University Of Wales Institute Cardiff, or UWIC for short, has badged itself "Cardiff's Metropolitan…read moreuniversity" and seems to specialises mainly in more vocational, career-focused courses rather than hardcore academic studies you'll find at Cardiff University. A lot of their courses have been designed and developed alongside industry and business. UWIC's history actually dates back to the 1800s, when in 1865 the School of Art first opened in the Old Free Library Building in St Mary Street in the city centre. There's no UWIC site at this premises now, but the art school at its current site in Howard Gardens is still the place to study art in Cardiff. The university is made up of five Academic Schools: the well-known Cardiff School of Art & Design; the Cardiff School of Education, which is one of the leading providers of teacher training in the UK; the Cardiff School of Health Sciences, which recently opened a £4.9 million research centre; the Cardiff School of Management, which offers the largest on-campus MBA in the UK; and the renowned Cardiff School of Sport. It's spread across four campuses - Howard Gardens (Arts) is quite central, while Cyncoed (Education & Sport), Llandaff (Health Sciences and Management) and Plas Gwyn Residential Campus are all a bit of a hike from the city centre.

More commonly known as UWIC, this was my university. I studied English and Popular Culture here for…read more3 years and had an awesome time doing it. My course was based on Cyncoed campus which is mainly a sports campus with the NIAC at the back. All of the Campuses are modern and clean, and filled with helpful people to point you in the right direction when you inevitably get lost during the first week. The School of Art, Howard Gardens, is right next to the city centre, with Colchester Avenue is a little further down the road. Llandaff and Cyncoed are the biggest of the campuses and are a lot further away, but there are regular buses from town, and a dedicated bus service called the UWIC rider that goes to them all and Plas Gwyn halls of residence. The accommodation on the UWIC campuses aren't the best I've ever seen, but they are by no means the worst, either, and you are provided with everything you need. However, it's worth checking out the Liberty Living halls of residence in Cardiff which, while slightly more expensive and some are a pain to get to uni from, are much nicer and most have rooms reserved for UWIC students. The two big disappointments about UWIC, for me, were the library facilities, which leave a lot to be desired (although they are gradually being updated) and the Students Union. The UWIC SU hardly compares to that of other universities. Because sport is such a big thing at UWIC, it is the main interest of the SU and there are hardly any other clubs or societies. However, the SU bars (Centro and Tommy's at Cyncoed and Howard Gardens respectively) aren't at all bad, and the convenience stores and copy shops provide a good and valuable service to its students. Some things do seem like a work in progress, but overall this is a great university with a lot of fantastic lecturers and courses, and shouldn't be overlooked if you're thinking of studying in Cardiff.

This is large, state secondary school that serves the north Cardiff area, tending to be attended by…read morepupils living around Llanishen, Thornhill, Heath and Lisvane, as well as some further afield. It is currently undergoing a change in terms of its sixth form college education where, as well as A-Levels, it is introducing qualifications in trades to encourage people to stay on in the school beyond GCSE level and earn further qualifications. As well as this it could attract external pupils to the college. This is the secondary school I attended right from Year 7 through to Year 13 and it was a really great school. It has huge fields called The Banks as well as an Athletic Field. A Science Block, a Tennis Hut with 3 courts inside, and, of course, a classroom or two. I have really fond memories of my teenage years and growing up at this school. I don't think I quite managed the growing up part, though.

City of Bristol College has city wide sites each offering different specialisms of study. At…read morecollege Green A levels and GCSE's are offered alongside diplomas in media studies, hairdressing and beautician, a wide range of computer literacy courses and many more. The college is accessible in terms of physical disability catering for wheelchair users, people with visual impairments and deaf people. If students have other learning support needs the learning services department will assess and offer appropriate support. Students range in age from 16 - 90. There are two on site cafes, a well equipped learning resource centre (library) a computer suite with PC's and macs. The site is situated very centrally, easily accessible by bus or on foot.

The City of Bristol College offers low cost hair and beauty treatments at several of its centres…read moreincluding College Green, Ashley Down and Bedminster. All treatments are carried out in their modern salons by the students who may take a little longer than a professional salon but offer an excellent service. The students are fully supervised and offer cutting, styling, colouring and perming. Students are trained in both men and women's hairdressing and also cater for Afro Caribbean hair as well as European. Some of the beauty services include waxing, massage, reflexology, manicures and facials and use quality products such as Dermalogica.

The Faculty of Life Sciences is located in the Frenchay Campus of the University of the West of…read moreEngland. I have found the staff a bit mixed, but in general very good. I am reading BSc Psychology so I can only comment on this course. In my first year I think we were given the slightly worse lecturers as I don't remember really liking many of my lectures. However by second year they improved, and now in my third year I can honestly say I love all my teachers. I have been allocated an excellent supervisor for my dissertation who replies to emails within seconds and is always available for a meeting. The content taught obviously varies, however I was given a huge module choice in my third year, and the topics covered are all really interesting. The facilities are also all very good, with huge laboratories and lecture halls. There are always enough computer rooms and also experimental rooms to practice presentations/carry out work. In all, I am very impressed with the Faculty of Life Sciences.

Well this being my University for the past 3 years I can fairly say I know it pretty well. I'm…read moregeneral I can say I have had the best time of my life and being in Bristol can only be a plus. The Frenchay students union has served me well especially in my "skint" days. Mess times I assure you but some of my best times. The Life Sciences area is where I spend most of my time and the facilities there are great, the labs really look up to date with the latest science gadgets and equipment. The Faculty itself has been helpful and resourceful when I have needed help. Lectures can be long boring but sometimes interesting especially once you get to choose your own modules in the second year. The lecturers are generally good and easy going people but you get the odd lecturer who's as entertaining as a plank of wood so the trick is to go to the SU before you go to the lecture. Everything seems funnier then. The students are diverse and you are bound to meet new friends from different cultures and ways of thinking which is great. You are bound to meet people who you will be in contact with for the rest of your life. If I were to point out a flaw it would be that the main campus is far from the Centre but if you are in a group share a taxi bill or take a U link but before 7 or so and you'll save yourself some drinking money. ALSO THEY TOOK AWAY THE GUINNESS! DAMN YOU! Anyway if you choose this university I look forwards to having a drink with you in the SU.

Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning offers an amazing range of part-time courses with something to…read moreinterest just about everyone - ranging from foreign language courses available in the evenings, to short Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for business, public sector employers and individuals. The centre covers subjects such as law, computer studies, science and the environment, business and management, and social studies. Some people study at the centre as a means of getting onto further courses within one of the university's other Schools, gaining the necessary qualifications to be eligible for full degree courses. Other people just attend to follow a personal interest and continue their lifelong learning at an informal community course. Businesses can send staff on CPD courses covering areas such as Lean Thinking, Project Management, Leadership, Communication Skills, Finance, Statistics, Marketing, and Language and Cultural Awareness. If you fancy learning something new, it's well worth checking out whether this centre offers what you're looking for, as the teaching staff are generally of a good standard.

I love learning but hate homework, so thankfully I can nurture my bored brain cells without the…read morepiles of subsequent paperwork at Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning (or as Elizabeth Gilbert may label as "Night School for Divorced Ladies"). I took a writing course here, taught by an eccentric novelist who provided practical tips in addition to editing processes I was never privy to when I studied Journalism in uni. I'm quite shy in class, so it was a relief to know we didn't have to share our writing, either - he rightly thought that amateurs commenting on amateurs' work didn't really have much value. Thank God for small favours. The Centre offers day and evening classes to suit those interested in a wide variety of topics, from French classes to Practical Project Management. One, two and three-day courses are available in subjects like Presentation Skills or Islam and Modern Britain. I wish they'd bring back the Film Analysis classes, but I understand with all the rampant budget cuts, we should be grateful they're still running Humanities courses at all!

An excellent university situated in Treforrest just outside Pontypridd. Built on the side of a…read morevalley makes it a very hilly site which can make it very tiring when moving around campus. Facilities are excellent including library services and IT services.

A nice large campus with extensive greenery to sunbathe on whilst revising of course. The uni…read moreoffers many courses personally im studying IT and and can recommend the uni for this as the facilities are excellent.

This unit organises short and long courses for Cardiff University students to provide them with…read moreextra skills in addition to those they acquire on their academic degree course. A lot of them offer vocational skills that will be useful in the workplace, helping students prepare for employment. Courses might teach speaking and presentations skills or assertiveness, offer IT training and workshops on how to create and maintain websites, or provide a course of Welsh language tuition of even first aid training. What's great about the courses offered by the unit is that they're FREE for Cardiff Uni students - so well worth taking advantage of while you're at uni, because afterwards you're likely to have to pay for such tuition.

The University of Bristol is a city university, unlike the other big Uni in Bristol, UWE, which is…read morea campus university. The Bristol Uni buildings are located all around the centre of the city, and most are very old and pretty. The university is pretty large, with around 13000 students, and they, along with their UWE counterparts, mean that the city is buzzing with life. The university does pretty well for itself; it's high in the league table, and draws a very Clifton-esque student population every year.

Let's get straight to the point - I wish I'd gone to this university. No offence to Cardiff where I…read moredid choose to study, but Bristol is clearly better. Up there in the heady heights of the league tables with Oxford and Cambridge, Bristol Uni is an old-skool red brick institution with some of the most prestigious medical courses, English and history degrees in the world. It looks all towering and cool at the top of park street and has educated comedy genii such as David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Chris Morris, Simon Pegg and errr Lembit Olpik, plus the famed feminist author Angela Carter (I'm bowing down to her as I write this). Stunning architecture and a past that stems back to 1876 - this is the educational and philosophical pulse of Bristol in all its glory.