The information you have all been waiting for… An overview of our Tour of the North.
Universities visited - 8
Meetings - 9
Total Miles - 602
Petrol Costs - £114.18
Hours in Car - 13hrs 50 minutes
Bread based food - 6 Egg Mayo sandwiches, 2 x 14″ Pizzas, 2 x 9″ Pizzas, 1 x Garlic Bread, 6 slices of Toast.
Some top touring…
After our cup of tea at LJMU earlier, we drove North up the M6 and were treated to Mocha’s and Latte’s in the Hub Café at Lancaster University.
We had another really positive meeting with the placements manager and the Director of Undergraduate Studies at Lancaster, another university we hope to work very closely with next year. We discussed some good ideas for the site including using it as a resource for students pre-uni to help them decide which university and which course to apply for whilst still at school.
With the tennis on we decided to visit the Fylde Bar for a quick cola before embarking on the long road back to our home for the evening in Warwick. We were too late for the 2008 gallon challenge, but hopefully we can (shall) plan our next visit up there to coincide with the 2009 challenge!
The RateMyPlacement rating of Lancaster Uni is as follows:
- Weather = 8 / 10 – Slightly overcast but with some sunny spells, I sound like Michael Fish….
- Grounds = 9 / 10 – Really nice campus, wide open spaces with loads of greenery.
- Beer = 8 / 10 – £1.50 in the Fylde Bar, a very acceptable price.
- Bird watching = 6 / 10 – Disappointing if we’re going to be honest, I think all the builders and diggers scared them off!
- The “pot-noodle test” = 6 / 10 - £1.05 each, a bit pricey and no deals on, it’s expensive to eat a Pot Noodle in Lancaster
- The Lancaster Uni Grand Total = 37 / 50
We were treated to a top cup of tea from the lovely assistant Nicola, which went down very well after our trek across Liverpool to meet with both the Business & Law placement manager and the Engineering placement manager.
We discussed some great ways we can increase the number of placement reviews from LJMU students and work together for the forthcoming academic year, as well as some good new ideas for RateMyPlacement.
The RateMyPlacement rating of LJMU is as follows:
- Weather = 6 / 10 – The bright sunshine faded but a trip to Liverpool without even a spot of rain was a first for me.
- Grounds = 9 / 10 – Even more central, but definitely not a campus.
- Beer = 6 / 10 – £1.90 for a Fosters in the Union, that’s quite an expensive night..
- Bird watching = 6 / 10 – Sadly there was no graduation day and an even greater abundance of the Liverpool fake tan in the centre…!
- The “pot-noodle test” = 5 / 10 - £1.09 clearly prefer their super-noodles
- The Liverpool Uni Grand Total = 33 / 50
13 meetings including 9 universities in the course of the week was tiring, stressful but ultimately enjoyable and beneficial…
Look out for our tour of north as we explore universities in the North West of England over the rest of the summer…
The ratings from the Midlands tour are as follows:
A 10 minute drive across the city took us to Notts Trent, the sun was still shining bright and we arrived at the business school feeling refreshed from the ice creams.
We visited Notts Trent when we were first a concept and it was good to return to the university with the ‘3rd highest number of students undertaking year long placements in the UK’(HESA 04/05) with a much more enhanced service for both their staff and their students.
The RateMyPlacement rating on Nottingham Trent University:
- Weather – 10 / 10 – still bright sunshine
- Grounds – 4 / 10 – less greenery in Nottingham city centre but we found a plant on the side of the road.
- Beer – 10 / 10 – £1.50 / pint in Gio Bar, as well as a good selection of pub games.
- Bird Watching – 7 / 10, city pigeons can’t live up to the standards of geese on a lake.
- The pot noodle test – 10 / 10 - £1.20 for 2… excellent again.
- Nottingham Trent University scores a very good 41 / 50.
Next up was the University of Nottingham, the sun was out and there were students finishing exams celebrating in the bright sunshine.
After another good meeting we had an hour to kill before the drive across the city to see Notts Trent so we decided to have a walk around the lake and treat ourselves to an ice cream… Cheers.
The RateMyPlacement rating on the University of Nottingham:
- Weather – 10 / 10 – bright sunshine, perfect for a 99 Flake…
- Grounds – 10 / 10 – greenery, lakes and impressive buildings…
- Beer – 9 / 10 – copious amounts being consumed especially for an early afternoon kickoff time too.
- Bird Watching – 10 / 10, high scores again, we did actually see some geese on the lake too
- The pot noodle test – 10 / 10 - £1.20 for 2… excellent pricing.
The University of Nottingham scores an outrageous 49 / 50.
We had to visit our old haunt for old time’s sake and see how everything has progressed in our absence… We also wanted to chat to people in the Engineering Department with the aim to expand and broaden our review base throughout all possible faculties, which is an avenue we really see RateMyPlacement developing.
The RateMyPlacement rating of Loughborough University is as follows:
- Weather = 6 / 10 – less overcast, going good, firm in places.
- Grounds = 9 / 10 – always green
- Beer = 8 / 10 – £2.10 / pint, pretty standard around the Midlands!
- Bird watching = 6 / 10 – a couple of sporty specimens that would have got Bill Oddie very excited
- The “pot-noodle test” = 9/ 10 – We have a winner, £1.20 for 2 Pot Noodles….
- Loughborough University Grand Total = 38 / 50
A mid afternoon meeting with Leicester’s other university was set in the delightful new library, which has a growing reputation for some lovely toilets apparently and proved very insightful. Interesting fact (?) - Jon Tickle from Big Brother is a former student.
The RateMyPlacement rating of The University of Leicester is as follows:
- Weather = 4 / 10 – Raining and disappointingly we required an umbrella…
- Grounds = 8 / 10 – campus based but close to town, money well spent on the new library
- Beer = 0 / 10 – SU was closed for exams with no directions to the alternative
- Bird watching = 6 / 10 – the heating was just right in the library
- The “pot-noodle test” = 3/ 10 – Student Union closed, but the Cafe’ had a £1.70 offer on fruit cake.
- The University of Leicester Grand Total = 21 / 50
