[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Luton College of Higher Education[EBOLD][PARA]Ever since October 1979, when Cats UK reached number 22 with their only ever hit 'Luton Airport' and Lorraine Chaise mentioning Luton in a Campari ad, the town has had [ITAL]a hard time living down the image [EITAL]of dropped aitches and having a local Vauxhall Cavalier car factory[ITAL] as its most interesting feature[EITAL]. [ITAL]Not being too far from the truth hasn't helped, although Luton has some things to offer.[EITAL] Most of them are outside town though, like the Chiltern hills and London (1/2 an hour by train). For all its faults, Luton is a [ITAL]lively, [EITAL]growing place with 150 acres of pleasant greenery. It also has the University of Luton, which sure is going some on the expansion front, having only just gained university status and having grown unrecognisably since 1989, when it became a college of HE rather than a technical college. The last 3 years have seen a huge increase in degree students and expenditure of over ú21 million on buildings. The main site is at Park Square in the town centre in a large,[ITAL] ugly,[EITAL] dark rectangle of the sort that passed as a building back in the 60s. There's another 3 sites: Dallow Rd (Design and Technology Faculty) also in the town centre; Castle St (Humanities), [ITAL]ugly [EITAL]60s [ITAL]office block-style[EITAL], 5 minutes walk from the main site; and Putteridge Bury (Management, Conference, and Research and Consultancy Centres), an [ITAL]elegant [EITAL]Elizabethan mansion 4 miles away.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Most courses are related to the real world, jobs 'n' that, in some way or other, usually involving placements and the like. Students are realistic about what they have to do, although the general view is that degrees lead to jobs, not that they are an end in themselves. The authorities reflect the same attitude that getting a job at the end of the day is what it's all about. But generalisations are unfair (aren't they always?) because the social and ethnic mix is more colourful than a packet of smarties, and the University has proved popular with mature students.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]THE TOWN:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 167,300 [BULL] London: 28miles [BULL] Bedford: 25miles [BULL] Birmingham: 80miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Luton, which started as the centre of the hat and lace industry - don't knock it - is now a busy business town, not suffering the high unemployment that some are. It's the largest town in Bedfordshire, which doesn't say much since Bedford is just about the only competition. Nevertheless, it has all the cosmopolitan paraphernalia like shops, libraries, banks, markets and the rest in plentiful supply. [ITAL]Worth a particular mention[EITAL] is the massive modern Arndale Shopping Centre, right by the University, containing a huge sculpture of pink flamingoes.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Luton is the nearest station, 5 minutes walk from the University with trains to, among other places, London Kings X (1/2hr, 6/hr), Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Bedford and Milton Keynes (25 miles away).[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Green Line and National Express services to Bristol (ú17, 4:20hrs, 4/day), Birmingham (ú7.50, 2:10hrs, 4/day) and Manchester (ú13.75, 5:10hrs, 3/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] Luton is on the edge of the M1 at the junction where it splits with the A6 which goes straight through the town. The A1 is only 5 miles east, and the end of the A5 is 2 miles south.[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Luton Airport operates inland and international services to Europe, Ireland and the USA.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Despite the good connections, it's easier to pick up the white lines on the road than pick up a lift in the Home Counties. It's none too safe either, but a few students try anyway.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Little 'hopper' buses scuttle round the town[ITAL] reliably although not particularly cheaply and not late.[EITAL] No local trains around the town, but an [ITAL]excellent [EITAL]link into London which students often use for a day trip, [ITAL]however, the last train's all too early and easy to miss[EITAL].[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Not cheap, but worth using at night because Luton's not too big or congested.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Although Luton is flat, not many students bike it. Maybe because about 3 heavy padlocks are needed to hang on to a bike for more than a week, but there's no denying it would be useful for the many students who don't live on site.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Books: 120,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1,200 [BULL] Study places: 620 [BULL] Computer workstations: 600[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]The main library is in the Learning Resources Centre at Park Square (which also houses many of the computers and provides 24 hour access) with a smaller library at Putteridge Bury, [ITAL]but most undergrads have little to do with this site. [EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 3full [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1991): 10%[ESTAT][EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Paul Young (singer).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads.
