Edinburgh Napier?

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DD has an offer to go to Edinburgh Napier this year. Does anyone have experience of the university? What is it like? Is it a supportive environment?

What course?

Film.

But I’m also interested in the university overall.

It's quite far out of the city centre. Personally I wouldn't want to go there. It still holds onto the reputation of being a poly tech / college turned uni. Probably due to being in the shadows if UofE. There's quite a bit of snobbery in Edinburgh about Napier students - probably unfairly so, but it depends if that would bother your DD.

@TartanMammy many thanks and that doesn’t surprise me. DD was underwhelmed by the Merchiston campus. However, it is one of only two that she could apply for as they’re the only options to take the kind of film degree that she wants in Scotland. It would be a different situation if she was also applying to English universities.

Napier ranks very highly for student satisfaction and for employability. It particularly ranks highly for Film. Snobbery is all very well, and very Edinburgh, but if your DD wants to do film in Scotland then by all accounts Napier is the place to be. That might not be true for other subjects, of course.

Neither Merchiston or Criaglockhart campuses are very far out of town and both are easy to get to with plenty of student accommodation nearby.

Yes, it’s not very “dreamy spires” but it is a good vocational university. I know some people who have worked in the design department (not there now). I think if you want to learn a skill for a specific career it’s a great option.

Oh and if it’s a screen academy Scotland course then there literally is nowhere better.

Napier is exceptional for film, which is why I asked. The ex poly stuff is slly. Not sure Scotland ever even had polys. Napier was the training ground for journalists decades ago and maintains this reputation for media.

I have an ex student at Napier . She is thriving.

Edinburgh and Napier Student Associations are in partnership so share resources/clubs so there is a fair bit of mixing of students across the city (and lots of young travellers from across the world). Great city to study in. School friends of my DC who have gone to Napier have had good outcomes. Didn't Lorraine Kelly's daughter go there? I'd imagine with family wealth/contacts she'd have had lots of choices but picked Napier.

One of my friends is a much lauded film maker and lives in Edinburgh. He sometimes does guest lecturing at Napier and really rates the film department. If that's what she wants to do then I think it would be a good choice. It's not a beautiful ancient uni but it will get her the qualification she needs.

My nephew went to Napier, he's very academically able, he liked the look of the course. He did advertising/PR. He was pleased with the course and did well.
He didn't mention experiencing snobbery but he did meet with quite a bit anti-English feeling (not from University friends or staff).

Ds is about to finish uni with his Television Degree at Napier. He found his first year frustrating, more due to some of his peers being late to the group deadlines etc. This year has been a lot more smoother. Or maybe it was my “you’ll get this in a working life and you need to decide the best way to deal with it!”

Lots of people who are my age sneer at Napier but my niece did great in nursing and lots of friends children have done well in the courses they have done. They seem to run niche courses, so it isn’t like Edinburgh or Queen Margaret.

For us where we live Ds gets a tram then walks or two buses. Depends on his mood. Sometimes he gets one bus and walks. He likes the canteen and when I recently dropped him off and suggested Costa he replied that the coffee was good in the canteen.

Merchiston isn’t a great looking campus, but D’s has also had to go to Craiglockhart which I always thought was more beautiful having grown up nearby.

Napier was originally a college, rising to a polytechnic in 1986, then becoming a university when the rules changed in 1992.
Edinburgh Napier University - Wikipedia

Thanks everyone for that feedback. It’s very helpful. The film course does look great.

Yes, it’s the screen academy Scotland. DD wants a practical course and Napier seems to have all the tech.