Loughborough. What’s it like

[cod]

A. It’s in the middle of nowhere
B. Is it all preening sports folk with attitudes? Son is very gifted sportsman but very modest, can’t stand preening.
C. Any other info.

The course looks ideal. Just worried by Loughborough

[mumsiedarlingrevolta]

Not exactly in-depth knowledge but DS has a few friends in their second year there-they are lovely and seem very happy-

Both girls very sporty and compete for Uni but very down to earth...

What sport does he do?

[Novia]

I went to Loughborough and did a humanities subject. It is by no means solely for sports people. It also has great engineering and theatre programmes. It's a truly brilliant university, and is top of the league for overall student experience (socialising and sports as well as just education). They have a very strong RAG (charity) focus and also Community Action programmes.

If you want to play sport but are not in the elite there are still loads of options through the Hall sports programme and this is very social.

As it's a bit out of the way there is a strong Hall system and most freshers stay on campus (I was on campus all 3 years). There isn't really any need to go into town except for more socialising as all you need is on campus.

It has excellent facilities throughout and many halls are newly refurbished. I got an excellent education and also spent the best 4 years of my life there (3 at University and my final year on the executive committee of the student union). I can't praise it highly enough.

[Novia]

As mentioned above - the elite athletes are incredibly driven. Years ago our unofficial motto was "if you can't win, don't play!" Though you don't HAVE to be elite to play and enjoy sport there. I played everything going for the hall - from hockey to rugby to darts! And we didn't get grief or pressure. I also partly got my place as I played rugby to a decent level before I went - but seeing the size of the Uni ladies team, I took a pass on the formal team and played the lower level stuff instead! 😂

[cod]

Thanks novia. Is nearest town Nottingham?

[cod]

(Yy he is elite. Hoping to be pro)

[cod]

Down to earth sounds good mumsie

[Novia]

Nearest town in Loughbough which is small but nice - decent shops and a cinema. Nearest big city is Leicester. Nottingham next along.

[ModreB]

DS1 went there, did a Humanities subject and is also a very talented sportsman, at elite level when he was a teen, but chose not to pursue that course of study. He loved it, the support was 2nd to none, the standard of teaching was excellent, and it's a nice town. Accommodation was excellent, lots of choice when he came out of Halls into a shared house. He is now in a great job and doing very well.

DS2 is at Birmingham Uni, again an excellent Uni, but Loughborough was so much of a nicer atmosphere.

[cod]

Oh that’s interesting! I went to Birmingham and loved it. That was twenty million years ago though.

[Kez100]

Godson went there. Was a good local sportsman but most were well above his ability. Didn't matter to him. He made great mates with shared interests - even if he was in the lower teams! He did a four year sandwich and is now working full time in the place he did his placement.

He only just got in with his grades and found the course tough and final year even tougher (having worked for a year at a place he loved) but he scored a 2:2 and gained a job and made loads of new mates. Tiz what it's all about!

[mrsreynolds]

Oooooh....
Had some great nights out round Loughborough with the phys ed guys back in the day
(Wistful sigh)
😁😍😎
Sorry...thats prob not helpful 🤔

[cod]

Lol

[Chienrouge]

I live close to Loughborough. The nearest town is... Loughborough! Nearest cities are Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. All easy to get to.
I know a lot of Loughborough students. Very serious athletes, no preening as far as I know.

[Bobbybobbins]

Lots of my friends and colleagues went there an loved it. We often take our sixth form students to events there and they all really like it and plenty of ours go there, especially for engineering.

[DereksGotATail]

Dd currently studying at Loughborough. It suits her down to the ground as it's got a village type set up with everything you need on campus. Somewhere more lively like Manchester or Leeds wouldn't have suited her.
She is going a sports course but her friends are doing non sports courses.
She's not mentioned any preening.

[cod]

Lol at mentioning preening. Thank you everyone

[lljkk]

Loughborough is not middle of nowhere; it's actually amazing convenient for getting almost everywhere else in England.

Lived there 6 yrs. Town a bit of a dump but campus is ok & many neighbourhoods are benign. Charnwood Forest is lovely. Gang of us females used to ogle the beautiful lads jogging around campus every evening. Huge range of type of people, most not preeners.

[senua]

Yy he is elite. Hoping to be pro

Aren't they all?
Friend of a friend had a DS there a few years ago: he thought that he was with the elites (County level when at school) but only scraped into the fourths team at Loughborough.

[cod]

He’s a leetle bit beyond county level. But thanks for your encouragement.

[cod]

(This irrelevant as his training would be elsewhere. It’s the course that’s the lure)

[Chienrouge]

So if he’s an elite athlete, who has found a suitable course a tough Loughborough, and doesn’t like preening, why does he (you?) think that the other elite athletes, who have found a suitable course at Loughborough will be so different to him?

[cod]

I dunno. Good q

[LoniceraJaponica]

"It isn’t nice or kind to “Can’t Stand” People you basically know nothing about. Fair enough to think “not my sort” but sticking the boot in like that is a very bad habit."

I agree, but I can understand where the OP is coming from if her experience of "PE types" is anything like the PE students at DD's school.

Unfortunately they think they are better than everyone else because they are good at sport. Even the PE teachers are like this. Students throughout the school always describe them as "the set 1 PE people" in a derogatory manner because that is how they treat everyone else.

[numbereightyone]

He would be in the right place if he is so serious about his sport. However a lot of seriously good young sportspeople are opting to do US degrees these days. I appreciate this may not be an option for everybody.