London or Newcastle?

[ashleybea]

Hi everyone.
I'm planning to study abroad in the UK next year and need some help deciding what program to go with. One offers me to go to London and the other is in Newcastle upon Tyne.
I'm sort of leaning toward Newcastle because it is through my University, so I will get my schools grades and credit.
Can anyone tell me the differences between the cities and personal opinions?
Thanks.

 

[MazdaUK]

Newcastle is on the north-east coast, very close to the Scottish borders. You might find the local accent (Geordie) tricky to follow at times. Its had a lot of money put into it to regenerate it, and has some excellent cultural centres I believe. The weather comes right off the North sea, so it can be very cold.

London is the capital city (with all that entails) and very spread out - to give you the best idea you'll need to let us know which college you are heading for - some parts of the University of London are actually down in Surrey (almost the country!) whereas others are in suburbs like Greenwich, and a few in central London. The living expenses will be higher in London whichever college you are based in, and there will also be more opportunities to spend money provided you are based somewhere with good transport links to the centre.

If you choose Newcastle with the idea that you can pop to London to explore, be prepared for a train journey of 4 hours or so (and expensive tickets) or a longer coach journey (cheaper). I'm not sure how your education system works, but it sounds like Newcastle would count towards your final degree whereas London would just be a nice experience. If that's the case I'd say Newcastle but pack plenty of warm clothes I beleive the courses are very good - my niece is considering it as one of her options.

 

[Eliza32]

I'm a northerner, and I'd recommend Newcastle if you want a true English experience. London is a great City, but it's very commercial and doesn't really reflect the true british culture because of the tourism aspect etc. You will however encounter more overseas students in London than in Newcastle if this is part of your consideration.

 

[disneyhockeymad]

I g to Newcastle University and I absolutely love it. The staff are so friendly and the general atmosphere is amazing. It's a much closer knit city in so far as the university is concerned, the school buildings are not that far from each other and everything you need is on campus. Plus it's centred around Newcastle City Centre which is, in my opinion, one of the best shopping cities going at the moment!

London universities on the other hand can be a little more spread out across the city and sometimes require an underground trip to get from one place to another. Plus as everyone has said, London is very busy and more centred around tourism!

If you have any questions about Newcastle don't hesitate to PM me

 

[princess jackson]

Hi, I live in Newcastle, have done for 32 years, however was born Hampshire.

I can only offer the pros for Newcastle

Coast is 30 mins on public transport, got some lovely beaches granted not got the weather

Easy access to Scotland,And the lake district yet another lovely area to visit, for hill walking or general sight seeing

We have metro centre a large shopping mall, also eldon square another shopping mall. Nightlife can be very lively

 

[ashleybea]

Thanks everyone!
If I go to London I would be at University of Westminster.
I'll be going for a spring semester of 2012, so from the end of January to May.

I've also heard that Newcastle is where some of the Olympic events are being held, is that true?

 

[princess jackson]

Not heard anything about olympics, however we do have Gateshead international stadium where athletics competitions are held, and we have Olympic size swimming pool at Sunderland

 

[MazdaUK]

As far as I'm aware all the Olympic events will be held around London (though the site is not exactly central and there's some debate whether the equestrian events will be moved from Greenwich) although the sailing will be off the South coast.

University of Westminster sounds like a former Polytechnic rather than part of the University of London - I think it might be near Victoria?

 

[gemmybear83]

Hi I live in Newcastle and love it! In terms of universities I think Newcastle University is regarded as a "better" university than Westminster (in the most general of terms, I looked at that univeristy when I was applying).

The cost of living is much cheaper in Newcastle than London, and Newcastle is a great city - low crime, lots of museams, culture and history.

Its also easy to get around as well as the airport Newcastle is on the east coast line which is very fast - under 2 hours to Edinburgh and 2.5-3.5 hours to London depending on the train your get.

I am reallt good friends with a couple of ex international students and you would likely be housed in halls of residence with other international students, I know they all had a fantastic time

Good luck with your decision - I am sure you will enjoy wherever you study!

Newcastle is on the north-east coast, very close to the Scottish borders. You might find the local accent (Geordie) tricky to follow at times. Its had a lot of money put into it to regenerate it, and has some excellent cultural centres I believe. The weather comes right off the North sea, so it can be very cold.

London is the capital city (with all that entails) and very spread out - to give you the best idea you'll need to let us know which college you are heading for - some parts of the University of London are actually down in Surrey (almost the country!) whereas others are in suburbs like Greenwich, and a few in central London. The living expenses will be higher in London whichever college you are based in, and there will also be more opportunities to spend money provided you are based somewhere with good transport links to the centre.

If you choose Newcastle with the idea that you can pop to London to explore, be prepared for a train journey of 4 hours or so (and expensive tickets) or a longer coach journey (cheaper). I'm not sure how your education system works, but it sounds like Newcastle would count towards your final degree whereas London would just be a nice experience. If that's the case I'd say Newcastle but pack plenty of warm clothes I beleive the courses are very good - my niece is considering it as one of her options.

Hi just to correct the train journey is faster than 4 hours - please see above

Have you been to Newcastle it doesnt sound like it

 

[MazdaUK]

My husband spent some time working in Gateshead and we have an office in Newcastle so I know plenty of people from there, and I know the University is very well regarded. I was adding tube time to Westminster (plus escalators) from getting off the mainline - 3.5 +0.5 = 4

In the Sunday Times today there was an article about the high cost of being a student in London, with annual expenses averaging £9,000 compared with £6,000 for (I think) Birmingham. Not sure how that would comapre with Newcastle prices?