Falmouth University

The Worst:

Starting a Society was very confusing and difficult to manage with minimal support or guidance. I attempted this in 1st year and really didn't know what I was doing. I got merged with another society that had disbanded due to lack of funding and I believe this caused more confusion as the other student may have been expected to guide me instead.

Mental health support is minimal. They throw 'resources' at you but there's nobody to set up a meeting with to find out the best course of action for you, meaning you receive very broad advice. This can leave you feeling more lost as you end up going in circles, passed between organisations and programs without ever finding out what you would benefit from as an individual.

The Best:

Falmouth and Penryn as a location is amazing. The campus' are filled with nature as are the towns themselves. Cornwall overall is beautiful! There's a decent amount to do and I felt safe enough to grow into myself as a person, forming my own identity. You can dress however you like and no one will question it.

The people I have met and friends I have made are amazing. I have made friends for life and for the most part, anyone you meet will be lovely and friendly.

Possible Improvements:

The mental health support needs to be improved by a long way. I would see a benefit to having people the students can set up meetings with and discuss what struggles the individual is experiencing as well as what changes they would like to make or think they may need. In my experience, things haven't been addressed with enough urgency or been taken seriously, leaving me feeling lost with no next steps or helpful advice. Additionally, things are assumed to be depression or anxiety almost immediately and often just course related, almost always leading to being given 'mindfulness' links. I understand that the resources needed for this may be challenging to obtain but something needs to be improved in this area. Especially when you consider that this may be the first time a student has had the confidence or freedom to ask for help.

The Worst:

The rooms were relatively small though I was fortunate enough to have a larger corner room. It felt as though each flat had a very unique problem and that the layouts weren't thought through very well. Such as a TV on the wall that was opposite a sofa that didn't line up with the TV at all, but you couldn't move the sofa because it blocked access to the kitchen. The furniture wouldn't be replaced if damaged from prior tenants and the outside bins were always a mess.

The local residents also disliked this accommodation being built and we had an incident where students tyres were slashed.

The security was strange. Sometimes the front doors wouldn't lock, there was never anyone in the reception (in fact the reception is used as storage) and the postal room doesn't get used so you have to go to Glasney Lodge anyway.

The keycards could be an issue often. Sometimes they stopped working and often students would lock themselves out by mistake as they lock automatically when you close the door without the latch on. So you had to have your keycard on you at all times. If you got locked out in your pyjamas or worse and no shoes, you either have to walk up to Glasney Lodge to get a new one (which you don't want to do in bare feet!) or pay a £10 call out fee, regardless if you're barefoot or in a towel.

The fire alarms are super sensitive as well as a test being done once a week. If someone sets of the alarm either by burning food or just having their hairdryer a little too close, everyone must go outside and wait 5-15minutes for security to come set it off. Usually it was on the evenings or nights so everybody would be freezing, especially those who were in the shower. This happened ridiculously often, so much I really don't think they needed the weekly tests.

The Best:

I'm not sure how flatmates were decided but I had good flatmates and I believe that if you do have an issue, you can request to be moved.

Key cards were great security despite people getting lockout out frequently. There's no way intruders were getting in unless you opened the door for them as you had to unlock the two main doors, then the door to your flat and the door to your room.

The location is lovely, surrounded by trees and a nearby river. It's just a bit hilly but that's Cornwall.