Ulster University Coleraine

Hi, Eimear here. Living in Northern Ireland has been pretty plain sailing so far since I've been here. Its kind of like a middle ground in between living down south and living in England when it comes to how things work if I could come to a comparison. I moved up to Coleraine the week before lectures started so I could get the lay of the land and settle in and learn how to manage the transport system up and down as the reasons I chose the north were the college course and the friendly option of heading back home for a weekend if I wanted to. If you are interested in the world of food outside working in a kitchen, Coleraine is the place for you. It has given me such a wider perspective of the food industry and all the different angles you can go into when you graduate and its only been the first month. Im really glad I picked here for the modules as I find the business aspect of food really interesting. Our modules are Food Product Development, Sensory Analysis and Quality Control and Food Studies and Nutrition, and you work with some massive food companies that look very good on your CV, such as Mcdonalds and Finnebrogue. The free maccies hauls I dont protest against either...there was one point where we had a stockpile of Mayo Chickens in the freezer so if you were craving Mcdonalds; job sorted! You wouldn't be short of getting free stuff while studying here either, with goody bags and the uni giving out things all the time.

 The facilities in the Uni are fantastic aswell, anything that you could ever think of they're already 10 steps ahead of you. They have a gym, spar, starbucks, doctors office, restauraunt, bar and even a hairdressers just to name a few. There is also a forest walking trail and basically a whole park too if youre not into the gym and relaxed strolls are more youre vibe. Im a member of the gym on campus and a member of the Equestrian club so I can compete in Varsity Competitions. I'm off to Tetrathelon in a couple weeks representing the Uni. Its a great way to meet people with similar insterests and to keep going in the sport you play, if you play any. They also have a long list of societies you can join which are also good fun.

 I live in Halls on campus, which are great if you like your lie ins in the morning. 9am lecture? Wake up at 8.50 and stroll in no problem. Anyone who is familiar with Manor or Riverwalk the dorms the Cranagh ones are fairly similar, but in Cranagh where I am every room is an ensuite which is a big perk. The Residential Life team are great with any issues you have and they give out free food all the time and plan different events for every day of the month, from campus hide and seek to weekly movie nights. There is also a place called the hive, similar to the SU in WIT, where you can chill with friends and watch netflix or play pool or games.

There is also alot you can do when it comes to your social life, with fab restaurants in the Ramore Complex in Portrush (if you're a pastry person I highly recommend the wine bar), cafés in town and the go to night life spot of Anchor in Portstewart, about a 10min taxi from campus and they have student nights on Tuesday with a club upstairs. The Jet Centre in Coleraine is also fab, with an Asian restaurant, mini golf, cinema, bowling and arcade all under one roof.

Overall, my first month here has been quite fun and layed back, considering we only have lectures 3 days a week it gived you the time ro do what you want and go exploring and meet new people along the way!