to ask you all for positive (or at least realistic) stories about Manchester/University Of Manchester?

[PrivacyShutter]

I’m panicking a bit about DD starting Uni in September. We’re from down south and the vibe feels so different up there. Not in a bad way at all, just very different. I know I’m seeing it through my middle-aged eyes, but I keep reading about the crime rates and the constant rain, and it’s making me anxious! Please help me see it in a more positive light. (I’m being upbeat with DD, but I’d like to actually feel that positivity myself.)

I'm from London and live and work in Manchester now (at UoM!). It's a great city and feels safe. My DH is also from the south and went to Uni here and stayed on. It can be a bit rough near Fallowfield, the traditional student area but otherwise the city is fine. Lots happening and it's a vibrant city.
The only thing I dislike about Manchester is that it's dirty in certain parts, more so than other major cities and Piccadilly Gardens area is particularly nasty.
Your DD will have a great time, good luck!

When I say 'The South', I am in the South East now, one hour 15 min train ride away from London. I lived in London for three decades, in all sorts of good, bad and ugly areas.

What a great idea! Thanks!

I was a student at University of Manchester, albeit more than 40 years ago! I was from a tiny village in a very rural area so this was a great change for me. I had a fantastic time. Even back then the student population was huge and very diverse. I also loved the city.

I didn't stay in Manchester itself for work but not far away. It is still my nearest big city and I visit often.

One of my nephews studied at UofM and still lives and works there and another nephew also lives in Manchester. DD didn't go there for Uni because she felt like she wanted to go somewhere less familiar. However she now works in Manchester and lives in Stockport.

In short I would give a big thumbs up to your DD for choosing Manchester, she will have a great time I am sure. Oh and the Peak District is very accessible from there if she likes to get out in to the countryside for a good walk.

Manchester is a fantastic place for a young person. I too went to uni in 1999 and never left! So much more on offer than when I first arrived too. People so down to earth and friendly too.

Agree with comments about keeping your wits about you, but that would go in any major city!

Yes it rains a lot, get a good waterproof coat and you’re sorted!

The whole of Manchester??
Whst is your experience of Manchester ?

The main crime on campus is bike theft. There are also numerous schemes that target international students which isn't a worry for you.
There is loads of information given in Freshers week re: safety. Don't be leaving belongings unattended. Keep windows locked, how to avoid having drinks spiked and so on. I don't think there's any more crime here than anywhere else and it's a brilliant place for students.

It does rain a lot though, can't help with that. A good waterproof coat and brollies are your friend 👍🏻

I've been to Manchester quite a bit in the last couple of years. Felt much safer, found ut more vibrant and less full of despair than Plymouth and Bristol. I am sure it has rougher areas as do all cities but she will have a great time.

I’m Manchester born and bred. It is grimy, not very pretty and a bit rough around the edges.

Having said that, it’s really really good fun and it is safe overall. Lots of parts of the city centre are now genuinely lovely having been redeveloped, and for a student there’s so much going on.

I spent many drunken nights in the city centre (in retrospect in precarious situations that I wouldn’t recommend!) but nothing bad ever happened.

Your daughter will have a great time and it’s a really respected university.

Job wise the uni may have a jobs fayre for pt roles inc roles on campus.

DD1 has just graduated from UoM - managed 3 years with zero issues

Manchester University has the highest student population in the country. It is almost a town in itself. I worked there for 15 years and it's a brilliant place academically. The city itself is vibrant and full of opportunities. She is lucky to be heading up here. Don't worry. There are also some absolutely beautiful areas a short train ride away to escape into nature if that is her thing.

I went to study in Manchester from the south, and I was in a bank robbery in my first term, also got my moped stolen and my handbag taken within 3 months of moving there! It rains a LOT. However I did enjoy studying there. Wouldn't move back though!!

I'm from the North West, I feel safer in Manchester than I do in London. As for the rain, living in the north teaches you to appreciate all weather and not let a bit of rain spoil your day.

We are just outside of Manchester, DD and her boyfriend are both studying at Manchester as even though they wanted to uni experience of living away, Manchester for them both was cheaper. I hope they don’t regret their decision as DS is having the best time at Bath Uni and plans on staying down there.

We regularly visit the uni areas and it’s very much its own little ‘town’ if you like.

There are tons of places to look for work, there’s Manchester Arndale, Trafford Centre, Northern Quarter, Deansgate for things like retail, coffee shops, cinemas, cocktail bars, crazy golf etc.

Theres also Old Trafford and the Etihad for football days.. Co-Op live AO for big events. The Lowry, Palace Theatre, Opera House, even ITV studios.

She will have a great time, we are a friendly bunch up North.

I went to uni in Manchester and loved it. I don't recall ever feeling unsafe really and I was out and about a lot (rarely alone though) I do live in a town nearby though so was used to that kind of environment.

I must admit now I'm slightly older (only 30) and have a baby we're looking to relocate to a quiet area in Dorset, i don't feel particularly comfortable and content in the town I'm in now (Greater Manchester, not Manchester itself!)

There's always one 😆

@PrivacyShutter - Manchester is fantastic. As a born and bred Mancunian I obviously would say that HOWEVER pretty much my entire friend group (as adults in our late 30s / early 40s) are not from Manchester and - as others have said - ended up staying here after Uni in the early 2000s.

When I was that age, the student life was hugely geared around cheap bars / nightclubs, as many shots as you can drink and walking home at 3am with a kebab in one hand and our heels in another!

However I currently have two nephews and my friends kids at Uni in Manchester / Salford and it's far more chilled and "bohemian" these days! They spend a lot of time at coffee shops, little independent wine / beer places, pop up food venues, live music events... It's a brilliant city and honestly, even if I wasn't biased, think it is probably the best city in the country to be a student.

Also - it absolutely is not "constant rain" 😂But even if it was, why would it make you anxious?!?!

I help people relocate from all over the world to Manchester, its a great city.
The North isn't a frozen wasteland full of people who eat Southerners for breakfast so stop being daft and celebrate your child getting into a Fantastic Uni in a fabulous place

That's anecdotal though i have lived in Greater Manchester my entire life and never Been a victim of a crime
I also did my nurse training in Salford and lived on the precinct for a while this was mid 90,s when it was considered a really rough area and agsin didn't see any crime .

Regarding jobs, what’s she studying, @PrivacyShutter? You may or may not be aware that Manchester + Salford comprise a thriving hub for everything concerning the arts, broadcasting, history, law, …

Huge museums and arts centres. Media City in Salford. World class music school and conservatoire. Wonderful art galleries. An RHS garden. A marina with endless watersports options. Vast courts. Public and private, contemporary and historic libraries. Theatres, cinemas, football stadiums. Railway stations and concert halls. Jodrell Bank Observatory just over the border in Cheshire. Stately homes. Cathedral and churches and countless other places for worship.

Even if she avoids the infinite number of shops and cafes and restaurants she should have no difficulty at all finding a part time job. (And apart from income, it will be an excellent way to expand her Manchester horizons and get to know the place. If she’s smart she could find something related to her degree subject, thus enhancing her CV.)

Jesus you were unlucky. I have lived and worked here for 40 years and never (touch wood) even witnessed a crime, never mind been the victim of one!!!

That poster doesn't like many things so i wouldn't worry about it

I lived in Manchester for 20 years and loathed it – I was never happier than when I left. I did not find the people at all friendly; they were far nicer in London. It's grubby and without personality and there always seemed to be drunks on the street, even in the morning. I used to get depressed just going into it for the day. I found it a lot harder to drive in than London too – lots of bad drivers running red lights and being inconsiderate. Where I lived, there were a number of armed robberies too, though I didn't have a posh enough house to worry about that!

I think maybe if I'd moved there in my 20s or gone to uni there, I might have liked it more, but my partner was born in Manchester and hates it too! As a student, I imagine it could be fun.

We moved here ten years ago for work. I took a while to warm to the city and for the first year I kept telling myself it was a temporary move. We're still here, with a family now and I love it. People are really friendly and we know lots of our neighbours. It's such a lively city with so many things to do as listed by other people on this thread. I wouldn't dream of moving away now.

DD grew up in a village in Home Counties and went to Manchester Uni. She's still in Manchester 15 years later!