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Duration at BRGS Sixth Form: 2000-2002 |
Previous
school: BRGS Read about Lucy's gap year experience... |
| University
you are at, why you chose this university,
and give one interesting fact about your university: |
|
| I’m
at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University
College (BCUC), I chose it because
it was one of only a couple of universities
in the UK doing my course and also
because I didn’t want to live too close
to home. An interesting fact…there is a band called Hope Of The States that some of you may have heard of, they were doing the same course as me at my university a couple of years ago, until they left to become rock stars! |
|
| Best things about your university city: | |
| High Wycombe isn’t a very interesting town but it’s close to London (40 mins on the train) which is great for shopping, as well as other big towns/cities like Oxford and Reading. | |
| Worst things about your university city: | |
| There is a lot of crime in the area so it’s not particularly safe to be wandering around at night and there’s not a lot to do in town. | |
| Social scene/nightlife in your university city?: | |
| There is one nightclub, Time, but the Student Union is the most popular place for BCUC students to go for a night out. As the university does a music industry course (what I’m studying), a lot of the tutors have industry links, so there are some really good bands that come to play at the union (in the past these have included The Killers, The Bluetones, Gary from The Libertines etc.). There are a few pubs too, Wetherspoon’s etc which have some good drinks offers and are quite friendly. | |
| Popular activities at your university/ in your university city?: | |
| The sports clubs, e.g. Rugby, football, netball etc. are all very popular (not with me though haha!) and the university also has 2 gyms which are quite well equipped. In town there is the Swan Theatre which has a lot of good plays, musicals, and comedy. | |
| How
much on average per week do a) Halls of Residence,
b) Renting a house, cost in your university town/city? |
|
| My Halls of Residence cost about £840 per term which usually adds up to about £60-£70 a week (depending on how many weeks in the term), and I think renting a house is similar, although it depends how many people are living in the house and what area you are living in. | |
| What is the accommodation like in your university town/city? | |
| The university has 3 different halls, but I can say that my halls (Brook Street) are quite basic but a lot of fun to live in, especially if you get a good group of flatmates like I have! | |
| How much on average do you spend on food shopping per week? | |
| Hmm, probably about £25-£30, including my food shopping from Tesco or Morrison’s and other bits like lunch at uni. | |
| What is the course you are studying? - Was it your original choice when applying for university? | |
| I’m studying joint honours BA/ Music Industry Management and Marketing. After a gap year I started studying French and Italian at Cardiff University, but the course wasn’t as good as I thought it would be unfortunately so I dropped out after one semester. I started at BCUC in September 2004 and since then I’ve been having the time of my life! | |
| How many years does your course last? | |
| It’s a 3 year course, with the opportunity to study abroad in the second semester of the second year. | |
| What you enjoy most about your course/ what impresses you about it?: | |
| I like how we study a variety of different modules covering all aspects of the music industry and as the music industry is difficult to get into I feel that we get a head start. Also, all the tutors and lecturers are really friendly and happy to help with any problems you might have. | |
| What you enjoy least about your course, and what could be improved : | |
| I think this is a personal thing, but to me a couple of the modules are really boring, like economics and finance! | |
| How
do you rate the teaching standards on your
course, and do your tutors/lecturers/the university give you the right support for your studies?: |
|
| I sometimes find that the lecturers assume you already know about things which makes it harder for the ones who are beginners in that subject, e.g. music production in the studio, but generally the tutors and lecturers are helpful! | |
| What A Level Grades/UCAS points did you have to achieve to be accepted onto your course? | Why did you choose the particular course you are studying? |
| I
think it was just 2 A Levels as
well as some relevant experience
or reasons for wanting to do the course. |
I’ve always been passionate about music and have wanted to get into the industry for a while, so this sounded like a good course for me. |
| Best thing about being at university: | Worst thing about being at university: |
| Definitely the friends you make and the fun times you have! | If you’re anything like me then you probably won’t have any money, ever! |
| What do you plan to do after you graduate? | |
| I’d like to travel for a bit and then eventually get a job in the industry (not sure what job yet!), either in London or maybe in Europe. | |
| If you were to recommend going to university, what would you say? | |
| Do it! Do it! You’ll make some fab friends and have lovely times, as well as learning stuff which is going to help you get a job you actually want in the future. | |
| Do you get homesick? If so, how do you deal with it? | |
| I don’t really, but it’s easy to keep in touch with friends and family by sending emails, letters and phone calls, and anyway you get really long holidays at university! | |
| Do you think you made the right choice? Or looking back, would you have gone to a different university/started a different course? | |
| I think I’ve made the right choice and I’m very happy here! | |
| What have you achieved whilst being at university? | |
| I’ve learnt how to look after myself and gained some independence, cos you have to do all your washing and cooking, eek! I’ve also learnt a bit and become a more confident person. | |
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