What a year, I might be a little biased (it has been my only year here) but it’s been an important one, one full of meaningful conversations and even more meaningful action. We’ve seen real unity, even in tough times.
A personal highlight (and hopefully yours too) has been the return of Concourse. For a university with student media in its DNA, it’s surprising it ever left. While we’re not officially part of the SU, it has put a stop to any of our endeavours, so we hope you stay tuned.
To wrap up our first year back, we’ve put together a short survey on life at Keele. We hope it sparks reflection, conversation and maybe even becomes a tradition.
One thing we learned from our interviews is that Keele if anything, is GORGEAOUS. Everyone we spoke to responded positively to the question “What do you like about campus?”, with many unprompted comments about the greenery, the squirrels, the trees and how quiet and peaceful it is. The beauty of the campus came up again and again though one person did call the Chancellor’s Building an “architectural mess,” which got a few nods of agreement on our side. And when we asked, “What brought you to Keele?” nearly everyone mentioned the campus again, specifically the escape and calm atmosphere.
Another common theme was that many students came to Keele for the Combined Honours program. I can say the same, it was the main reason I chose Keele myself. Of course, that recognition was followed by a bit of laughter, as we all acknowledged the irony that the university is now phasing out joint honours. Interestingly, two of the people we interviewed said their sixth form teachers where the ones who prompted them to choose Keele. What does that mean? I’m not entirely sure, but quite the coincidence, if I do say so myself.
On top of this, a significant trend was medical students consistently praised Keele’s strength in medical courses, medical students, in particular, were the most vocal about how much they valued their course. In contrast, the most dissatisfaction came from humanities students, whose experiences were more mixed, as you might expect. We also heard from a veterinary student who pointed out that there aren’t many places in the UK to study veterinary medicine, which made Keele a clear choice for them.
Keele’s rural setting is a major plus for many, it’s quiet, peaceful, and exactly what a lot of students are looking for. As one interviewee put it, “Perfect university for a quiet life. Might not be a university for people expecting nights out every night.” And they’re not alone. From our research, it’s clear that a lot of students come here specifically for that calm atmosphere. For homebodies, it’s ideal.
But for students who do want to go out, things get a bit trickier. Our survey shows that most people don’t actually go out to the SU. The reasons? Well one may be poor advertising—most people simply don’t know what’s happening or when. And when they do show up, the SU doesn’t exactly offer a comfortable vibe. The playlists are repetitive (as noted by our Culture writer, Nathan), and the drinks are expensive and sometimes there’s nobody there.
To make things worse, many students live off-campus, with some commuting from places like Silverdale (oh, the horror), which makes the SU feel even more inaccessible. Keele nightlife, for the most part, hinges on the SU, but it doesn’t meet expectations, isn’t convenient for many, and fails to promote anything happening outside of campus, like in Newcastle.
The result? A nightlife scene that feels disorganised and disconnected. From what we’ve seen, the only real fix might be to tap more into Newcastle’s culture and bring some of that energy back to Keele.
We then asked students how they perceive activism on campus. Responses ranged from regular protest-goers to those who’ve only seen things from the sidelines, but overall, everyone seemed to agree that activism is a good thing. In fact, some felt it doesn’t go far enough, that not enough people are showing up or getting involved.
Looking at the bigger picture, it’s clear that students are upset about what’s happening. One humanities student even said she’s worried about going into next year, given the ongoing cuts and the degradation of her course.
To wrap things up, we asked everyone whether coming to Keele felt worth it—and surprisingly, despite everything mentioned above, almost all of them said yes (usually with a big asterisk).
We also asked, “If you could change one thing about Keele, what would it be?” and the answers were just as varied as you’d expect. An international student told us she wished the university did more to integrate international students—seminars and social life often feel stratified and isolating. Others, unsurprisingly, said the nightlife needs improvement. One person even said they wished Keele “wasn’t in Stoke.”
There were also calls for more restaurants and things to do, better module options, and keeping Combined Honours.
All in all, I’d say this little survey gave us a snapshot of the entire year, what it feels like to be a student at Keele right now: the good, the bad, and the deeply confusing. But overall, one thing is clear, people care. They care about this place, their courses, their community, their experiences, and especially their teachers.
Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts, we hope this sparks more conversations, and maybe even becomes an annual tradition.
