May, 2011

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Bristol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bristol is a diverse city, known for its music and film through to its contribution to science. The city has a close affinity to the world of entertainment; it’s home to Old Vic offshoot the Bristol Old Vic and magician Derren Brown graduated from University of Bristol. Bristol has also produced some fine bands, namely Portishead and Massive Attack amongst many others. Not only that, in 2008 Bristol was a finalist for the European Capital of Culture, just missing out to Liverpool.

On the other end of the scale Bristol has gained recognition for its contribution to science, the Chancellor of the Exchequer named it one of the six “science cities” back in 2005.

There are two main educational institutions in Bristol:

  • University of Bristol has 23,000 students and an application to place ratio that can reach as high as 40:1
  • University of West England is larger with more than 30,000 students. In 2006 it created an £80 million student village which includes a sports center and rooms for 2000 students

If you’re after history and culture then you won’t need to look much further than Bristol. There are 51 Grade II listed building ranging from medieval times to the 21st Century. Most architectural periods are represented throughout the city. You’ll find churches which date back to the 12th Century, Tudor mansions and the surviving elements of a medieval fortified city and castle.

If that’s not enough history for you then you can always visit The Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery which exhibits natural history, archeology, Chinese ceramics and art. In fact you only have to look around the streets to find examples of art by home grown artist Banksy. You should also check out the preserved dock machinery housed in the Museum of Bristol when it re-opens this year.

Good news if you like a bit of football, as there are two league football clubs in this city; Bristol City and Bristol Rovers, and you won’t be short of a watering hole to visit after the match. You see another great thing about Bristol is its nightlife. There are many bars and clubs to be found particularly along Whiteladies Rd where there is a pub or club every 5 meters. If you wander a bit further down to Park Street you can continue you entertainment right into the early hours with many late night drinking spots.

Those of you who just like to kick back in a nice little coffee shop should try  Java bar (also a club), Rainbow Café or The Den, although these are few of many to choose from.

Obviously you’ll need to be thinking about housing which can be a daunting process, especially when it comes to finding somewhere that’s cost effective. The cost of living varies up and down the country but Bristol seems to be a good option at £81 average per week.

Check out our student accommodation in Bristol and browse some great properties from landlords who are happy to adhere to our strict Code of Standards.

 

 

 

 

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Monday, May 16th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Liverpool

What’s there not to love about Liverpool? Why not settle into one of the UK’s most outgoing and exciting student cities.

Liverpool began its life in 1207, when it was first established as a free borough and port by King John.  It is rich with extraordinary architecture; brimming with Georgian terraces, Victorian mansions and dockland alleys. Not forgetting Liverpool Cathedral; the largest Anglican Cathedral in the world, The Merseyside  Maritime Museum located at the legendary Albert Dock and the more modern looking Metropolitan Cathedral.

You can explore Merseyside’s Heritage with a cruise on the Mersey Ferry, a visit to Birkenhead Priory (1105) or a ride on a 1940′s replica tram which takes you from the ferry terminal to the Transport Museum.

Aside from its amazing architecture and heritage, Liverpool is possibly most famous for giving us The Beatles, and you don’t have to look far in this city to discover their legacy. In fact, places like Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields form part of a popular tourist trail which attracts thousands of fans from around the world.

There are four main universities in Liverpool:

  • The University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s top 20 universities. Founded in 1881, the University of Liverpool has an impressive history of pioneering education and research, with a particular emphasis on ‘education for the professions’.
  • John Moore’s University At present, LJMU serves more than 24,000 students  making it the largest university in Liverpool by student population.
  • Hope University is one on of Britain smaller universities and prides itself on the quality of its research. It seeks the highest academic standards while helping students to become responsible citizens of the world.
  • Edge Hill University offers over 200 degree routes in an award-winning campus environment. Developing professionals throughout the UK and overseas, it is the University of Choice for 24,000 students.

No matter which university you’ll be studying at, you’ll want to know what this city offers in the way of fun. Liverpool is a city of inspiration, people here like to live life to the full.

When it comes to nightlife and entertainment for students the city of Liverpool caters well. Here we’ve selected some of the most popular and exciting attractions to indulge in, with a student budget in mind:

  • Hardman St offers a whole range of drinking holes Magnet, Flute and Firkin, Flying Picket and The Varsity which are all mindful of a student budget. This little street is a gem found just outside of the main city bar area.
  • Live Music – As you can imagine, live music features quite heavily on the social scene and can be found any night of the week. Try Jacaranda, Zanzibar, Flying Picket and Masque which are all in close proximity to each other and are either free to get in or cheap.
  • Clubbing – for those of you who like to shake a leg well into the early hours of the morning; there’s VR Bar, Walkabout, RSVP and Society. And let’s not forget Cream which attracts people from all over the UK and beyond.

One thing you won’t be short of in Liverpool is entertainment. This colourful city filled with vibrant people will ensure you’re student life is anything but dull.

Aside from all the fun stuff you’ll need to sort out student accommodation. You’ll be pleased to know that Liverpool is one of the most cost effective cities to study in which means you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Check out our latest listings for student accommodation in Liverpool.

 

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Monday, May 16th, 2011

Roomie Agreements, Worth the Paper They’re Written on?

So, you’ve embraced the idea of student life and you’re looking for student accommodation. You’re prepared to live on beans, cider and roll-ups for the next 3 years and  think it’ll be fun moving in with you’re new roomie. After all he or she seemed like great fun when they were showing round the place. Well there’s no better and quicker way to find out if you’re compatible with someone than to move in with them.

It’s like meeting a new BFF; you think you’ve got so much in common and all those nights partying have been a blast. But then… You go on holiday with them. It’s like test drive living together, suddenly they start getting on your nerves. All those slightly irritating habits they have are suddenly amplified in high wattage stereo. Believe me I’ve heard many a story about people who travel away together but travel home in separate ends of the airplane.

Well imagine if this happened with your room-mate. You’ve just saved every penny to put down a deposit and pay rent in advance and two weeks later you find yourself standing over your room-mates bed while she’s sleeping with a pillow in your hand.

To avoid a hefty prison sentence and a premature end to all current life prospects you may want to consider drawing up a roomie agreement. OK, so they’re not legally binding but that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful.

Here are some examples of things you can thrash out when drawing up an agreement:

  • Food

Will you be splitting the shopping bill or will there be a fridge full of labels with names on them. If needs must, I know somebody who resorted to marking how much drink was left in the bottle with permanent marker. Anal? Maybe just a little.

  • Visitors

Are you both ok with each other’s visitors frequenting the place? Do you need set some boundaries and state a limit to how many is ok and by what time visitors should leave?

  • Guys

Are you really cool about hiding under the duvet at night to muffle out the moans and groans coming from the other side of the room?

  • Alcohol & Parties

You may love to party but are you ok with your room becoming the new Friday & Saturday nightspot?

  • Study time

Do you need complete silence when you study or do you need to blast the music? What about you’re roomie? If one needs peace and one needs to vibe what then? Will you allocate study periods and make yourself scarce when it’s not your time? Or will you study together.

  • Is Sharing Caring?

This one is particularly relevant to the female roomies out there. How are you going to feel when you bump into your roomie on campus and she’s wearing you’re favourite jeans? Will you insist on taking them back there and then and let the humiliation serve her right? Or are you ok about things like that as long as there washed and returned?

Ask yourself and you roomie all these questions from the start. At least by thrashing it out and having the discussion you can gauge your compatibility. Nip any potential causes for contention in the bud, you may come across a little bossy and stiff but it’s better than a nasty surprise later in the day.

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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Newcastle

Moving away from home to study is a brave move. You’ll be leaving your familiar surroundings and probably many creature comforts, so it’s important that you move to a city that can cater to all your needs.

There are many great cities in the UK; but if you’ve got your eye on Newcastle and are contemplating either Newcastle University, Newcastle College or Northumbria University. Then have a look, and see just a bit of what Newcastle has to offer:

History

This city itself  has a good blend of both modern and historic architecture; from the medieval streets in Old Newcastle to the contemporary offerings of The Millennium Bridge.

To add to its rich culture Newcastle has a good smattering of museums and galleries. If you want to indulge in Roman history there are two Roman forts with their own museums; Chesters in Hexham and the Arbeia in South Shields. Another hidden treasure is Bowes Museum; a magnificent building which stands proud in the historic market town of Barnard Castle. The museum houses  internationally significant collections of fine and decorative arts.

Nightlife

As far as culture, history & heritage are concerned Newcastle has it in abundance. As for nightlife, there’s a reason why Newcastle has a reputation as a party city. Newcastle is simply ‘buzzing’ after dark. There are a multitude of different bars and clubs, but here we’ve picked out a few of the most popular haunts to get you going:

Fusion – Bar Fusion screens all the latest sporting events and has club nights at the weekends. It has a traditional pub menu with a good selection – something for everyone.

Pacific Bar Café – This is massive bar right in the heart of the city with over three floors of stylish decor to to cater to various tastes.

Blue Coyote – This stylish bar has a delightful Mediterranean feel and serves up some mean  Mexican/Latin cuisine.

Attic – This is a large club that sits between Bigg Market and Quayside. It’s extremely popular with students and gets frantically busy at weekends.

The Tyne Bar – Another one popular with students, this bar has regular live music events featuring upcoming bands.

…and if you’re game for a laugh you could always check out The Hyena Comedy Club or Jongleurs which feature top stand up comedians who will entertain you while you drink and and snack.

One other great thing about Newcastle (Gateshead) is its thriving gay scene which makes it a top choice for members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities. The Gay Village or Pink Triangle as it’s otherwise known, is just near Newcastle Central Station and is a lot of fun whatever you’re in to.

Accommodation

Finally, if you’re thinking about moving to Newcastle to study,  you’ll need to know what accommodation there is on offer. Check out our student accommodation listings for Newcastle to get an idea of rental prices in this area. Alternatively you can always use our touch screen units located on campus. Happy House Hustling!

 

 

 

 

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Friday, May 6th, 2011

A Student Guide to Living in Leeds

Thinking of studying in Leeds? Not a bad choice. With a multitude of reasonably priced student accommodation in the area and a heaving student population you can’t go far wrong. Below are just a few reasons to love Leeds.

Leeds is a beautiful and historic city. It can trace its recorded history back to the fifth century, has more than 2,333 listed buildings and a fast growing reputation for its rich and fascinating heritage.

If it’s culture you’re looking for you’ll be pleased to know that Leeds is well stocked with museums, theaters and art galleries. Check out the cities national attractions; the Royal Armouries and Thackray Medical Museum.

Leeds is the second largest provider of education for young people in England. It has one of the largest student populations with a combined total of over 250,000 students. It also houses two world famous universities:

  • The University of Leeds – Recognised globally and offers one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK. It’s so popular it receives more applications any any other uni or college in Great Britain.
  • Leeds Metropolitan University houses one of the largest business schools of its kind, and focuses on professional and vocational courses.

These may be the most famous and acclaimed Universities in Leeds but they are by no means the only options, there’s also:

  • Leeds Trinity University College
  • Leeds College of Art
  • Leeds College of Music
  • Leeds City College

As for night life and entertainment, there’s never a dull moment in Leeds. There are tons of student friendly bars and clubs, here are just a handful we’ve dug up:

The Arc – Hugely popular with students; this classy hotspot serves excellent food. It has a buzzing atmosphere and a young crowd.

Bar Room Bar – Cool trendy surroundings, great music and tasty food, it’s reasonably priced too!

Café Seine – Stylish air conditioned premises with a nice beer garden and resident DJs spinning the decks. Also has frequent drink and food offers.

The Fenton – Very popular with students with live music from up and coming unsigned acts.

Mojo – A tasteful shrine to pop and rock, hang out with the in-crowd and maybe even bump into Chris Moyles who is known to pop in.

The Packhorse – This one’s very close to the university, has a good selection of beers, live music and film screenings – great entertainment.

There’s something for everyone in Leeds, it’s a popular choice and it’s easy to see why.

If you still haven’t found your perfect student pad then check out these reasonably priced, student friendly digs:

http://www.househustler.co.uk/city-pages/leeds

 

 

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