Leeds vs London

I have 2 offers so far and hopefully more to come, but I was just wondering as far as student life goes, which city is better! Pros and cons please! I'm from Ireland so I haven't much of a notion about hands on experience with either city. Please help!

Reply 1

concubine

Leeds always feels more 'studenty' to me. And it's cheaper. But as a city I prefer London, because it pretty much ****s all over every other city in the country.

Reply 2

Bella Occhi

I'm a student at Leeds, so I may be just a teeny bit biased, but Leeds is bloody amazing. I do love London, but I wouldn't want to live there as a student as it'd be so expensive! Leeds has a big student population and there is so much to do. :love:

To get an idea of what I'm on about have a look at these threads:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1004139

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1480407

Reply 3

keshia

i'm more inclined towards leeds to be honest. i like the idea of it's music scene but then again i have always wanted to go to london as well. don't know! guess i'll see what other offers i get - praying to get in to uni of leeds !

Reply 4

Bella Occhi

Original post by keshia

Is it Leeds or Leeds Met? And which uni in London?

Edit: why was I negged for this? I'm asking which unis they're looking at as it might just perhaps make a teeny difference if it's Met vs UCL or Leeds vs London South Bank. :/

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

barrze

I've been in Leeds 2 years now, not a fan. It's a city with a lot of clubs and shops but a lack of personality (in my opinion). Also the weather is grim and a lack of sunlight in winter is horrible.

Reply 6

barrze

You might find though with a Northern city being cheaper it makes a better student lifestyle with the possibility of moving to London after graduation when (in theory) you could have more money to spend.

Reply 7

Rancorous

Original post by concubine

Leeds always feels more 'studenty' to me. And it's cheaper. But as a city I prefer London, because it pretty much ****s all over every other city in the country.

This.

Obviously it depends on your university and the University of London has some very good universities which are better than Leeds, BUT Leeds hands down is a better place to be a student - it's cheap, it's got everything you need, and it's a change of scenery in case you move to London after your degree.

Also depends on you as a person. If you're parents are loaded and you like comfort, maybe you'll be better off in London. Obviously there's a big mix of students, but there are lots and lots of students with very rich mummys and daddys. Leeds is good for cheap drinking but its weather is pretty horrid.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 8

original_username

Leeds. Has everything London offers just on a smaller scale, and if you want to do the touristy things in London then you can do a weekend down there while you're at Uni up in Leeds. Cheaper too. Friendlier people, nicer local accent.

And ignore the person above saying it has a lack of personality. Yorkshire has plenty of personality.

Reply 9

internet tough guy

just out of curiousity, leeds or manchester? which is more 'studenty' and better in general as a city?

Reply 10

aysha.19

London is more cosmopolitan. Once you start living there, you find every other smaller city boring. Don't know about Leeds.

BTW I have the same Leeds Vs London choice. :P

Reply 11

AllisonAdorkable

Surely it also depends on the university itself?

I mean, if it's a choice between...Imperial and Leeds, I'm sure most people would tell you go pick Imperial, regardless of how nice Leeds is. :tongue:

Reply 12

Bella Occhi

Original post by AllisonAdorkable

My point exactly :p:

Reply 13

dirtyoldriver

The uni is important as they are all in very different parts of London as well.

Personally I'm at UCL, I'll try and be balanced. London is an awesome city and it is pretty much the case that, if there's something you want to do, you are going to be able to do it here. The area I live in personally (Bloomsbury) is great as it is basically entirely students - it's got all the UCL buildings in one place and then Birkbeck and SOAS right next door. Camden is a 10 minute bus ride/30 minute walk away, you've got the massive parks, all the amazing buildings in central etc. As for the university I can't say specifically for you, obviously that's a big factor in choosing though. As for expense, it is really really dependent on how you manage your money. The main thing that's more expensive is accommodation and you do get a bigger loan to cover this. Aside from that the sainsburys and tescos are pretty much standardised prices, I've never paid more than a fiver to get into a club, the student union does really cheap drinks and you don't have to use transport unless you're lazy or going a large distance (again, depends where you live). It is also easy to get a job here as there are so many bars, restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops.

HOWEVER, accommodation is expensive. It can be overwhelming I guess but I think there's so much to enjoy and you get used to it. It makes going home feel way more relaxing though. It also gets insanely busy, if you try and go anywhere near Oxford street/Leicester square near Christmas you will be inundated with tourists and hate everybody around you. Transport is also kind of pricey especially for if you live a bit further away in second or third year. London isn't for everyone, although I think it has something FOR everyone you might just want a quieter place and no amount of "but you can do ALL THIS" is going to change that. Oh and pints at non-student pubs are sometimes up to a fiver :nooo:

I have a friend at Leeds and by the looks of facebook she's loving it, but I can't give you anything more in-depth than that.

Reply 14

brogan7812

Adding to this;

King's College, London VS. University of Leeds.

Keep in mind I won't be paying student fees because I'm applying for Midwifery therefore my only real expenses will be living costs etc. :colondollar: