Glasgow Caledonian University

The parking is pathetic but its just a university really

Wondering about the conference facilities at Glasgow Caledonian University? Well, wonder no further — because I can tell you now that they’re pretty good.
Getting into the university and finding somewhere to park was a little confusing, once you turn off Cawcaddens Road and into the university there are no signs to point you in the direction of the car park. Luckily, the car in front of me went the wrong way so I didn’t have to! Oh, and when I did find the car park — I was very pleased to find that there wasn’t a pay and display machine in sight.
The event I attended was in the Hamish Wood Building — luckily, as I’m not sure I would’ve found anywhere else. The Hamish Wood Building seemed to be the main building, and was lit up very helpfully in the dark.
Inside the building, the conference rooms were roomy and comfortable, the coffee facilities were very acceptable, and the toilets were really nice. (I am a big believer in the importance of nice toilets).
If you’re still in any doubt, the university is located on Cawcadden’s Road which makes it very accessible to visitors from all over Glasgow. Plus, it’s only a ten minute walk from the Cowcadden’s Subway Station and the Buchanan Bus Station is just round the corner.
In my opinion, the conference facilities there get a big thumbs up.

Glasgow Caledonian University is one of the more modern institutions in Glasgow and this is best reflected in the new library, The Saltire Centre.
The campus is all self contained which is excellent and the library links the different buildings together so that once you go inside, you dont have to go wandering around in the rain (as was once often the case all too often).
It has a wide range of clubs and activities on offer in addition to a brilliant careers service and gym, with a notably excellent international students supports service. As such, the intake for international students is high.
It is a lively place, with a bustling student body and committed staff who guided me safely through an Undergraduate Psychology degree.
They are also very flexible with disabled students and offer great student support, in general.

From my limited experiences of this institution I’ve mixed feelings. On one hand I think that new universities such as Cally, Napier, etc devalue higher education to some extent. They require few grades to get in and since their inception in 1992 the student population has grown to ridiculous levels, resulting in an over-​populated graduate employment market and not enough jobs to go round. As a result many graduates find themselves rotting in call centres for years after their studies.
On the other hand, Cally does seem to be well regarded in the I. T and science sectors, is one of the best places in the U. K if you want to study physiotherapy, and has an extremely vocational outlook in the subjects it offers. It also has incredibly modern facilities, the jewel in the crown being the futuristic looking library which is a far nicer study venue than the one at Strathclyde, which wouldn’t look out of place on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall.
Though the after-​class scene has got a bit livelier in recent years, Cally students are mainly local kids still living at home or mature students and don’t often stick around after 5pm and so the campus still has a bit of a day college feel to it, resulting in a fairly diluted university experience for many here. If you’re planning on studying in Glasgow then Caledonian is obviously worth considering, but in most cases if you can get in elsewhere you’ll be better off.

Cale is a great Uni with vibrant group of students, excellent Lecturers and fantastic facilities. I attended Cale for my degree in Sociology cant speak any higher of the place as a whole. With a fantastic new library and study area (its the building with the huge big green tower attached to it) this place offers a fantastic facility to any university goes.
Forever under the shadow of its more illustrious rival Glasgow Uni, Cale is still a great place to learn

Glasgow Caledonian University is a bit of an odd ball when compared to it’s Glasgow peers. It was only recently upgraded from College to University labelling, and as such lacks the more prestigious history of other Glasgow universities. However, despite this, the university is regarded in high esteem in a few areas — especially nursing — and is the only major Glasgow university having a journalism course to be officially accredited by the NCTF.
In recent years the university has received critisism over staffing and possible misuse of public funds, although nothing was ever conclusively proved.
I would recommend this institution cautiously, as some of its courses do tend to have a lower standard of teaching/​organisation as Glasgow and Strathclyde university, so thoroughly research any degree offered here before committing.

Glasgow Caledonian University (or Caly as it’s colloquially known) has an excellent location just by the city centre. A wide variety of courses are taught and they are one of a few universities in Scotland teaching Optometry. A recently built library dominates the main entrance and also plays host to the student union. It’s proximity to the city centre allow a busy social scene and excellent transport links. Although perhaps not as illustrious as some of it’s peers in the city, GCU is a respectable university, catering for a wide variety of students.