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University of Essex

University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ Colchester, U.K., United Kingdom
3.91 / 5 based on 120 reviews.

Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
75% of students recommend
120 reviews
Housing
4.1/5
 All experiences (120)
Student life
3.5/5
 5 stars (48)
Academic
4.0/5
 4 stars (30)
Languages
4.6/5
 3 stars (30)
Expenses
3.6/5
 2 stars (0)
Overall
4.1/5
 1 star (12)
“The only good thing about Essex is that it is close to London. Apart from that, it is substandard in every department. You are not going to be meeting the brightest sparks at this University because it is not a top school. I don't really know what would motivate people to come here, maybe they could not get into any other school.” Read Review
qweqwe12345, United Kingdom

2 1-star reviews of University of Essex

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1 to 1 of 2 
Review by fdsgffdsg, Rhodes College, Memphis, United States
Economics, Independent
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? I lived in the Quays. It is too far from campus, especially when it gets cold and it is also very expensive. I do not recommend anyone should live there.
Personal comments:
If you are a first year student, it is best to live in the Towers where all the parties are. You may think that this will not help you learn much, and you are correct. However, nobody really learns much at the University anyway.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city:
Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Personal comments:
Uni. Essex is a tiny campus about 30 mins from Colchester town center. There is very little to do on campus because it is so tiny and limited. The food is absolutely diabolical, as is the social life in general. You keep running into the same people over and over and over, and you can't do anything without the whole campus knowing about it within a day.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC    
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
Uni Essex is not a top University so it has a so-so selection of courses available. It is easy to meet other international students because they comprise 40% of the student body.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
University of Essex offers a boring and limited lifestyle which can become dull within the first three weeks of school. After that you end up wishing you had gone to a larger school with more interesting, intellectual people, a more varied social life and better entertainment options. Please come to University of Essex if you are a boring dull person.

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Personal comments:
It is easy to speak to English people because I come from America where we speak English.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
None
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
England is a country where everything is too expensive and services are generally very poor quality.
Food, Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Telephone, Housing: was more expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
I was surprised how expensive everything is. If you want to save money, eat Pot Noodles a lot, but then you might die from too much sodium.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
I wish I would have known how quickly I would become tired of the University of Essex, which is probably the most boring place on the entire planet.
In my opinion:
Stay home.



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
I pity the people who have to spend an entire 3 years at this University. If I would have this year back I would choose to go elsewhere.



FINAL COMMENTS

The only good thing about Essex is that it is close to London. Apart from that, it is substandard in every department. You are not going to be meeting the brightest sparks at this University because it is not a top school. I don't really know what would motivate people to come here, maybe they could not get into any other school.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No