Watt: The Does and the Don'ts (Heriot Watt University in general)

Member Name: Manx

Product:	Heriot Watt University in general
Date:	19/04/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good range or courses

Disadvantages: not alot to do after lessons

A massive percentage of first year students at Herriot-Watt are living on the campus. The first year is entirely geared up for these students. I am not simply talking about the Freshers' Fayre. I mean things like the timetable. If you are looking at a fifty-minute bus trip in from Edinburgh (rush hour traffic, of course) then you are also looking at a very early rise if you wish to make the nine o'clock lectures. As most first years are on campus the timetable tends to give the first years these dreaded nine o'clock lectures. If you are a first year and you happen to live off campus - tough.
There is another problem with the campus. It is a lovely campus, it is pretty and clean (not counting the pond of chemical doom) but it is miles and miles away. If you have a part time job then you can find yourself right royally screwed. It is never easy finding the time to do both lectures and work but when you have to factor in hours of travelling time between the two then it becomes a nightmare.

"Your standard of living is too high." - this is what one of my lecturers said to an entire class of students. His comment was that students should not work while they are at university. This man (who I had better not name) told us all that it really was not possible to find the time to study and to work, but that did not matter as no student really needed to work. I was not impressed.
However, I am sure that if you can get over the campus' isolation and you want to pick up a degree in any engineering subject then considering Herriot-Watt is a "Do" for you. Should you find yourself accepting a degree course at Herriot-Watt then you simply have to establish a broad range of on site friends.

Summary: Watt: The Does and the Don'ts