Leicester College is an institution of further education located in well shockingly Leicester. Well…read moreknown around the country the college also has very close ties with several universities in the Midlands, most notably Leicester's very own Demontfort University. Situated at three different points in the city with three unique campuses [Freeman's Park, St Margarets and the newly refurnished and rebuilt Abbey Park Campus which opened in September 2008], the college provides a safe and exciting environment offering a range of courses from A Levels to vocational and university level. I studied at Leicester College when I first left school back n 2005 and have returned this year to undertake an Access course. I have nothing but praise for every aspect of the college accademically and professionally and would reccomend it above any other FE institutions in the city. Abbey Park campus has four floors fully furnished with beautiful flooring and windows. The layout of the college is very straightforward and everything is easy to find though I do feel that the library and canteen are the only areas lacking and a lot of thought wasn't put into their design during the planning stages of the refurbishment. The tutors themselves are always there to lend a hand. I've felt more and more confident since returning due to the encouragment and support offered by the staff. They make you feel welcome from the word go and use a variety of techniques to help you learn including new electronic white boards which opens up a whole new world of teaching. You feel comfortable and happy whilst in the college at all times. It doesn't even feel like a chore or a job you hate when you attend. The extra support on offer though I have to say is the strongest I have seen during my research into different colleges in the region. My cousin suffers from bipolar disease and the extra help she has received is outstanding. This involves a special bus from her homw to college everyday as well as a note taker for her classes and a special needs tutor. There are also an amazing team of learning mentors which I have taken ful advantage of who are there everyday to give you extra help outside of class not only on coursework but any aspect of your college or personal life. There's just so much on offer here that isn't thrown int oyour face the moment you walk through the door, you have to look at it and the result is an enriching and powerful process. The college is also great if you are over 19 and thinking of returning to study as there is a higher percentage of mature students at the college than those that have just left school and the college is phenomonal when it comes to applying for UCAS. I reallyt have no complaints at all about the manner in which I am treated on campus by tutors and fellow students. The way other staff behave, the enrolment process - nothing. And many people I have spoken to have told me how much they also enjoy their time at Leicester College. Summary: One of the top ten FE Colleges in the country

It's not the most aesthetically pleasing University. In fact I've often called it ugly myself. But…read morethat doesn't retract from the quality of education that DMU provides. All the tutors I had the pleasure of being taught by were passionate about their subjects and recognised experts in their fields. Teaching is the perfect combination of theory and practice, with a huge variety of module options each year. The tutors are incredibly supportive but never try to spoon-feed you. DMU is noted to be one of the most innovative, creative and dynamic universities in the country. The library was refurbished over a year ago and has all the modern facilities a student would need. The PACE building serves as a 'creative hub for the university', with its fantastic range of studios and rehearsal venues, specifically designed for Dance, Drama and Music Technology. The are loads of societies you can join, including the Demon Media society which encompasses the newspaper, television channel and award winning radio station (Demon FM). The city is very student orientated and the nightlife caters for all tastes. The university is supposed to be well recognised and respected by employers, though my experience in searching for jobs in London would hardly confirm that. But I'd still highly recommend DMU.

De Montfort University In General…read more What can I say? I considered writing this review at first as I only had about 4 weeks of ACTUAL experience on the campus but of course my opinion of the place has been firmly formed almost a year after that I live in Leicester and had often heard about the good reputation of DMU and last September I began an Access course there to help me get into the proper Social Work degree. However after attending just two sessions I dropped out due to the death of my best friend. I correctly filed all the required paperwork and made sure that the university knew of my withdrawal as well as checking that my date of leaving was still within the boundaries of their policies so I didn't have to pay the rest of the fees. For my brief time at DMU I did find the tutors and other students to be extremely friendly and helpful, the campus has a great layout with very modernised and nice looking buildings.The library in particular blew me away - four floors and just loads and loads of computers, it looked like some hi-tech call centre. The whole place had a really good feel and the level of support and assistance we did receive whilst I was there from our tutor and from Student Services was very overwhelming and brilliant. My hatred therefore isn't directed at the campus itself but some of the people behind the scenes that obviously have no idea how to run a system as complex as this. After dropping out my life carried on and I thought nothing more about DMU at all until by chance I happened to check my old e-mail account at the end of June to find an e-mail from their head of finance. This e-mail demanded I pay the rest of the fees for my course before a specified date or they would send a debt collector and bar me from the university. Now first and foremost I was disgusted that they had told me this in such an inpolite and informal way. What if I had not read the e-mail at all? At the very least I would expect them to communicate through post or telephone. I firstly replied to that e-mail and then the very next day I rang them up and was passed around to about 7 different people none of which had any clue at all on what to do or how to help me. Finally I was told that their system was down and I would be called back later that day or the following day. So I waited for four days and had heard nothing so I rang them again. This time the excuse was that my tutor was unavailable and I should contact him. Basically to cut a long and stressful story short, this saga went on for a number of weeks with me constantly ringing them only to be passed around and fed a load of crap whilst all the time becoming extremely stressed and upset. Finally after about 7 weeks of this I was informed that they had forgotten all those months ago to take the total off my account when they received my withdrawal form and I should fill in the slip they would send me in the post and return it to their payment section to excuse me from the cost. This I did and rang the university to check they would be open and was told yes. It's a long trek for me into town with my other commitments and the bus fare is atrocious due to the fuel prices but I went to the uni and attempted to hand in the slip but oh my guess what? Their system was down again and I was told to come back the next day which meant wasting more money and time to do so! Basically I am now looking into launching a complaint against the horrendous service of the staff there and the manner which I have been treated. If I had actually done something wrong then it wouldn't be such a big problem but any good opinion I had of DMU has now been completly tarnished regardless of what great facilites and stuff they have. I'm not alone also as other people I have spoken to have told me of similar problems. It seems to me as if a bag of headless chickens could run the place better and I certainly will not be studying there again. Of course this is just my personal opinion and I'm sure the majority of people have a great time at DMU but hey.

Fantastic university that has a internationally renowned Physics department and several other very…read morestrong areas of research. The Space Research Centre (which involves members of Engineering and Mathematics as well as Physics) has had multiple instruments fly on various space satellites, from NASA, the European Space Agency and more. The inventor of genetic or DNA fingerprinting, Sir Alec Jeffreys, is based at and does research at Leicester. The department of Archaeology is currently heavily involved with the discovery of a body that is probably Richard III, under council land in the city, and has been making the national news as a result. The University of Leicester is regularly listed in the top 20 British universities by both the Times and the Guardian, with the Guardian having rated it as high as 12th and the Times having voted it the Times Higher Education University of the Year in 2008/9 (with special mentions both before and afterwards). An active and vibrant Students' Union only helps seal the deal. The SU co-operates with their counterparts at nearby De Montfort University to organise things like the Varsity sports event, where our soccer, rugby and other teams compete, playing at the Tigers rugby stadium and the Foxes football stadium. Several societies are also extremely active, with annual conventions such as Sabrecon occurring in both the Students' Union and the halls of residence. There is usually an annual beer festival and bands such as Feeder have played at the Summer Balls after the exams.

Good, solid university offering most of the courses you would expect. It always ranks highly. An…read moreinteresting campus with some unique buildings. Studentlifewise both the University and the city have a lot to offer.