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Our survey says..........good gut feeling puts Reading top of the pile – University of Reading

A University of Reading survey has shown that a good 'gut feeling' about the University was one of the most influential factors when choosing to study here. Ninety percent of undergraduates polled in an undergraduate Freshers' Survey said Reading "just felt right", and that this was either important or very important when making their choice – and a similar percentage chose Reading because of its good departmental reputation in their particular subject. They were also impressed with teaching quality, accommodation, bursaries on offer and graduate employment figures – all contributing to an overall positive image of the University. Carey Singleton, director of student recruitment and the organiser of the survey, said: "Student feedback is really important to us and we take it very seriously. Running annual surveys such as the Freshers' Survey helps us to better understand our prospective students and their needs and to address them, where possible. They also provide valuable market data as to why candidates chose Reading over another university as their place to study." More than 500 Freshers were polled. Key factors in choosing Reading over others were the availability of halls to first year students, quality assessments, reputation and league table rankings, the University's physical environment and facilities, and welfare provision. Reading's commitment to providing good accommodation was ranked as very important, with 80 per cent of respondents rating the availability of halls in the first year as very important, and the proximity of halls to study facilities was also rated very important by 76 percent of respondents. Reading's overall performance in league tables was ranked as important or very important by 84 per cent of respondents, while sports facilities such as the new V02 fitness centre, were seen as very import by 56 per cent of the respondents. The provision of clubs, societies and entertainment was also rated, not surprisingly, as very high, with 75 per cent of respondents rating it as important or very important. This is the second such survey Reading has held. The purpose of the poll is to find out how Reading can better serve its students and attract more next year, and also to try and understand why candidates accepted offers from Reading over other universities. A total of 547 Reading students, mainly from the UK, were polled for this survey, which was undertaken in November 2006. ends Lucy Ferguson, Senior Press Officer, Reading University 0118 378 7388 L.Ferguson@reading.ac.uk More information About the University of Reading The University of Reading is one of the foremost research-led universities in the UK. Founded in the nineteenth century and gaining a Royal Charter in 1926, we offer a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, social sciences and fine art. New research and the latest thinking continually feed into undergraduate teaching, with our academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise.