Hi, I’m Jamayla, a 17-year-old performing arts student from Leeds, currently choosing my five universities for my UCAS application.
When it comes to picking a uni, there’s a lot to think about. Finding Vepple completely changed how I went about it, from what I looked for, to how I prepped for open days, and how confident I felt about my choices. I talked about it in my video here:
🌍 Starting the journey
My uni search started with late-night Google searches for media courses within two hours of Leeds. But the more I clicked, the more lost I got. So many uni sites felt like mazes, with messaging about their rankings always coming up first, even though that didn’t actually show what studying there felt like.
More than anything, I wanted to see the campus before spending money on trains and time off work.
That’s when I found the University of Salford. Great location, great course. It was ticking a lot of boxes already.
😩 The struggle with research
I had a mental checklist: the right modules, decent accommodation, and actual visuals of where I’d be learning. But sometimes it felt like unis didn’t really care if I found what I needed. I’d look at the pictures and think, is this even real?
With a part-time job eating up my weekends, I couldn’t just travel everywhere. I needed to be smart about which open days I went to.
💡 What’s this thing?
Then I found Salford’s virtual experience. I didn’t know it was called Vepple. I just clicked what I thought was going to be another video or photo tour.
Suddenly, I was standing inside a real room for my course. I could spin around, spot the equipment I’d be using, and check out the production suites. It actually looked real, like they’d taken care to show what studying there was really like.
And when I visited in person at their Open Day, it was exactly the same. That moment of “oh wow, it matches” helped me trust Salford straight away.
🎟️ Prep before the Open Day
Exploring ahead of time meant I already knew what I wanted to see. Instead of walking into an unknown building, it felt like I’d already been there.
That little bit of familiarity made a huge difference. My nerves disappeared, and I could actually focus on what mattered, chatting to students and picturing myself studying there.
🎯 Personalised (without me knowing)
What stood out most was how relevant it felt. I could go straight into the media and performance spaces, no random stuff that didn’t apply to me.
Even on social media, it’s hard to find someone showing exactly what you want to see, whether you look for student accounts or the university’s official account. With Vepple, I didn’t have to rely on luck or endless scrolling, everything was just there, easy to explore. And I loved that!
💬 Impact on my final choices
Vepple really helped me. Salford felt genuine. It showed me what I’d actually get as a student, and that mattered.
If a uni’s gone to the effort to build something like Vepple, you can tell they care about their students. It made me feel confident applying, knowing what I saw online would match real life.
For my friends who work weekends or live far from campus, that kind of experience would make a huge difference too.
🚪 What I’d say to a university without Vepple
I didn’t even know I was using something called Vepple at first, but now I do, I’m so glad it exists. It helped me explore, understand, and decide with confidence.
If I can’t see your campus properly, I’ll probably scroll past. And that’s not me being harsh – it’s just the reality for students like me.
— Jamayla
