Name: Edward Chapman
Course: BA War and Security Studies

I choose to come to Hull because I was really impressed with how professional the Open Days were ran – it was a lot better than all the other universities I went to look at, so I decided that Hull would be my number one choice.

My yes moment that made my mind up was at the Open Days when I was meeting the staff, and how knowledgeable they were about the subject and how engaging they were. They really wanted us to be at the University – it really clicked with me that Hull was the best place to go.

I choose War and Security Studies because I’ve always had a keen interest in military history, and I wanted to do something that contextualised that in the 21^st Century, which meant I wasn’t just reading history books, I was having to apply it as well. After I received my unconditional offer, I attended an Applicant Day and had an interview with one of the lecturers. I spent 20 minutes in his office talking about current affairs – it was really good fun.

I wanted to study it at Hull because I had read the Prospectus and looked at the Hull website, and I was really interested in the modules and subject areas that Hull actually offered compared to other universities.

I chose to live in The Lawns for my first year because I heard it was very good for students – lots of students living close to each other, and it was catered, so I didn’t have to worry about buying food.

My experience of the Lawns was really good – you’re with lots of people and you’re all fresh faces so you get to make new friends quite quickly. There is also lots of social events on at the Lawns as well that you can go and meet even more people! I would say it’s really good for the social aspect. Also it was clean and very nice to live in.

Before coming to Hull University, I was quite shy but now I’ve come out of my shell a lot more and I’ve gained a lot of confidence. Hull has really brought the real me out, more than school ever did.

I’ve joined the baseball team, so I play on a weekly basis. I spent a lot of my time socializing on Newland Avenue in the pubs and bars with friends, or in the University pub!

I feel that Hull has an unfair reputation, when I told my family and friends, they said ‘hull, are you sure?’. But since I’ve come here, it’s really opened my eyes. It’s a very good university and it doesn’t deserve the reputation that people give it. As a city, Hull is characterful, colourful and it is so much more vivid than any other University town.

My one piece of advice for anyone thinking about studying my subject is definitely attend an Open Day to get to know the staff, get to know the subject and ask lots of questions. Hopefully that will help make your mind up!

Name: Sharon Land
Course: BSc Nursing (Adult)

The lecturers, most of whom have been or still are nurses, offer a broad knowledge base both academically and practically. This has been useful to me as they can offer insight in to what to expect and understand the challenges I face in practice, therefore, being able to offer support if needed.

The knowledge and skills I have learnt here at the University are invaluable to me and have prepared me for my time on practice placements. As a student nurse I am meeting and treating all kinds of people in various settings, from a patient’s own home in the community to admitting a patient, following them to the anaesthetic room and being allowed to observe their surgery, then nursing them on the ward or ICU the following day which I have done on previous placements.  I have been taught the basics from hand washing to prevent infection, taking and recording vital signs to notice the deteriorating patient, how to draw up and deliver injections to the lifesaving technique of CPR.

Being able to practice different scenarios is vital. For instance, I had never heard an emergency buzzer until my first placement in 2^nd year and wasn’t sure what it meant until I saw nurses running to a patient bed area, then I knew it was a cardiac arrest. Therefore, the new facilities here in the Allam Medical Building, such as the ward area can offer students the opportunity to hear an emergency buzzer and rehearse various situations. For example, the patient dummies used in training can, via a tablet, have a cardiac arrest and we can rehearse, what to do in this type of situation, giving us some idea about what to expect if this was to happen in real life. Practicing different scenarios like this has given me confidence, knowledge and skills that I can transfer out into the real practice.

This training has equipped me to not only provide people with excellent care but if the worst was to happen I would react appropriately and professionally.

Being also a Student Ambassador for the Faculty enables me to meet potential new students to the university on open day events and at interview days. The feedback from the open days has been very positive and people are impressed by the facilities the university has to offer.

The clinical skills floor here in this building, is certainly going to improve present and future students training experiences. These facilities, will enable students to develop skills and techniques allowing them, like me, to become more competent in real life clinical practice and enhance their knowledge and progression throughout their degree and future career.

Name: Aaron Hall
Course: Psychology

I initially, chose to come to Hull because of the, entry requirements but when I actually came for the open day I saw the department and I saw the University then. That made me say, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t mind coming here’. It turned out to be a really good decision for me.

I chose Psychology because it has always been an interest for me from A levels. Just finding out how people think, how the human body works, and how to apply it to everyday situations, that’s my reason for studying Psychology.

I chose to study at Hull because it’s far from home, first of all. It’s just a really nice city, a really nice place and a really nice University. So, I had no issues coming here.

I’ve met so many new people from so many different walks of life and, it’s opened my mind and my sense of adventure. And I’ve learnt a lot from University.

When I’m not studying I’m either playing sports, cooking, eating, sleeping but yeah – the sports side of it, I’m very into that. Societies, getting involved, hosting events. Promotions – all that kind of stuff.

It’s nice to hear people talking about Hull because a lot of people don’t know where it is, never mind the University. So now that the word’s out there, people actually get to open their minds to Hull because people hear a lot about Hull but have never been here. So, it’s nice for people to start talking about it and actually finding out about it themselves what Hull is really like.

Name: Dimitar Nikovski
Course: BSc Computer Science

I chose my subject it because of all the information that was, supplied to me through the prospectus that I received from the University. There was a course guide and there were details about the different modules, the different subject areas that were going to be taught and some of the things that the department had.

I chose to live in a student house which was owned by the University. It was very close to the campus so I could always, really quickly, go to a lecture and if I had a one hour’s break I could still go and have lunch at home and then come back. And the house was great. It was excellent quality and great value for money – it was always well-maintained. And from later changing that, I found out that it was actually the best choice I made throughout my degree for accommodation.

I really enjoy doing my degree work, so, apart from studying, I like to experiment with my course work to see if I can make it any better so usually in the evenings I do this. And, after the contact hour day has ended, I usually go shopping, I cook, just relax at home or do something social such as see friends or contact friends online and things like that, really. Another big part of my student experience now is that I spend most of my time between lectures and labs in student services where for my final year project, where I work on a student resident management system mobile application.

I would definitely recommend it because of all of the great lecturers I have met because, for me, that has been defining my student experience – being inspired and taught by my lecturers. And I can also recommend it because of the academic support, the tuition system and another very distinctive part of my course was the summer internship research opportunity that I had in my first year and second year. Again, it was targeted at giving students a chance to experience what research life would be as a postgraduate student. And we would each chose a topic and really dynamically work on it over a couple of months over the summer. And some of these evolve into long-term projects sometimes, so there’s many things that we can do as students and get involved in within the department and, as well, the University.

Well I have to say that is very easy to feel at home in Hull because of how the city is being structured. You can find everything that a student could possibly need in the city centre. It’s only one bus ride away and it’s very well connected to the campus. And on the other side, of course, we have the campus with everything you might need while you’re here in your contact hours such as places to eat, the Library of course, where you can always pop in to study. And there are many social areas which are comfortably placed all over the campus. So I have to say that it’s a very cultural place but also a very beautiful place and there are some very nice green spots and parks in the city.

Name: Connie Fredrickson
Course: American Studies

The first time I came to Hull, I loved the atmosphere and the ambition of this university. The facilities are excellent and are being continually developed. Hull as a city was also a really exciting place to live. I wanted to move up north (I’m a West Country girl) and the fact that it was the City of Culture 2017 meant that I knew it was an exciting place to be.

I chose to study my subject at the University of Hull because it’s interdisciplinary and exciting. You learn a range of different skills and learn about new ideas. I also wanted to travel to America for a year, and this course offered me both the British University experience and the American College experience. The tutors are excellent, because it is such a small course, you get to know the lectures and always have support.

There’s a lot of misconceptions about Hull. I say to people who haven’t been to come up and spend a bit of time around Newland Avenue and the Old Town, to get to grips with the unique accent and to enjoy the culture which is defo becoming more visible now.

The highlight of my course was definitely going on the year abroad! I went to Amherst, a college town about two hours outside of Boston, Massachusetts in the North East, which is a more historical part of America. It was eye-opening, exciting, (occasionally) stressful and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I now have friends dotted all over America and the UK (and even further afield). I’ve got friends from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Rochester, New York. It means that I’ve (hopefully) always got a place to stay when I’m out there.