Imperial College London

You pay a lot for a course which is barely structured. For each module, they just invite PhD or postdocs to talk about their (vaguely) relevant research to the module, and a very small part of it is dedicated to barely acceptable standards of teaching. The students mostly do the learning themselves by reading at home, and guessing what the assignments are actually asking us to do.

The admin team do everything they can to NOT give the students what they needed. I tried to make an application for mitigating circumstances due to mental health reasons, and I was told that I was not allowed to do it unless it passed through my department for "filtering". I was reluctant, but had no choice but to attend a meeting with them in which I felt like I wasn't believed. One of them told me she completed her entire education and never had to take a break, insinuating I should do the same.

I looked for the student support email on the university, but there was none. If students need support, everything literally has to pass through their department. I was embarrassed because one of those people was a teaching staff member. I also felt misunderstood by both of these people, but I had no choice, it had to go through them. In the end, it was approved to pass to the mysterious and invisible student support department, and I was given approval on the condition that I attend regular meetings with my department about my progress.

I was so stressed about this that I decided to drop out of my course. I have now been waiting 4 months and still haven't received the certificate I completed (PGCert) or my tuition fee refund, which I paid in full in advance.

Guys, don't go to a university just because of its name. Make sure it's a place you can actually learn things and be supported. This university does not deserve half of the amount they charge per year for the course, and they don't treat their students with as much respect as they deserve as customers, let alone simply as human beings.

That being said, I'm sure that students' experiences vary based on their department, but I think that there should be a central student support system where students can get unconditional and confidential support, away from their department.