[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]This may come as a surprise to Kevin Costner, who, if 'Robin [PARA]Hood - Prince of Thieves' is anything to go by, believes that [PARA]Nottingham is about 1/2 an hour by horse from Kent, but it is, [PARA]actually, in the East Midlands. In fact, the East Midlands' largest [PARA]city. As with most cities in the Midlands, it's come a long way [PARA]since the days of the evil Sheriff. It grew rich during the Industrial [PARA]Revolution but got poorer again when it finished. But Nottingham [PARA]didn't let a slight change of fortune get it down, not in the same [PARA]way that, for instance, Birmingham did. It remained and remains [PARA]a busy, cultural, [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]city within about 1/2 an hour by horse [PARA]from the Peak District. About 3 miles from the city centre, is the [PARA]University's main campus, 330 spacious acres of [ITAL]charming [EITAL][PARA]views, parkland, lake and a mixture of [ITAL]majestic [EITAL]old buildings [PARA](such as the main administrative centre and the Union) and [PARA]newer blocks (such as the white concrete [ITAL]flying saucer [EITAL]which [PARA]disguises itself as the Hallward Library). 10 miles south, at Sutton[PARA]Bonington near Loughborough (see [ULNE]Loughborough University[EULNE]), [PARA]the University has another self-contained site, 400 acres, devoted[PARA]to the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The buzz and hum on the campus is like a hive of bees on speed.[PARA]The social life flows with honey and the clubs milk the efforts of [PARA]almost all students. Yet, a staggering proportion of students still [PARA]gets involved in the successful Rag and community action group.[PARA]Undiluted essence of life is bottled and served in large quantities [PARA]at centres around the campus and it would take considerable [PARA]effort to be bored.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]SUTTON BONINGTON SITE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA](530 students) This site has its own Student Guild (funded by the[PARA]Union) which runs a shop and some social events. [ITAL]Something of [PARA]a party animal environment.[EITAL] [ITAL]The site is self-contained and has all [PARA]the basic necessities for life, and escape into Loughborough or [PARA]Nottingham is easy if it all gets too claustrophobic.[EITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 261,500 [BULL] London: 117miles [BULL] Birmingham: [PARA]47miles [BULL] Loughborough: 13miles[ESTAT][PARA][ITAL]The University atmosphere reflects the surrounding town which [PARA]is also a bustling hustle of rustle and fun to suit all tastes[EITAL]. It has [PARA]got its dank and squalid corners, but the main areas with shops [PARA]galore and developments like the Victoria Centre are clean, [PARA]spacious and filled with [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]Victorian buildings. Areas such [PARA]as Hockley, among others, offer trendy little bars, trendy little [PARA]designer shops and trendy big 2nd hand markets. Some of the [ITAL][PARA]daintiest [EITAL]features include the Goose Fair every October (the [PARA]largest temporary fun fair in Europe), the famous old lace market[PARA](an old quarter of the city where lace is still sold wholesale), [PARA]Nottingham Castle (more of a mansion really), Slab Square for [PARA]sitting amidst pigeons, and 'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem' and [PARA]'Salutation Inn', 2 of the country's oldest pubs. Students [PARA]particularly enjoy 'The Tales of Robin Hood', a heritage centre [PARA]aimed at kids of all ages.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Nottingham Station offers services all round the country [PARA](north and south is simpler than east and west), including London [PARA](3hrs, 7/day), Newcastle (3:50hrs, 6/day), Manchester (3:25hrs, 3/day).[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express Services to, among other places, [PARA]London (ú12.50, 2:45hrs, 7/day), Manchester (ú8, 3hrs, 5/day), [PARA]and Newcastle (ú17, 3:55hrs, 5/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] Nottingham is 5 minutes off the M1 and is also easily [PARA]reached by the A6, A47, A52 and the A1 (20 miles away).[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] East Midlands Airport, 12 miles outside town, has flights [PARA]inland and to Europe.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The M1 is a goody for wild rovers.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Buses run every 15 minutes from the campus into the city [PARA]centre until 9pm and cost between 45p and 55p.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] If 4 share a taxi, it's comparable to the bus fare for a trip [PARA]from the campus to the city centre.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Flat with cycle lanes, but laxity with locks can leave legs[PARA]with nothing to pedal.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Arts and Design[EBOLD] 2,866[BOLD][PARA]Business[EBOLD] 3,700[BOLD][PARA]Soc Sci[EBOLD] 4,860[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 4,162[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,200,000 [BULL] Study places: 2,250 [BULL] Computer [PARA]workstations: 600[ESTAT][PARA]There are 7 libraries (2 of which are specialist interest collections)[PARA]including the Hallward Library (arts, social science and [PARA]education), the Science Library, Greenfield Medical Library, Law [PARA]Library and a library on the Sutton Bonington site. The Cripps [PARA]Computing Centre is the base of the University network.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 12full [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1992): 7%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University makes a big deal out of the fact that D H [PARA]Lawrence was a student here and is the foremost centre for [PARA]research into his works, [ITAL]although Lawrence's attitude to the [PARA]University was, to say the least ambivalent[EITAL].[PARA][BULL]55% of student study sciences, engineering or medical courses.[PARA][BULL]The University claims to have more applications per place [PARA]than any other UK university (but others make the same claim).[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]John Gunn (Guardian Young Businessman of the Year); Lord [PARA]Hollick (chairman of MAI); Tim Janman MP (Con); D H Lawrence [PARA](writer); Lord Lewis (Master of [ULNE]Robinson College, Cambridge[EULNE]); [PARA]The Bishop of London; Brian Moore (England rugby player); Tim [PARA]Robinson (cricketer); Sultan Raja Azlan Shah (King of Malaysia).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads.[PARA][PARA]
