My overall opinion is 5 stars!…read more Sure some departments are better than others and the quality of teaching will vary, but I believe that Lancaster is one of the best campus-based Universities in the country and definately the best in the North West.

Although my course at lancaster may not have been the most rewarding (I no longer work in the field…read morein which I studied), that was probably more down to choice than teaching. I enjoyed my 3 years at lancaster and certainly felt comfortable and relaxed within the strong community that existed within the college system. Lots of places to shop and eat on campus means that you rarely need to leave (if you're being lazy). It is a self contained town, but well linked by buses to the outside world. I still head back now and then for a beer at one of the bars and am always welcome, even though I'm no longer a student there.

This review is for the university on-campus accommodation. I'm currently working in Bangor and…read morestaying on-site at the university in the Gwynant halls. The rooms are very modern and have an en-suite bathroom. Upon arrival, we were welcomed warmly and given a key-card. Ultra-modern! But beware of forgetting your card and locking yourself out. This happened to someone in our party during the stay and she had no bother in finding a friendly member of staff to help her out. Apparently it costs you £5 if you're a student living here during term-time. The nearby student union, Bar Uno, catered for us during our stay. It certainly does the job, especially being so close to the accommodation. If I was staying here in my free-time, I would prefer to explore the local haunts come dinner-time, but Bar Uno is just fine and staff are friendly and welcoming. There's also a lot to see and do nearby and some interesting areas to explore. From my short stay I would recommend the nearby Beaumaris area for some lovely little cafés and shops. I'd also say that if you're staying at the university, it may be worth venturing a little farther out in Bangor to find a nice pub in the evening.

Education is our passport to the future. Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today…read more I was home schooled up until I was 18.

Liverpool isn't half lucky, because it's a city with two standout universities. Founded in 1881,…read morethe city's redbrick offering has always focussed on education that can be applied in future careers, and excels when it comes to courses like Law, Medicine, Engineering, Dentistry and Business, amongst many more. As per the traditional redbrick standard, the university offers both self-catering and catered accommodation. There's something fun about catered. It makes me think of Gilmore Girls where Rory's at Yale and she and her roommate go down for breakfast into the main hall every morning. Not that I... watch that... Ahem, moving swiftly on, catered options allow for plenty of choice with a pick n' mix continental breakfast or a cooked full on sausage and eggs type one, and evening meals too. They don't tend to do lunch however, but options like these do make halls feel more like 'halls'. A couple of interesting facts about this university - its alumni make up eight Nobel Prize winners, it has the sixth largest financial endowment of all UK universities and newsreader Jon Snow studied there as well as a bunch of other famous people, some of them Sirs and Dames. No pressure then! This is easily on par with the prestigious universities down south and its research facilities really are amazing. If it's the Sciences or the more 'traditional' courses that float your boat, Liverpool University might just be the choice for you.

The University of Liverpool is the main University in the city. It is a well-established…read moreinstitution and is a member of the Russell Group, making it top notch in the research sector. Having spent many years at the University, I had a fabulous experience meeting many students from afar, including international countries and truly tested my own academic ability to the sheer limit! Since I am already familiar with Liverpool, it was a simple choice for me after I left School to make Liverpool my first choice, not that I was being biased in any way. This University has a particularly high reputation especially for Medicine and Engineering subjects but whatever your course, Liverpool will bring many great memories to last a lifetime.

I went to this college 13 years ago and loved it. I studied…read morecatering and hsopitality, at the time they had a great set up with 2 public restaurants that the students would work in. It was a great way to get real hands on experience. They offer many different courses.

John Lennon Stuart Sutcliffe…read moreBrendan McDermott Ray Walker Margaret Chapman Bette Bright Clive Langer & John Wood Constructed in 1882 and 1910, Liverpool College of Art & Design is an imposing, Grade II listed building on the corner of Hope Street and Mount Street. An integral part of Liverpool's cultural and academic history, it was attended by a stream of influential artists, painters, sculptors, designers and musicians. John Lennon studied here from 1957 to 1960 and forged a friendship and camaraderie with Mersey Beat founder Bill Harry. Legend has it that he also used to play covers of Little Richard and Buddy Holly with his band The Quarrymen in the LCAAD canteen. I was lucky enough to attend film screenings here as part of my degree and the inside of the building is just as impressive as the exterior. Depressingly, I believe the Maghull Group own the site now and have planning permission to convert it into luxury apartments in the future. The Quarrymen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8eqtpLxFO0&feature=related

I completed my undergrad degree at Greenwich in London and was totally underwhelmed by the…read moreuniversity experience. I wasn't sure what to do next until my friend (and future housemate) asked me to drive him up to Staffordshire University so he could have a look around for his degree. We popped along for an open day and from that point on I never looked back. The reception I got on the open day from the student ambassadors was great. They were very talkative, very friendly and spoke highly of the university. Already, Staffs was one up on Greenwich. Campus wise I was impressed with the student union facilities. The LRV (main nightclub venue) was huge and the Ember Lounge (bar) was also very cozy and atmospheric. Once enrolled on my course I spent many a great night in these venues watching stand up comedy, music and even things like alternative jazz & poetry nights. Facility wise I was bowled over too! At Greenwich I had to put up with inferior media facilities but Staffs had the lot. Industry standard cameras and plenty of them, loads of edit suites so you would have no problem actually getting to use the equipment. If I was to progress in the industry I knew I had to study somewhere like this! I was able to use the equipment whenever I wanted and as a result I now have a really great attention grabbing show reel which has helped me get into the industry. Social wise there was a lot on offer too with nearly 70 different clubs to join. Everything from football/rugby to things like L.A.R.Ping and Ultimate Frisbee. As a result of this I made so many friends that even after my MA I stayed in Stoke to be around the university environment. What is remarkable is that before I came to Staffs I really lacked confidence but I found meeting new people so easy here. Other impressive attributes are the university's own cinema, a 24 hour library, a forensics crime scene house, a smoothie bar and a broadcast studio with TV cameras and radio broadcast rooms. Since finishing my MA here I have taken part in a university based scheme which gives graduates the chance to start thier own business and as of September I will be running my own production company. Living wise Stoke is one of the cheapest places in the country. You get far more for your money here and rent is very cheap. To get ahead in your chosen industry I would highly reccommend Staffs.

I live in Pelsall and when I decided to go to Staffordshire University but the Stoke-on-Trent…read morecampus I couldn't drive and with the commute on the train over an hour, the best choice was for me to go and live at university. Now to get onto the biology course I wanted to do I had to do a two week bridging course so lived at the university for the duration. I lived in the universities housing residence which I loved. There was room enough for five people and the people who I met were fantastic. We all got along apart from with one person who kept themselves to themselves and it was nice being only a few of us as we managed to bond quickly. When I applied to go to university the year later I wanted to stay in these houses as I loved the fact there would only be a few people and the bedrooms were quite big and the living area was lovely. Now I was shocked when I was told a week before I was due to start that I was going to be put in halls because they had made a mistake with my account and all of the houses were full. Like every person about to move into halls I was excited but terrified at the same time and asked myself all the familiar questions. What if they are all horrible? What if I don't get on with them at all? Will my food get stolen? Are they secure? Will it be with all girls or mixed? What floor will I be on? How many toilets will there be? How many showers will there be? Now I will tell all prospective students now just what the halls are like and exactly what to expect from your stay from my personal experiences. - What are they like? The halls of residence at Staffordshire University are pretty much like the majority of universities. They are split into floors and on each floor there is room for around twelve people to live. Everybody has their individual rooms and then there is a shared kitchen and bathroom. Some halls will have a separate living area but for us we just had the kitchen. The rooms on a floor are linked by a corridor and then doors to get outside. The halls that I stayed in had three floors and were colour coded. I stayed in the Royal Doulton halls yellow which was the middle floor. You had to have a key to get into the doors leading into the halls from the outside and then another key to get onto your floor. You then had an individual key to get into your own room. The halls I stayed at were extremely clean and the same goes for other halls I have visited. Remember before the new year of university starts and all of the freshers start, the cleaners will have been in the halls and tidied making sure everything is spick and span for when you move in so you don't have to worry about the cleanliness of the place. Now the one thing you do have to expect is that the rooms are sometimes very small. My room literally had enough room for a single bed, a very small desk and a small wardrobe and not much more room to move. Nevertheless don't worry as although it looks like you can't swing a cat in there, it is extremely liveable and we still managed to get about 6 people in there to watch a film, not exactly comfortably but we coped. The bathrooms were fine and were cleaned by the university cleaner every day. We had four toilets, three showers and a bath and every one of them had locks on the door so you didn't have to worry about anybody walking in on you. The kitchen area was where we spent the majority of our time. There were two ovens, a microwave, fridge, 2 fridge/freezers, a kettle, a toaster and then enough cupboards for everybody to have one each. The cupboards were made with the ability to padlock them so you could keep your food safe. In the middle of the kitchen was a large circular table with seats around it so that everybody could sit down and socialise. The kitchen was also cleaned daily by the cleaner but you do have to do your own washing up. - What is it like living with all of these people? Honestly it is scary at first but I can tell you that after a couple of days you will feel much better. I am not ashamed to say that I cried when my parents and sister left me at university and I had to go and meet all of these people but a few hours later and I was fine. When you first move into the halls it is freshers week so basically there are hundreds of people feeling just like you do and just want to make friends. Within my halls we had a warden for every coloured hall and luckily enough ours was living on our floor with us. It is there job as a warden to make sure everybody gets settled in as well as possible and usually they will have something organised for the first night when everybody gets there. We were there and we were told that for our first night at university we were going to be taken to the student union for the evening. Now going out drinking and dancing is the one of the best ways to loosen up and get to know people. We went there had a few drinks and by the time we had got back that evening we were all chatting and

Carmel is a great 6th form college. It provides a great step between fully supervised schooling in…read moresecondary schools to the freedom and self will that is required at university level. There is parking at the college but it gets full very quickly. The surrounding Prescot road gets very busy in the morning and the afternoon so it's best avoided if you are trying to get by. The college offers different learning environments with a variety of courses and options. The canteen is big and offers lots of different types of food. The atmosphere at the college is great.

Ah, JMU. While Liverpool University occupies the redbrick status, John Moores has always been…read morethought of as slightly more boho and modern. This does not support the common implication that Manchester Met has suffered, that it means it's either easier to get into or relaxed, scruffy and a bit CBA. I know a few of the lecturers here and they're top notch. It was even in my top five universities back when I completed my UCAS forms at college. You can take some unusual modern courses here like Wildlife Conservation, Animal Behaviour, Working with Children and Young People, Interior Design and Creative Writing to name but a few, all of which could potentially be relevant to your prospective futures. It's particularly good for Sports Sciences and Engineering and has been awarded accolades in its study programs related to those. Pretty much every bit of student accommodation you'll find in Liverpool, whether attached to LU or JMU, is gorgeous. This university guarantees accommodation to all new students which they can choose freely regardless of proximity or roommates - you can request to live with a specific friend who will be studying at the same time as you. Most of JMU's accommodation is situated handily close to Lime Street Station too, and it's all either super modern or... be still my beating heart at the sight of North Western Hall. This is a listed building, a former railway hotel located as centrally in Liverpool as you can get that's been converted into student accommodation, and it's too beautiful for words. If I'd have been a JMU student I'd have cared less about the facilities inside. I'd have just wanted to live in THAT building. Visually stunning and remarkably friendly, JMU is a university Liverpool can be proud of.