Liverpool: Capital of Culture (*snort*) (University of Liverpool in general)

Member Name: jojoegypt2008

Product:	University of Liverpool in general
Date:	26/01/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good range of courses, well respected institution

Disadvantages: The university administration: all that the Public Sector should not be

I've been various kinds of student at the University of Liverpool since 2001 - undergraduate (aka "miss lazy-pants"), masters student (aka "have used up all my words now, no more speaking"), and now a PhD student; this review will cover all the areas in which I've had experience.

As a first-year at Liverpool, you are usually housed in Halls - there are two main sites, called Greenbank and Carnatic, both of which offer catered accomodation (breakfast and dinner, with optional lunches). There are a few places for first years in the self-catered halls on the campus, but these are mainly reserved for postgrads.

Each of the two main Halls locations is on the 699 bus route, which is a dedicated service for the University, travelling from Halls (in Allerton) into the campus day and night. You can walk to the campus from Halls, but it's a long way!

The Halls' location is pretty good, near to the amenities of Allerton, which is a nice suburb of Liverpool, and not far from the infamous Smithdown Road "Student Ghetto". There are supermarkets, pubs, a cinema, and parks within easy reach of Halls.

However (you knew there had to be a downside, didn't you?) the accommodation (at least in my day) was incredibly expensive, because of the catering that was included, and that I almost never ate: breakfast was 8-9 (too early, too greasy, too busy), and dinner was 5.30-6.30 (too early, too greasy, too disgusting for words usually). I ended up catering for myself, whilst paying for food I never ate; there is no opt-out option. My single room wasn't too bad, although the rumours circulate every year that various blocks are due for demolishment (Lady Mountford, my hall, would have benefitted hugely from a wrecking ball) or condemned as unfit for human habitation! I think that's a little unfair; the rooms and blocks were basically sound, but a little dated.

Each site has it's own bar, which is a fun way to meet people and enjoy a cheap night out (in?)

As a second and third year, I lived in a shared house in Kensington ("Kenny") - no, not *that* Kensington. If I tell you that my rent was £28 a week (and this is 2002, not 1902), you should get an idea of the sheer joy of Kensington. It has an Aldi AND a Lidl!

Overall, I enjoyed my undergraduate experience: the Uni feels like it's set up to help you out, there are loads of useful services, like the accommodation one, which advertises houses and flats to let, the counselling service, the on-campus Health Centre, the jobs and careers service etc. The Guild is fine (not my sort of thing so much) - does good student nights, cheap beer, pool, and various activities.

The City is...well, it's unique. Not for one moment did I think that Scousers actually wore tracksuits (excuse me, I mean "trackies"), with box-fresh white trainers ("trainies") and argyll socks pulled up over the legs of the tracksuit-bottoms. Not until I saw three of them, on my first day. After that I didn't see much else, because I was temporarily blinded by the sun-bed tan of their girlfriends, which had a nuclear force to rival Hiroshima.
It's a very characterful city, it's cheap and cheerful, and often hard work to enjoy, but there's a lot going on, and it's an experience you'll always be able to talk about. Unless the therapy doesn't go so well.

As a postgrad, I've enjoyed Liverpool in a very different way: I've come to appreciate the teaching staff far more, loved my subject and made better friends... and realised that post-grads get something of a raw deal in some ways. All those services that exist for undergraduates? Well, prepare to find yourself out in the cold a lot more. Some services are available to all, such as the Health Centre, and jobs and careers. The Guild is still accessible, although its allure starts to wane a little as you realise the vodka they sell may well be tractor fuel in disguise...

No, it's mainly the services from the administration that start to loom large (in a scary, monster way) when you get beyond undergrad level. The fact that your funding (if you have some), is paid by the University at their convenience ("we can only make payments on Wednesdays"), despite the fact YOU slaved your behind off to get it. The fact that if you get paid for teaching work, you get paid at the end of a term, often three months after you did the work. The fact that they send you a fees invoice, EVEN if your fees have been paid ("please ignore this invoice if youhave paid your fees" !!!), the fact the alumnus service doesn't know you're still at Liverpool, and sends you regular questionnaires asking your whereabouts (although, I've found if you send these back with "still here, numpty-brain" scrawled across it, they stop sending them...).
All in all, the central administration of the University seems to creak along like a Leviathan, swathed in bureaucracy (did you know that EVERY committee - and there are a LOT - happens at three different levels: departmental, faculty and University Board?), and rather irritating. For example: the main arts library was recently refurbished, at huge cost. The main outcome of this? Most of the books are still in the same place (apart from the ones they lost in moving things around), and there is a lot more space for the new sofas they bought for the 'reference' section (as of Dec when I last visited, still empty of books). What a colossal waste of time and creation of pointless annoyance to all.

As postgrad, I've felt more as if I am a member of a team (my dept), and felt a lot more as if I belonged to an academic community there; whilst at the same time experiencing moments of almost sublime rage at the incompetence of the wider University systems.

I'd recommend Liverpool, but I'd recommend you go into it with your eyes wide open.

Summary: Lather, rinse, repeat as required.