Newcastle University > Reviews > Come on in, it's great...

Author's product rating:   

IT Facilities	Good
Libraries	Excellent
Societies/Clubs	Excellent
Accommodation	Good
Nightlife	Excellent

Advantages:	Standard of teaching, city centre campus, on campus nightlife, off campus nightlife, cost of living, clubs and sports teams, sense of belonging
Disadvantages:	They actually make you  * work *  sometimes .  .  . , and it can get cold !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I'm repeating my first year at Newcastle University following illness just before my exams, and I'm enjoying it as much as ever!

I'm doing a BA(Hons) in Accounting and Finance (UCAS code N400 if you're into that kind of thing) and so study in the Armstrong Building, a building steeped in tradition. You cannot help but feel like a scholar in this building, with its marble plaques and historic King's Hall.

I have a confession to make at this point, I'm 100% Geordie, born along the road in North Shields, and living in Wallsend for my 20 years of life, so I cannot comment on the Halls directly, or tell you how much better Newcastle is than Backwater-on-Ouse or anything.

Having said that, I have been in the Halls on numerous occasions and must say that they are definitely better than some of the others I have seen. They are located close to the university Campus for the main part, although Henderson Hall is about 3 miles down the road, near my house actually, and is served by numerous bus sevices to the heart of the city and hence the campus.

That brings me neatly to my next point (whoops, nearly typed pint there, us students must have alcohol on the brain!! :o) ), the campus is located in the centre of Newcastle's bustling city centre meaning free periods offer more than just a trip to the library...

Car parking around the campus is limited, and you have to apply for a parking permit to park actually ON campus, and these permits are in (very) short supply! However, everything is not lost, the campus is right next to the two main bus stations in Newcastle, the Haymarket and Eldon Square, meaning that you can travel pretty much anywhere north or south of the River Tyne from almost on campus. The Haymarket Metro station is also just across the road from the campus. The Tyne & Wear Metro system is a light rail network serving the major centres of population on Tyneside, and is well integrated with the bus services across the region.

Moving away from the campus for a moment, it must be said that Newcastle has everything you could want from a home. A brilliant shopping centre with buses every few minutes from Newcastle city centre to the famous Metrocentre just across the river in Gateshead. Newcastle has it's own shopping centre, Eldon Square, with all the big name stores there, USC, Game, Carphone Warehouse, Fenwicks, Bainbridges, Sony Centre, and many more. There are a fair few pubs in Newcastle centre as well, so you can always relax with a quiet pint away from the bustle of the union.

Newcastle also boasts an excellent sporting record with top flight football, rugby, basketball, and ice hockey teams all based in the city. The Telewest Arena also hosts most of the big name concerts when they are on tour, so there is always something to do.

Newcastle is also well served by travel facilities, sitting on the railway's East Coast Main Line connecting to London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, as well as having many trans-Pennine and cross country routes available. There is an international class airport just outside the city, and National Express have a bustling Gallowgate coach station connecting Newcastle to pretty much every town and city in the UK.

Nightlife is one of Newcastle's strongpoints, once being included in the top ten 'party' cities in the world. Hard to see it myself, but this is the norm for me I guess. There are plenty of drinking establishments, catering for everyone from the flashy, to the wine bar crowd, to the students, to the friday night lads and lasses. There is also no shortage of nightclubs in Newcastle, again catering to a diverse range of tastes.

In short, Newcastle University; your parents send you here for the teaching, you come for the city and the Nighlife