Leicester Uni - are your DCs enjoying?

[Extrahotchilli]

DC likes the MFL/biz course (as can study two languages with business one-third of course rather than 50/50). What is leics like as a uni though?

I went many moons ago and really enjoyed it. Not expensive but well linked by train and buses to other parts of the country.

DD went recently to an open day and she loves how they’ve updated the campus and accommodation. She isn’t likely to put it down only as she hit her dream offer of Cambridge and had a toss up between York and Leicester as her insurance but is likely to choose York more as she likes a combination of the course and town more.

Leicester has some courses it is well known for including Space science.

it is also well known for having degrees with a high amount of flexibility/modules which almost feels like a tailored course. This sounds like it might be a reason it could be a good fit for a dual/multi honours degree in particular and so why your DC is feeling attracted to the course.

Thanks @PettsWoodParadise and congrats to your daughter on Cambridge. My eldest is there as a fresher and loving it (although it is v intense).
Regarding accommodation, do most freshers live in the village or the city do you know?

My younger DD is in her 3rd year there. She applied to Cambridge but was unsuccessful after interview there. Leicester made her an amazing offer and, with hindsight, it was the better place for her. She had the opportunity to spend a year abroad on a cultural exchange. It had always been her dream to spend time in Japan and despite Japan not opening up after Covid until 7 months into the year, she had a fantastic time.

We visited the city during the Easter holidays before she started to look at accommodation. We went to the Student Village at Oadby. There is a variety of types and styles of accommodation there and we were given a guided tour. It takes around 45 minutes to walk to the main campus from there, but there are frequent buses. DD generally walked in unless it was freezing or raining heavily. Most freshers seem to live in Oadby rather than the city. The city accommodation tends to be private halls and they are more expensive than the uni ones. In general it is not an expensive place to live and I have enjoyed spending time there. People seem to be really friendly and there are some excellent inexpensive places to eat. HTH and feel free to PM me.

Dd graduated from there last summer in English. It was on a clearing place but was a better place for her than her first choice of Warwick. Bit more relaxed and other students weren't hyper "I'm so amazing and have done all the reading" but more "crikey the essay is due on Monday" which made her feel better. The pastoral support from her tutor was ace too. Bc clearing she had no accommodation choice but her hall was nice and not too £££. Yy in the studebt village - she always got the bus in. Her experience was very disrupted by Covid but she had a v cheap house nearer town in her second year. Her degree was very flexible and she was able to do 2nd and 3rd Yr modules with no exams which suited her.

It's a great uni but do stay in Oadby Student Village as a fresher!

My son is in his first year there (clearing place but like previous poster says I think a smaller less competitive environment has been the making of him).
He’s very happy, loves his course and likes Leicester too - it’s a really nice city and often overlooked I think - it’s really pretty.
He lives in the Village now but is going into halls on campus with his mates next year, prices are reasonable too

I am so sorry for not checking in on updates to my thread for several weeks. I very much appreciate the replies and it is great to hear the positive vibes about Leicester.

@malbecfan your DD must have loved Japan I am very jealous!

@clary glad your DD had a great uni experience and you must have been particularly proud when she graduated!

@reviserevise not sure what the village is but we haven’t even started looking into accommodation yet…

Any further thoughts or tips very much appreciated!

@Monstermunchy sorry for late reply. Great to hear your son is happy at Leicester. It is going to to be one of DCs five choices I think

If I can help with any other info at any point, just say 😊

I am a graduate of Leicester. First generation Uni attender. Held me in VERY good stead. Proud to be a graduate. Turned down other places like Exeter due to travel costs. Worked alongside Oxford and Cambridge graduates in my career. DD current Oxbridge holder. It all evens out

Congrats to your DD @PettsWoodParadise and all best for her A levels (assuming she isn’t on a gap year). What an achievement! Leicester looks great for my DC - who wouldn’t cope well at a top/pressurised RG

Thank you, but you make the main point, it is about best fit, good luck to your DC.

@Malbecfan Japan sounds incredible - ds is hoping to do a placement year not sure if that’ll be here or abroad.
He’s currently in Devon on a field trip - he goes to Spain next year and Colombian Amazon in year 3 (4 if he’s done a placement) so that might be enough travel for him!

@Extrahotchilli the Village is the student village at Oadby where most of the 1st years live. It's very nice and there are various different options - catered/self-catering, en suite, shared bathrooms etc etc.

I went to Leicester and so did my mum! I really wanted dd to go there too (not least because she’d get a second/third generation scholarship) but she ended up at Nottingham. Leicester is a lovely laid back unpretentious place - it felt quite different (at the open day) to the very white middle class vibe of some of the RG unis.

yes yes @crazycrofter - if you walk down University Road in term time, as I occasionally had cause to do with DD, you'll see by a massive majority non-white faces. DD really appreciated this and it was also reflected in the eng lit curriculum she felt.