As a current Computer Science student at the University of Hertfordshire (2022-2025), I can honestly say that attending this institution has been the worst decision of my academic life. My experience here has been a mix of incompetence, mismanagement, and outright neglect for student well-being. I urge anyone considering enrolling here to think twice.
1)Administrative Nightmare and Lack of Support
The administration is utterly disorganized and heartless. It feels as if they view students as nothing more than cash cows, without a shred of care for their actual needs. The finance team is particularly appalling—there are endless horror stories about students being slapped with massive debts without proper communication, denied payment plans, and left scrambling for help. The administrative staff's attitude is cold, arrogant, and dismissive, treating students as though they are inconveniences. In any instance where assistance is required, be it financial or personal, the university's response is always slow, ineffective, and often rude.
2)Horrific Well-being and Support Services
The student support and well-being services are nothing short of a joke. They provide no meaningful assistance and even ignore basic issues that compromise students' mental health and safety. I've personally witnessed cases where students facing harassment received no real support, with staff refusing to take action despite being given clear evidence. The bureaucracy at this university is labyrinthine, and it seems designed to discourage students from seeking any help at all. There’s a complete disregard for the mental health of students, leaving those who struggle feeling isolated and helpless.
3)Poor Quality of Education & AI-Based Marking Issues
The quality of education here is far from what you'd expect from a university. Most of the lectures are outdated, disorganized, and provide no real value. There's no sense of guidance or learning; it feels like you're handed assignments just for the sake of it, without any of the actual learning experience that should come with it.
On top of that, there have been concerning signs that some teachers are relying on AI marking. Many students received similar grades and identical feedback, which strongly suggests the use of automated assessment tools. This is completely unacceptable—AI marking is lazy and removes the human element of grading. Students work hard on their assignments, only to be judged by a flawed algorithm that does not understand effort, context, or critical thinking. The lack of transparency around marking only worsens the frustration, as teachers refuse to clarify how they grade assignments.
4)A Teacher Who Sabotaged Our Future – Prapa Rattadilok
One of the worst experiences in this university was having to take a module under Prapa Rattadilok. Her incompetence, arrogance, and complete disregard for students led to one of the most unfairly conducted modules I have ever experienced.
Her mismanagement of practical tests was a disaster:
The first test was conducted over two days, with different batches receiving the same question, leading to complaints and a forced retest.
Many students who provided video proof of their correct work still received 0 marks, even though it was an open-book test.
The computers were extremely slow, and she refused to let students use their own laptops, which would have significantly improved performance.
No proper guidance was given on how to write up our work, yet we were penalized harshly for not documenting things the way she wanted.
The second test was even worse:
It required combining multiple components that were never covered in class, making it unfairly difficult.
She broke her own rules—students were told they could use OneDrive for notes, but during the test, she forced them to close their notes without explanation.
The retest was just as bad—students were assessed on topics they were never taught, and the difficulty was far beyond undergraduate level.
Her marking scheme was completely unfair, with many students receiving 0 or close to 0 marks across all assessments. The lack of mock exams, feedback, and justification made it impossible for students to improve. One student was even denied entry for arriving 2 minutes late, despite traveling a long distance to get there.
Her attitude toward students was beyond unacceptable:
She mocked students for not knowing her email, wasting precious test time instead of helping them.
When a student emailed asking for support, she responded with: "I believe you are one who complained", showing clear bias and unprofessional behavior.
She ignored complaints, refused to meet students face-to-face, and acted as if students were beneath her.
When students demanded a fair resolution, she dismissed them completely, ignoring all valid concerns.
Her mismanagement has seriously impacted students' futures—many students wanted to apply to top universities for postgraduate studies, but their unfairly low grades will make that impossible.
5) Unreasonable Team Selection and Timetable Restrictions
*(Responsible Teacher: Nathan Beka)
Another major issue is the university’s lack of flexibility when it comes to group projects and timetables. Students are not given the freedom to choose their own teams—teams must be formed only within their assigned sessions. This is incredibly restrictive and unnecessary. It would be far better if students could choose their own groups, regardless of session time, to accommodate different schedules.
Worse yet, students are being forced to stick to rigid timetables, even when those timetables are unreasonable. A teacher outright stated:
"The module team will not be responding to timetable change requests moving forward."
Some students have long travel distances, family responsibilities, or work commitments, yet they are forced into inconvenient and even unsafe schedules. In some cases, students have been placed in 5-7 PM sessions, which is completely unfair—especially for those who have to travel long distances at night when public transport is unreliable or unsafe. When students requested to switch to earlier sessions, they were flat-out denied without any valid reason.
The lack of flexibility and poor communication surrounding timetables is yet another example of how the university fails to consider student well-being.
6) Incompetent Teachers and a Total Lack of Communication
*(Responsible Teacher: Deepthi Ratnayake)
The lack of teacher involvement is alarming. Many lecturers don’t show up to classes, and when they do, it's common for them to arrive late or rush through the content. Communication is almost non-existent—emails go unanswered, and when teachers do respond, it's often a lazy, vague answer that offers no real help. The teachers that genuinely care about the students are far too few, and their efforts are overshadowed by the overall neglect that permeates this place.
This lack of care is especially clear in some of the harsh and dismissive messages sent by lecturers. One teacher even sent a message with the following statement:
"If you miss classes, you will be on your own to deal with the consequences as we are unable to give you any private tutoring and give you email feedback on your work."
This attitude is completely unacceptable. Students have personal lives, families, and health concerns that may prevent them from attending every class. The university’s refusal to accommodate personal circumstances, such as work obligations or family responsibilities, shows a complete lack of empathy and understanding.
Rather than helping students overcome obstacles, Deepthi Ratnayake’s approach is to threaten and dismiss them. Instead of creating a positive and supportive learning environment, this kind of attitude only discourages students and adds unnecessary stress.
7) Travel to University – Constant Delays and Price Increases
Traveling to and from university is a nightmare, thanks to UNO Buses. The service is unreliable, with buses frequently running late or simply not showing up at all.
Students often have to wait over an hour for a bus.
Bus prices were increased, making it an even worse deal for students.
Bus drivers frequently have negative attitudes—some are rude and dismissive.
Some buses skip stops entirely and just drive past waiting students.
This transport system is not only unreliable but also expensive. Many students end up struggling to even reach the university on time due to these constant delays.
8) Robot Coursework Issue – No Testing at Home
One of the most absurd restrictions imposed by the university is regarding the robot programming coursework.
Students are only allowed to test the robot in the university lab, meaning they have to physically travel to campus every time they want to test their code.
The teacher explicitly prohibited students from purchasing their own robot, which would have been a more convenient and practical solution.
No remote testing options were provided, forcing students to waste time and money traveling just to test their work.
This is incredibly unfair, as students should have the option to test their code from home or use their own equipment. The university’s rigid and outdated approach to coursework makes learning more difficult and adds unnecessary stress to students.
9) Subpar Facilities and Infrastructure
The infrastructure here is appalling. The computer labs are laughably inadequate—slow, outdated systems that constantly have issues opening, submitting, or even saving files. The workspace is uncomfortable, with broken chairs and a lack of basic amenities. Even accessing the labs can be a hassle, as doors are often locked, forcing students to wait around until someone lets them in.
The air conditioning system is another problem altogether—it barely works, and in some rooms, there’s no air conditioning at all, leading to either extreme heat or unbearable cold. The windows are rusted and difficult to operate, raising safety concerns and making the environment feel even less hospitable.
10)Good vs. Bad Teachers
While many lecturers at the University of Hertfordshire are incompetent or completely apathetic, there are still a handful of good teachers who genuinely care about students and their education.
Good Teachers (Dedicated, Helpful, and Professional):
• Christopher Baker (Great maths lecturer, kind to all students)
• Manuel Gomes Rosmaninho (amazing software engineer, attendance 100%)
• Pamela Green (great teacher, not met but talked online)
• Kheng Koay (strict but effective teacher, attendance 100%)
• Silvia Moros (amazing practical teacher, kind to all students, attendance 100%)
• Raimund Kirner (great lecturer, kind and responsive to all students)
• Kufreh Sampson (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Deepak Panday (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Paul Moggridge (Great supervisor, nice attitude to students)
• Barry Ip (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Pranjal Sharma (Very good teacher, helpful to everyone, attendance 100%)
• Daniel Polani (Crazy mind but very good lecturer, responds to all students, attendance 100%)
• Yongjun Zheng (Not had him but heard good things about him)
• Azita Pourghasem (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Parisa Rahimi (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Lora Tonga (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Felix Riegler (Very good teacher, attendance 100%, responds to all emails)
• Bente Riegler (very good practical teacher, kind and respectful)
• Mariana Lilley (Met online briefly, great teacher, helped with online test)
• Karen Archer (Great practical teacher, kind and respectful, attendance 100%)
• Barry Nichols (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• John Kanyaru (Great lecturer and practical teacher, kind and respectful to students, attendance 100%)
• W Fernando (Best of the best, understands all students, attendance 100%)
• Satrya Pratama (Great teacher, informative, not met but heard he’s good)
• Junchao Wang (Great practical teacher, kind and respectful, attendance 100%)
• Tazeen Syed (great module leader, kind and respectful, attendance 100%)
These are the teachers who actually make an effort to help students and ensure they learn. There is so much I can say about these teachers but we would be here for ages – in short if I win the lottery, I would give every teacher mentioned above 5-10%.
Bad Teachers (Incompetent, Rude, and Disorganized):
• Prapa Rattadilok (The worst of them all, sabotaged students’ futures)
• Nathan Beka (Strict and unfair with timetables and team selection)
• Deepthi Ratnayake (Dismissive, unhelpful, and lacking compassion)
• Alexandra Marczyk (Super strict and old-fashioned)
• Stephen Hunt (Selfish, he accused a student with cheating but didn’t want to meet up with them and hear them out)
• Alex Shafarenko (Extremely bad, he didn’t provide mock tests for his module, treats he co-workers like trash, gave students extremely hard robot exercises)
• Michael Walters (Cares more about his money/salary than the students, has time to protest but no time to aid students)
• Paul Morris (Cares more about his salary, refused to help a student with their CWK but had time to protest for his salary being reduced)
• Diego Resende Faria (Unreliable, late, uses chatGPT to teach, bad attitude when asked questions)
• Andrew Pyper (Super strict, unfair marking, has favouritism over certain students)
• Alireza Poshtkohi (Very bad attitude, only helps and respects smarty students, treats others like trash, always shouting)
• Deepthi Ratnayake (Crazy mindset, she thinks all students should put University above their family, health and job)
These are the lecturers who either don’t care, are disorganized, or actively make things worse for students. These teachers mentioned above, I can go into more detail about their bad deeds, but we would be here forever. I don’t know how they got their job; they simply have forgotten their days as students, they abuse their power and enjoy seeing us students suffer.
Conclusion – Avoid This University at All Costs
My experience at the University of Hertfordshire has been nothing short of traumatic. The combination of a disorganized administration, poor teaching quality, insufficient facilities, AI-based grading, transport issues, and a complete disregard for student welfare has left me regretting my decision to study here every day.
The incompetence of lecturers like Prapa Rattadilok has made things even worse, with unfair marking schemes, impossible tests, and a complete lack of professionalism. If this university truly cared about its students, they would have taken action against such teachers instead of allowing them to ruin students' futures.
I strongly advise anyone considering attending this university to think twice—no degree is worth the stress, neglect, and mistreatment that come with attending this place. If you value your mental health, well-being, and future, look elsewhere. This university is nothing more than an overpriced scam that preys on unsuspecting students.
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