Loughborough scoops top Experience Award

Loughborough University has been awarded the top spot for the best student experience in the country by Times Higher Education.

We’re all about winning here at Lough- after taking second place in the survey last year we came back with a vengeance and knocked last year’s winners, the University of Bath, right off the top spot. Not only did Bath lose their winner’s status, they fell all the way down to number five.

So what makes Looga the envy of all other Universities? Well, for starters we’ve got the largest on-site green campus in the UK, the second best Student Union in the country and have won BUCS for the last consecutive 35 years. But wait, there’s more. I believe Loughborough offers an excellent experience to all students- not just those with a particular niche. With a healthy eclectic mix of students and courses, there’s always something for everyone at Luff, no matter who you are or where you come from.

The Table of Truth

Loughborough caters for the party goers and the top sporting talent, as we’re home to the best Students’ Union nightclub and the best sporting facilities in the country. Not only that, but with the work done to increase the profile and scale of societies, the incredible money raising undertaken by Rag and the nationally acclaimed Action section, there is no reason as to why people can’t find their home away from home and get stuck into activities outside their course. We’re not too bad for those wanting to knuckle down and get a solid academic degree either.

A University could offer all that and still miss out on the core ingredient that Luffy provides- the hall experience. While many other universities use either approved but privately run, or almost entirely fresher-only halls (such as Bath and Northumbria), Loughborough keeps one in three places in halls for returning students. This includes members of hall committees who are elected by their peers and run sections such as Rag and Action, while being the main driving force behind the Freshers week experiences at the start of each year.

Halls foster a sense of community at Looga which is often seen as key to what makes Loughborough so unique. Events such as the sing-off prove how healthy hall rivalry is, and within a few weeks this hall pride is transformed into a pride in Loughborough as a University as people begin to see beyond their hall walls- except maybe during the odd heated IMS match.

So. Much. Fun.

Whether people stay in halls to remain in the bubble, or leave for a house in town, the variety of people they meet and activities they get involved in during their time in halls lives on and is the foundation of the spirit that makes Loughborough Walk on Water. I decided to return to halls for my fifth and final year at Luff, and I have to say it’s been one of the best. I wanted to give back to the hall that had given me so many opportunities, and so ran to be the emergency Towers Media rep over the winter period.

At the Hall Committee Awards on Friday, many of those driving the Loughborough Experience were packed into Room One, looking back at some of the incredible achievements halls have made this year. From challenging Imago on poor dining hall conditions to running a highly successful fashion show, hall committees are the foundation to the best Student Experience in the country. Without major financial rewards, hall committees do what many events managers, promoters and members of staff at the University and Union are paid to do. Due praise was dished out with warm comments from senior university staff and hall wardens across a range of nominations.

LSU President and former Rutherford Hall Chair, Jess Excell, commented on the importance of Halls in relation to the Loughborough Experience: “Halls of Residence are fundamental to providing a solid foundation to the Loughborough experience. What is so unique about Loughborough as a whole is the unavoidable sense of Community. Each Hall has its own distinctive character that offers students a safe and secure environment.

“From the moment you arrive in your Hall, you make friends, create unforgettable memories and begin your own Loughborough experience. They encourage diversity – mixing international students with Home students, third years with Freshers and blending students from a variety of courses – to create an environment where students can learn from each other.”

My Hall experience was a special one, and I think it is rare to find a student here that would disagree. Although only one of the many incredible things about Luffy, without strong halls the experience of many at Loughborough would have been a fraction of what made them vote it top for 2016.