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What is life like at the Universities of Glasgow, Surrey and Newcastle?

Hi :smile: I'm going to start a Psychology course this fall but I can't choose between these three universities: Glasgow, Surrey and Newcastle. There are so many criteria to consider... Glasgow is high in the rankings but the other two have great course programs.

Since I'm not from the UK I thought maybe those of you who are already studying there could tell me a little bit about the life at those universities. E.g. are the teachers nice, willing to help? Is it hard to find a job/place to live somewhere near the uni? What's the weather like? :smile:

Thanks in advance!
My knowledge of life at Surrey is going to be a little thin since I commute into Guildford.

But it's a nice area. Low crime. Weather is typical for the South East. Dry summers and winters are somewhat common.

If you stay on campus you'll be closer to town but you'll have to travel to the Tescos where everyone shops. If you're in Manor park you'll be closer to Tescos, the hospital and the sports centre. But you'll be further away from town. It's also a lot quieter than campus.

Teachers vary from department to department. But generally it is easy to get help from professors but I tend to find it difficult because I do Law and lots of my tutors and lecturers have days and weeks off for court cases.

Nightlife is limited. It's a town full of old people in the Summer and I know because I live in a nearby area all year round.

Jobs, not sure. It shouldn't be hard. There's lots of shops and the Primark are pretty much always hiring. lol

Travel is a nightmare though. The buses are always late.

And the library's depressing but most of them are.
Reply 2
Go for Scotland, as you're EU student you'll end up with less debt.
Reply 3
Original post by paniking_and_not_revising
My knowledge of life at Surrey is going to be a little thin since I commute into Guildford.

But it's a nice area. Low crime. Weather is typical for the South East. Dry summers and winters are somewhat common.

If you stay on campus you'll be closer to town but you'll have to travel to the Tescos where everyone shops. If you're in Manor park you'll be closer to Tescos, the hospital and the sports centre. But you'll be further away from town. It's also a lot quieter than campus.

Teachers vary from department to department. But generally it is easy to get help from professors but I tend to find it difficult because I do Law and lots of my tutors and lecturers have days and weeks off for court cases.

Nightlife is limited. It's a town full of old people in the Summer and I know because I live in a nearby area all year round.

Jobs, not sure. It shouldn't be hard. There's lots of shops and the Primark are pretty much always hiring. lol

Travel is a nightmare though. The buses are always late.

And the library's depressing but most of them are.


Thanks. That was very helpful :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by daryZ
Go for Scotland, as you're EU student you'll end up with less debt.


The loan doesn't scare me. And experts that I've consulted say it's worth it since you have to earn quite a large sum of money after you graduate to start repaying :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by UgneR
The loan doesn't scare me. And experts that I've consulted say it's worth it since you have to earn quite a large sum of money after you graduate to start repaying :smile:


Yeah but if you have a scottish uni in your choices and it isn't worse than others then why not use the situation and save those £27000. :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by daryZ
Yeah but if you have a scottish uni in your choices and it isn't worse than others then why not use the situation and save those £27000. :smile:


Glasgow takes a high place in the rankings. BUT Newcastle has a more interesting program though it's much lower in the rankings. That is my dilemma :biggrin:

And living costs in Scotland are bigger than in England which I'll have to pay right away while I'll have to repay the Tuition Fee loan only when I start to earn £21,000 :smile:
Original post by UgneR
Glasgow takes a high place in the rankings. BUT Newcastle has a more interesting program though it's much lower in the rankings. That is my dilemma :biggrin:

And living costs in Scotland are bigger than in England which I'll have to pay right away while I'll have to repay the Tuition Fee loan only when I start to earn £21,000 :smile:


I don't know about Newcastle but living costs in Surrey will be ridiculous.

If I were in your position I would go with Glasgow. The debt is definitely not worth it.
Reply 8
I went to Newcastle University and I am from Surrey, so I can give you some insights into these two, but no nothing of Glasgow I'm afraid.

Newcastle is a great city, its compact, so easy to get around, and has a good selection of shops, bars, clubs, galleries, museums and a surprising amount of quirky cafes and independent restaurants. There is quite a variety of accommodation for first years, I stayed in Leazes but wouldn't recommend it (for various reasons), I had friends who stayed in Windsor Terrace though and quite enjoyed it. In second and third year most people live in Jesmond, a good area, I always felt safe and its quite leafy and green, with parks, shops, gyms, bars and restaurants - and all about a 30 min walk from the main city centre (or a 10 min train journey). There is plenty of accommodation too, so you don't need to worry about finding a place. In regards to getting a job, as far as I'm aware most of my friends who wanted one, managed to get one, its a city after all, so there are plenty of opportunities and quite a few that are especially catered to students. The weather can be pretty cold, but at least it's on the east coast of England, which means it gets less rain than cities on the west coast (supposedly); but no one goes to Newcastle for its good weather. I did Geography, so can't speak for the Psychology department, but generally always got on with my tutors and lecturers well and heard similar stories from other students. Living costs in Newcastle are also pretty cheap, especially in regards to nights out, taxis and restaurants; although there was a rumour that apparently the Tesco in Jesmond is the most expensive in the country, but I never noticed it particularly in relation to the one back home in Surrey.

I would never recommend going to university in Surrey for your undergraduate degree, but I guess as I grew up in the county so have quite a distorted view of it. I should note, I don't live in Guildford, but do go there for shopping/clubbing/visiting friends. The weather is decent and it's a beautiful county, I've been privileged to group up here, but its just not that exciting and pretty expensive. Also if you were planning to settle in the UK, you might very well end up getting a job in London, thus could end up in Surrey anyway at a later point in your life.

TL;DR: Newcastle is much more exciting and cheap than Surrey, but the weather is worse.
Reply 9
Original post by RedAlice
I went to Newcastle University and I am from Surrey, so I can give you some insights into these two, but no nothing of Glasgow I'm afraid.

Newcastle is a great city, its compact, so easy to get around, and has a good selection of shops, bars, clubs, galleries, museums and a surprising amount of quirky cafes and independent restaurants. There is quite a variety of accommodation for first years, I stayed in Leazes but wouldn't recommend it (for various reasons), I had friends who stayed in Windsor Terrace though and quite enjoyed it. In second and third year most people live in Jesmond, a good area, I always felt safe and its quite leafy and green, with parks, shops, gyms, bars and restaurants - and all about a 30 min walk from the main city centre (or a 10 min train journey). There is plenty of accommodation too, so you don't need to worry about finding a place. In regards to getting a job, as far as I'm aware most of my friends who wanted one, managed to get one, its a city after all, so there are plenty of opportunities and quite a few that are especially catered to students. The weather can be pretty cold, but at least it's on the east coast of England, which means it gets less rain than cities on the west coast (supposedly); but no one goes to Newcastle for its good weather. I did Geography, so can't speak for the Psychology department, but generally always got on with my tutors and lecturers well and heard similar stories from other students. Living costs in Newcastle are also pretty cheap, especially in regards to nights out, taxis and restaurants; although there was a rumour that apparently the Tesco in Jesmond is the most expensive in the country, but I never noticed it particularly in relation to the one back home in Surrey.

I would never recommend going to university in Surrey for your undergraduate degree, but I guess as I grew up in the county so have quite a distorted view of it. I should note, I don't live in Guildford, but do go there for shopping/clubbing/visiting friends. The weather is decent and it's a beautiful county, I've been privileged to group up here, but its just not that exciting and pretty expensive. Also if you were planning to settle in the UK, you might very well end up getting a job in London, thus could end up in Surrey anyway at a later point in your life.

TL;DR: Newcastle is much more exciting and cheap than Surrey, but the weather is worse.


Thanks. I think I'll cross Surrey out :smile:
Psychology department at newcastle can be hit or miss imo. Great city though.

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