[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Brighton Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA]Once every year a rally of vintage cars drives from central [PARA]London over the South Downs to Brighton on the coast. The [PARA]ones that make it have a party in one of the many hotels on the [PARA]sea front, which is dashed all along with pebble beaches and [PARA]marked by the Pavilion Pier. Every year, hundreds of cyclists [PARA]make the same pilgrimage in aid of charity and thousands of [PARA]tourists in the name of sea air and sunny Sundays. Less joyfully,[PARA]Brighton has a very large proportion of homeless. [ITAL]However, the [PARA]permanent residents are not all homeless, nor are they retired old[PARA]fuddy duddies. There's a throbbing youth culture and a [PARA]wholesome happening scene. This makes Brighton a good place[PARA]for a University - it's fun and genteel, if a little shabby, and the [PARA]weather's good. [EITAL]However, [ULNE]Sussex University[EULNE] is a bit outside [PARA]town and the University of Brighton ([ITAL]nee[EITAL] Poly) isn't entirely in [PARA]Brighton. Okay, so 3 of the 4 sites are, but the 4th is east along [PARA]the south coast in the resort of Eastbourne - Brighton's similar [PARA]baby brother. [ITAL]Each site is distinctly different - different [PARA]characters, different building styles and different courses.[EITAL] None [PARA]can claim to be the main site [ITAL]and it would be a bad move for [PARA]students to apply without knowing where they'd be based.[EITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE AND SITES:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]The Grand Parade:[EBOLD] (creative arts, humanities, urban studies) The[PARA]only site in the centre of Brighton [ITAL]and the most attractive[EITAL] consists[PARA]of a large 60s block with a small grassy central courtyard and a [PARA]few other older buildings. [ITAL]The Grand Parade site is full of art [PARA]students acting as arts students do - pseudo-radical and creative, [PARA]but friendly, poseurs. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Moulsecoomb:[EBOLD] (engineering, pharmacy, computing, business [PARA]studies, sciences, accountancy, maths, interior design, building, [PARA]architecture) In one of Brighton's less grand suburbs, 3 miles [PARA]from the town centre, the Moulsecoomb site is the University's [PARA]largest, comprising 2 small tower blocks of light brick, white [PARA]concrete and glass and a converted factory.[ITAL] Fairly characterless [PARA]and little more than a busy work place. [EITAL]Most of the overseas [PARA]students are based here.[PARA][BOLD]Falmer: [EBOLD](800 students - community studies, library studies, [PARA]multicultural studies, languages, education) Just over the rail line [PARA]from the large campus of [ULNE]Sussex University[EULNE] are the post war [PARA]buildings of the Falmer campus. It's 31/2 miles from the city [PARA]centre and [ITAL]feels vaguely remote despite the easy rail connection.[PARA]Even less character than Moulsecoomb.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Eastbourne: [EBOLD](sports, dance, PE, physiotherapy, podiatry, hotel [PARA]and catering management) The Eastbourne site is itself split into [PARA]several buildings spread around the town centre: a mixture of [PARA]Victorian mock Tudor and newer buildings, set in some [ITAL]pleasant [EITAL][PARA]gardens and within a brisk walk of the seashore.[ITAL] A lot of the [PARA]students here are sporty and many display a little disappointment [PARA]about having applied to Brighton, but ending up so far away. To [PARA]make up for it, they have developed their own identity in a [PARA]conventional baked bean student kind of way.[EITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 133,400 [BULL] London: 55miles [BULL] Southampton: [PARA]56miles [BULL] Eastbourne: 26miles[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Brighton: [EBOLD]Sometimes called 'London by the sea',[ITAL] Brighton is a [PARA]truly cosmopolitan town that feels a bit like a city crushed into a [PARA]village, because of the local variety and life.[EITAL] [ITAL] It's not as tacky as [PARA]you might expect one of the kiss-me-quick and candy floss [PARA]coastal resorts to be - it's a bit too posh for all that. Most of the [PARA]touristy bits are of the quaint, craft work variety rather than the [PARA]Blackpool Illuminations' bedazzling unsubtlety.[EITAL] Brighton has all [PARA]the daily trade and shopping stocks for most needs although [PARA]there's no big shopping mall. Instead, there's North Laines ([ITAL]vastly[PARA]preferable[EITAL]) with [ITAL]terminally trendy[EITAL] clothes, jewellery and antique [PARA]shops, cafes and buskers. Some of the more notable features [PARA]include the [ITAL]excellent [EITAL]selection of 2nd hand bookshops, the [ITAL][PARA]bizarre [EITAL]Brighton Pavilion (Indian colonial throwback) and the [PARA]Palace Pier with its permanent funfair.[HDNG]EASTBOURNE:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 83,200 [BULL] London: 57miles[ESTAT][PARA][ITAL]In many ways similar to Brighton, but less so. [EITAL]It's smaller for a [PARA]start and, with the exception of the sea front, is [ITAL]less quaint[EITAL]. [ITAL]It has[PARA]a deserved reputation as part of the Costa Geriatrica, but mauve [PARA]rinses aren't compulsory.[EITAL] It has plenty of shops, an Arndale [PARA]Shopping Centre and a number of 2nd hand spending spots. [ITAL][PARA]What nightlife there is, is student-oriented, and although it's not as[PARA]pulsating as Brighton, it's still better than the Women's Institute.[EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Connections from Brighton station to London (51mins), [PARA]Birmingham, Bristol and beyond.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express services from both towns. From [PARA]Brighton all over the country including London (ú6.00, 1:45hrs, [PARA]every 90mins), Bristol (ú18.50, 4:45hrs, 7/day), Manchester [PARA](ú23.00, 6:25hrs, 7/day). From Eastbourne: London (ú7.50, [PARA]2:15hrs, 3/day)[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] The A23 connects Brighton with London as the A22 does [PARA]for Eastbourne. The A27 joins both towns with each other. [PARA]Within Brighton, beware the voucher system, and zealous wardens.[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Gatwick, Britain's 2nd largest airport, is 23 miles north on the A23.[PARA][BOLD]Ferries:[EBOLD] Ferries from Newhaven (8 miles east) to Dieppe.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] Students often hitch to London, [ITAL]although getting a lift can[PARA]be a hitch (ho, ho).[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The local buses are reliable when it comes to turning up, [PARA]but are slow and not all that cheap[EITAL]. Trains are quicker, often [PARA]cheaper and they provide a comprehensive local service inland [PARA]and along the coast linking Brighton and Eastbourne (ú3.35).[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Not the country's cheapest[EITAL].[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] Lots of hills, few racks or sheds, lots and lots of thefts, [PARA]but nevertheless, lots of cyclists.[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 525,000 [BULL] Computer workstations: 2,000[ESTAT][PARA]There's a major library on each site and 3 further support [PARA]libraries.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 8full/1part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 8%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University runs some very unusual courses, such as a [PARA]BA in Editorial Photography or BSc in Podiatry (that's feet).[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Neil Adams (judo champ); Harvey Goldsmith (promoter).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part timers and postgrads, from [PARA]the Registry.[PARA][PARA]
