 145 guides
Birmingham University
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3344
Fax: +44 (0)121 414 3971
1900
Burn FM
Burn FM, the Guild's radio station, is fairly popular with the students and broadcasts twice annually on a temporary FM licence. They are trying to secure a permanent FM licence.
Redbrick
Redbrick is the Student Guild's newspaper. It is published regularly and looks professional. It has attracted complaints for not dealing with enough local issues but has been working hard to rectify this. Redbrick has also launched an excellent website with all the current news and events.
B15
When oh when will universities stop using postcodes to try and be hip. The use of a postcode for anything other than denoting the postal location of a particular building is pretentious and annoying. There really are too many culprits so Birmingham is not alone. Rant over, this is a light, bulletin style paper magazine that gives students basic information on what's going on and contains a two week entertainment planner. As a publication it is relevant, well put together and useful but just change the name, please!
Chris Tarrant - Capital FM DJ
Victor Ubogu - BIG rugby player
Philippa Forrester - Presents 'Tomorrow's World'
Ann Widdecombe MP - Conservative MP
Simon Le Bon - Duran Duran
Victoria Wood - Comedian
The Students' Union, or Guild, as it is here, has three main bars. The first, largest and most popular is Joe's, which is open during the day and joins up with the other bars on Friday and Saturday nights to cater for larger crowds and regularly sells out. It has the infamous cocktail bar, which is a favorite of Coc Soc and has a 700 person capacity. Joe's does, however, attract a more sporty crowd...at least passively sporty...as it screens many sports events, most noteably football.
Berlins is a large function room with a stage connected to Amigos, Mexican fayre that transforms into club-land at night. In the summer the doors open onto beautiful lawns, which are great for sunbathing (assuming, of course, that the sun does shine in Birmingham).It is open until 2am on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and has a large three-sided bar to ensure speedyish service.
Beorma is the last of the Guild bars, and has quite a different atmposphere to the other two. Very pubby in style and with comfy sofas, it is generally quieter, good for a chat and has a large range of beers. Opening hours are pub-like too.
FOOD - Both Berlin's and Beorma serve food, though Beorma tends to favour the snackier (is there such a word??) variety like nachos or soup. Cafe Connections provides a range of sandwiches in trendy surroundings and is used as a venue for music. There is a Harry Ramsden's and a chicken joint concession on site too. Guild Catering is franchised, so food tends to be expensive, but Joe's has cheap specials and serves until 01:45.
There are also two pool halls and a games room. Look out for the 'L' shaped table.
There are club nights four days a week, these being from Wednesday to Saturday. The most popular night is Frenzy, playing chart and pop music on a Friday night. Like the other club nights it is open until 2am and costs around £3.50 if you buy your ticket beforehand (£4.00 on the night). Both Berlins and Old Joe's are used for these events.
Other club nights throughout the week are cheaper and play different music. Generally, all students find something they like, but if not they go out anyway because they are students...it's our occupation and we do it well!! The Student Guild website publishes up to date information on what's happening.
Many of the Halls also have bars, and through the JCR (Junior Common Room) most of them organise events ranging from pub quizzes to balls.
Many of the Halls organise Balls, which are fairly well attended and a good place to meet people in the first few weeks of term.
Large events at the Guild seem to be limited due to the lack of a large enough venue. The largest bar has a capacity of only 700.
All major political parties and most ethnic groups are catered for in Birmingham's extensive list of non-sporting societies. Odd ones include Bodsoc (cartoons), Manga Anime (whatever that is...), and the Welsh Women's Society, which one diplomatic student described as "they're Welsh and feminist"!
There are also many sports clubs and societies, including all the major sports and Ninpo Budo!! If you know what this is, please tell us.
Men's hockey and Lacrosse first teams both won their BUSA championships in spring 2000. Many other sports teams are also very successful.
100
Birmingham has plenty of accommodation and guarantees all first years a place in Halls. On the whole, the accommodation is of a decent standard, though there are differences in facilities based on how old the halls are. Some of the newer halls, like Hunter Court and Queens Hospital Close (QHC) are en-suite, while many of the older halls have single rooms with shared showers, bathrooms and loos.
The Halls of Residence are based on three main sites. The largest of these is The Vale which has four halls and two apartment complexes although all the facilities are in Shackleton Hall. The Vale is a very comfortable area to live, with lots greenery situated around a lake, a 24hr reception, cash machine and only 15 minutes from campus. Most students consider Chamberlain Hall the best at the Vale, but prospective students should consult the SU website for more comprehensive information.
Students also live at the Manor House, the Cadbury family's (as in chocolate!) former home. A little further from campus (about 40 minutes) this area also surrounds a lake (do you see a pattern emerging?) and there are regular buses to campus. Finally there is QHC and Beeches in Five Ways about 30 minutes from campus, but nearer the town centre. Generally, the halls have washing facilties, bars, shops and cooking facilites. Some of the halls are catered, though the food quality is questionable.
The food facilities at The Vale are as follows: Fusion - Breakfast 07.00-11.30, Lunch 12.00-14.00, Dinner 16.00-22.00 Five choices of meal for dinner and there is also a Salad Bar. Sky TV in the eating area.
Rios - Coffee Bar Open 10.00-20.00. Sandwiches, panninis, coffee, cakes, cookies, salads. Very comfortable sofas with a balcony overlooking the lake, which is open in summer, also does take away service. Pool Table and Bar Downstairs along with more great sofas. On Friday night it becomes a club.
Bar 1 - The place to be for all 1st years on Friday night. Open till 02.00 Friday and Saturday. With a big screen TV it shows the majority of sports events throughout the year. Very good atmosphere for big events.
If you are in catered accommodation (Chamberlain, Mason, Shackleton), you have £6 a day on your student ID card to spend in either Fusion or Rios. (Breakfast and lunch usually cost £2 each and dinner £4) Its a flexible system and works well. It is called the Meal Plan. You can also have it if you are in non-catered accommodation on The Vale. One quick note, the uni has applied for permission to demolish Mason Hall and replace it with an all en-suite block.
Around 75% of students move out of halls in the second year. Most of the external housing is south of campus at Selly Oak or Bournebrook. Houses tend to vary in quality, but the University accommodation office tries to maintain a decent standard and is a great help.
Birmingham is a difficult city to get your head round. Walking through town you come across some of the world's most stupendously ugly buildings and, equally, some truly fine Victorian redbrick architecture. Famous for its number and quality of curry houses, the city has taken a consistent slagging over the years but massive funding into the arts and a huge ongoing redevelopment programme are helping. Thankfully, the redevelopment is now paying off and some of the concrete monstrosities have been replaced by new, modern structures. Shopping wise there's the Bullring which is superb.
The University campus is based 3.5 miles from the city centre, in Edgbaston. Please note: while measuring this, I got lost...so it could be less!! The campus is vast, so vast in fact that it has its own ring road. It is fairly typical of the city with buildings from the 'I want it grey and fucking ugly' school of architecture but with numerous trees, lots of grass and stylish red brick buildings. Its centre is the Chamberlain clock tower, nicknamed Old Joe, which honours Joseph Chamberlain.
If you like sports, especially football, then Birmingham is the place to be. Not only does the city boast some of the country's largest clubs, but the Student Guild is football crazy. Shops, cinemas, theatres and music venues abound in the city, and as for pubs...well, you won't get to all of them. Many have tried.
The Vale is within walking distance of Broad Street, which is the destination of most 1st years on nights out. All in all, the city has a great nightlife for all tastes but the following was provided by a Birmingham student so take your pick.
Monday - Risa with a 2400 capacity, sells out most weeks. Very good club and cheap drinks. Tuesday - Forbidden Fruit, three clubs that join together for this night and is based in China Town. Wednesday - either Bobbys at Gas Street Basin or The Works. A huge night club with a 2500 capacity. Thursday - Fortnightly event is Vodbull. One of the top nights and the event changes between different clubs. The first and last of the term are usually at The Works, as its the biggest on Broad Street. Friday - Bar 1 and Rios Saturday - Fab n Fresh at The Vale at The Guild
Birmingham itself is a nightmare for traffic with the infamous spaghetti junction, awful one-way systems and fairly expensive parking. However, with the unversity a little out of town, it is possible to have a car without too much hassle. It costs 80p to park in the university south car park for the whole day, and it is free during the weekends.
There are an amazing four banks on campus: HSBC, Natwest, Barclays and Lloyds TSB. So you will never be short of cash to spend in the Guild...just the way they like it.
On the whole, disabled facilities are quite good and "mobility maps" are available showing the positions of ramps etc. Though many of the newer buildings are mobility friendly, the older buildings can be a hassle, or even impossible.
When it comes to the range of shops, Birmingham University ranks as excellent. The Guild, which is very profit-minded anyway, has a CD store, a SPAR, a travel agency, photo shop, print shop, opticians, hairdressers, a grocery shop, a branch of Endsleigh Insurance, a job zone, 2 clothes shops and a second hand bookshop. There is another building called University Centre which has a bigger SPAR, a sandwich place and a pizza/pasta outlet. At the Vale there is a Costcutter - Monday-Friday open 08.00-21.00 Saturday open 10.00-19.00 Sunday open 10.00-16.00. Sells all basic needs such as milk, frozen food, sandwiches, bread, alcohol, etc.
As well as all the other shops, there is a branch of Waterstones selling most of the course texts.
On campus there is the Munrow Sports Centre which boasts a sports hall, a karate dojo, two gyms, a dance studio, and a mulitgym. Nearby, but outside, is a floodlit pitch, a running track, tennis courts and two water based astroturf pitches.
At West Hills, about 20 minutes from campus there are 70 acres of sports fields. Even further away, over 160 miles in fact, at the Lake District, is Coniston Water the Univeristy's sailing facility.
Buses run regularly from Giffen Close and Five Ways where some of the Halls are. There is also a train station in Five Ways connecting with the rest of the city and country. As for cars, Birmingham is basically a major UK junction...with several motorways combining to form Spaghetti Junction. However, don't expect to move very far, very fast most of the time.
Both the campus and the Halls are surrounded by greenery and lakes. The city itself is a little less green, tending to opt for 1960s concrete construction at the worst places. However, even in the city there are green areas.
The Main library is huge, with over 2,500,000 books and 2500 study places. Many departments also have libraries, there are 13 in total.
Computer facilties are fairly good with 2,500 PCs and an astonishing, and slightly questionable, 17,000 internet connection points on site. Free e-mail and internet facilties. However, don't count on getting a computer easily during essay times.
Both the University and the Student Guild provide welfare facilities. The University has a health centre with full time doctors and nurses. The Guild also has a useful information centre.
