Huddersfield as a place to study

[Comefromaway]

Can anyone tell me what Huddersfield is like as a university/place to study.

Ds has his heart set on Salford University as he loves Manchester, they offer a course he is really interested in, he is autistic and the feel of a place is important. He wants a city bigger than the one we currently live in with a good access to music/theatre etc. He's not into clubbing etc. He also likes London but distance/expense/academic grades may be an issue there.

However the course at Salford is notoriously difficult to get onto as they go mostly on interview/audition rather than just grades. Huddersfield do a great course and has a really good reputation in his subject area and we were planning to go on open days this summer but they are are cancelled. There is limited stuff online but its all very bitty.

I have to say, I've never visited, but a relatoive's ex has been an (internationally involved and lauded) academic there since its Polytechnic days, I think, so either he's just totally lacking in ambition (possibly the MN line?) or the university actually has something going for it. His is not a department involving auditions, though.

Is it the actual virtual open day offering (which seems to be on this week and next) that you've found 'bitty'?
www.hud.ac.uk/open-days/undergraduate/event/#!#subject

Yes, as it’s all spread across the week so accommodation talk/q&a one day, subject talk another day, Student Welfare talk is another day. There is a choice of days for each one but none remotely together.

Hudds uni has had a shed load of investment over the last few years. I used to visit the health and podiatry departments for a job I used to have and was always impressed.
Huddersfield itself is not bad for a night out, but Leeds and Manchester are both very easily reached on a direct (cheap) train.
Is he doing music? My DD did music at Birmingham but now deals with Huddersfield students who are organ or choral scholars.
The son of a friend is doing a PhD there and they found him a post in Geneva to work on the Hadron collider.
They seem very good at engaging with industry for research projects and hence gain funding.

I went to Huddersfield Uni and loved it (although it is 20 years ago now so I'm sure it's changed a lot since I was there). The size of the town was just right for me as not too sprawling like some cities so I always felt confident finding my way around. Beautiful Victorian architecture and lovely views all around too as I remember.

My son is currently in his first year and absolutely loves it. It’s a nice town, not too big but with a sizeable student population. The campus is right in the centre a short walk from the station, and there are some great halls that are quite cheap right next door. Half an hour or so on the train to Leeds for a big night out required too!

Yes, it’s music. His love is musical theatre so he wants to be able to go see the big (& smaller) touring musicals. Also maybe get involved in playing in the pit for amateur groups.

We only live half an hours drive from Manchester so he’s very comfortable there (& supports city).

Greetings from sunny Huddersfield!
The Uni has a really good Rep and I’ve recently had some dealings with the management and they were all lovely, I was especially impressed with their links to local businesses. The campus has had a lot of money spent on it in recent years and the facilities are great.
The town is a bit of a mix to be honest and has some very grotty areas (and some posh ones too) but I understand the student scene is really good. Usually there’s a brilliant array of bars and restaurants and a couple of craft breweries
Access to Leeds and Manchester are easy too

Industry links is very important to Ds. Much more so than academic reputation & league tables. He wants to network. Salford has Media City but I know from my own student days that Huddersfield was seen as only a small step down from conservatoire cases.

Cost of living much lower here than Manc too!