Life in Manchester?

I am thinking of applying to Manchester University for next year.

How does life in Manchester compare to life in London (where I live)?
How different are the cities (looks, size, crime etc.)?
The people?
Public transport?
Is there anything to do there?
Which do you prefer?

Thanks

Reply 1

alleycat393

21

Original post by Samakatun

I am thinking of applying to Manchester University for next year.

How does life in Manchester compare to life in London (where I live)?
How different are the cities (looks, size, crime etc.)?
The people?
Public transport?
Is there anything to do there?
Which do you prefer?

Thanks

Spend some time online and see what you can find. You can also find students here

Reply 2

polarising

11

northerners are generally friendlier than southerners. i've had people stop and chat to me and smile at me etc in manc whereas london is very much dog-eat-dog. manchester has all the stuff you'd need in a metropolitan city like london but without the massive size and most of the tourists. you can walk across the city in about half an hour but with all the shops, skyscrapers and restaurants you pass it still very much retains a 'big city' vibe.

student buses are cheap in manc (£1.50 for certain routes up and down the main uni strip) and there's always the tram if you want to go further out, which stops at many points across the city. as for things to do, there's art galleries, parks, clubs, the arndale for a bit of quick shopping and the trafford centre if you want a more 'luxurious' shopping experience (their food court is amazing), an indoor dry ski slope, the peak district under an hour away if hiking and climbing is your thing, and liverpool about 45 mins away by train if you want to visit another city.

Reply 3

blossomhibbert99

6

i live in manchester and go to college here - feel free to ask any questions. If i hadn't grown up here i 100% would choose to go to Uni here, I absolutely adore my home! The town is amazing and full of lovely people and thousands of acres of countryside are just a short train ride away. People here very friendly, great night life. Christmas markets are a true highlight of the year and a very community based place. Love it!

Reply 4

Mutmit287

22

Original post by Samakatun

I am thinking of applying to Manchester University for next year.

How does life in Manchester compare to life in London (where I live)?
How different are the cities (looks, size, crime etc.)?
The people?
Public transport?
Is there anything to do there?
Which do you prefer?

Thanks

I lived in Manchester until I moved to Cardiff for uni so I may be of help here.

Manchester in my opinion is quite different to London. Although they both have a "big city" feel London is a lot more hustle and bustle (and a little overwhelming to me) whereas Manchester is a little less crazy.

One of the big differences between the two cities would be cost of living, It would probably cost you half of what you would pay in London to live in Manchester. It is also relatively easy to navigate with most students using either a single bus service up and down Oxford road into town, or walking. A lot of the nightlife is very close together as well which makes a night out quite vibrant.

Having grown up here I will always have a soft spot for Manchester. It is the ex industrial powerhouse of the UK (and arguably the whole world) so it has a very different aesthetic in my opinion to most other places. Lots of mills have been converted into apartments and other amenities, the canal is a great place to explore. I think the history of the city does add a lot to do, great museums and libraries make it a nice place to get lost in.

Ofc Manchester is nowhere near as big as London, it would probably take you around 30 minutes to walk the full diameter of central manchester, meaning shops restraunts bars and clubs are all within walking distance.

The university itself is set down Oxford road, which connects to the city centre near the theatre and central library at the very top. This makes everthing very easy to traverse.
Furthermore to add to that oxford road is europes biggest and busiest bus route (im sure now most of it is bus only), meaning public transport really is great here (and reasonably priced). If the bus doesnt take your fancy then we have metrolink trams and trains all at reasonable prices.

The culture in manchester is great, you will find loads of things to do. If you are willing to venture a bit further out then there are some lovely parks to visit, and the peak district national park is around an hours drive.

Crime is a tricky one, I think for any big city there is crime, but I dont think I would be able to compared the cities. I would say in each place there are a few areas you wouldnt want to find yourself alone at nightime.

Last but not least the people are so friendly and welcoming in Manchester. I think that is the one thing that always shocks me when I go to London. Its as if everyone there has another agenda and you dont get any polite hellos from passers by, just a lot of pushing and shoving. Mancunians will chat to you at the bus stop, and are mostly polite and welcoming.

Which do I prefer... my hometown will always win ofc.

Reply 5

ANM775

20

Original post by polarising

northerners are generally friendlier than southerners. i've had people stop and chat to me and smile at me etc in manc whereas london is very much dog-eat-dog. manchester has all the stuff you'd need in a metropolitan city like london but without the massive size and most of the tourists. you can walk across the city in about half an hour but with all the shops, skyscrapers and restaurants you pass it still very much retains a 'big city' vibe.

student buses are cheap in manc (£1.50 for certain routes up and down the main uni strip) and there's always the tram if you want to go further out, which stops at many points across the city. as for things to do, there's art galleries, parks, clubs, the arndale for a bit of quick shopping and the trafford centre if you want a more 'luxurious' shopping experience (their food court is amazing), an indoor dry ski slope, the peak district under an hour away if hiking and climbing is your thing, and liverpool about 45 mins away by train if you want to visit another city.

£1.50?

Have the prices gone up?
I was in manchester a couple of years ago and it was £1.00 for some of them buses that travel along Oxford road

edit: It was the magic buses that were £1.00 when I was there

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 6

Vinny C

20

Like Coronation Street but much worse! Proceed with caution, Southerner.

Reply 7

ANM775

20

Original post by Samakatun

I am thinking of applying to Manchester University for next year.

How does life in Manchester compare to life in London (where I live)?
How different are the cities (looks, size, crime etc.)?
The people?
Public transport?
Is there anything to do there?
Which do you prefer?

Thanks

The City centre is full of tram tracks. You need to watch out or you could easily find yourself stepping out in-front of one [I'm not exaggerating]

There are also a HUGE amount of homeless people in manchester. I've never seen as much homeless people clustered in one area before. Get used to being asked for spare change.

Nightlife is not bad, but I notice most places become sausage fests quite quickly on saturday night, so you may have to visit lots of places to try and find one with more equal ratio's if sausage fests are not your thing.

Manchester people are friendlier than Londoners. You will notice everyone says thanks to the bus driver when getting off the bus [something that rarely happens in London]

It is quite multicultural in the city centre, i'd say around 35-40% non whites. Noticeable European population there too.

Personally I prefer manchester to London.

Reply 8

M451

14

Hi, I lived in London until I was 10 and then moved up to Manchester so hopefully I can be useful.

Manchester is a lot less busy on the whole. Less of a buzz I'd say and much more liveable with respect to traffic, prices, crowds. The people on the whole are a lot nicer - I take the train between the two cities pretty often and whenever someone strikes up a friendly conversation or even just looks at you and smiles, it tends to be a Northerner rather than a Southerner. I realise I miss the buzz of London and the joys of having so many areas to explore, culture from around the world, and opportunities and events when I visit London now but living in Manchester is totally fine. It's a big enough city but also much much more livable and it's nice to be able to go from bustling city centre to quiet leafy suburbs or out-of-town open spaces in only a few minutes. There's plenty going on around the city and Greater Manchester as a whole but you don't get spoiled like a Londoner does. Bare in mind also that many other northern cities aren't that far away on the train.

Public transport is definitely leagues below London. Ticketing is a pain because several bus companies operate their own tickets and passes and single fares are ludicrously expensive for adults. I pay around £2.40 for a single 20 min journey to Piccadilly from where I live but I guess these prices are what shifts their day passes. However, there are free "Metroshuttle" bus going around the inner city and fares for buses just going up and down Oxford Road aren't as high. As a student, most of your travel will be on "Magic Bus" Stagecoach services so you can just get a ticket for that but then if you want to go out into Salford, you need a First ticket, or into South Manchester, you'll need a Stagecoach pass for all of their services and so on. The trams are good, usually reliable and engineering works don't happen nearly as often as in London. The fares are lower than Oyster for tubes on the whole but you probably won't be using them regularly as a student due to where the tracks run and where campuses are.

Reply 9

ANM775

20

Original post by M451

I pay around £2.40 for a single 20 min journey to Piccadilly from where I live but I guess these prices are what shifts their day passes. However, there are free "Metroshuttle" bus going around the inner city and fares for buses just going up and down Oxford Road aren't as high. As a student, most of your travel will be on "Magic Bus" Stagecoach services so you can just get a ticket for that but then if you want to go out into Salford, you need a First ticket, or into South Manchester, you'll need a Stagecoach pass for all of their services and so on. The trams are good, usually reliable and engineering works don't happen nearly as often as in London. The fares are lower than Oyster for tubes on the whole but you probably won't be using them regularly as a student due to where the tracks run and where campuses are.

The more people in the area you live, the cheaper the busses.
I no longer live up north and the buses where I am cost £4 for a single and stop after 10pm

it's brutal

Reply 10

Samakatun

OP

5

The air can't be that much worse than London :biggrin:

I think my lungs are too corrupted by now to care.

Good luck with choosing your unis; I hear that Manchester is a great university all-round, but especially for my course (Physics).

And thanks for all your replies guys! Manchester definitely sounds like a place I'd enjoy living in :smile:

Reply 11

polarising

11

Original post by ANM775

£1.50?

Have the prices gone up?
I was in manchester a couple of years ago and it was £1.00 for some of them buses that travel along Oxford road

edit: It was the magic buses that were £1.00 when I was there

they have, unfortunately :frown:

the magic buses are now £1.50. a regional crime against northern students

Reply 12

ANM775

20

Original post by polarising

they have, unfortunately :frown:

the magic buses are now £1.50. a regional crime against northern students

That's brutal, ..that's like a 50% increase in just 2 years

what happened to the other bus that ran the same route? I think it was like £2.00 or £2.50 when I was there

has that gone up too?

Life in Manchester?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you