Jasmine - Why I chose Herts

Hello! My name is Jasmine and I have just finished my third and final year at the University of Hertfordshire studying Physiotherapy. I want to give you an insight into the reasons I decided to study at Herts.  

When moving away from home, it was important for me to get the right balance between being far enough away from home that I still managed to get the ‘uni experience’ yet not too far from home to allow me to pop home for a weekend. Being from Essex, Herts is about an hour from me therefore this was the perfect distance to achieve this.  

Being a campus University, there is everything you need including a bank, bar, club, doctor's surgery, pharmacy, shops, restaurants just to name a few. This really appealed to me as I didn’t know the area prior to starting university but I knew I would have all necessities on campus.  

The accommodation was another factor that really influenced me to choose Herts. Compared to other accommodation I visited from different Universities the accommodation was so clean, spacious, and big which I loved. There were so many different options to choose from which was great so I decided to choose a townhouse with 12 people in my first year which then allowed me to meet 11 people immediately as I did not know anyone before starting.  

Physiotherapy at Herts won me over massively in comparison to other universities for many reasons. Herts offer two placements within the first year of studying and as a person who learns when ‘doing,’ this was a massive bonus for me. Not only do you get exposure to patients, different health care professionals and different physiotherapy settings but the first year has to be a pass to proceed and does not count towards your final grade, therefore, this gives you an opportunity to find your feet and treat a variety of conditions before being marked.  

Another massive attraction to Herts for me was the Physiotherapy facilities that were available. The SIM centre is used throughout all three years of the course and allows exposure to real-life scenarios but without the pressure due to dummies being used. The labs are fully kitted out with machines and equipment and they are always available to practice on when lectures and practicals are not being undertaken which was a big positive for me.  

Throughout my schooling life, I have always taken every opportunity to undertake extra qualifications or extracurricular activities to build on my skills therefore this was something I wanted to continue throughout University. At Herts there is the opportunity to undertake many other activities such as a sports massage course, REPS gym instructor course, visiting the anatomy lab and massaging at the London Marathon, just to name a few.  

I hope this has given you an insight into why I chose Herts to study at! Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I wish you the best of luck!