[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]This may come as a surprise to Kevin Costner, who, if 'Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves' is anything to go by, believes that Nottingham is about 1/2 an hour by horse from Kent, but it is, actually, in the East Midlands.  In fact, the East Midlands' largest city.  As with most cities in the Midlands, it's come a long way since the days of the evil Sheriff.  It grew rich during the Industrial Revolution but got poorer again when it finished.  But Nottingham didn't let a slight change of fortune get it down, not in the same way that, for instance, Birmingham did.  It remained and remains a busy, cultural, [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]city within about 1/2 an hour by horse from the Peak District.  About 3 miles from the city centre, is the University's main campus, 330 spacious acres of [ITAL]charming [EITAL]views, parkland, lake and a mixture of [ITAL]majestic [EITAL]old buildings (such as the main administrative centre and the Union) and newer blocks (such as the white concrete [ITAL]flying saucer [EITAL]which disguises itself as the Hallward Library).  10 miles south, at Sutton Bonington near Loughborough (see [ULNE]Loughborough University[EULNE]), the University has another self-contained site, 400 acres, devoted to the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The buzz and hum on the campus is like a hive of bees on speed.  The social life flows with honey and the clubs milk the efforts of almost all students.  Yet, a staggering proportion of students still gets involved in the successful Rag and community action group.  Undiluted essence of life is bottled and served in large quantities at centres around the campus and it would take considerable effort to be bored.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]SUTTON BONINGTON SITE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA](530 students)  This site has its own Student Guild (funded by the Union) which runs a shop and some social events.  [ITAL]Something of a party animal environment.[EITAL] [ITAL]The site is self-contained and has all the basic necessities for life, and escape into Loughborough or Nottingham is easy if it all gets too claustrophobic.[EITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 261,500 [BULL] London: 117miles [BULL] Birmingham: 47miles [BULL] Loughborough: 13miles[ESTAT][PARA][ITAL]The University atmosphere reflects the surrounding town which is also a bustling hustle of rustle and fun to suit all tastes[EITAL].  It has got its dank and squalid corners, but the main areas with shops galore and developments like the Victoria Centre are clean, spacious and filled with [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]Victorian buildings.  Areas such as Hockley, among others, offer trendy little bars, trendy little designer shops and trendy big 2nd hand markets.  Some of the [ITAL]daintiest [EITAL]features include the Goose Fair every October (the largest temporary fun fair in Europe), the famous old lace market (an old quarter of the city where lace is still sold wholesale), Nottingham Castle (more of a mansion really), Slab Square for sitting amidst pigeons, and 'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem' and 'Salutation Inn', 2 of the country's oldest pubs.  Students particularly enjoy 'The Tales of Robin Hood', a heritage centre aimed at kids of all ages.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Nottingham Station offers services all round the country (north and south is simpler than east and west), including London (3hrs, 7/day), Newcastle (3:50hrs, 6/day), Manchester (3:25hrs, 3/day).[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] National Express Services to, among other places, London (£12.50, 2:45hrs, 7/day), Manchester (£8, 3hrs, 5/day), and Newcastle (£17, 3:55hrs, 5/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] Nottingham is 5 minutes off the M1 and is also easily reached by the A6, A47, A52 and the A1 (20 miles away).[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] East Midlands Airport, 12 miles outside town, has flights inland and to Europe.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The M1 is a goody for wild rovers.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Buses run every 15 minutes from the campus into the city centre until 9pm and cost between 45p and 55p.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] If 4 share a taxi, it's comparable to the bus fare for a trip from the campus to the city centre.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Flat with cycle lanes, but laxity with locks can leave legs with nothing to pedal.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Arts and Design[EBOLD]  2,866[BOLD][PARA]Business[EBOLD]  3,700[BOLD][PARA]Soc Sci[EBOLD]  4,860[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD]  4,162[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,200,000 [BULL] Study places: 2,250 [BULL] Computer workstations: 600[ESTAT][PARA]There are 7 libraries (2 of which are specialist interest collections) including the Hallward Library (arts, social science and education), the Science Library, Greenfield Medical Library, Law Library and a library on the Sutton Bonington site.  The Cripps Computing Centre is the base of the University network.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 12full [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 7%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University makes a big deal out of the fact that D H Lawrence was a student here and is the foremost centre for research into his works, [ITAL]although Lawrence's attitude to the University was, to say the least ambivalent[EITAL].[PARA][BULL]55% of student study sciences, engineering or medical courses.[PARA][BULL]The University claims to have more applications per place than any other UK university (but others make the same claim).[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]John Gunn (Guardian Young Businessman of the Year); Lord Hollick (chairman of MAI); Tim Janman MP (Con); D H Lawrence (writer); Lord Lewis (Master of [ULNE]Robinson College, Cambridge[EULNE]); The Bishop of London; Brian Moore (England rugby player); Tim Robinson (cricketer); Sultan Raja Azlan Shah (King of Malaysia).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads.[PARA][PARA]