‘Lancaster shouldn’t be a city’: Here are Lancs students’ most controversial opinions

How good is Greggs, really?

2 years ago | UPDATED 2 years ago

There are many things that Lancaster students will disagree on, from the best bus route (100 supremacy) to the best college, but there are some opinions that students at Lancs have which are fundamentally unpopular. It’s true that all students are entitled to their own opinions, but that doesn’t mean they’re correct.

Here are some of Lancaster students’ most controversial (or just plain wrong) opinions:

‘Greggs gets boring after a while’

Honestly, we get it. We don’t agree, but we get it. Although there is a solid variety of options, they don’t really change much and so we understand how this, combined with the queues in Alex Square, could easily make you want to branch out to other places. That being said, the revamp Greggs had over summer really has given it a new edge.

‘The Greggs queue isn’t actually that long’

Clearly, you haven’t been there when the lunch-rush hits, and as much as we love Greggs, is it worth the wait? We are busy students and have places to be, it may be better to just go to Spar for a sausage roll (but then again, that queue isn’t much better). Moral of the story: time your lunch right and you can finesse the system to avoid the queues.

‘Sultans is overrated’ and ‘Wok Iin isn’t that nice’

I have had to group these together because what I have to say about them is the exact same:

You’re wrong.

You cannot beat a Sultans after a night out, and you can’t tell me that Wok Iin isn’t nice if you have never tried their ‘Create Your Own’ soy sauce noodles. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences, but my advice is go back and try again because clearly you ordered the wrong thing.

‘Second and third years shouldn’t be annoyed by first years using the library, they pay for it too’

As a third year, I agree. Just because you didn’t care about your grades in first year doesn’t mean everyone is like that, and doesn’t mean you have a monopoly over the space.

It’s annoying when your favourite spot isn’t available, and maybe first years aren’t taking their studying as seriously as you are, but just put some headphones on and it doesn’t really matter where you are or who is around you.

‘Lancaster should not be a city’

This is fair. It definitely is not as big as places like London or Newcastle or Manchester by a long-shot, and so coming here from any of these places it seems tiny. However, coming from a small town like me, I can definitely tell it’s a city (I mean, I don’t even have any high street shops other than Boots where I’m from).

‘Lancaster is an amazing place to go out, so long as you’re with the right people’

I have to agree with this one. You’ll hear people say that Lancaster is bad for going out just because there aren’t the same number of clubs to choose from as other big cities, but so long as you are with people you enjoy being with then your night can be amazing. Even if it isn’t what you are used to, it doesn’t mean it’s not good.

‘Central>Spar’

Spar is definitely the go-to for most people, if only because Central is a bit far away from the majority of the accommodation.

That being said, there are definitely some hidden gems if you do fancy venturing down the South Spine: including some home-grown veggies, and a more varied selection of alcohol.

‘Colleges don’t mean sh*t’

I mean, realistically there is no tangible benefit to being in one college over another, other than where you live on campus. Still, we feel like there is some importance to them in the smaller communities they create, and the rivalries and sports events are always fun to watch or take part in.

Really though, I get it, there isn’t much of a difference between each college, and judging people based on which they belong to should never be anything actually serious.

‘In-person exams are better’

Out of all the opinions in this list, this is definitely one that I would consider the most controversial, and the most wrong. Open-book exams are the future, and completing them online just means you can be a lot more comfortable whilst doing so.

‘Living in town is better than on campus’

This one is purely down to what you want to prioritise. Have lots of contact hours at odd times, or just really hate the buses? Maybe campus is for you. Can’t stand carrying your heavy Aldi bags back from the underpass, or prefer being closer to everything and not have to worry about getting back after a night out? Maybe you should live in town.

One thing is certain though, living on campus as a first year is definitely the way to go.

‘The ducks are actually annoying…’

No. The ducks are a lot of things (cute, friendly etc.) but annoying is not one of them. Have you not seen the ducklings they have? Adorable. Oh, and if you let them into your townhouse and they shit on the carpet that’s your own fault, just saying.