Everything you know if you grew up 20 minutes away from your uni

Fresher’s week is a breeze when you don’t get lost


Moving to uni is always a daunting process, especially if you’re moving half way across the country, with four hours on a train and a £50 bill standing between you and some sweet home comforts. But what about if you happen to go to uni literally 20 minutes away from where you grew up? That’s a different story altogether. Suddenly, you’re not worried about navigating your way around the new city, only about trying to find your seemingly invisible lecture theatre. And that’s just one of the many perks about going to uni right round the corner from your family home.

You don’t think anything of the weather

You can always tell where in the country everyone had previously lived, from their reaction to the weather. People who have moved more north dress ready for an Arctic exhibition and complain how cold it is, while people who are now more south find the weather tropical. For someone who has always lived near uni however, the climate just feels like it always has.

You already know where everything is

Never going to use this

You have already been literally EVERYWHERE in the city for years before starting uni, so you are never going to get lost. You are also the person who your friends wait on when someone comes to ask for directions, because you don’t need to get Google Maps out to help.

You already know the best places to go… and the places to avoid

No messing when you already know the best Spoons in town

Before uni you had already put a trial and improvement method into finding the places to go, and the places to avoid. Therefore the choice between the six Spoons in the city in Freshers week is easy, you go to the one which you already know is the best.

The club you have loved ever since getting your ID still never fails to impress

You live in constant fear of seeing your old school on a trip

In secondary school, NOTHING was better than going on a trip into the city, but now the tables have turned. Every group you spot lurking around uni is a reason for alarm, it could easily include teachers from your old school, which would not be a great situation to be in.

Finishing for summer isn’t really a big deal

Leaving Leeds… for one day

It’s never too emotional when you finish uni for Christmas or Summer, because you know you will probably be back in the city the next day. It also means you have the full bus and train timetable engraved into your memory and you could time that train better than the station mangers themselves.

Everyone will tell you your accent is so boring

It is a prime example of how everybody in the city talks, so when you open your mouth, it is never going to sound terribly exciting to the people listening. At least you don’t get asked to say “France” at every party by your flatmates like your southern friends do, cos “omg have you guys heard how she speaks it’s soooo posh”.