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Course review
Review by: Harry S
University: The University of Nottingham
Course: Economics
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?
10-14
Ideally, what 3/4 subjects would you recommend doing in order to be in the best position for your course?
Economics (self explanatory); Maths because we have a compulsory module of Maths that is fairly simple if you have already done AS or A level but students with GCSE level struggled to keep up.
Why did you decide to study your degree programme?
I decided to study Economics because it was the best fit for my A level choices and the course at nottingham can either be a BA or BSc depending on how many maths modules you choose which is not offered at many other universities. Nottingham gives a well rounded degree that I feel I will enable me to be valuable to employers after graduating. The university academic system is run using credits. Every year you have 120 credits which you can split between your department and other departments. You can use credits to learn a language from scratch, alongside your normal degree programme, and they offer a wide choice, including Chinese, Spanish, Greek and Italian. Non language modules can pretty much be anything you can think of, which means that you can tailor your degree programme to be exactly what you want it to be.
Explain the things you wish you'd known about your degree before you applied:
If you are hoping to continue a language as part of your course then it is an awful lot of work, especially if you didn't do as much work in your A-levels as you should have done. As I had not worked particularly hard at 6th form, I have found that I am very busy learning everything that I need to for my course. It is very satisfying however and if you are considering learning a language from scratch (I am doing Russian), it is not quite as hard as you would imagine. They are very good at easing you in to it.
Describing your average day
Explain how your day is made up. For example, do you have labs/seminars/tutorials/lectures?
The day is made from a combination of lectures and seminars. Per week there are two/three lectures per subject (5 subjects) and a seminar for each module, however for the Maths modules there is only a fortnightly seminar.
How much extra work/reading are you required to do out of lectures?
Every week we are given a small amount of required reading and a larger amount of optional reading. Obviously the more you do the better but one can get by with not doing much extra reading. There is a fair amount of written work to be done out of lectures but it is fairly basic and there is help for any students that are having problems. For Micro and Macro we have to hand in work every week and for maths modules fortnightly.
The best and worst parts of the course
What do you like best about your degree programme?
If you do a BA instead of BSc you can avoid MOST (but not all) of the Maths modules. The course is very flexible and students can pick and choose the modules they would prefer to do and there are a large number of options.
What do you like least about your degree programme?
I enjoy everything about economics at Nottingham.
Academics and course content
What do you think of your university's academics and facilities?
I have found the teaching to be superb and they are always most happy to help you if you have any problems. The modern language office is also very helpful, although it seems to be shut at some odd times during the day so if you're doing languages it's always worth checking before you make a trip there specially.
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.
All students have to do Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. If you do a BA instead of BSc then you can avoid MOST (but not all) of the maths modules. There are also many optional units to pick from eg Accounting etc.
We are all taught in large lectures where the teaching is a very high standard. Work is set in these lectures and then discussed in seminars (10-20 people). There are 3 scheduled tutorials (one-to-one meetings) a year with your personal tutor and more can be arranged if needed. Lectures are generally small apart from a few first year modules where lots of students from other departments take subsids.
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Other reviews for Economics
Antonia P, 1st Year doing Economics at University of Bristol
Jamie D, 3rd Year doing Economics at University of St Andrews Archie F, 1st Year doing Economics at Loughborough University Chris E, 2nd Year doing Economics at University of Cambridge Jonty P, 2nd Year doing Economics with International Relations at University of Exeter Terry K, 2nd Year doing Economics at University of Surrey Shelley C, 1st Year doing Business Economics at Nottingham Trent University Henny G, 3rd Year doing Economics and Social Studies (Politics) at University of Manchester George M, 3rd Year doing Economics at University of Surrey Ed D, 1st Year doing Economics and Social Studies (Politics) at University College London, University of London Jane P, 1st Year doing Economics at The University of Birmingham
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University review
Review by: Harry S
University: The University of Nottingham
Course: Economics
Year of study: 1st
Level of Study: Undergraduate
Visit the The University of Nottingham forum and see what people are discussing right now!
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Describing your university
Sum up your university in one paragraph:
I cannot recommend Nottingham highly enough. Although my course has not entirely fulfilled my wishes, the experience I have had has far outweighed that. Come and visit us and I'm sure like me, you'll decide it's a great place to spend an amazing few years.
What is the academic life like at your university?
The academics life is really good at Nottingham. There are many societies that you can join. As far as societies go there is anything you can think of there. There are many societies connected to nationalities, like Malaysian, or PolSoc. There are also sports clubs, eg; athletics,Caving,Mountaineering,Dancing,football and many many others. We also have a 1st aid society and many other random societies,eg; WIne and Cheese tasting society, Flair soc, Pirate soc and many many others. There are also faith societies like JSoc or CathSOc or Christian Union I am a membember of CathSoc and 1st aid society, I used to do Ballroom and Latin dancing.
Describe your Freshers' Week - was it as you expected, better or worse? Why?
Freshers week was amazing! There are plenty of events that go on, including a comedy night at the university. Every hall also has a very small bar, where the drinks are very cheap. There are plenty of clubs in town, and most people seem to like them. Each hall organises different fancy dress nights that start at the hall bar and all end up at the same club. It was better than I expected because I met so many great people and had an amazing week!
Are there any other notes you would like to add about life in general at university or anything else which would be relevant to a prospective student?
The University of Nottingham has good facilities. The libraries are well-stocked and I find the opening hours sufficient for when I actually get round to writing that essay! The sports facilities are also excellent with a good sports centre, swimming pool and fitness centre. If, like me, you prefer doing something a little more artistic in the way of exercise or leisure, there is a good range of societies and clubs to fill your spare time, from Russian Soc and Cocsoc (the cocktail society) to dance and music.
I would however, really recommend going on an open day - in the way that I knew Nottingham was the place I wanted to go when I first saw it, you may immediately know that it is not for you.
What is the best and worst thing about your university?
I chose Nottingham primarily because of its beautiful campus. Having decided on the course I wanted to do at Birmingham, I visited Nottingham for an open day. I was told that Nottingham was one of the most impressive campuses in the UK but I didnt expect this to sway my decision. However, having looked around I loved it and completely switched my plans!
Nottingham campus is impressive. The Lake is wonderful in the summer and it frames the majestic Trent building.
Sport and extra curricular
What are the sport and other activities on offer like at your university?
The sport facilities are second to none. The gym is huge and has all possibly machines and although I am not in any sports teams, my friends who are all say the facilities are amazing. If you are into sport I would really recommend Nottingham Uni.
The social scene
What is the social scene (and/or nightlife) like at your university? Is it particularly alcohol orientated?
The Campus bar is a bit of a let down because it's just too small. Cosy I guess and it does have a good atmosphere but then you'll probably use it most in the first year before you venture off campus. After that, Nottingham will provide you with a range of clubs and bars for all sorts of tastes. I recommend Snug and the Bomb if you appreciate somthing a little less cheesy and a little more authentic in terms of a night life experience. Having said that,there is also plenty of cheese in Ocean. There are also some good rock and indie venues for those who like it a bit more hardcore. The jazz, soul, funk, RnB type vibes are distinctly lacking (except the Bomb) which I think is the best club in Nottingham.
What do you think of the city your university is based in or near (as a city)?
The city is busy every night. Despite it's reputation for violence etc, it's really not that bad, just common sense needed really. Uni bar is particularly good on Fridays, and nice to drop in for lunch in the week. Local student areas have some traditional pubs and some student clubs and host quizzes, open-mics and other events if you don't wish to go to town. There is most probably something to suit what you need.
Accommodation
Do you live in a halls of residence or a student house (or college)? What would you suggest is best in your opinion?
Accommodation wise, the first year will be spent in one of 14 halls if you're on University park. The standard of accommodation is really very good. If you want en-suite, you can probably get it. Halls also all have their own bars and some are very attractive buidings as well. (IE Cripps, the old bit of Hu-stu and Lenton House). The downside is that all halls are fully catered and the food isn't great. Although it's all part of the experience. If you want self-catering you can live in University owned Broadgate Park, just outside campus. However, I wouldn't recommend it. It makes social bonding tricky and most people will have a hall community which you won't. Also Broadgate tends to be full of foreign students. You won't have the same experience there and for a year of good food it's not worth it. Once off campus, housing is as good as you can be bothered to find. If you shop around you'll get a good deal. Most people live in Lenton, which is a great student area but inevitably crime-ridden. Also, there are some dodgy landlords about, so be vigilant.
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?
All halls are catered unless you live in the University owned Broadgate Park which I would not recommend (see above).
Approximately, what is the average cost of accommodation per week in your first year for catered and non-catered halls/colleges?
About £110 pw catered.
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