Aberdeen is a pretty good student city (I studied there for 4 years!) It has all of the basics (shops, clubs, movies, restaurants, gyms) and the uni itself is great. I knew some people studying engineering and didn't hear any negative feedback about the department. I know that the oil and gas sector took a massive hit, however, leading to a lot of job losses as the city itself is heavily reliant on oil. But people assume that the industry will get back on its feet again. Just a side note though, Aberdeen is pretty isolated from the rest of the UK. This might not bother you, but getting to Edinburgh/Glasgow takes a good 3 hours by train. Often it's far easier (and cheaper) to fly if you're going to London etc. So if you're hoping to travel frequently then Manchester may be the better choice.