John Bevan - BSc (Hons) Computer Science

'When I was choosing which universities to visit, I chose to look around Portsmouth mainly because of its location - being within two-three hours' drive from home, so far enough from my parents to mean that I'd get advance warning of any visits, but close enough for the occasional 'laundry trip'.

When I came to see the University I was impressed by one of the lecturers, who gave a talk on life at Portsmouth. She told us what type of person would enjoy life here and what the University would expect from us. I put computer science at Portsmouth on my top-six list and since coming here, I've never regretted it.

On the whole, I've enjoyed my course. The workload has never been overbearing, as with some of the horror stories I've heard from people at other universities. The units tend to be structured in such as way as to avoid the individual needing much pre-requisite knowledge, such as maths (beyond basic arithmetic), and are taught by people who understand the subject, and can present it to you in a form that you understand.

I really enjoy living in Portsmouth - though I didn't realise how much until I was on placement, away from the group of friends that I'd made whilst here. Talking to some of my friends who've now graduated, they all miss being here, and often still come back for the various pub crawls, socials, and other events that we have. Most of my free time is spent in either the Music Department, the Students'Union (for both working and drinking) or one of the many student-friendly (aka cheap) pubs in the area.

Portsmouth is a fast-developing city, with one of the old naval bases converted to Gunwharf Quays (a mixed complex containing cinemas, places to shop, eat and stay), and a number of other developments.'