University of Nottingham (UK)
With a 300-acre parklands campus surrounding a peaceful lake, the University of Nottingham offers a true campus experience.
One of the top sporting institutions in the UK, it's also easy to see why.
Is it their impressive sporting facilities that even the public comes to use? Or the fact that students get plenty of exercise, wandering about the vast campus.
Regardless, Nottingham is a Russell Group institution known for its programs in STEM, business, medicine and veterinary medicine, ranked 108th in the world overall in the 2024 QS World Universities Rankings.
Here are some of the highlights from my visit!
Nottingham city
Fans of Robin Hood may be familiar with the city of Nottingham; this was his legendary home.
And there are plenty of reminders around the city, such as the statue at the foot of the Nottingham Castle.
Not far away is England's oldest inn, which is now a pub.
Interestingly, it also happens to be in a real cave, which was said to be where the castle owners did their brewing!
There are also caves throughout the city, but I unfortunately didn't have time to explore them further.
Fitting with the theme of Robin Hood, Nottingham also has always had a social justice focus, and in 2015, it was the first city in Europe to set up a Black Lives Matter chapter.
In the East Midlands region, about 2 hours on the train from London, Nottingham has a population of about 300,000.
About a quarter of all residents are university students.
Fortunately, no housing crisis here; after the first year, many students choose to live in the city centre and commute via the tram, which conveniently stops right at campus.
In addition to Robin Hood, Nottingham's history includes lace-making as well as bicycle and tobacco industries.
And there are lots of cool places to check out, such as Pitcher & Piano, a pub that used to be a church.
My favorite two coffee shops were Blend (located in Nottingham Contemporary) and Specialty.
University Park campus
The outstanding feature of the University Park campus definitely has to be the lake.
Although swimming is no longer allowed, students can rent boats and take them out.
This campus is home to almost everything, except the vet school (Sutton Bonington campus) and Business and Computer Science (Jubilee campus).
However, the university does have a free shuttle bus between all campuses.
At University Park, there are multiple libraries and study spaces, as well as a Careers Service available to students for life.
The engineering buildings are located not far from the medical school, and whether or not this was by chance, it's worth noting that a lot of developments have come from this area, such as the first MRI machine and the Boots Pharmacy chain.
In fact, many of the university's buildings are named after the Boots founder.
Across the way are the humanities buildings, located next to one group of on-campus housing.
On-campus housing is made up of catered halls, and students who live on campus also have free access to the university gym, which is a unique perk for the UK, in which students normally have to pay out of pocket.
Nottingham is regularly the winner of the Sports University of the Year award, as well as many BUCS League championships.
About 90 percent of all postgraduate students from the U.S. are on sports scholarships.
It is particularly known for its racquet sports.
But it's not only sports held in the sports hall; this is where all students graduate at the end of their degrees.
Perhaps the university's most recognizable building is the Trent Building, which is where graduations used to take place centuries ago.
Although the Trent Building was built in 1928, the university itself was founded in 1881.
Nowadays, the university has about 38,000 students, a quarter of whom are international.
Lastly, there are plenty of opportunities for students to get involved on campus, and the Students' Union was buzzing.
In warmer months, they show movies or sporting events on big screens just outside it.
And despite not offering a performing arts degree, Nottingham does have the only fully student-run theatre in the UK.
Summary: University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a research and sports powerhouse in the UK.
It would be perfect for someone who likes the outdoors and wants a true campus experience.
With services such as careers support for life, a free inter-campus bus and free gym access for those in on-campus housing, Nottingham seeks to offer a comprehensive study experience within a city that truly values justice and equality for all.
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