It’s not just what courses a university offers that affects its atmosphere, but how they’re taught — one teaching method may work for you, another may not.

If the timetable is heavy — full of long lectures, seminars and practicals — then it doesn’t leave too much time in the day for the favourite student pastime of sitting around, drinking coffee and chatting. That means the place feels less laid-back. But ‘laid-back’ may not be what you want anyway — that’s your call.

It may also mean there’s less time for other activities, such as sport . Many universities don’t schedule any academic commitments on Wednesday afternoons. (I don’t know why it’s Wednesdays, it’s just that’s when it’s always been.) They do this so that everyone can get muddy on a field together or whack balls over nets — you know the sort of thing.

It’s not compulsory and plenty of students just use Wednesday afternoons to do other things like play in a band, rehearse a play, write the student paper or, of course, to sit around, drink coffee and chat.

Some even choose to study. Whatever milks your cow.

Another example: part-time students. Some universities go for part-timers in a big way. Derby , for instance, has as many part-time degree students as full-time ones. Meanwhile, at Birkbeck College (part of London University), well, they don’t have anything but part-timers.

And, being part-time, they’re not around as much.

They aren’t necessarily any less committed to their courses or to their university, but most of them are part-time because they’ve got other lives to lead, whether a job, a family or whatever.

Such things don’t do much for creating a lively atmosphere. Imagine a party where everyone drops in for half an hour — it might have short periods when it’s a blast, but for most of the time it’s more like a bus garage.

A third and final example of a factor that can influence course style (I could go on for ages, but I’ll spare you): students’ motives .

Some courses are purely academic. Take, philosophy, say, or Ancient Greek. You can hardly call them job-oriented training — the demand for philosophers just isn’t what it was in the days of Plato, nor for people fluent in Ancient Greek.

Other courses are nothing but training. Medicine and dentistry are obvious examples, but there’s fashion, accountancy, pharmacy, textile design, tourism, catering and thousands more.

If a university focuses on the more career-oriented stuff, it’s reflected in the students. They’re at university to get a qualification for a job, not necessarily to broaden their minds. As a result the atmosphere can be less broad-minded.

Just like all this stuff on atmosphere, that might be no bad thing. If what you want from university is to get a qualification for a job, then ...

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