Hello! My name is Kaya Essor and I am a final year student studying Education BA (Hons).

The reason I chose to study at Hope was because I had heard so many good recommendations about Liverpool and was interested in the joint honours programmes the university had to offer. Due to this, I applied to an Applicant Day where I was able to get a tour of the campuses, accommodation and have taster sessions on the subjects that I was looking to study. During my visit I enjoyed the atmosphere on the campus, and was warmly welcomed by the staff and students. Visiting the university felt like I was part of a community, which influenced my decision to secure my place.

From my experience at Hope, I can say that it is like being part of a big family. The cohort sizes are never too large which gives students the opportunity to get to know one another better, in addition to our tutors. During my time at Hope, I have found the tutors are extremely supportive and will do everything they can to help. As a student that moved away from home, I have had a few challenges over the years but the university offers different services for students to contact when extra support is needed. Some of the services provided by the university include the finance team, residential life, student development and wellbeing services, nightlife team and the careers centre.

When I started the university, I started my course as a joint honours with Music but decided that I wanted to put all my focus into education as I often found myself struggling to balance the two. The support I received to change my course was helpful, and during my time in Music I participated in out of timetable sessions and made use of 1-1s with my department, which helped me with my assignment writing so I was able to obtain good grades. Feedback given from the tutors is constructive so that there is an understanding on how to improve the next assignments and they are always open to speak to about the feedback if more information is needed.

Whilst studying at Hope, I have luckily had the opportunity to get to know both the Creative Campus and Hope Park campus along with facilities provided. As Hope Park is the main teaching campus, there is a lot more to do. On my breaks I often find myself sitting with my friends in Our Place, the student bar, or Fresh Hope. These are two of the many outlets on the campus where I buy food. We also have a Costa and Starbucks on the campus! The university also has an on-campus library which has study rooms, a computer lab and support services such as the writing mentors. I’m not a sporty individual but the university has a sports hall, outdoor pitches and a gym that can be used by all students and often these are used by many of the sports societies that the university has to offer. With the societies, there are many different options for students to participate in and there is also the option to start your own club or society. Facilities on the Creative Campus also include a smaller library for the courses that take place there and they have a variety of creative based spaces such as; music practice rooms, theatres, black box studios, dance halls and art rooms.

In my first two years I did not choose to join any societies but this year I have recently joined the Afro-Caribbean Society (ACS) and got to make friends with students from different year groups and courses. Alongside this I have been working at the university as a Student Ambassador which is one of the many job roles they have to offer!

There are so many good things that I could say about Liverpool Hope and so much more on offer for students. I hope this blog gives you a good insight on parts of the university that I love the most!

Best Wishes, Kaya x