General information about student life

The first thing to say is that it's hard work; study at HE level is a step beyond what you do before, and you also need to become a more independent learner. You will have less contact time with staff, and more time to work on your own. You have to organise your time to ensure that you attend lectures and seminars, and that you meet the deadlines for handing in work.

Many students also have part-time jobs, and time for these needs to be planned in as well. And if you're living away from home, you'll also have all your cooking, washing, shopping, and so on to take care of.

But it's also a lot of fun. Student life revolves around the Students Union, and most universities have bars, cafes, a shop, and events such as gigs by well known bands in the Students Union. The Union also organises clubs and societies for students. Student cities also have a variety of night life targeted at students, with cheap offers and student nights at clubs and bars.

Oxford University, Hertford College and the Bodleian Library	University of East London, Barking Campus
Trinity College, University of Cambridge	The Students' Union at Sheffield Hallam University
Clarendon Building, Leeds University	Leeds Metropolitan University
The Arts Building, University of Central Lancashire	London Metropolitan University

Photo of a remarkably tidy student's room

The photo above shows a fairly typical room in a hall of residence; each room will have a bed, desk, shelving, chairs and a wardrobe. Nearly all rooms will have at least a washbasin, and many have en-suite showers and toilets. In modern halls of residence, rooms are often arranged in groups of three to six with a shared kitchen and sitting room. Older halls will often have rooms arranged along corridors, with a kitchen and bathrooms on each corridor.

Students soon make themselves at home and personalise their rooms with their own belongings, posters and so on. At the right is another fairly typical room - except that it is very tidy!