31,286 discussions, 145 guides
University of East London
31,286 discussions, 145 guides
University of East London
University of East London
Barking Campus
Longbridge Rd
Dagenham
Essex
RM8 2AS
Tel:+44 (0)20 8223 6231
1992
There is a radio station at the Docklands campus run by the university.
re:fuel
This is a well respected Student Union supported magazine deals with some fairly hefty issues such as global social equality. It recently won the NUS/Mirror Award for Best Low Budget Student Publication. Quite politically engaged, it includes reviews, competitions and local listings for its more apathetic readership.
On a local level, the urban regeneration of Stratford for the 2012 Olympics will undoutedly have great benefits for the university. Internally, major developments in accommodation, lecture theatres and business school facilities should be completed at some point in 2006 and will bring all of East London Uni's facilties together on only two sites: Docklands and Stratford.
Gary Bushell - Sun TV Critic
Mark Frith - Editor of Heat magazine
Jake Chapman - Turner Prize winning artist
Ken Russell - Film Director
The uni is split into three sites, Barking, Stratford and Docklands with Barking playing host to the main Students' Union. This is a two floor affair with a bar downstairs and offices upstairs. During the day students come in to meet friends for a drink or a game of pool, it's all pretty relaxed. There is a bar at each site dUEL 1, 2 and 3 and efforts have been made to ensure that Barking is no longer the exclusively dominant venue.
DJs regularly play at the bars, and the popular Hometime Happy Hours lure students away from external pubs. However, the university's city location and the high proportion of students who come from the local area perhaps disadvantage the Uni based bars somewhat, providing distractions outside of the dUEL domains.
There are a number of weekly music nights based at the dUEL bars. Abomination is a hefty dose of chart cheese for Docklands students held every three weeks. Funky Daze, a mixture of garage, funky house, r n' b and hip hop is a favourite each tuesday at Stratford, and the recently launched Let's Go indie and punk night at Docklands has proved pretty popular so far.
Big functions are held at Easter, Christmas, Diwali and Hallowe'en catering for the diverse student community of Christians, Sikhs and Pagans I guess! Quite a few of the major events, including the annual Valentines Ball take place on party boats on the Thames, which are generally very swanky. The Freshers' Fortnight is typically hectic...
As you might expect with a high proportion of Asian students, the many Asian societies are the strongest and most active. Cultural societies probably attract the largest membership of East London Uni's 43 registered societies. Reels, the film society is also very popular and organises regular screenings which are well attended. The dramatic arts societies pull in some healthy numbers and stage productions each year.
85
The accommodation situation at UEL is pretty varied. At Barking, rooms are serviceable and work on a shared corridor and washroom facilities basis. The Student accommodation in Stratford has been described by several people we talked to as a dump. There are a range of single and shared flats in a student village about half an hour's bus ride away from the main teaching areas. We heard plenty of complaints about the speed of repairs. Docklands is the trump card with all the accommodation on site and small but well-designed rooms in a top notch location.
If you are going into university accommodation, our overall advice would be to check which site you will be have most of your lectures at and then pick halls. The University won't guarantee to house you at the same site you study at. Wherever you end up though some travel between sites is necessary so be prepared. The attitude in halls is relaxed wherever you are and parties are plentiful. This makes a positive change form some of the more anally retentive halls found at other universities!
Before I even talk about this it is important to remember that this is East London. It is often dirty and dangerous. There are plenty of pitfalls for the student in an area with some significant racial and social tensions. With that in mind:
The three campuses span three pretty varied areas. Barking is traditional Essex so if you bring a car be sure to have it fitted with neon lights on the undertray and some form of sizeable spoiler. Stratford is East End London at its purest. Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane are great for students, Hoxton trendies, art, curry, shopping and clubbing. The fact that Stratford is so far East is good from the point of view of money, things are genuinely cheaper than the rest of the capital. Docklands seems to be the sole preserve of the 'city type' nowadays but this is a bit of a myth. There are places to go for students although many will head to the Students' Union at Barking or the West end for evening entertainment.
There is a dry ski slope in nearby Becton that has produced a couple of world-renowned snowboarders but these days it's pretty dilapidated. Still worth a laugh though.
Unfortunately trouble is pretty common, as you might expect in such a racially diverse location. You really do need to take all the advice you are given about areas to avoid.
This is London so don't expect miracles from the local area. There is plenty of tension with locals over the limited parking available. On University sites parking is free, but permit based.
There are ATMs at Barking and Docklands and a reasonable provision in the local area.
The new halls at Docklands are fully accesible for disabled people but the other sites still have adaptations to make. There are library facilities for the sight and hearing impaired, lifts to the Learning Resources Centre and assistance for sufferers of dyslexia. The Students Access Centre at Stratford is a helpful resource for the Uni's 800 disabled students.
The main Barking site has a general SU run shop selling basic groceries, ATM facilties and a separate campus bookshop, there is also a shop at the Docklands site.
There is a branch of Blackwells at the Barking campus. For the more technologically advanced the SU also runs an online book exchange and sale service at www.uelsu.net/main/bookshopswap
The vast majority of sporting facilities are to be found at the Barking site at Goodmayes Park where there are gyms, a squash court, a pool, tennis courts and playing fields. There are also more playing fields located around three miles away in Little Heath. The Docklands site has a decent gym. If you are a keen sportsman then UEL may not be for you. None of the sports played are to national standard.
Transport is a problem at UEL and there is no coherent bus service between sites but, as you might expect, public transport is good if pricey.
This being the centre of the city there's more urban deveploment and decay than green space. However, the Barking site is next to a park and there are grassy areas around halls.
There are libraries at each site with the main one being based at Stratford and open 24 hours daily throughout the week during term. Provision is adequate, with a collection of 60,000 books and journals, although some social science students complain as their books are split between the sites.
Computing facilities are housed in the campus libraries and the reading room at Docklands. They are generally renewed every year, which definitely distinguishes East London from the majority of British universities!
Welfare provision is good with a particular focus on race relations and women's welfare. There are medical facilities at Barking and Stratford, but rather interestingly, neither the university nor the union has any professional counsellors.
