Dublin vs Manchester?

Which city is nicer for a student and which uni is better (trinity vs uni of manchester)?
I like cities with a lot of pubs, culture, bookshops, creative things to do, bands and old buildings and sights :biggrin:

Reply 1

McGinger

18

Dublin, given your interests.
Manchester is lovely too - but is much more 'urban city' rather than 'interesting place with lots of charm'.

What subject are you thinking of studying?

Reply 2

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by McGinger

Dublin, given your interests.
Manchester is lovely too - but is much more 'urban city' rather than 'interesting place with lots of charm'.

What subject are you thinking of studying?

Thanks for the reply! :smile:

I want to study English Literature. I believe that both schools score equally strong in this subject area?

I got the impression that Dublin feels a bit small when I visited, with its narrow streets and alleys (like the Temple Bar area). Unfortunately, I´ve never been to Manchester. For some reason, I´ve always wanted to move to England and I have this expectation in my mind, that Manchester is really nice. However, I´ve read some bad things about it (grey brick buildings, a lot of dirt on the streets, a lot of crime, shady areas), which makes me quite worried.
Additionally, I have the feeling that you could feel a bit lost in Manchester, because it´s so spread out and feels rather large, with the skyscrapers and high buildings? Or are there also small, ´charming´ areas to explore (similar to York for example)?

I´d be glad if you could help me with these questions :biggrin:

Reply 3

McGinger

18

Go to Dublin (Trinity? or UCD?) - you'll have an amazing time.

Reply 4

vizakl

13

DUBLIN !!! Manchester is quite known for their well not so great reputation and I can tell you from my own experience when I am going there to visit my sister that the place is kind of unsafe, if it wouldn't be for the fact that my sister is in her 3rd year she said she would love to move :I

Reply 5

McGinger

18

PS. You do realise that Dublin is in Ireland, not England, don't you?

Reply 6

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by vickkyyxx

DUBLIN !!! Manchester is quite known for their well not so great reputation and I can tell you from my own experience when I am going there to visit my sister that the place is kind of unsafe, if it wouldn't be for the fact that my sister is in her 3rd year she said she would love to move :I

Hey, thanks for the response! :biggrin:

Could you elaborate a bit more on this ‚reputation‘? Some people say it’s dangerous/ not a nice place while others say something else.. also, is your sister liking studying at the university or is it rather snobby? :smile:

Reply 7

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by McGinger

PS. You do realise that Dublin is in Ireland, not England, don't you?

Really? Oh, I thought it was in France.

Reply 8

ohdearstudying

22

Dublin all the way! I went on a trip to Dublin in April last year and it was the best week I have had (only second to my week in The Netherlands), the people are lovely, it looks quite a bit like London, really nice culture and Trinity is just stunning. People who know universities know Trinity is leaps and bounds above Manchester and that to get in requires some real smarts. Definitely go to Trinity and don't look back! Manchester is ridden with homelessness and drunkards, it looks nice in images but visit the place and you'll see.

It's your decision but I would jump at the chance to study at Trinity :smile:

Good luck with whichever decision you make!

I remember going to an Irish pub on my trip and it was just the most camp and cringe thing ever but my friends and I loved every second of it!

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 9

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by ohdearstudying

Dublin all the way! I went on a trip to Dublin in April last year and it was the best week I have had (only second to my week in The Netherlands), the people are lovely, it looks quite a bit like London, really nice culture and Trinity is just stunning. People who know universities know Trinity is leaps and bounds above Manchester and that to get in requires some real smarts. Definitely go to Trinity and don't look back! Manchester is ridden with homelessness and drunkards, it looks nice in images but visit the place and you'll see.

It's your decision but I would jump at the chance to study at Trinity :smile:

Good luck with whichever decision you make!

I remember going to an Irish pub on my trip and it was just the most camp and cringe thing ever but my friends and I loved every second of it!

Hi!

Ouch, is Manchester really THAT bad? I mean, is it worse with regards to homelessness, crime, dirt than, let’s say London, Birmingham or Glasgow? :/

Reply 10

ohdearstudying

22

Original post by kirachan

Hi!

Ouch, is Manchester really THAT bad? I mean, is it worse with regards to homelessness, crime, dirt than, let’s say London, Birmingham or Glasgow? :/

It's all personal and very subjective. But to put it into perspective my friend from Madrid loved Manchester, was so convinced she was going to go there and then when she visited it as soon as she came out of the station she absolutely hated it. She ended up going to Newcastle University London.

We go to a leafy private school in a really, really rough London borough so it's not that she wasn't used to it, I think she was genuinely shocked that it just was not that nice. Glasgow is quite good on crime to my knowledge. I just felt really safe in Dublin, I commuted around a bit from Dún Laoghaire to more centre and it was nice. One qualm I have is the DART is literally the most archaic thing ever and a tad icky (much cleaner than the trains in Paris to be fair) but wasn't my favourite part.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 11

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by ohdearstudying

It's all personal and very subjective. But to put it into perspective my friend from Madrid loved Manchester, was so convinced she was going to go there and then when she visited it as soon as she came out of the station she absolutely hated it. She ended up going to Newcastle University London.

We go to a leafy private school in a really, really rough London borough so it's not that she wasn't used to it, I think she was genuinely shocked that it just was not that nice. Glasgow is quite good on crime to my knowledge. I just felt really safe in Dublin, I commuted around a bit from Dún Laoghaire to more centre and it was nice. One qualm I have is the DART is literally the most archaic thing ever and a tad icky (much cleaner than the trains in Paris to be fair) but wasn't my favourite part.

Huh, that’s interesting. This is exactly what I’m afraid of: I have this good feeling about Manchester, but I fear that once I’m actually there it’s not even a bit like what I expected 0: Too bad I couldn’t visit! And, would you say Manchester is as nice as Glasgow? I may get an offer from Glasgow, so this would be another choice, but I’ve never been there either. Only google maps and pictures haha.
I get the impression that Trinity seems to be the best choice of them all :biggrin:

Reply 12

tmr19

17

Original post by kirachan

Hey, thanks for the response! :biggrin:

Could you elaborate a bit more on this ‚reputation‘? Some people say it’s dangerous/ not a nice place while others say something else.. also, is your sister liking studying at the university or is it rather snobby? :smile:

Here's my 2c as someone who's moved to Manchester around 3 months ago from a quiet town.

The Good:

- The centre, where I live, feels 100% safe in the day. Practically everywhere is busy with people and you never really feel like you're going down a rough sidestreet where you could get cornered etc. You also don't feel like you'd randomly get caught up in violence i.e. gang violence, robbery, whereas when I'm in London for example, I definitely am more wary of things like thieves on mopeds, acid attacks etc. A lot of this is probably just perception, but in Manchester I've felt far less like I could be the victim of a random crime like that, but in London and Bham I'm more on my guard.

I've also noticed that in the centre there is a strong police presence which serves as a deterrent to any serious crime.

- I disagree with the statement that it's dirty etc, I've found it to actually be generally clean and well ordered city. My area, for example, is streetswept every single night, so it's clear that some effort is made to maintain public areas. I'm sure that this can vary wildly by area, as I live near to a lot of social/nightlife venues, so it may well be that more resources are concentrated around here.

- Although a lot of the city is being modernised and developed (i.e. large modern offices and apartments cropping up), the city has absolutely thousands of old buildings that have been repurposed, which I love. Lots of bars and restaurants are in old Victorian buildings with the old company branding/plaques still intact, which I think adds a lot of charm. Additionally, by some canals and side streets you find these small isolated eateries/outdoor areas which feel very detached from the large city surrounding which is nice.

While it does feel like a modern city, huge swathes of the centre are made up almost exclusively of old buildings, so it definitely doesn't feel like a soulless concrete jungle - like Birmingham for example, which is packed full of hideous concrete and crap architecture.

The Bad:

- At night I'd still say the centre is generally fine, but as with any city, you need to be quite on your guard, especially when alone or in quieter areas. An inherent problem with having a big nightlife scene here is that you very regularly get individuals and groups who get absolutely ****ed and can get violent/rowdy. However, if you just keep to yourself and don't antagonise anyone you shouldn't have any issues. Even at 9pm on a Thursday I can hear some people jeering in the street haha.

- Outside of the centre, certain areas have reputations for being absolute dumps - these are areas where crime and general deprivation are heavily concentrated and give the rest of the city a bad name. A quick google will tell you the areas to be avoided, they're all well known.

In summary, it's probably my favourite UK city apart from maybe Newcastle. Although it's had a historical reputation for crime, it's nowhere what it used to be, and the serious crime there is (namely gang violence) is concentrated in quite specific areas, so it doesn't affect most people. I think that as long as you exhibit common sense in where you go and how you act, and take a pragmatic approach to the fact you are living in a really busy city you'll have nothing to worry about. I couldn't imagine thinking that I wouldn't want to move here because of fear of crime, because in my experience and from what many friends here have told me, it's completely fine as long as you don't go out looking for trouble :smile:

Reply 13

kirachan

OP

10

Hi!

Thanks for this detailed and insightful response! I’m glad that you offer a more positive perspective. I’m quite confused about the opinions and experienced being so different.

I‘ll be a student, so I’m most probably going to live near the city centre anyway. I really adore Victorian style buildings, which is why I hoped that Manchester wouldn’t feel that much like an urban city. Would you say it feels a bit like London (since it’s also a mixture of skyscrapers and old buildings)?
And does Manchester have some quirky places, like interesting alleys with old buildings or pubs, old bookshops, something like that? :smile:

Since I really like old buildings and smaller feeling cities (like Edinburgh) I’m quite afraid of feeling a bit lost in Manchester, because it’s a rather big, urban city.
Also, since the problem of homeless people has been mentioned, are there a lot of them in the city centre?

Reply 14

vizakl

13

Original post by kirachan

Hey, thanks for the response! :biggrin:

Could you elaborate a bit more on this ‚reputation‘? Some people say it’s dangerous/ not a nice place while others say something else.. also, is your sister liking studying at the university or is it rather snobby? :smile:

yeahhh she likes her course but she dislikes the place A LOT. Yeahhh Manchester is quite dangerous, I've been there for few concerts and each time I had to be extra cautious because there's always either someone trying to pick me up etc. Sometimes me and my friends have been followed...
Without those things Manchester would have been fine for me, because I like the city (like visually) and their uni is pretty good as well of course depending on the course

Reply 15

Moana92

16

My vote goes to Dublin too. If you want culture, a generally safer placer to live, quirky areas and a smaller feel then Dublin is 100% more suitable than Manchester

Reply 16

asdfgkillmenow

16

Original post by kirachan

Which city is nicer for a student and which uni is better (trinity vs uni of manchester)?
I like cities with a lot of pubs, culture, bookshops, creative things to do, bands and old buildings and sights :biggrin:

defo defo manchester

Reply 17

stillgrey

11

I'm from Manchester so obviously very biased here would be my pros and cons:

Pros

•

It is a big city so there's always loads to do

•

Amazing art exhibitions

•

All the best bands come through Manchester

•

Nightlife is good, there's literally something for everybody: indie, techno, house you name it

•

Amazing food

•

Prices are going up but it is still very cheap for a big city

•

You'll never get bored of Manchester

•

Loads of work opportunities

Cons

•

Public transport is quite bad so you need to live near the campus

•

The city is currently growing massively because of all the companies moving here so there's constant roadworks which makes it even harder to get around

•

Crime used to be very bad when I was growing up, it is way better now, it definitely exists in rough areas, it just depends where you live, the city centre is very safe as well as even areas that I grew up in like Salford that used to be no-go zones are now "gentrified". Like any big city, crime exists, but I wouldn't say it is a dangerous city at all except in some areas.

•

Manchester is quite a "new" city, so really only the city centre has bits of beautiful architecture, it also doesn't have the cozy feel that Dublin has. The Manchester Uni campus is really nice though (I never went to UoM though).

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 18

kirachan

OP

10

Original post by stillgrey

I'm from Manchester so obviously very biased here would be my pros and cons:

Pros

•

It is a big city so there's always loads to do

•

Amazing art exhibitions

•

All the best bands come through Manchester

•

Nightlife is good, there's literally something for everybody: indie, techno, house you name it

•

Amazing food

•

Prices are going up but it is still very cheap for a big city

•

You'll never get bored of Manchester

•

Loads of work opportunities

Cons

•

Public transport is quite bad so you need to live near the campus

•

The city is currently growing massively because of all the companies moving here so there's constant roadworks which makes it even harder to get around

•

Crime used to be very bad when I was growing up, it is way better now, it definitely exists in rough areas, it just depends where you live, the city centre is very safe as well as even areas that I grew up in like Salford that used to be no-go zones are now "gentrified". Like any big city, it still exists, but I wouldn't say it is a dangerous city at all except in some areas.

•

Manchester is quite a "new" city, so really only the city centre has bits of beautiful architecture, it also doesn't have the cozy feel that Dublin has. The Manchester Uni campus is really nice though (I never went to UoM though).

Thanks!

For some reason, I really want to go to Manchester, but it´s just so hard to make a decision because I´ve never been there. Is it really that modern or does it have a mix of Victorian/old buildings and new ones? I´m really fascinated by Victorian architecture and old buildings in general. I kind of want to get that Hogwarts Feeling when I go to university haha :biggrin:

Also, would you say it´s more dangerous than other cities like Glasgow/Sheffield/Liverpool? If one walks around the city centre and the student area of course..
And, would you say, a person that´s more into gaming/movies/pubs and definitely not the party type can have a good time there? I watched a few videos on youtube and, from what I gathered, the party scene seems to be pretty ´wild´, which is not really my thing

Reply 19

stillgrey

11

Original post by kirachan

And, would you say, a person that´s more into gaming/movies/pubs and definitely not the party type can have a good time there? I watched a few videos on youtube and, from what I gathered, the party scene seems to be pretty ´wild´, which is not really my thing

I'm not really a partier either but you're not forced to partake in it if you don't want to! About 20 minutes from Manchester City Centre there is a place called Arcade Club, it is the biggest arcade in Europe https://www.arcadeclub.co.uk/bury/. The deal is you pay £16 and you can play as much as you like for a day, they also have a little bar and a cafe where you can buy things like burgers and hot dogs and stuff. There are cheaper passes during the day. So if you're into gaming that will definitely float your boat!

There are probably 20 or more cinemas in Greater Manchester, the normal ones like Odeon but also ones like HOME which show more arty, niché films. I really like HOME. Again, there are probably 100 or more pubs in Manchester that are perfectly civilised, there is something for everyone.

Just outside of Manchester, within 30 minutes there are lots of small villages and towns where you can go to a pub on a Saturday or Sunday and get a roast. There's also Heaton Park which is a massive park, even on the busiest days you can find a quiet corner to find some peace and read a book or have a beer.

Manchester doesn't really have much of an old Hogwarts feel unfortunately, there are some beautiful parts of the city centre and some of the buildings of the Uni have the feel to them but Dublin wins hands down for the cosy feel. There is lots of Victorian architecture but probably not the kind you expect, lots of buildings from the industrial revolution that have been turned into museums, "cool" housing, bars and places for events.

(edited 3 years ago)

Dublin vs Manchester?

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