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Course review
Review by: Katie P
University: The University of Nottingham
Course: Sociology
Year of study: 1st
Level of Study: Undergraduate
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The course in general
How many contact hours do you have in the average week?
8
Ideally, what 3/4 subjects would you recommend doing in order to be in the best position for your course?
There are no specific subjects that need to be studied in order to study Sociology at degree level, however studying at least one essay based subject would be extremely helpful. Sociology requires a great amount of independant learning and reading outside
Why did you decide to study your degree programme?
I had studied the subject at GCSE and had always been interested in the social sciences due to its in depth analysis and observations of society and the relationships happening within it, i.e. class, the economy, religion, culture etc.
I was interested in discovering where societal structures originated from (with ideas such as patriarchy) and why these structures exist.
Explain the things you wish you'd known about your degree before you applied:
I wish I had known the content of the degree at my university as the contrast in the content of Sociology degrees is extremely vast depending on which university you go to, as with the flexibility of the course.
Describing your average day
Explain how your day is made up. For example, do you have labs/seminars/tutorials/lectures?
A typical day as a Sociology student would involve lectures, time spent reading and researching in the library, seminars and possibly a tutorial. As Sociology is not a hard science, there are no labs.
How much extra work/reading are you required to do out of lectures?
As the amount of contact hours are low in a Sociology degree, you are expected to do a lot of outside reading. The essential reading lists are particularly long, as are the recommended reading lists - which although are not compulsory, they are in fact essential if you want to acquire a good mark in essays, seminars and exams.
The best and worst parts of the course
What do you like best about your degree programme?
I do not like much about the degree program unfortunately, although the culture in contemporary society units were extremely interesting along with the theories about ethnicity and culture and the sexualisation of war.
What do you like least about your degree programme?
I found that the topics I wanted to study within my degree were not being covered and when they were, it was in extremely little detail and by very uninspiring lecturers. I subsequently left the degree program at the end of the year. However it must be noted that Sociology is a subject that is taught very differently depending on the university so it is essential to research into the topics you will be learning about before choosing where to study the subject.
I must also add that the programme for the second year of the degree would have appealed to me far more, had I have stayed.
Academics and course content
What do you think of your university's academics and facilities?
The university has brilliant facilities and a fantastic library stocked with all the books you will need for your learning.
Explain how you expected your course to be and how it compares to how it actually is. Give an outline of the content of the course.
The content of the first year sociology degree consists of a research methods module in which you learn how to use SPSS (a computer program used for academic research in the social science) and a statistics module. The other modules will introduce you to ideas such as eugenics, risk society, culture, ethnicity and sexuality as well as key sociological thinkers such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Adorno.
The teaching methods used in the Sociology degree are one/two lectures a week for each module with a fortnightly seminar for each module. There is also a weekly tutorial.
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Other reviews for Sociology
Janey H, 1st Year doing Sociology at University of Bristol
Katie T, 1st Year doing Sociology at The University of Sheffield Emma B, 1st Year doing Criminology and Sociology at University of Brighton
Georgie J, 2nd Year doing Politics and Sociology at The University of Edinburgh Jennifer S, 1st Year doing Sociology at The University of Birmingham Fergus P, 2nd Year doing Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University
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University review
Review by: Katie P
University: The University of Nottingham
Course: Sociology
Year of study: 1st
Level of Study: Undergraduate
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Describing your university
Sum up your university in one paragraph:
My university is one of the best in the country. It is a member of the Russell Group and Universities 21 and consistently features in the top 20 in the university league tables. The graduate prospects at Nottingham are among the highest with companies constantly holding graduate fairs or generally appearing on campus to attract students. The university is one of the biggest in the country and the city in which it dwells - Nottingham - is the 4th biggest student city in the country, therefore the social scene is AMAZING!
What is the academic life like at your university?
They are fine.
Describe your Freshers' Week - was it as you expected, better or worse? Why?
Freshers Week was extremely well organised at the university with events running in both the day and night time. The parties were extremely well thought out and things were seriously wild! That said, Freshers week was not the best week of my life so do not be daunted or feel inadequate if it did not live up to your expectations.
What is the best and worst thing about your university?
The best thing about my university is the sheer amount of things on offer at the students union and in the city of Nottingham. The worst things about my university are the fact that the university can be very heartless and treat its students like statistics rather than people. The university can also be unnecessarily rigid and harsh in academic procedures. The university also lacks the diversity in people that I would have hoped for.
Sport and extra curricular
What are the sport and other activities on offer like at your university?
The University of Nottingham is extremely keen on sports, with every sport imaginable being on offer from Rugby to Cricket, Football to Hockey - even Dodgeball is on offer. Therefore if you are truly keen on sports you can be assured that there is more than enough on offer. The gym facilities are good if not a little pricey and the indoor swimming pool is Olympic sized.
The social scene
What is the social scene (and/or nightlife) like at your university? Is it particularly alcohol orientated?
The social scene at my university is huge, especially with the way the university is structured. The majority of people tend to party with the people in their halls although you do branch out to the people on your degree once in the club. The routine tends to be a big prelash in your halls with your friends and then onto the club of choice. The city of Nottingham has a lot of clubs to offer with loads of cool cocktail places with promotions. As alcohol isn't too expensive in Nottingham and the sheer amount of students in the city, the social scene is extremely alcohol orientated.
What do you think of the city your university is based in or near (as a city)?
Nottingham is a great city; not too big or small, with plenty of lovely bars and restaurants as well as a huge variety of clubs - thus, there is truly something on offer for everyone. The majority of clubs in Nottingham close at 3/4am with some closing at 6am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Accommodation
Do you live in a halls of residence or a student house (or college)? What would you suggest is best in your opinion?
I currently live in a student house but previously lived in halls of residence. I think it is best to live in halls first to get a full university experience and then move on to a student house from your second year onwards.
The other benefit of living in halls during first year is that you meet more people and will find it easier to find people to live in a student house with.
If you are in a hall or college, is it catered or self catered? Which is better for the first year in your opinion and why?
Catered halls are useful if you are daunted by the idea of cooking for yourself. It is also useful if you desire the social atmosphere of sitting down to dinner in a large dining room with long tables and plenty of faces. However if you are an extremely fussy eater, be prepared to find that many of your dinners will go uneaten as the food is not the best.
Approximately, what is the average cost of accommodation per week in your first year for catered and non-catered halls/colleges?
About £120-130 per week for catered halls. The halls of residence at the university are very expensive with catered halls actually working out to be cheaper than the majority of self catered accommodation, however the contract of weeks is shorter.
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