Reading 2012 – make a winning start
Release Date 04 January 2012
2012 is shaping up to be a golden year for the UK with the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee, and University of Reading students, past, present and future, have plenty of reasons of their own to be celebrating.
As thousands of top athletes begin to apply themselves in preparation for the London Olympics some of the UK and world's best students are applying in large numbers to seek a place at one of the world's top 200 universities. By the end of December 2011, undergraduate applications to the University of Reading for 2012 were up 7% on the previous year.
Athletes from across the globe are working hard and so are Reading alumni. Last year employability for Reading graduates reached its highest point for a decade, with 92% in work, further study or voluntary positions.
Only the very best will be chosen to represent their country this summer and Reading is maintaining its reputation as a University of choice. In recent years it has attracted an average of six high calibre applications per place.
For most, the Olympics and studying at university is a once in a lifetime experience. Prospective Reading students can look forward to a fantastic time with the news that overall student satisfaction levels at the University, according to the 2011 National Student Survey, have risen to 89%.
Parts of the east end of London have undergone a massive facelift in readiness for the year's biggest event and the University of Reading is continuing to upgrade its facilities too. Over the past two years almost 1,000 new bedrooms have opened and another 900 will open in summer 2012. For students joining Reading in 2012, the University provides over 4,000 student bedrooms on the main Whiteknights campus or a short walk away. If Reading is your first choice, and you firmly accept your place and return your application for accommodation by 1 August, the University of Reading guarantees you a study bedroom in Hall.
The relocation of the University's renowned Institute of Education to the newly refurbished London Road campus will mean a dedicated new central Reading home for the 1,000 trainee teachers who choose the University as the place to begin or further develop their teaching careers. Last year saw the opening of the Minghella Building, the new home for the University of Reading's Department of Film, Theatre & TV. This £11 million building houses the very latest equipment and provides a unique learning environment.
University of Reading students now enjoy high-class courses both in the lecture theatre and at the dining table thanks to the exciting redevelopment of its catering facilities. Over the last three years the University has invested £20 million in its catering outlets.
Olympic athletes receive the very best training and Reading students benefit from education of the highest standard. Many of them go on to achieve great things in areas such as biological sciences, , climate change research, food and nutritional sciences, agriculture, business and the arts.
Unprecedented numbers will head to London this year and Reading students can soak up the experience first-hand with the capital just a 25 minute train journey away. The University's beautiful Whiteknights campus was judged as one of the best open spaces in the country last year so provides the perfect antidote to a London visit.
Future students can potentially look forward to studying in the country's newest city as Reading is a leading candidate to receive city status as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. With the football team hoping to secure promotion to the Premiership, 2012 looks like being a great year for the UK, Reading and its University.