30,962 discussions, 145 guides
Liverpool John Moores
30,962 discussions, 145 guides
Liverpool John Moores
Liverpool John Moores University
Student Recruitment
JMU Tower
24 Norton Street
Liverpool
L3 8PY
Tel : +44 (0)151 231 5090
1823
Shout FM Well, the websites rubbish and never seems to be working but Shout FM seems to be a well run and fun station. A great resource for students studying media and broadcasting, Shout FM is going to be a first point of call for getting involved in university life. Most DJs seemt to team up in 2/3 person chatter groups and there's room for everyone to get involved. Listen live on their websie shoutfm.com (when it's working) and make up your own mind.
Liverpool Student
This is a magazine shared with the city's other universities, Liverpool and Liverpool Hope. Its run by students for students, which means it holds all the juicy gossip of whats going on and provides a good platform to get involved in journalism and publishing.
Re-Load
This newsletter has only been out for 1 year (8 issues published in the academic year 2003/2004) and is released tri-weekly (every three weeks), giving more detailed information on the what, where, when and how of John Moores Uni itself. It's a student written publication but is managed independantly so should be a really professional thingimy jig. Marvellous.
The university is planning to develop accommodation in the Northern part of Liverpool.
John Lennon - Fishmonger, oh no music legend
Phil Redmond Television writer/producer
Caroline Aherne Actress, creator of Mrs Merton
After a rigorous screening process, John Moores has given honorary degrees to the creme de la creme of high society such as Ken Dodd, Rod Hull, Patricia Rowtledge and our Cilla!
Being split into around 20 small sites Liverpool JM has a fractured identity and this makes it quite difficult to get a good level of social focus. With this in mind the Students' Union does a very good job. Although the main SU, called The Haigh, is small, it has a friendly atmosphere where you are guaranteed to bump into people you know... or vaguely remember from the night before. There are five main bars, each with their own unique personality.
The brand new Greenshields takes the place of the lack lustre Marsh Bar at the IM Marsh site - I only hope you like pink...
Scholars is a bright laid back pub-style bar where most people chill out after a hard session at the library. Others play pool or watch sport on the big screen TV.
The Cooler is a blue, dark bar where hardcore drinkers go to dance after Scholars kicks them out. You can grab a meal in the day and boogie the night away with different nights offering various types of music. This is also the venue where touring bands come to play, but turn up early as it's a small place and there is often a long queue to get in.
You can also call in at Byrom Bar at the Byrom Street site, just incase you're still a little thirsty.
Student Union nights include Club Class, every Wednesday, which is a sports club focused night but everybody is welcome. This coming year (2004/2005) the plan is to give the night a different locational theme each week, eg. American night or Welsh night (presumably...) Saturady night is SODA- a mixture of 70s, 80s and 90s music and all student union nights are COMPLETELY FREE to get in. That last point is a real plus for this uni as a lot of unions do charge entrance of anything up to 5 or 6 quid. Last and perhaps least, you can sing your heart out at Karaoke held at Byrom Street or strut your funky stuff at D.I.S.C.O in IM Marsh. If youre bored of showing off, you can catch a film in The Cooler.
The Pub Crawl is a hugely successful night which is fairly self-explanatory. Its a good way to meet other first years and it can get acceptably rowdy. The Graduation Ball is a large event held in Anfield, but sadly it is the only ball. For something different, try The Great Escape. This is a fantastic idea for an event and is organised by the Union. You can choose from a list of trips ranging from a day at the races to a trip to IKEA..(?!) A great way to stop yourself from slobbing around. Gold Star for Liverpool John Moores for this. Some societies also hold their own social events( I wonder what the Pagan society get up to..) Also, see the sudent union website on www.lsu.livjm.ac.uk, under the tab labelled 'entertainment', for up to date listings of club nights are bar specific events around the campus.
There are numerous societies representing international groups such as Arabic, Irish, Islamic and Jewish. There's even a Pagan society for 'like minded followers of the Pagan faith' which I for one intend to join. There are also more general things like the environment, music and the ever present 'conservative future'. Look out for the plain strange LSU Guild of Gamers. Sports teams are more geared towards recreational rather than competitive action, but there are sport courses taught at the IM Marsh site so things can get a bit more serious for the dedicated.
They've pledged 100
Most of the halls of residence here are excellent. There are 3000 rooms available in 14 different halls and the university has pledged a room 'to any first year student who requires one'. Notice that's requires one, so do be aware that if you already live in or around Liverpool you may not be deemed as suitably needy. It's worth asking/begging. The rooms are adequate in size, close to the city, have good security with guards and some have parking. Just have a look at which block is most convenient for wherever your chosen subject is being taught. You'll need need to fill in a request form and send it back with a whacking £200 - 250 deposit to secure your place! Ouch!
Some of the best places to live are:
Cathedral Campus, which is right next to the beautiful Protestant Cathedral, noisy on Sundays though. It is in the centre of town and near the posh Rodney Street, Liverpools equivalent of Harley Street.
North Western Hall is a massive, beautiful building adjacent to Lime Street Station. Youll feel like a king/queen (whichever you prefer) in this impressive building that used to be a Great Western Hotel.
St Andrews Gardens is a large building shaped like a bullring which is why taxi drivers have originally nicknamed it The Bull Ring. Because of its shape, it's a very sociable place. Therefore, it's no surprise that it can get very noisy at night from students who truly believe that the consumption of ten pints forms a key factor in quality singing.
We've had some bad reports of Victoria Halls - A privately owned halls with bad management (although nice rooms and well situated). The best option might be to stick with University owned halls if you want to have that much larger shoulder to cry on when it all goes horrible wrong...
If youre one of the unlucky few who do not get a place, (look out 2nd/3rd year, mature, postgraduate or local students) you can turn to housing associations that have a deal with the university. Alternatively, you can fall into the open arms of Liverpool Student Homes, the granddaddy of student accommodation. They have an updated web site where you can search for your perfect home and their office is in the city. Beware that as it's the dogs bollocks of student housing, it gets very busy and places come and go in the bat of an eyelid. However, it also means that if your landlord is trying to pull a fast one, you can threaten to get university welfare involved who could wipe them off the list, effectively rendering them penniless. Mmmmm power.
Liverpool is a small city with a huge character. Its also a city with two cathedrals which has managed to turn its run-down docks into trendy hotspots. The Albert Docks is crammed with classy bars, restaurants and shops. To get a taste of the surreal, go to the massive Sunday market set in an old tobacco factory that sells everything. For those with a penchant for the alternative Quiggins is a great place for 70s clothes, hair dye and quirky gifts. For those who have been living on another planet, Liverpool is famed because of the Beatles which is not exactly easy to forget with the Cavern walks, Penny Lane, Strawberry fields, Magical Mystery Tour and every pub under the sun, claiming that the Fab Four drank there. If thats not your cup of tea, then check out the blossoming cultural scene For theatres, you cant go wrong as contemporary and classic meet in the Everyman Theatre, the Empire hosts big productions such as Les Misérables, The Royal Court Theatre stages small productions and rock concerts, or visit the Unity Theatre that sometimes hosts productions from the Universitys drama department. For classical music to classic films, The Philharmonic provides amply.
You can never go hungry in this city as restaurants line the streets. Café culture is now a big thing in Liverpool, try the Hub and marvel at the furniture made out of bicycle parts. The Egg has great food for vegetarians and is very chilled. Go to the Everyman café and pretend youre a theatre critic. South Liverpools Lark Lane is a haven for students and locals seeking out good food and booze. You feel like youve walked back in time as the Victorian houses give the street a village type feel. In Keiths Wine Bar, you can share a glass of red wine with bohemians and chat intellectually. If you just feel like a pint and good Italian food, go to Victorian pub, Marantos. The Albert is a laid back pub, but it can get very busy.
Not forgetting the bars and clubs of course! There is the huge Cream and Garlands for hardened clubbers. Cream hosts a night called Bugged Out which is a funky all-nighter and is slowly getting the reputation it deserves. The range of music is a good all round from Breakbeat to Garage. The bad thing about it is that its only on at the end of the month. These town club nights tend to cost around £15 a ticket at weekends so do be aware that it's not cheap!
Zanzibar hosts a variety of nights and Jazz lovers should stroll down to Heebie Jeebies. The Crazy House and L2 play some real cheese, but with thr ight amount of tongue in cheek attitude. Le bateau is a firm favourite with students.
For bars, hang around Fleet Street. Revolution is a trendy vodka bar, Modos is great for cocktails and the Baabar is great if you want to rub shoulders with actors from Brookside or Hollyoaks, ooh the glitteratti.
On the whole student pubs are easy to find. Try The Pilgrim, The Cambridge and Varsity. To be honest though, everywhere you go you will find students somewhere.
If your studying on campus you'll be alright, with reasonable parking on all of the campus sites. However, it's harder if you're studying at one of the city sites and parking in town can be expensive. Most students try to find accommodation within walking distance, so if you're lucky enough to have a car in the first place, you might find it's easier and cheaper to leave it at home.
There is a Barclays cash machine at the Students' Union and also an HSBC around the corner. Also, all the SU shops (one of which on each campus) offer cash back. As Merseyside is host to three large universities and a number of colleges, it is no surprise that banks are desperately throwing money at you. Try to breathe, restrain yourself from heading to the shops and look around. Most first years grab anything and everything in the first couple of weeks and banks are packed with students who have dollar signs in their eyes.
Although the Students' Union has a lift and an entrance ramp, the corridors are quite narrow. Students with disabilities may be entitled to claim extra allowances for their own needs. There is also a full time Disability Advisor and a part time Disability Rights Officer in the student executive.
There's one shop on each of the main campus sites (Marsh, Byron, Atlantic Point) where you can get hold of some much needed grub as well as some student essentials - pen, paper, fags. One nice feature at John Moores is that, at Hope Street, there's an art shop inside the art building. Now then, where are my crayons...
There are no bookshops on the campus sites but the university website (intranet) has a second hand text book buy and sell which is great for a cheap deal. Blackwells is nearby and is very popular too, especially for those of you who've just got to have a nice new one. Bluecoat Gallery has a good bookshop with very helpful staff and books for literature courses and the city has plenty of good first and second hand bookshops as well.
B2 is the universitys 'fitness Suite' (that means gym) which is quite good. It is situated in the St Nicolas Sport and Leisure Centre which holds aerobic sessions as well as yoga, 'bootcamp', boxercise, Tae Kwon Do etc. at £2.50 a session. Membership of the gym is just £12 per month, which is a BARGAIN, with personnal fitness training available for just £10 a session. Students can also hire the hall for badminton or football.
There is a daily shuttle bus that runs from each campus. On the public buses, it's 80p per journey all around the area - that means never more or less than 80p regardless how far you're travelling. The Metro is available for those who live out of town and if you're very rich you could always get a taxi. Actually, they're surprisingly cheap and if youre lucky, cabbies might give you a lecture on the history of Liverpool.
Sefton Park in Aigburth, is a gorgeous park where people flock to on Bonfire night. There is a Victorian glasshouse called the Palm House. It really is a beautiful building with lots of different trees and birds. There are plans to restore it to its former glory following a recent grant from The National Lottery Fund. Princes Park is a small park on the edge of town which has tennis courts and a large patch of green for people escaping the city for an afternoon. Behind Liverpool Cathedral, there is an old graveyard, which, although it sounds morbid, is quite pretty.
There are three learning resource centres which operate not just as libraries but also house the university's computing facilities. Aldam Robarts is on Mount Pleasant, Avril Robarts is found on Tithebarn Street and I.M.Marsh LRC is on the Barkhill Road. Students seem happy with all these facilities. If you still can't be bothered to go and find the book you need, the 'off-campus support gateway' is a web based service which can be accessed by any student at any time from any internet access computer. As well being able to check what's in stock in the library, you can renew loans, arrange photocopying or request books sent to you in the post... Ahh, the life of loaf.
No one really knows how many computers there are in the various buildings scattered around the city. There is free Internet and email but there's always a bit of queue to use a computer, especially at the end of term when assignments have to be handed in. Realistically, your life will be made much easier if you can get a computer of your own, at least for word-processing. See the libraries section for more information.
Student Information and Advice Centre (SIAC) is a drop-in centre for anyone with any problems. There is a specialised team that can help with most queries, including your rights as a student, money issues, housing issues, entitlements to benefit, childcare, disabilities or taking time out. It's a sort of human embassy in student country. There are doctors and nurses available, but only within limited times. There are also two nurseries, one of which only looks after children aged between 2-5 while the other can also take children from 6weeks old. Places for children under 2 are very restricted. They charge per session at discounted rate.
