[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Brighton Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA]Once every year a rally of vintage cars drives from central London over the South Downs to Brighton on the coast. The ones that make it have a party in one of the many hotels on the sea front, which is dashed all along with pebble beaches and marked by the Pavilion Pier. Every year, hundreds of cyclists make the same pilgrimage in aid of charity and thousands of tourists in the name of sea air and sunny Sundays. Less joyfully, Brighton has a very large proportion of homeless. [ITAL]However, the permanent residents are not all homeless, nor are they retired old fuddy duddies. There's a throbbing youth culture and a wholesome happening scene. This makes Brighton a good place for a University - it's fun and genteel, if a little shabby, and the weather's good. [EITAL]However, [ULNE]Sussex University[EULNE] is a bit outside town and the University of Brighton ([ITAL]nee[EITAL] Poly) isn't entirely in Brighton. Okay, so 3 of the 4 sites are, but the 4th is east along the south coast in the resort of Eastbourne - Brighton's similar baby brother. [ITAL]Each site is distinctly different - different characters, different building styles and different courses.[EITAL] None can claim to be the main site [ITAL]and it would be a bad move for 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 only site in the centre of Brighton [ITAL]and the most attractive[EITAL] consists of a large 60s block with a small grassy central courtyard and a few other older buildings. [ITAL]The Grand Parade site is full of art students acting as arts students do - pseudo-radical and creative, but friendly, poseurs. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Moulsecoomb:[EBOLD] (engineering, pharmacy, computing, business studies, sciences, accountancy, maths, interior design, building, architecture) In one of Brighton's less grand suburbs, 3 miles from the town centre, the Moulsecoomb site is the University's largest, comprising 2 small tower blocks of light brick, white concrete and glass and a converted factory.[ITAL] Fairly characterless and little more than a busy work place. [EITAL]Most of the overseas students are based here.[PARA][BOLD]Falmer: [EBOLD](800 students - community studies, library studies, multicultural studies, languages, education) Just over the rail line from the large campus of [ULNE]Sussex University[EULNE] are the post war buildings of the Falmer campus. It's 31/2 miles from the city centre and [ITAL]feels vaguely remote despite the easy rail connection. Even less character than Moulsecoomb.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Eastbourne: [EBOLD](sports, dance, PE, physiotherapy, podiatry, hotel and catering management) The Eastbourne site is itself split into several buildings spread around the town centre: a mixture of Victorian mock Tudor and newer buildings, set in some [ITAL]pleasant [EITAL]gardens and within a brisk walk of the seashore.[ITAL] A lot of the students here are sporty and many display a little disappointment about having applied to Brighton, but ending up so far away. To make up for it, they have developed their own identity in a conventional baked bean student kind of way.[EITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 133,400 [BULL] London: 55miles [BULL] Southampton: 56miles [BULL] Eastbourne: 26miles[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Brighton: [EBOLD]Sometimes called 'London by the sea',[ITAL] Brighton is a truly cosmopolitan town that feels a bit like a city crushed into a village, because of the local variety and life.[EITAL] [ITAL] It's not as tacky as you might expect one of the kiss-me-quick and candy floss coastal resorts to be - it's a bit too posh for all that. Most of the touristy bits are of the quaint, craft work variety rather than the Blackpool Illuminations' bedazzling unsubtlety.[EITAL] Brighton has all the daily trade and shopping stocks for most needs although there's no big shopping mall. Instead, there's North Laines ([ITAL]vastly preferable[EITAL]) with [ITAL]terminally trendy[EITAL] clothes, jewellery and antique shops, cafes and buskers. Some of the more notable features include the [ITAL]excellent [EITAL]selection of 2nd hand bookshops, the [ITAL]bizarre [EITAL]Brighton Pavilion (Indian colonial throwback) and the 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 start and, with the exception of the sea front, is [ITAL]less quaint[EITAL]. [ITAL]It has a deserved reputation as part of the Costa Geriatrica, but mauve rinses aren't compulsory.[EITAL] It has plenty of shops, an Arndale Shopping Centre and a number of 2nd hand spending spots. [ITAL]What nightlife there is, is student-oriented, and although it's not as 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), Birmingham, Bristol and beyond.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express services from both towns. From Brighton all over the country including London (ú6.00, 1:45hrs, every 90mins), Bristol (ú18.50, 4:45hrs, 7/day), Manchester (ú23.00, 6:25hrs, 7/day). From Eastbourne: London (ú7.50, 2:15hrs, 3/day)[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] The A23 connects Brighton with London as the A22 does for Eastbourne. The A27 joins both towns with each other. 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 be a hitch (ho, ho).[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The local buses are reliable when it comes to turning up, but are slow and not all that cheap[EITAL]. Trains are quicker, often cheaper and they provide a comprehensive local service inland 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, 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 libraries.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 8full/1part [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 8%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University runs some very unusual courses, such as a 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 the Registry.[PARA][PARA]
