Student Communication Ambassador Sophie Gonzalez shares her favourite places on and off campus.
It’s been some time already now since uni became virtual, and I miss life on campus. Hopefully sharing with you my favourite spots will give you a little something to look forward to, or will maybe bring you back to times you’ve spent in these same places.
The lakeside walk
I’ve loved walking around the lake in all seasons and weathers, after a long day or early in the morning. It was such a pleasure to see all the flowers bloom in spring, smell the pollen in the air (sneeze!), and watch all the different animals living around this part of campus. I also recommend going up the hills around the fishing lake to get a nice high view of the area and enjoy the quiet.
Main House
Since opening new spaces to students in February, Main House now has a new careers space, a quiet room, a multi-faith space and a study room. If you like to regularly change your studying environment to feel more inspired and motivated, try out the study room! The room honestly feels quite luxurious, with its old fireplace, chandeliers and wooden floor. You can also take a break from studying by sitting (sprawling really) on one of the couches, have a nap, watch the lake and the people go by.
The quiet space
The quiet space opened along with the multi-faith space in Main House in February. The quiet space has couches and bean bags to make you feel super cosy, and offers a selection of books called ‘The Wellbeing Collection’. The selection gathers books on student wellbeing and includes topics like dealing with mental health issues, anxieties, mindfulness, LGBTQ+ related concerns as well as more hands-on things like cooking advice for students. I really appreciated the option of borrowing these books when I was feeling more stressed out than usual and I find it awesome that they’re available to all. (Don’t forget the Student Wellbeing team if you need support!).
Commons
Commons is the central building at Newton Park and most students on this campus have some of their classes there. This makes it a perfect meet-up place to hang out with friends, have a coffee and some food, or meet for group work. I’ve also enjoyed studying there with some background chatter and a more lively environment. Nonetheless some quiet study spaces are also available if studying with some noise around just isn’t your thing.
Newton St Loe
Newton St Loe is the village next to campus, so technically it’s not part of the Uni, but I’ve found that most students I know go there regularly, especially those who live on campus. The old village is really lovely, and there’s a farm shop with a restaurant/café open all week, which is great to hang out with friends during the weekends or simply go for a walk. The walk there is gorgeous on sunny days, especially during spring when all the sheep and their babies are in the fields!