h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If your son wishes to spend his university career playing sport, then Loughborough's the place for him. If, on the other hand, he wants to have his horizons expended and to come away with all sorts of inetersts and experiences he would never have dreamt of...then he should think again.

It's an insular place. It really is all engineers and PE students. Plus, the campus is on the edge of town, and that's where the students tend to remain. I guess it saves them from habing to deal with the big, scary, real world. If I had my time again, I'd choose somewhere with a decent-sized city attached (or vice-versa), so that I would encounter other forms of life. And somewhere where the students I met were studying a whole range of topics.

I'll tell you my strongest memory, which for me typified the mentalitt of the place. I was there in '84, at the height of the miners' strike. Now...no matter what your politics, you'd kind of expect...hiope for, even...some level of student engagement. It was, after all, smack band in the middle of the Leicestershire of 'The Dirty Thirty.' So...a motion was put before the Student Union to ban any form of activity in support of the NUM on campus. Union meetings would usually be inquorate. This time the place was packed to the gills, and the first thing that happened was a vote to not even bother to debate the motion. Whther pro- or anti-Scargill, you have to agree that that was not a healthy mentality for students. If your mind is already closed at that age, what hope for you?

Anyway...let me speak to the boy. I'll put him right!



('course, Billy Bragg was playing the Union the following weekend. I still have the Coal Not Dole sticker he sold me in contravention of the ban.)

But you stuck it out for the whole course? Sounds familiar, the uni I attended was predominantly engineers, but my course was housed separately from the main building, so we were a bit insular. (Back in the 70s, the biggest debate I can recall was about installing a contraceptive machine in the hall of residence toilets ) From mine & elder son's experience, it does seem that people tend to stick with those on the same course, or those you're housed with, who share similar interests. Depends what sort of person you are, I suppose.

My (younger) son wants to study art, which from visiting Lufbra I can see is somewhat on the fringe. However, compared with other places we've visited & got prospectuses, there's more chance of mixing with other disciplines. So many art depts. are old art schools amalgamated with other colleges to form polytechnics upgraded to a uni, often split sites with little chance to mix.
With art, it does seem to be important to find a course where you feel comfortable.

Anyway, I'll pass on your perspective to him. He's pretty independent & will make up his own mind whatever!

In my day the College of Art was separate. It merged with the university shortly after. It had a very good reputation. I shared a house with some silversmiths and textilers - but normally the twain never met.

Horses for courses - but I'd have thought that an artist needs a richer environment, as found in, say, Glasgow or Liverpool.

But don't listen to me! I chose wrong and didn't even have the sense to get out!

A bit arbitrary, I know, but we've narrowed the field down according to various criteria, one of which is distance. If we can't easily get there & back in a day, it's got to look really, really good to be considered.
Well, you have to start somewhere