30,681 discussions, 145 guides
Nottingham University
30,681 discussions, 145 guides
Nottingham University
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham
NG7 2RD
1881
URN
University Radio Nottingham is one of the foremost student radio stations in the country and has won a third of the Radio One Student Awards ever! I won't bother to reel off their accomplished DJs, but suffice to say that URN has the world record for the longest non-stop radio broadcast (42 hours) beating the nearest competition (Simon Mayo) by 10 hours. Their DJs have co-presented with Zoe Ball and Steve Lamacq. Listeners will be entertained by a host of shows ranging from band interviews, to Ann Summers toy testing, to being given the opportunity to win prizes - in the past one listener won the privilege of being able to blow up an industrial chimney. URN recruits at Fresher's Fayre and broadcasts on 1602AM, and 97.5FM during two months of the year. Listen to them on [/external/?http://urn.nott.ac.uk/ URN].
Impact
This is the independent Nottingham Union paper, distributed free throughout Nottingham University and city. All your usual sections: News, Arts, Features, Sport, Science, Travel, Films and Music. Has published interviews with Mark Thomas and Steps, and benefits more than most from independence from the Union. Although it is improving it still falls shadow of its illustrious verbal equivalent - University Radion Nottingham. Free monthly in magazine format.
Grapevine - Is a Union publication giving updates on all club and society news, entertainments, welfare and other Union initiatives. The Union also publishes a handbook to give some idea about the way things work at Uni when you arrive. These are both free as well.
His Majesty Sultan Tuanku Ja'afar - ex-King of Malaysia.
Professor Ian Wilmut - Cloned Dolly the Sheep.
Brian Moore - ex-England Rugby Union Player.
Deryck Murray - ex-West Indian wicket keeper.
Lord Hollick - CEO of United News and crony.
Matthew Bannister - CEO of BBC Production.
D.H. Lawrence - writer.
Nottingham is blessed with some great halls of residence bars. Hall parties are often huge piss ups and are extremely well organised. You don't have to be living in a hall to go to it's parties so here are our top picks. Hugh Stuart is the best followed by Lenton. Social activity is probably at it's height during the first week of term. All this is good news as the main union facilities are surprisingly lacking. The Ark is the main focus. It's 1/2 cheesy small Magaluf style club and 1/2 Weatherspoons style pub. One source said you would only go to pull or drink. So it seems then that the hall bars are your best bet for on campus drinking. Most 1st years tend to stick to them. Recently outlawed was the "Campus 14". Doesn't take a lot to figure out what it is and why it was outlawed. This section covers the university's offering and might not seem to match the reputation of Nottingham you may have but just wait until you experience the city itself...
Monday - Kick Off, various sports themed bar games and promotions. Tuesday - Funny Farm, comedians from the Comedy Network. Wednesday - Team Spirit, when everyone pops open the champagne or drowns their sorrow - depending on the outcome of their sporting endeavours earlier in the afternoon. Thursday - Smooth, live music and smooth tunes, board games as well apparently???!!! Friday - Bite Me, just the weekly piss-up really when the whole campus hits the bar. Clubby tunes. Saturday - Horny, work off that hangover from yesterday - and drink more. Cheesy tunes. Sunday - Open Mic, for all the attention seekers to have some in fun embarrassing themselves with the help of a microphone (technical term: embarrassment magnifier), there will probably be more attention on the sports on the big screen.
The Summer Party and the Graduation Ball are the biggest events of the year. There have been sound restrictions problems with the Summer Party though. The Grad ball has been held at The National Ice Arena and is very good. Jools Holland is one noteworthy act to have appeared.
The are about 120 societies in UNU to get involved in which you can join at Fresher's Fair. It is probably fair to say that there is a noble bias towards charitable causes. There is a large range of cultural/international societies, all mainstream (and some obscure) religious and political movements. There are societies to provide a social side to your academic department (Law being one of the largest), you can sing, dance, juggle, eat, drink or just be merry. There's a James Bond Society and a Paintball one too - they don't really come under anything else.
Sportswise: Football is a highly successful club, as is the cross-country club. The Ski Club has 500 members allowing very reasonable discounts on holidays.
Award winning radion station URN Apart from that, Nottingham is one of the top five universities in the country for sport - and their results consistently reflect this.
Subject to deadlines (and having Nottingham as your first choice), guaranteed 100
Lincoln Hall - An attractive building by the general standard of accommodation and right on the downs. Florence Boot Hall - Once a female hall, but now mixed. Has huge rooms and overlooks the lake on one side. Rutland Hall - Mixed hall, next to the sport centre. Residents seem to be very wealthy (or generous) as they raise more money for charity than any other hall (£20,000 last year). Cavendish Hall - Mixed hall with large bar (together with pool table), rumours about the ghost of a monk abound. Willoughby Hall - Nearest hall to Sainsbury's, but that only makes up for the amount of stairs you'll have to climb (with the shopping bags). Good atmosphere though. Cripps Hall - Once an all male hall, it is now mixed, slap bang in the middle of campus - so good for proximity if you have a tendency to oversleep those nine o'clock lectures. L-shaped bar, architecturally impressive. Hugh Stewart Hall - The largest hall on campus. Even if you don't live here, you'll probably be a regular visitor to the excellent parties the students throw, and to the only student run bar in halls. There is also a shop which opens at mealtimes and at last orders (when students eat 50% of their daily food intake). Ancaster Hall - Can these Nottingham students spell? Obviously not, L for lectures will be further away for you here than at most halls and you'll learn to run faster than most in the morning. This is compensated for by the Chip Shop next door. Apparently the campus hopper bus is always full of Ancastrians. Sherwood Hall - Not in the forest. Mixed hall with two courtyards - which have seen some excellent parties. Good reputation and excellent sportswise. Nightingale Hall - Once an all female hall (but now mixed) it is suppose to have the best food on campus and there is even an elevator - so you won't have to strain yourself after a heavy meal. The smallest hall, with a friendly atmosphere and large rooms. Some say its the best hall. Derby Hall - Mixed hall with good sized rooms. Another hall for "access all areas" location, with a lively atmosphere and good food. Lenton and Wortley Hall - Consists of mixed blocks, leading off from a central courtyard. Recent developments mean there are rooms here equipped for deaf students. Lenton is the most popular hall, and both have an excellent social life. Broadgate Park - Self-catering accommodation, slightly off campus, that is subdivided into flats of 6-7. As well as games rooms, TV room, party room, and bar there is also a shop (because you'll be cooking for yourself). Broadgaters tend to become independently minded as a result. Newark and Southwell - These are two new halls on the new Jubilee campus, and are very much like a hotel. All rooms are en-suite, and are very close to the Business School and Computer Science department. The atmosphere is aparently very relaxed. They are big enough to have their own fun so ending up out here is not really a problem.
All rooms are provided with bed linen (a rareity among universities), all halls have a bar, library/quiet room, launderette (you'll be scratching your head at the machines for a few weeks - don't worry!), TV/games rooms and Junior Common Room (JCR). All halls are catered and have dining-halls apart from Broadgate Park. Also for about £50 you can be connected to a phoneline or the internet (tad pricey).
Accommodation at Nottingham is really very good. Some 1st yr students without accommodation end up in Beeston, try and avoid this if at all possible.
Nottingham University is located on the outskirts of Nottingham itself (near Beeston), but the Sutton Bonington Campus (Biological Sciences) is in between Nottingham and Loughborough. The campuses themselves are all very self-contained.
Nottingham, like any city has its no-go areas, but has plenty of shopping, cinemas, theatres and clubs to make up for that. You won't get bored here.
There are enough local restaurants to cater for all tastes, but Unofficial-Guides recommends the following: Mexican - Tequila Chinese - Mayflower Indian - Curry in a Hurry or Mesahib for +£ Italian - Antibo's There are some great cafés around and prices can depend on the time of day so do some homework and save some moolah.
In terms of nightlife Nottingham is arguably the best city in the UK. As a student you are in the best position to take advantage and with the combined population of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent students the town is certainly looking to attract student trade. There are numerous accolades for the city such as "The best bar scene outside London" and "student heaven", but to get a real feel for the city simply talk to the students. Their enthusiasm for life in the city is testament to just how good it is. It would be impossible to give you a run down of everything going on so don't expect miracles but we talked to loads of students from different backgrounds and here's what they reckon for keeping yourself busy:
The Bomb - A club for the musically purist. Small with a big underground following. The Works - Cheesy in music policy and mood, great for a laugh. The Ballroom - Underground scene, dope smoking and people with dogs inside. Double Bubble - Hip Hop and Drum and Bass, some of the country's best upcoming talent on the decks. Town Hall - Often stages all nighters, a big range of music within the dance genre Beetroot - Great for adding to your collection of bullet wounds
Nottingham boasts some great pubs, far too many to mention so just go experiment. The selection does include however the country's oldest pub Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem. You can walk everywhere too and Nottingham is pretty safe as big cities go. It's also pretty attractive. In short it has a great deal going for it so enjoy your time there you lucky lucky slags.
Because of congestion on the Nottingham and Sutton Bonington campuses, students in halls are not allowed cars on campus. This isn't necessarily a problem since everything is walkable and there are cheap taxis. Permits are available for people with disabilities, special cases or good quality blaggers.
Natwest and HSBC banks in the Portland Building and Lloyds and Barclays nearby.
There is an Officer for Disabled Issues who you should contact if you have a query on Nottingham University Ext 14377. There are rooms adapted for wheelchair access and for deaf students. All students with disabilities are granted parking permits for all campuses.
There are four Union Shops selling food, stationery, cards and gifts. The shop on the Jubilee Campus has an off-licence. Newspapers are especially cheap ranging in price from 15p to 20p. In the Portland Building, where the Union is based, there is a Travel Shop and a Print Shop. There is also a shop next to the Broadgate Park self catering accommodation which sells a larger range of foodstuffs. All of the commercial facilities are under development so watch this space.
There is a Blackwells bookshop on campus which should cater for all your academic needs. Library facilities are very good here though and there are even small libraries in some of the Halls of Residence, so you might not have to fork out too much for the expensive texts.
The University Sport Centre is based at University Park, and is comprised of squash and tennis courts, weights room, two large indoor halls, a sports injury clinic, a swimming pool with an adjustable bottom and over twenty football pitches. After registration fee is paid you can use almost all the facilities for 50p (except the pool). There is also a University Sports Shop in the Sports Centre. At Sutton Bonington there is a good range of facilities bearing in mind that only 800 students are based here. These include: a sport hall, squash, tennis and netball courts, a cardio vascular suite and pitches for rugby and football. Nottingham does of course have two universities and there are annual varsity games between the two. Trent Bridge and The City Ground are used and crowds can often top 4000 for these high tension matches. There is no love lost, sporting wise, between Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Unis.
The Union runs free late night minibuses after events that will take you back to your doorstep in safety. Priority is given to women. There are also free shuttle buses which run from the Jubilee and Sutton Bonington Campuses to University Park where the Halls of Accommodation are.
The University is located on the outskirts of Nottingham (near Beeston) and borders the green belt land by the River Trent so the location is quite pleasant for those used to urban living. In any case, most of the Halls of Residence, are located in University Park where all the students lie in sun before exams looking like they're revising. The site is also next to Wollaton Park which is stunning and has a manor house, deer and great open air concerts.
As might be expected at one of the larger universities in the country, there are libraries scattered around the place which serve different academic departments/faculties. The 8 libraries are: The Hallward Library (arts, humanities and social sciences) - bears more than a passing resemblance to The Death Star. The George Green Library (science and engineering) The Greenfield Medical Library The Djanogly Learning Resource Centre (business, computer science and education). These are all open 7 days a week (9am to 9.45pm, weekdays). The James Cameron-Gifford Library (agricultural and food sciences), which opens on Saturday and not Sunday. The Music Library, The Chemistry Library, The School of Nursing Library (Derby) and The School of Nursing Library Mansfield all open weekdays only 9am to 5pm. There are also often some good art exhibitions and national tours on show at Nottingham libraries.
There are computer centres all around campus in the Libraries and academic departments but the main Computer Centre is the Cripps Computer Centre. There is some 24 hour access, but at a university this large it could do with improvement, especially in terms of quantity of machines.
There is a careers service, counselling service (with 9 counsellors), and a health service (with 6 doctors and 2 nurses and someone is always on call) which can carry out minor surgery, various tests and administer emergency contraception. There is a Day Nursery and Play Centre, a Chaplaincy, a
