I want "castle" uni, but I also want the city life

I couldn't give a monkeys if facts says it is a city. I made it perfectly clear in my post, that IN MY OPINION, it isn't. I never said that was official, I gave my opinion.

the campus looks bland, and as a US student looking to make my American mates jealous, it just doesn't work

Royal Holloway? It's only about 45 minutes from London and looks like this:



It's also very near Heathrow airport, which you will come to appreciate when going back and forth.

That's basically my concern as far as that goes. It sounds pretty insane; four universities within a few miles of each other is unheard of in the busiest parts of California, let alone northeastern England. I can't even imagine what the job rush must be like.

So basically I'm really in love with Durham, but I'm apprehensive about studying Computing in an area that's so far away from the tech industry powerhouses. Naturally, I also want urban conveniences to be within a short distance, and apparently Durham is severely lacking in that department.

Another choice of mine, Sussex, is well-connected to the tech industry (at least it appears that way) and is situated in a relatively urban area where you probably don't have to travel too far to find anything that you're looking for, whether for fun or employment during the breaks. But damn the campus looks bland, and as a US student looking to make my American mates jealous, it just doesn't work

Are there any unis out there that blend the old-world castle vibe with the convenience/social stuff/tech employment of cities? Don't mention Oxbridge or any Scottish unis (can't consider a 4-year BSc). Thanks!

EDIT: I thought I typed "I want a 'castle uni'" etc but apparently I forgot the "a." Just wanted to let you know that I'm aware of it, because I hate looking grammatically incompetent.

And to clarify something else, of course the cool-factor of the buildings isn't my main concern. Basically, if I can't decide between two equally incredibly universities, the cooler-looking one will break the tie. That's why I mentioned bland, semi-moden Sussex: it's either close to the top of my list, or perhaps even at the top. It's got just about everything. Their records for satisfaction and employment are excellent, it's in the middle of a bustling (but not congested) area, and to top it off, it's on the beach! (I know, that last one is superficial as well haha) But it has problems too: it's expensive, and I suspect that the location it's in is expensive as well because... it's on the beach. So basically the problem is money.

If you get certain grades, you can do the Scottish BScs in three years. I think it's ABB for first year entry at Glasgow, or AAA for second year- so you'd do it in the same time as in England. Glasgow and Edinburgh are two of the premier computing departments in the UK, and that's two massive cities with two old, renowned, universities within 45 minutes of each other.

So basically I'm really in love with Durham, but I'm apprehensive about studying Computing in an area that's so far away from the tech industry powerhouses. Naturally, I also want urban conveniences to be within a short distance, and apparently Durham is severely lacking in that department.

Another choice of mine, Sussex, is well-connected to the tech industry (at least it appears that way) and is situated in a relatively urban area where you probably don't have to travel too far to find anything that you're looking for, whether for fun or employment during the breaks. But damn the campus looks bland, and as a US student looking to make my American mates jealous, it just doesn't work

Are there any unis out there that blend the old-world castle vibe with the convenience/social stuff/tech employment of cities? Don't mention Oxbridge or any Scottish unis (can't consider a 4-year BSc). Thanks!

EDIT: I thought I typed "I want a 'castle uni'" etc but apparently I forgot the "a." Just wanted to let you know that I'm aware of it, because I hate looking grammatically incompetent.

King's, at £15850, is much too expensive. Believe me, I'd be all over it if it weren't.

Hogwarts has an ATM?

Just checked them out to be sure, and they're too expensive.

I do now

I looked it up on Bing maps, but I remember it looking a lot closer to the beach than that. My sense of space/distance isn't very good though.

Thanks for the heads-up on the beach, too. I found this:

http://www.bugbog.com/images/beaches/british-beaches-uk/new-british-beaches/brighton-beach/brighton-beach-bathers.jpg

And, yeah, that looks extremely painful. We barely have any rocks around most beaches here, but I've still managed to slice myself up pretty badly on them while boarding. If I tried to use that beach, I'd probably die.

I'm confused about Brighton being boring as you sort of implied though. I saw it in an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and it looked incredible. The whole "gay-friendly" thing is really cool too, since I'm into dudes as well as girls--although, there's definitely such a thing as too friendly (flamers/trannies really gross me out), and if that's the case with Brighton, then that could be a problem. I'm definitely "one of the guys" (as I damn well should be, seeing as I have a cock) and I'd feel out of place if I were surrounded by "girly men," as Ahnold would say. That would suck.

So, basically, what is your take on Brighton? You've got me very curious now, and its stock is on the decline.

York: £14850 for 2010 (to rise for 2011)
Bristol: £14950 for 2010 (again, the rates will only go up)
Bath: £14500 for 2010

My price ceiling is £14000. Technically I can't really afford anything, even if the cost is only £10000 (I'll be depending almost entirely on loans), but that's the figure I've decided on. Needless to say ICL (about £21000) is out.

Sussex and Manchester both cross the £14000 line, but I may be eligible for a £3000 scholarship at Sussex and Manchester offers fixed-rate tuition fees, so I'm (possibly) making exceptions for them. Durham, at £11400 (for 2010), isn't bad.

As for accommodation, I thought that on-campus housing generally costs less in the end? Or does that depend entirely on where you live? (For example, City University London's accommodations, while expensive, are cheap in comparison to privately-owned ones in the area.) It also seems like on-campus housing would be much less of a headache, especially as an international student. I wouldn't have to travel very far to class either.

I'll have to research employability in Newcastle later. There's so much to think about. Unfortunately I did check Sage's website and, unlike the big players, they don't offer student employment schemes. That stung to read. I want Durham to work so badly, but it's crucial that I have relevant work experience before I graduate, and since Durham doesn't offer a sandwich option, there MUST be strong employment opportunities over the breaks. If I don't have anything on my CV by the time I'm done with school, I suspect that I'll be on a plane back to SoCal in no time.