Which City to be a student in?

[hellsbells99]

Noticed there is a current thread on Nottingham in chat and wondered what thoughts people had on other cities - but in this case relating to being a student? We are looking at Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. Any thoughts or experiences?

[Marniasmum]

DS1 is in 3rd year at Leeds Uni.Likes course and lives the Uni but HATES leeds. There was a murder on his street a couple of weeks ago!

[senua]

Oh, I was going to say from our experience it's a yes to Cardiff, Leeds and Bristol.

DS had a murder, a few years ago, a few streets away in Leeds but still likes the place. I don't know if I should post that because someone keeps posting nasty things on here about my city and it annoys me! You can't judge a city by one or two isolated incidents.

[hellsbells99]

DD1 has a couple of friends at Leeds uni and they are loving both the city and the uni! We know a couple of others at Sheffield who really like that city and the fact that it is very good value - although do comment on how cold it is in the winter.

[senua]

Ha! Are you softy southerners? DS insists on wandering around with trouser hems rolled up and no socks because it's 'cool'.

[cathyandclaire]

Not a student but a mother living in Leeds with two late teen daughters and I'm staggered by the opinions of het seems to us a very safe city. I'm sure you are both talking about the same murder, please don't dismiss Leeds tragedies happen everywhere.

[mouldycheesefan]

I have lived and worked in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and am not a fan of any of them sorry.

[hellsbells99]

Senua - no, I am a Northerner! But we don't get much snow where I am.

[hellsbells99]

Senua - I hear Bristol is a great city but a bit expensive?

[senua]

Talking of which, it's wet in Manchester.

[senua]

I think Bristol can be expensive if you want it to be, but you can get by fine as a student. There are some whizzo things to do - they like their festivals, events, alternative living, quirky shops, etc.

[hellsbells99]

Yes, it rains a lot in Manchester!

[hellsbells99]

One of DD's friends is hopefully going to Bristol uni

[senua]

Fingers crossed for her. It's a city with character.

[LentilStew]

It does rain a lot in Manchester and I think, Manchester has the second biggest student population in Europe, behind London. I think I read that Man Met was the biggest university in Europe. It's a great place to be a student and so much around the city is geared towards the students. But it was cold and wet.

You get murders in every big city in the country. Nobody would be saying you must not go to London as there was a murder there. Same for Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow etc.
I didn't like Bristol. I visited friends there quite a lot. but I know lots of students are very happy there and stay on after graduating. Sheffield seemed smaller and more contained but a bit meh to me and even colder than Manchester!

Nobody should take it as a slight on where they live. All of these cities have very nice, often very expensive areas where people live happily and safely with their families. These tend to seem a million miles away (even if only actually 5) from where students tend to live.

[ScottishProf]

Edinburgh's a brilliant city to be a student in: lively, walkable, good public transport, lots of suitable accommodation (though it's not cheap). Glasgow, too, in a different style (much bigger). Edinburgh's colder, Glasgow's wetter.

[Needmoresleep]

I'm with Senua. I get fed up with regular posts which state as a matter of fact that London is not a good place to be a student. Contradicting the experiences of many we know.

In the end it depends on what you want. When taking campus tours with DS it was obvious that he was not a campus type boy but his sister probably was. She likes sports fields, he is content with cheap ethnic restaurants and pubs screening LOL games, and lots of inter-University gaming. Neither go clubbing. He is very into his course and likes the high level teaching available in London, DD is focussing on campus Universities with Cities attached. Both would probably want a good level of international diversity.

My gues is most want something a bit different to home but not too much. So kids from London can truggle in a smaller town and the reverse.

[bojorojo]

All the student accommodation in the cities you mention OP will be reasonably priced. These cities have enormous student populations and several universities with residential students. The cities you mention are large and geared up to students but with lots of other things to do. The universities are all Russell Group so no differentiation there however, there may be differences in the content of the courses offered, the A levels required to get a place (although unlikley any will be the highest offers), and in the league tables for the subject so look at those factors.

All cities have levels of crime and some of it is robberies of student accommodation. Therefore if a student is living in private rented accommodation, make sure windows and doors are secure. Don't leave expensive laptops on show etc. Regretably murders can happen anywhere! There was a notable one in Bristol in the student area. That is the MOST expensive area of Bristol where houses sell for in excess of £2m. Students there do not necessarily live in the "cheaper" areas. In fact, not at all!

Most students actually like where they decide to go to university. If you spend some time in the favoured cities you tend to get a feeling of what it is like to live there. Oxbridge, Bristol, Durham and St Andrews have a high number of privately educated young people. Sheffield is significantly lower down in this particular league table. The city is politically Labour and feels like it. I am a regular visitor. Bristol has a pretty inactive students' union. Most students do not bother with it. Sheffield used to have a very vibrant students' union and it is a good value city. However, all the others you mention are hardly expensive either.

I would check out what matters to the student: course and learning facilites , good value accommodation, weather (?), student union activities, delis and tea shops, new or traditional halls of residence, reputation of university, distance from home, staying in a certain location (North, Scotland, South Coast etc), sports facilities, clubs and pubs, job prospects - they are all in the mix for some people. Everyone will have a different opinion!

[bojorojo]

I have a DD in London as a student. She is happy and she is well suited to London. People do need to be aware that it does not suit everyone. There are high levels of internatinal students, (very, very high numbers on some courses), and it is more expensive. Those who have a very limited budget might struggle and may not want to do everything on the cheap, or very little at all because they cannot afford it. Jobs, though are relatively easy to get if that is what you need to do. The universities mentioned in the original post are all cheaper than London but of course London has a lot of advantages in cultural diversity, culture and the arts in general and being in a world renown city, just to mention a few.

[annettec01]

Friends daughter started at Birmingham last September and loves it. She is from Surrey so gets train down every now and then.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Sheffield is great. I went to college and then uni in sheffield and am about to go back for another two year post grad course. It's my favourite City ever. Very student friendly.

[eatyourveg]

Can anyone vouch for Newcastle? ds hoping to spend the next 3 years there, would be nice to know if students are loved or loathed up there

[2rebecca]

My son loves Glasgow, although I think it's mainly his mates that he's made there that he loves as he doesn't go out on the town that often. I loved being a student in London but that was in the 90s when it was a lot cheaper.

[hellsbells99]

I have been in Manchester this afternoon and remembered one very good plus point for students - the buses! Most of the students live in an area called Fallowfield and the buses run constantly from there to the university and on to the city centre - all day and most of the night.

[Decorhate]

eatyourveg My cousin's dd went to Newcastle & loved the place & the people

My dd is at Leeds & very happy so far

[hellsbells99]

We are hoping to have another look at Leeds and the accommodation options. Does anyone have any knowledge of Devonshire Hall or Lyddon for catered or Henry Price for self-catered?
For Sheffield, DD preferred the City accommodation as it was so close to the uni and students union.