An self-sufficient university in a great city. (University of Birmingham in general)

Member Name: harveyspeed

Product:	University of Birmingham in general
Date:	23/05/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Services, Sport, Location

Disadvantages: Lack of Computer Resources

The University of Birmingham is situated about 3 miles south of Birmingham City Centre in Edgbaston. It was ranked 25th in The Times Good University Guide 2009.

There is a range of 1st year accomodation. The most popular of these are situated on 'The Vale', which consists of a large lake surrounded by parkland and varying qualities of accomodation itself. After this year most students move into a shared house with friends. Most of the houses chosen by students are located in the Selly Oak are of Birmingham, all normally within a mile of the campus.

The areas surrounding the university are very picturesque, in particular Bournville, which was planned and created by the Cadbury family in the 19th Century. The Cadbury chocolate factory is also located in this area.

The campus itself is set in pleasant surroundings, with a vast amount of lawns, trees and borders. The main university is constructed from red brick, which also looks attractive. Services and ammenities on campus include its very own purpose built train station (the only university to possess one), a range of banks (Lloyds TSB, NatWest and Barclays), Waterstones, Ryman Stationers, A shop selling local produce, a fruit and veg stall, small supermarket, gift shop and post office. In the nearby Selly Oak, there is an Aldi and Sainsburies. The university's guild contains a Subway outlet, a range of student services, a bar (Joe's Bar), and a nightclub.

The university has a fantastic sport structure. There is a team for almost every sport you could imagine and many of these are successful. During my time I have been a member of the Athletics and Cross Country team. We won the BUSA (British Universities Sport Association) Cross Country Championships in 2007 and were 3rd in 2008.

The university has a vast amount of resources available to students, including at least 4 large libraries that I am aware of. My one critisism is there is often a lack of computers in the main library and learning centre, but if you own your own laptop, this would never be an issue.

Summary: Located in a lively city, but in a quiet suburb, the ideal place to learn.