31,003 discussions, 145 guides
University of Leicester
31,003 discussions, 145 guides
University of Leicester
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester LE1 7RH
Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2522
1921
LUSH fm
LUSH fm obtains 2 licences a year for 1 month each. There is no grand theme, music policy extends to 'a bit of everything.' The station is popular among the students but has recently suffered a set back as the Radio Licencing Authority did not award it a new licence. Instead they gave one to local rivals De Montfort University. Although this is a shame the station should be back broadcasting again soon.
Ripple
This is the fortnightly newspaper. Its mandate is essentially student news and entertainment although it has been known to carry longer articles on key issues such as the ever popular tuition fees and stories with student interest. It has its own website. You can take a look at the following address. [/external/?http://www.le.ac.uk/su/ripple/index.html Dedicated newspaper website
LUST
Leicester University Student Television shows films about the university and is available on cable TV locally. It is more of a medium for expression rather than anything else.
LUSIT
LUSIT is the university's internet team. They are essentially responsible for developing web resources around college and take on both commercial and academic projects. They are very keen to recruit new members so if the net is what floats your boat then get involved. Dedicated web pages]
Bob Mortimer - Comedian
Tony Underwood - England rugby player
Sue Cook - TV Presenter
The SU has four main bars. The Redfearn is probably the most important. It has recently had a 0.5 million pound refurbishment and is rather spangly. It's quite pubby in style and plays a range of music. There is a DJ box for functions.
Elements provides the nightclub element to the SU. It is open until 2am for most functions. During the day it is used as a coffee bar and is a good spot to meet and discuss lectures... or not.
The Venue holds other major events and has a decent 1500 person capacity. Both of these are excellent for late nights out.
Oasis is a smaller bar.
The SU also has a deal with a local club called Zanzibar, which holds a student night on Monday night. Its a huge bar and was described as a "great night"...so the guys we asked obviously pulled!
This gives things a bit of variation and should ensure that you don't get bored! There are also university-run bars in halls but they are very simple and are really only there to serve drinks. The range of places to go, combined with the fact that Leicester is not really a campus university, means that it doesn't suffer from the incestuousness that some unis do. If you pull a shocker you might just get away with it here.
The ents programme is subject to change but usually looks something like this:
Mon- Blast, a night run specially for Leicester students at Zanzibar, a local club. There are some top guests and cheap drinks.
Wed- Apocalypse is a dance event held fortnightly in Elements. Reagans and Clintons provide a cocktail of 80s and early 90s tunes and cheap alcohol to make Thursday mornings a thing of the past. This is held in The Venue and Oasis.
Thu- Crisp is a fortnightly music event organised by the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual society. It is also held in Elements, Indigo is a night of Britpop and Indie held in the smaller Oasis venue.
Fri- Mad-for-it provides more of your favourite 70's stuff and is the largest event taking over Elements, The Venue and Oasis.
Sat- Lollypop (cheese) and Locomotion (60's) alternate in Elements. Saturdays are a bit quiet at Leicester, but you can have "All You Can Drink" in Elements for £6.00!
All this makes for a packed social programme at Leicester. This is only an opinion, but we reckon this is one of the best around. Details of all ents and events are available on the SU website. [/external/?http://www.le.ac.uk/su Student Union Website]
The University runs some formal dinners and the SU organises the huge graduation ball but most major social events are organised through hall committees known as JCR's. These are elected bodies within halls of residence coordinated by students' union staff. This structure gives a good level of cohesion to the social aspect of living in halls.
Small bore rifling and change ringing (bell ringing) are two notable ones but among the other more mainstrem highlights are: Leicester university theatre, Street Jazz, Cheerleading, Film Soc, Vikings, Choral Society, Debating, RAG, Fencing, Mountaineering, Circus, Poker, Fancy Dress, Japanese Animation, and Skiing.
Shooting and Jiu Jitsu have been performing well. Don't mess with Leicester students then!
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There are 4 catered halls at Oadby, in Leicester's Botanical Gardens, around 30mins walk from the main teaching area. Another hall, slightly closer to campus, is called Knighton College Hall which was described by one resident as 'not very good', but in more colourful language! These are a mix of 60's blocks and older houses. All rooms are a good size and the surrounding area is stunning.
New apartment style halls have been built within two minutes of the main teaching campus. Not only are these very high quality, they also allow the university to guarantee accommodation for all 3rd/4th year students.
Most of the older halls are single sex. Most students liked Digby and Beaumont the best. All catered rooms have broadband access and as of Sept 2006 so will self-catered rooms.
After the first year the local area is OK for renting. Uni of Leicester students live mostly in Clarendon Park, along Queens Road and Welford Road, and then into Evington and (if you can't help it) Highfields.
The city is friendly and steeped in history but has some dodgy areas. The usual discretion is advised. Going out isn't massively expensive but it will hit your wallet harder than SU bars. The city's strong Indian population is reflected in the number of good curry restaurants. For a cultural day out with bargains on the menu, head for the market, the largest of its kind in Europe.
Parking in halls is free but limited and competition gets stronger by the year. The local area is pretty much a no-no.
There is an HSBC on campus and Natwest cash machine and bank in the union building. The local area has branches of all major banks.
There's a prospectus in braille, a disability coordinator and an Open Access Study Support Centre. All buildings have full disabled access.
A general shop on the main site sells everything (well almost) and prices are comparable to the local area. There is also a travel shop and print shop. Overall, not quite retail heaven, but more a basic needs supply.
There are two university-run bookshops, a main bookshop and a science bookshop as well as a 2nd hand outlet.
A £50 sports user card gives you acces to all the facilities and these are definitely worth the price. Most are at the Oadby halls site although there is a sports hall and fitness club on the main site. There are pitches for all sports and tennis courts galore. Anything else you need can be found in the city.
The Students' Union safety bus service, for £1 per trip, will ferry you from uni to the halls or to your door if you live in private accommodation (or to town for more drinking), right up until 2:15am on the main club nights.
The main teaching site is set in Victoria Park and the main halls are in the Botanical Gardens, so green space is not exactly lacking. Students take full advantage and the university becomes an outdoor lounge fest in the warmer months.
3 libraries are provided for your entertainment, one main and two specialised (Clinical Science and Education). There are over 1100 study places which is plenty.
Computing is a bit of a nightmare in the library, but there are several computer rooms around campus so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding something. Equipment ranges from fairly new to pre-historic, but these are on a rolling update.
Every hall room has access to the internet.
There is a range of counselling and medical facilities to calm even the most anxious of parents. Away from the medical side the university provides excellent facilities post-graduation. There is an excellent student employment centre and a student development officer who will help you turn academic skills into a saleable vocational commodity. Surely Alchemist would be a better title?
