From two Merseyside girls, here is a Northerner’s guide to studying in Nottingham

The adjustment to university life will always be a struggle for any student. Take it from us Merseyside girls, whether it’s the realisation that you’re living with strangers, moving to a new city or adjusting to new ways of life. But us Northerners encounter a greater struggle than any of those: the reality of the North-South divide.

Whether you’re moving from Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield or Leeds, this guide will hopefully set you up for a fabulous few years in Notts and prepare you for the trials and tribulations of living in the Midlands, or the South as we would consider it.

The slang will leave you wondering what on earth is going on

Be prepared to entertain, confuse and perform your accent for anyone who lives in London or Surrey. As a Northerner our distinctive and varied accents are not only talking points, but points of confusion for many.

Whether its ‘sound’, ‘biff’ or ‘boss’ the accent and phrase barrier will be built and ever present. But, do not worry. The city of Nottingham has a wide range of its own dialects which you can incorporate into your everyday vocabulary. Words such as ‘duck’, ‘peng’ or ‘peak’ will slowly have you feeling like you’ve been in the city all your life as well as an urge to retreat back home.

Here’s a brief translation of some phrases you may hear in Notts:

Bait – obvious or simple, alternatively well-known/famous for often the wrong reason

Bare – to have a lot of something

Butters – ugly

Duck – a term of endearment

Ends – an area or neighbourhood that a person comes from

Peng – good-looking

Link – to hook-up with someone

Rinsed – something is overused

If all else fails, Urban Dictionary is at hand to help you decode the residents of Notts.

No one wears heels on a night out ???

Back up North, it’s not totally uncommon to see girls and guys alike dressing to the nines for a night out on the town. Scouse and Manc girls are renowned for their ultra-glam nightlife looks. The excessive tan, the Scouse brows, the big hair and even bigger eyelashes defines what it means to be a Northern lass.

However, here in Notts, the girls keep their appearance more low-key. Ditching all the excessiveness of the Northern glam, they favour the tamer look and they rarely suffer through the hanging eyelash while clubbing, or the tan stains on your new clothes. It is these Northern struggles that become apparent when you’re begging the girls in the toilets to lend you some eyelash glue and no-one can offer a helping hand. We all have to learn the hard way, you’re not alone.

For you lads, you can sleep easy knowing that you no longer need those tight, TIGHT jeans, or that Kenzo top. Swap those Alexander McQueens for some Docs or Converse and don’t worry about getting them a little rough around the edges – the ‘edgy’ vibe is all the rage here in Notts.

You will spend your entire bank account on two drinks

The city has a lot to offer in terms of nightlife. If clubbing is your thing, you may want to check out the infamous Rock City, Ocean or Unit 13 – they all promise at least one society out on a social, a handful of rugby boys and of course, a girl crying in the toilets over her boyfriend. Which when all put together, seems to us like a solid night out on the town.

However, the one thing about a night out in Notts that will leave you astounded is the dreaded drink prices, which cannot be avoided even if you have chosen to pre-drink on Tesco’s own brand vodka. Student life would not be complete without a Spoons pitcher and a round of Sourz shots in The Joseph Else. Watch out for the dreaded hangover-analysis of your Apple Pay the next day, where you realise you paid £7 for a double. Never a pretty sight to see on a Sunday morning.

The North can offer a range of nights out, from those infamous scenes on ‘the toon’ in Geordie Shore, to that renowned Concert Square, you are guaranteed a quality, and equally messy, night. As Sophie from Geordie Shore puts it: ‘I’m gonna get on it till I vomit’, and that’s a pretty accurate summary of a Northern nigh out. These Southerners are a bit more toned down. Northerners are simple folk, so you’ll always be able to find a pint for under £3 and a pub playing the same four chords of an Oasis song on repeat.

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone

Among the Southern territories and learning to live within its borders has its effects upon the ‘Northern soul’. The long train journeys, waving goodbye to the grey skies and graffitied buildings makes you yearn for that gritty, cold feeling of home. But do not fear as Nottingham will accommodate for those yearnings. Whether it is those beloved trams, or the slightly enhanced street art, or just the friendliness of the locals, you’ll soon learn that home is not so far away.

Wherever you are in the South, you will always miss the delectable delights of the Pound Bakery, the minus temperatures and those accents that sound like music to your ears. Our movements from the homeland will find you allying with other Northerners here in Notts who are just as confused by the South as you are. who are just as enthusiastic about cheesy chips and gravy Corrie or those who simply miss a Merseyside derby as much as the next guy.

One thing you will learn about moving away is that the further away you get, mile by mile, you’ll become even more patriotic of the Northern grit, accent and life. They do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and moving away will make your appreciation for the North grow tenfold.

Don’t forget those roots that’ll forever be planted back home. We may be in the Midlands, but Nottingham is certainly far from being mid.

Related articles recommended by this author:

• These 11 things are guaranteed to happen on every Notts night out

• If Nottingham’s nightclubs were part of your friendship group, who would they be?

• We came up with 63 Notts related Never Have I Evers so you don’t have to