Just back from Plymouth and thought I should update on how the offer holder day went. It was very well organised with plenty of enthusiastic and knowledgeable student ambassadors everywhere. There was a strong international representation in the student ambassadors we came across and in the city in general as we walked around which confounded my prejudices.
The welcome talk by Professor Kevin Jones set the tone for the day: a civic uni; links to industry that enhances student employability; comprehensive student support; lecturers who love research and teaching; a uni moving up the rankings; learning by doing; 95% of grads are in graduate level jobs within a year of leaving Plymouth.
We were impressed by the campus feel and the obvious investment in the faculty buildings. The accommodation at Plymouth seems to be relatively plentiful with no apparent issues in securing 2nd and 3rd year accommodation. We had a look around one and saw the show room. My DS liked the idea of being able to roll out of bed and into a lecture within 5 mins! Most of the Marine Science lectures and tutorials are on campus with occasional intensive project work at the marine station so Marine Science students are not detached from the main campus.
Really interested to hear how flexible the Oceanography degrees are. Everyone covers the core subjects in Y1 with one module more focused on your selected degree but there is the possibility to swap between degrees up to the middle of Y2.
The Marine Station was impressive and we had a look around 2 of the research vessels. The equipment is excellent and industry standard. One of the lecturers confirmed that two high ranking unis use their facilities as their own research vessels are too small and are not available to undergraduates.
All the staff we met were approachable and had a friendly and relaxed manner with the students who were helping on the day.
The city itself had its best face on as the sun was shining. There is a lot of work going on at the moment to refresh the pedestrian areas and attract more retailers and artisan shops to the area. In the evening it was lovely to walk down to the theatre and just hear happy chatter as people were walking around.
My DS has some thinking to do now. Chatting to a few other offer holders on the day, they originally had other unis as their first choice but now were not so sure having seen Plymouth. I would certainly be very happy and proud if my DS decides to firm Plymouth.