I am a first year student studying BA Childhood and Youth with Sociology on Hope Park Campus and I want to share my own opinions and experiences about Liverpool Hope University with any prospective students. Liverpool Hope University (LHU) is the only university foundation in the whole of Europe and America that was founded through Catholic and Anglican colleges coming together to form one institution. It is split over three campuses – Hope Park in Childwall, Creative in the city centre and Aigburth Park.
What makes a university good?
To me, a good university centres around the people there – when you’re moving to a new city, or even just a different area, the people you meet become your new support network – you truly do make friends for life at university!
Lectures at LHU
Students at LHU typically study a joint honours – for each subject they have expert lecturers and a personal academic tutor. The lecture structure is typically two lectures, a seminar and an academic skills tutorial for each subject per week. To me, this is a great combination as students are able to balance their time well between both of their chosen subjects, as well as keeping on top of their independent study.
Course changes at LHU
If you are unhappy with your chosen course, you can put in a request to change to another combination of subjects up until a deadline, usually in mid-October. I have to say that the change of course deadline can be a little bit frustrating as it doesn’t allow a large amount of time to settle in to a course. However, I have found that missing the deadline is not the be all and end all of your academic life – I originally enrolled to study Childhood with Politics but switched a month after the deadline to study Childhood and Sociology!
Student support at LHU
At Liverpool Hope, the Student Wellbeing team is available to talk to whenever you feel like you are struggling – they can signpost you to NHS services for further support as well if required. There are counsellors available through the university for students to speak to and have appointments with.
For me personally, moving to university was an anxiety-inducing experience. When I approached the Student Wellbeing team, I felt listened to, validated and respected – I was quickly referred to services that could help me, including a local GP to keep up to date with my prescriptions.
The university tends to handle students with disabilities somewhat well. The reality is that they are unfortunately constrained by factors out of their control such as NHS waiting lists, but they can create individual Learning Support Plans based on self-diagnoses and working diagnoses!
Accommodation at LHU
Based on my personal experience, the accommodation at Hope is to a very high quality. I live in Newman Hall, the middle building in a row of three separate accommodation halls. Due to a disability I have an ensuite room, but I have seen the rooms without ensuites as well and they are equally lovely! The rooms are spacious with plenty of storage space – my only complaint would be that the bathrooms could do with a little more shelving, but this was fixed with a £3 set of plastic drawers from The Range! There is also a Wellbeing Officer for each hall who resides in the hall and is on hand to provide advice and support!
The guest policy at Liverpool Hope is that guests can stay from 8am – 11pm but not overnight unless they purchase a guest room for £30 a night. This can cause some frustration and seem unfair, especially for people in relationships or with family / friends living nearby, but it is simply for fire safety and safeguarding reasons.
Social life at LHU
Liverpool Hope has a wide range of societies and groups, from the Taylor Swift society to the History, Politics and International Relations society! Each society has its own committee to ensure that it runs smoothly and safely, and they tend to have some very fun weekly activities! On top of that, the Student Union is very active in planning events and ensuring that there are many opportunities for everyone to get involved.
The main social area on Hope Park Campus is Fresh Hope and Our Place, the food court and student bar respectively. This is where the Student Life team holds a wide range of events, including bingo nights and quiz nights! The bar is incredibly reasonably priced for those who drink, with a double whisky and coke being only around £2; and for those who prefer to be sober, there is a selection of mocktails, milkshakes and soft drinks.
Social life in Liverpool
Hope Park campus is only a 20 – 30 minute bus ride away from the city centre of Liverpool, with all-day passes called MyTickets costing only £2.20 per day! Buses run all day and late into the night, creating easy access to the nightlife of Liverpool and the wider travel network – Lime Street train station can connect students to most parts of the UK with direct trains to places such as Manchester and Blackpool!
Liverpool is absolutely a city of culture – you will never be short of somewhere to go or something to do! I could honestly write an entire book on what there is to do in Liverpool but I’ll keep it brief and highlight some of my favourite places. The city has several Wetherspoons, my favourite of which is the Northwestern attached to Lime Street Station, as well as many Irish bars perfect for whisky drinkers or people who love a good bit of karaoke! There are also cafes with more chilled-out vibes, including the LGBTQ+ friendly Lovelocks Café and the Paper Cup Café where you can donate to feed a homeless person as well as enjoying a coffee!
Liverpool One and the St. John centre areas have all of the major store brands and Bold Street has many vintage / alternative shops for students to get their shopping fill!
So … Is LHU a good university?
I can’t definitely say whether Liverpool Hope is a good university for you because everyone is looking for a slightly different criteria. However, if you are looking for a university a little removed from the city but with quick access to the city centre then Liverpool Hope is perfect for you! If this article caught your attention, maybe consider attending one of the university Open Days!