Newcastle is the best university in the country

TOON ARMY


Annoyingly, part of having friends and family at other universities means that you have to put up with listening to their delusions about what makes their university so great.

It’s time to put the swathe of vanilla students at those other Russell Group unis to shame.

Coming to Geordie-land was be the best decision you’ve ever made and you know it.

Good Living at low costs

The general consensus in the UK is that student areas are typically hellish, Fallowfield (Manchester) is a dump, Hyde Park (Leeds) is crime-ridden and Shottingham? No more need be said…but in Newcastle?

Not the case.

The majority of second and third year students will find themselves living in or around Jesmond, widely considered to be the most affluent suburb Newcastle, a fact confirmed in Little Waitrose being the local supermarket of choice for most students and that you often find yourself brushing shoulders with the likes of Premiership players such as Wes Brown.

Osbourne road

And then there’s Osborne Road. Whilst a Mecca for stag and hen parties on the weekend, during the week it plays home to the students who are looking to go “out” but not “outout”.

Our local is better than your local…

 

With a selection of bars, where happy hour seems to be every hour, it can prove to be a nights final destination just metres from your student house.

There are also a wealth of restaurants offering meals at student prices. Francesca’s around the corner offers pizza and pasta for as little as a fiver.

Culture & Locals

This instant you arrive in this glorious city, you are greeted with ‘alreet pet’. The stereotypes are true: Northerners tend to be more amicable. To be a Geordie is to be friendly.

Compact City

As layout goes, Newcastle was seemingly designed for students, with both Jesmond and Sandyford a 20-minute walk from campus and a cheap Metro service running further and beyond.

Newcastle is often referred to as the ’15-minute city’: you can get everywhere so quickly, most of it even by foot.

A plethora of cheap cab services such as Blueline, Budget and NODA further make it one of the most accessible cities around – you will rarely pay more than a fiver for a journey.

Undoubtedly the best nightlife

It’s widely accepted that Newcastle has the best nightlife for students of any city in the UK (Tripadvisor rated it in the top 10 nightlife destinations in the world).

From the convenience of a 5min cab journey to anywhere in town (or a half an hour walk to brave the elements) to the obscene number of trebles bars (yes, you heard correctly….3 treble mixers for £5) every need prior to a night is catered to.

And then there’s the sheer variety of nights on offer there’s the Diamond Strip playing host to Club Trop, Playground Wednesdays, Bijoux (home to the infamous Geordie shore cast), Swingers‘ at Greys club and plenty more.

Feel good vibes at Cirque du Soul, Drum & Bass at Bounce and a weekly dosage of House vibes at Ill behaviour will also ensure that those looking further afield will always be catered to.

Looking to ply your trade as a student DJ? Yeah we can do that for you…

Newcastle’s social life is top-rated by students (joint first in 2013 and joint second in 2014, The Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2014).

Flares

In a category of its own. Love it or loathe it (no one really does), Flares is an enigma. You just can’t quite comprehend it unless you’ve been, and if you are a Newcastle student, you will have been.

Overrun by the agrics most days of the weeks, once you hear that Baywatch theme song come in, you are sure to have an entire dancefloor of topless agrics – ties intact – swinging their shirts around their heads.

Enjoy a classy cocktail

Music

With nationally renowned music venues such as Cosmic Ballroom and World Headquaters for DJs, the O2 Academy and Metro arena for big acts, places like the Cluney and Nancy’s Bordello for emerging live acts and the Sage for orchestral music, Newcastle literally has it all.

Clean Bandit at the O2

Shindig 2013

Weather

Whilst the rest of your friends of family bemoan how cold it’s getting, you laugh at the mention of “winter is coming”.

Living and going out in Newcastle will inevitably mean that facing five degrees in a t-shirt is nothing to flinch at.

‘I LOVE THE SNOW” – Tahlia, Australian exchange

It gets hot, too. If you don’t believe me, ask Sarah, 3rd year Dentist:

Art

With views towering over the city, The Baltic – with a glass lift – is popular with artists and mortals alike. Newcastle university was recently ranked 2nd in the country for art degrees.

This was drawn by a Politics student

View from the Baltic

Football Club

The Magpies, where to begin? Whilst the club cannot boast pockets as deep as its London, Manchester or Liverpool counterparts, there is no club better value pound for pound in the English Premier League.

With £15 pound match day tickets for students, where else in the country can you expect fans to be calling for their manager’s head after “LLWDLLLWWLWLLLLLLWLLDDLDL” (we’re assured not a Welsh town but their 2014 run of form) and then see the side beat the likes of Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool?

Whether you were a football fan prior to coming to Newcastle, they’ll always have a fond place in your heart after being here.

Intramural sport

You’ll be hard stretched to find anyone who hasn’t at some point played for an intramural sports team.

Agrics vs. Cheeky Ladies

Team Marley

A good chance to get together, with little (or no) training.

These boys went until their final match of the season to win a match (by default – the other team was a no-show). Do they care? Nope.

The beach and surrounding areas

A 20-minute drive and a 15-minute metro from the sea – in an instant you can get out of the toon and feel like you’re on you own little mini-break.

There are countless hidden gems around the city. The river Tyne – although a dip in the city section is not advised – further downstream trickles through the woods, with beautiful scenery to take a picnic/bbq and have a break from the bustle of the city.

Kielde national park just down the road can provide some sanctuary, with incredible views.

Jesmond Dene

The Dene, at the bottom of jesmond – within a 5-minute walk from most Jesmond residences – has a petting zoo, running track, picnic green, waterfall and old national heritage buildings such as an old mill and ‘banquet house’.

Even a skate store in Manchester knows of the Dean

Variety of students

Newcastle is home to art connoisseurs, agrics, rahs, ‘ravers’, jocks, wizards of oz (the socialites located almost permanently in the bars along Osborne road) and many more sets. The addition of Northumbria students provides a healthy nature of varsity competition.

Edgy kids and…

Agrics

Drunk food

Newcastle has a whole area specifically for food: Bigg Market is a haven of sauce laden chips, kebabs, pizzas, burgers and drunk humans.

Cheese chips and gravy – frowned upon in your earlier, naive teenage years – is a first year staple. (this led to some among us gaining 1 and a half stone in the first 8 weeks of uni, no names mentioned).

Basically, we have everything you’d ever need.