Newcastle University

...listing the different things that Newcastle has which are important to me has taken me a long time – many of these things which I have enjoyed or even disliked did not enter my head when thinking about which university to go to. Therefore, I will first briefly detail the circumstances which lead to my studying at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne…

Why I Chose Newcastle

This is fairly simple really, as an A-level ...
...offer from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne which was conditional upon my receiving grades of AAB or better. In the August on exam result day I was happy to learn that through a mixture of luck and last-minute cramming I had managed to get exactly those grades and would, after deferring for a year of travelling, be joining Newcastle.

So you see, my hand, as it was, was rather forced and I failed even to take into account many ... more

Where do you start to describe a university? This is probably the most difficult opinion I have ever decided to write, although it is one which could prove most useful to somebody who is yet to make up their mind as to where to go.

The reason I say it is hard to write about university is this: – your university life encompasses every single aspect of how you live for three years and where you choose to spend this time impacts highly on almost every one of these. Just listing the different things that Newcastle has which are important to me has taken me a long time – many of these things which I have enjoyed or even disliked did not enter my head when thinking about which university to go to. Therefore, I will first briefly detail the circumstances which lead to my studying at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne…

Why I Chose Newcastle

This is fairly simple really, as an A-level student I was not particularly hard-working and spent more time than I should have avoiding work, missing deadlines and making sure I had a good time. Consequently, this lead to me receiving the non-flattering predicted grades of CCD which where accompanied with what I can only imagine (as my sixth form college had a policy of not telling us what they said) was a reference that was distinctly mediocre! Therefore, when my UCAS forms to study law (my chosen subject) went off to my six selected Universities (chosen at last minute from cities I felt would have the best nightlife) I eventually received four rejections an offer from the University of Central England in Birmingham (which I had chosen as “insurance” in case I totally messed my A-levels up) along with an offer from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne which was conditional upon my receiving grades of AAB or better. In the August on exam result day I was happy to learn that through a mixture of luck and last-minute cramming I had managed to get exactly those grades and would, after deferring for a year of travelling, be joining Newcastle.

So you see, my hand, as it was, was rather forced and I failed even to take into account many of the things that I am going to describe for you – don’t make the same mistake as I was very lucky that I even received an offer and even more so that it was from what has turned out to be one of the best universities for me!

*************************************************

Accommodation

I’m starting with this as it is where you spend most of your time! Most people who join NCL will be using accommodation provided by the university in the first year. I have been in most of these and will list the different options available along with their various pros and cons of those that I have seen at first hand:

*Richardson Road (unrefurbished) – these are the cheapest and most basic student flats. They are self-catering. The flats comprise either three or six individual bedrooms along with a shared living area and kitchen. The walls are a kind of painted brick wall effect resembling those of a prison!! However, most of the people I knew who lived in these managed to cover this with plenty of posters etc. which made the place their own. As they are self catering, this adds an extra dimension to your first year – that of having to cook and shop for yourself – if this idea is too much for you then I would suggest catered halls.

*Richardson Road (refurbished) and Marris House – the refurbished rooms and Marris house have the added benefit of a wash basin in each individual bedroom. I lived in Marris House and my friends who didn’t were always complaining about waiting for bathrooms to brush their teeth and shave etc. so to pay a little extra for this really is worthwhile. Marris House also benefits from a joined living area and kitchen which all my friends from Ricky Road were jealous of although it did irritate me occasionally that when you are trying to watch TV or talk to your friends there is quite often cooking noises/smells interfering with this – it’s amazing how many pans a Finnish guy can clank together when you’re trying to watch your favourite program!!! One other problem I encountered here was that – when we had the odd party – we would get fined if we disturbed the residents next to Marris House (who seemingly had paper thin walls and were very light sleepers) which was pretty much a fine for every party (I’ll get onto fines later!!). Richardson Road flats, on the other hand, are well away from “normal” people i.e. non-students, so if you get on with your neighbours you can throw as many parties as you like!

*Windsor terrace/Leazes Parade – similar in layout and style to Richardson Road and Marris House although with slightly plusher interiors and slightly spacier – hence they are also a bit more expensive! Windsor Terrace has the added benefit of being extremely close to the library and just across the road from the Law School (if you’re lazy like me you will get to far more lectures early in a morning if you live here – although my friends would disagree and say I still wouldn’t have gone!!)

* Castle Leazes Halls – this place is massive!!! I spent a few nights in here – I even blagged myself a hall pass as this entitled me to entry at all hours and the odd free meal as it can be fully catered, there are also kitchens on every floor that anyone can use – which many soon did as the food turned out to be of a fairly poor standard! This place had a real feeling of community as everyone met in the corridors all the time and doors were often left on the latch as security always make sure (mostly) that undesirables are kept out (except for little old me!!!). However, this was a little bit like still being in a school – you really don’t have to take that much responsibility for yourself and also the wardens there could be a little patronising and treat you like a kid. It does have its own pub, snooker room and shops on site though so you really could spend all of your time in this place! However, if, like me, you would prefer to have friends come round to your flat for a few beers before hitting the town then this is probably not the place for you as the bedrooms are quite small and there isn’t much room for entertaining!!

*Henderson Hall – the most expensive and a few miles away from campus although has en-suite bathrooms, bigger bedrooms and better food. You really need a car or be prepared to catch several busses a day! Also, if you really don’t like the idea of spending time with lots of privately educated people then DO NOT pick Henderson. Having said this, it does have the advantage of being right next door to some of the universities sports facilities so if you think you will be playing for the football/rugby teams then this could be a good place to live.

There are a couple more which I haven’t mentioned because I have not been in them or I was too drunk to remember anything useful about them!!!

All in all, whatever accommodation you choose will largely depend on your budget – mine was fairly small so I went for the cheapest one I could live with – I also had these bits of inside information passed onto me by my brother who also went to NCL 2 years before me - he was right when he said some of the parties on Richardson Road were the best ever!!

**************************************************

Educational Facilities:

Here I will go through the boring bits that really are quite important – of course I cannot speak about all of the different departments – just the law school and all of the common parts such as the libraries and computer clusters.

The Law School

Law students are encouraged (at least it seemed like it to me) to shut themselves in here for three years and only associate with other lawyers! Don’t do this – that is just too dull! The law library is extensive and fairly easy to use once you learn your way around – however, most of the things that you need to read/research are usually also available online through Athens.com so you don’t have to go in here too much if you’re like me and can’t be arsed to walk all the way just to read one case!

The lecture theatre in here is where 99% of the law lectures take place so you really don’t have to travel about too much, which is a benefit as some of my friends have to go from building to building all day. It is not the best lecture theatre on campus being made from several rooms knocked into one but is perfectly good and everyone can always see/hear what is going on (though sometimes you will wish you couldn’t).

There is a big labyrinth of corridors and offices upstairs but you rarely need to go up there except to see your tutor and, once you’ve learnt where their office is this is not a problem.

The teaching really varies but is of a generally high standard. I just find that some people are easier to understand than others, but this is entirely subjective. All lecturers back up their lectures with handouts – which you should endeavour to collect – however, these are also available on the Law Schools “module Directory” which has ALL course information and handouts on it. Basically, if you’re like me and turn up sporadically then you will be using the “Module Directory” to print everything off in the last few weeks before exams then cramming it into your head as quickly as possible!!

The computers really do enhance the teaching within the law school and Bruce Grant deserves a special mention here as, although he bores everyone to death banging on about computers and programming he really does know his onions and makes sure that everything is available electronically to help every law student access any information they require. There are also regular help sessions to aid with online researching within the plethora of legal websites.

The Robinson Library

This place is huge! In fresher's week you get the opportunity to take a self guided tour with little maps that help you to get acquainted with where everything is – don’t do what I did and get pissed all week and decide that you’ll be able to muddle through – I didn’t discover there were rooms downstairs to plug your laptop into the network until well into the second semester!!! As well as this there are numerous quiet study areas (never used these ; ) ) two large computer clusters (though it is sometimes hard to get a machine during busy times) and about a billion books on every subject. Access to the library is by smartcard (every student is issued with one from day one) and it is open from early in the morning (not sure what time – never got up too early yet!!) till ten P.M. If there is a more extensive library on any university campus in this country I would be interested to know what they had that isn’t in here! There is even a coffee shop and mobile phone areas so you can chill out between work periods (however, I rarely spend more than 5 minutes in the library if at all!).

The Old Library

As its name suggests, this is what used to be the library before they built the Robinson Library. Here you can use computers until midnight providing you take your smartcard and can also hook your laptop up to the network (my preferred method of connection). It used to be 24 hour access until some scally’s tried to burn the place down and I think it is currently under review as to whether or not to return to this system now they have fitted new security doors.

The computer clusters

There are several open access clusters scattered around campus so that any student can access the network. The medical building has a good one and it is very near to the Richardson Road flats, which saves a long walk when e-mails etc. need checking. Castle Leazes Halls has it’s own cluster open until midnight. The Bedson Building has a 24 hour access cluster but this is only for post-graduates although I managed to get in a few times in emergencies (deadline day tomorrow etc. etc.)!

***************************************************

Sports and clubs

There are bloody loads of sports to get involved in within the university ranging from inter mural sports – football, rugby, hockey etc. – to BUSA (inter university) teams in every imaginable sport. I went to the university football trials and ended up getting in a non student team in the same Northern league, which was good as it got me away from the student scene on a Saturday and when training whilst allowing me to play on Wednesday afternoons in the inter-mural league and meeting other students that way.

Make sure you go to the clubs and societies days in fresher's week as it is here that you can sign up to pretty much any society you can think of from break-dancing to Tae-kwondo – this is a great way to meet people and also to carry on any interests you may have from your life before joining university – this also provides you with some common ground to get to know new people.

There is a big gym offering aerobics to heavy weight training and a large sports hall (right next to the Richardson Road flats) which you can book if you sign up at the start of the year for about £30 to play indoor football, basketball etc. with your mates. There are also squash and tennis courts.

***************************************************

The Nightlife

Ah yes, my personal area of expertise! I have been researching this particular aspect of Newcastle life quite extensively!

The Union

The student union at NCL is really quite huge as it has to cope with around twenty thousand beer hungry students! There are several floors starting from the basement – which is where they hold the numerous gigs and DJ events – this has several bars. Upstairs there are some cafe’s, the Cochrane Lounge (another bar – sells hot and cold food during the day for reasonable prices) a post office/shop, a hairdressers, a job shop, student welfare offices, 6 pool tables, The Men’s Bar (not just for men), The Global Café (where they bang out R&B and Hip Hop on a Friday night.

You could spend all your time in the union if you wanted and the drinks are cheap. However you really should get to the many other bars and clubs in town as every night Sunday to Thursday there is a student night in most of them. Weekends can get quite expensive in most of the popular clubs and bars but some of the ones that aren’t frequented by mad-for-it Geordies are starting to do cheap Friday and Saturday nights. I won’t go through all of the places in town except to say that Tiger Tiger on a Monday night, Sea on a Wednesday, Ikon on a Thursday and World Head Quarters on a Friday night are clubs that should be visited regularly as they rarely fail to provide a good night out! There is a free guide called “The Crack” which has just about every place with a bar in Newcastle listed should you get bored of hunting for yourself!

The nightlife in Newcastle is on a par with any other city I have been to IN THE WORLD but it must be stressed that you really need to get out of the student scene from time to time to experience what Newcastle is really all about – do this when you’re quite flush as it is expensive for a skint student! The quayside is worth a visit also quite often but the same applies here – be prepared to pay a bit more for your drinks.

***************************************************

I am glad that I went to NCL and can see very few faults within the university except for:

FINES

I have managed, particularly in first year, to get fined for pretty much everything:

Throwing snowballs – I got two fines for this one; playing ball games (wtf???) and bringing the university into disrepute – FINED £50

Playing loud music after 11pm – actually probably more like 3am – FINED £25 (on a few occasions)

Drunk and Disorderly – not really my fault, my mates were battling cars in the car park – FINED £35

Unacceptable Behaviour – someone came to my flat at a party and set the fire alarm off – FINED £150 (later argued my way out of this one saying that I could not control other people who came into my flat uninvited.)

Apart from these, which I accept were mostly justified, there were no other real complaints. I have met some great people and enjoyed one of the most pleasant cities in the country. Being a northern lad already I knew what to expect of the Geordies – they are generally a friendly bunch who will have a bit of craic with anyone and enjoy a good bit of banter. Of course there is the odd nutter about, but the atmosphere is usually second to none on nights out, particularly compared to some of the pretentious clubs I’ve been to in London and, to a lesser extent, Leeds, where people seem more interested in looking cool than actually enjoying themselves.

The university offers a good deal of things to the students and, because it is one of the largest student communities in the country, makes it easy for like-minded individuals to meet, which allows some great friendships to form. The teaching and facilities are of a very high standard and NCL is in the top ten lists in the Guardian for most subjects.

Most of all, you get a great quality of life which doesn’t cost the earth! You might just learn something as well!!!
 

...less