Student opportunities

During your time at Edge Hill, you will constantly be made aware of the opportunities that are available to you to enhance your time at the university. For example, the university offers many global opportunities for students to expand their horizons, this includes fieldtrips and study abroad opportunities. During my time at Edge Hill, whilst studying on the BA (Hons) Sociology course, I attended field trips to London, Amsterdam and if it wasn’t for Covid-19 I would have travelled to Italy in my third year. I was also given many opportunities and lots of information about spending a year abroad which I would highly recommend every student to investigate.

Alongside this, many modules offer the opportunity of a sandwich year which allow you to gain work experience in a field of your choice and will contribute to your degree. This is an excellent opportunity as it gives students real life experience and allows them to get their foot in the door with potential employers.

In many cases, Edge Hill also allows you to choose a language module alongside your degree specific modules. This enables you to expand your opportunities and enhance your CV as employers are often more interested in candidates that can speak more than one language. Let’s also not forget about the ways in which Edge Hill support their students and enable them to do the best they possibly can through scholarships and the Student Opportunity Fund. Edge Hill offer a range of scholarships which celebrate determination, commitment and achievement in all areas (not just academic). These scholarships are open to all students and can be applied to via the website. The Student Opportunity Fund is something that students can apply to and receive up to £2,000 to support an idea for a career-enhancing project, initiative or activity that will enrich their student experience. This is such an amazing opportunity provided by the university as it allows students to independently follow their own dreams and supports them down this path.

Social life

Edge Hill have ensured that your social life will never be short of packed whilst attending university. On campus there is a Starbucks located both in the Hub and the Gym; in the SU building there is a Subway and a takeaway counter filled with amazing food such as pizzas, fries, chicken strips, hot dogs and more. The SU also has its own bar which shows sporting events (such as football and rugby matches), has two pool tables, plenty of seats and serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. My favourite night in the SU bar is karaoke night in which students get to bring out their inner Whitney Houston. This is always a laugh, whether you’re brave enough to sing or just there to enjoy watching everyone else. The SU also hosts a great pub quiz night which can often get hilariously competitive – I recommend this with your new flat mates as a bonding session in the first week. Also in the SU, there is a night club called ‘Venue’ in which most of your Wednesdays will be spent, especially if you join a society. Social Wednesday was one of the best times in my university experience – often people wear fancy dress and follow different themes as a group, it is always very entertaining

Alongside this, the Hub hosts a Grab and Go counter with affordable meal deals and snacks, then there is also the catering kitchen which is attached to the Hub, this is were students who chose catered accommodation can get their food and other students may also buy hot meals from this counter. Finally, in the Catalyst there is a gorgeous café that serves hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks and meals such as pasta and toasties and more.

Whilst the centre of Ormskirk doesn’t boast many ‘high end’ retail shops, it hosts many gorgeous charity and independent shops. My favourite clothes shops are hidden down the Church Walks along with many adorable cafes and top-notch hair and beauty salons. There are many bars in Ormskirk all giving off a completely different vibe and atmosphere. Student favourites include: Lime Tyger, Bar No 9., The Old Post Office, Styles and The Green Room – this really is just a few there are many more. When it comes to night-time, Mustard holds a great night out, Styles transforms its upstairs into a club style bar and from time to time, The Stag and Antelope host incredible themed club nights which are not one to miss. Not to mention that Liverpool is only a half an hour train ride away and the possibilities for your day time and night time there are endless.

Edge Hill University is home to a state-of-the-art £30 million Sports Centre fitted for all your needs. Inside the Sports Centre is a fitness suite/gym, a fitness studio for classes, an eight-court sports hall, swimming pool, sauna and steam room. In terms of outdoor sport, the Sports Centre offers a floodlit eight lane running track and athletics field; three floodlit 3G 6-a-side courts, floodlit AstroTurf hockey pitch, and a full-sized 3G pitch for football and rugby; six grass pitches for football and rugby; four floodlit tennis and netball courts; and a 2.5 km ‘trim trail’ with exercise stations. Literally anything you can think of, the university has it. These sport facilities can be used for your own pleasure or you can choose to be a part of Team Edge Hill and enrol competitively into the sports program. If there is a sports team that you want to be a part of but is not yet running, it is super easy to speak to the SU and make this happen. The university is completely supportive of this and will assist you in getting a team together.

Clubs and societies

Edge Hill has over 60 different societies all involving completely different things, these range from Cheerleading to Christian Union to Murder Mystery society. Whatever you are interested in there will be a society for it and if there isn’t then you can create your own. The SU is always open to new societies because there really is a place for everyone at Edge Hill. You can see the list of all the current societies, here.

Student support

The University has one of best support systems I have ever seen and has helped me through all the ups and downs I have faced in these past 3 years. When I first started at the University, I was struggling with mobility issues and was directed straight to the Inclusion Team. This team ensured that I had everything that I needed at university to ensure a smooth transition and an easy experience. They also made sure that all my lecturers were aware of my condition so that I felt comfortable during lectures and seminars and if I ever had a bad day, the lecturers would understand. Alongside this, the Wellbeing team at Edge Hill have been fantastic. They are easy to contact whether that be via email, phone or in person. They have supported me countless times and have always followed up with me to check everything is ok. Not only this but they also enrolled me into a fitness program for free in order to aid my mental health – the university really does go above and beyond to ensure each and every student is happy and healthy whilst studying.

The university also has a phenomenal Careers Team which can help you with CVs, applications, mock interviews and career prospects and more. The team also host regular seminars on all things careers and useful advice on what to do with yourself after university. Not only this but after you have graduated the university still gives you access to the careers team so that you will never be alone in this big scary professional world. You can see more information about the support available, here. 

Have I persuaded you enough yet?

May 10, 2022