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University of Bradford
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What is Bradford like?

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(edited 6 years ago)

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It's a dump. That's all you need to no.
Main building
University of Bradford
Bradford
Original post by 3awargalb
Can anyone who lives in Bradford give me an honest review please? how much of a dump it is, what's the social and night life like, where are the safest areas to live in as a girl especially?
I'm an international student and I've never been to Bradford and don't know anyone there but apparently it's called Bradistan lol and, well, I'm worried I won't fit in or make many friends, even more because I'll be attending as a postgraduate not fresher.

I mainly need advice on good areas to live in please. I prefer private flat accommodation over halls/shared houses to rent, and price is not an issue, as long as it's not secluded (shops nearby etc) and near the university campus, since I won't be driving a car and rely on bus or tram.

Thanks!


Not a very nice place to be honest with you. Over the years it has been "ghettoized" and is mostly a "no-go" area for most people.
Reply 3
Original post by Whiskey&Freedom
It's a dump. That's all you need to no.

:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:
Can you expand a bit
Are there no nice places to go whatsoever?
i'm going Bradford too. I went there a couple of times its not really as bad as it sounds tbh
Reply 5
Original post by elforjg02
i'm going Bradford too. I went there a couple of times its not really as bad as it sounds tbh


I imagine that's easy to say if you're Asian or Muslim
Original post by 3awargalb
I imagine that's easy to say if you're Asian or Muslim


im muslim yes . asian no
whats wrong with muslims ???
Reply 7
Original post by 3awargalb
I imagine that's easy to say if you're Asian or Muslim


I'm a student at Bradford university and while there's a few alright areas it's mostly pretty *****y - gangs of muslim/ Asian lads in tracksuits, generally a bit run down and the road layout is horrendous. The university is nice though.
Personally I live outside of Bradford and get a train into the city - perhaps that could be a better option for you as well?
Reply 8
Large ethnic community

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 9
Original post by Fujoshi
I'm a student at Bradford university and while there's a few alright areas it's mostly pretty *****y - gangs of muslim/ Asian lads in tracksuits, generally a bit run down and the road layout is horrendous. The university is nice though.
Personally I live outside of Bradford and get a train into the city - perhaps that could be a better option for you as well?


some people have suggested living in Leeds so yeah I am considering it, but then again it takes time to get from where you live to the station and then from the station to the university right? So Id be looking at an hour or so? I've never commuted before so idk

What are the alright areas to live in?
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 10
Original post by elforjg02
im muslim yes . asian no
whats wrong with muslims ???


Nothing, its just easier to fit in if you're part of the majority... common sense
Original post by 3awargalb
some people have suggested living in Leeds so yeah I am considering it, but then again it takes time to get from where you live to the station and then from the station to the university right? So Id be looking at an hour or so? I've never commuted before so idk


I have a friend who commutes from Leeds and she's alright with it. There's plenty of more middle class towns with train stations which would offer less of a distance from your house to the station. Where I am it's like 5 minutes from the station, then it's a 45 min train journey and then you literally just walk in a straight line between the station and uni - which is about 10/15mins depending on how quickly you walk and goes through the nicer parts of Bradford (or you can get a taxi from the station if you're feeling lazy, from the other station there's also a bus). Leeds to Bradford is about 45mins as well (but overall it takes my friend about an hour from her house). But there's plenty of closer places such as Shipley (8min train journey).
I recommend staying within west Yorkshire for cheaper train tickets and railcards etc
Lived there for 19 years but went to schools in Leeds and started hanging out in Leeds instead of Bradford city centre. They've slowwwwwwly but surely started working on the city centre/shops etc (new Broadway shopping centre beats the run down Kirkgate market ngl) but progress is very slow. Not sure whwre would be best to live really, but if you had the chance then maybe living within walking distance to a train station is good?
You could live near Pudsey train station (2 platforms but frequent enough trains to Bfd) and Pudsey is a rather lovely area, I guess middle class..rent might be a fair bit more than Bradford and I'm not sure if you could get a flat as a student but maybe a houseshare with young professionals could work?

Every city has its bad parts though, but then again you don't want to risk hating living somewhere and letting it affect your studies. Other option is to live there for a semester or so and move if you don't like it. Hope some of this helps!
There are nice parts of Bradford too but not really near the uni to be honest πŸ˜‚ there's worse places to live though so don't be scared off - try it and form your own views :smile:
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by 3awargalb
Can anyone who lives in Bradford give me an honest review please? how much of a dump it is, what's the social and night life like, where are the safest areas to live in as a girl especially?
I'm an international student and I've never been to Bradford and don't know anyone there but apparently it's called Bradistan lol and, well, I'm worried I won't fit in or make many friends, even more because I'll be attending as a postgraduate not fresher.

I mainly need advice on good areas to live in please. I prefer private flat accommodation over halls/shared houses to rent, and price is not an issue, as long as it's not secluded (shops nearby etc) and near the university campus, since I won't be driving a car and rely on bus or tram.

Thanks!


Sorry you have to hear all the bad stuff about Bradford before the good stuff. Dont take some of these posts to heart. Its honestly not that bad. Sure Leeds is really nice but it can be annoying to commute everyday (and also quite expensive to live in). Some of the nicer areas in Bradford are Bingley and Saltaire although they might be a bit expensive because of the area. Both have small towns and Saltaire is a world heritage site! (see links below). Its also not far from Lister Park which is really pretty/scenic. Some of the rougher areas/not nice (like what people suggested) are close to the uni/near town so i would avoid those.

The town itself is average i guess. Its bigger than most but doesnt have a lot of 'good' shops. There are a few big shopping centres - one is nice the other, not so much lol but Bradford is definitely cheaper for students compared to most places.

Hope this helps, feel free to message me if you want :smile:

http://www.visitbradford.com/discover/Saltaire.aspx
http://www.saltaire.org.uk/history
Google "grooming capital of the UK"

Hundreds (thousands?) of underage girls have been forced into sex slavery there over more than a decade, but few cases have been brought to court yet, and the abuse continues unchecked, according to locals.

One day the scandal will explode into the courts and onto the news and the reputation of the city (such as it already has) will be utterly trashed. People will look at students there, graduates, and that is what they will associate the place with.

If you think I am exaggerating Google "Rotherham grooming". Rotherham is a minuscule town compared to Bradford. The scandal was small scale compared to what has gone on there, and is going on now, as I write this.
Original post by kiiten
Sorry you have to hear all the bad stuff about Bradford before the good stuff. Dont take some of these posts to heart. Its honestly not that bad. Sure Leeds is really nice but it can be annoying to commute everyday (and also quite expensive to live in). Some of the nicer areas in Bradford are Bingley and Saltaire although they might be a bit expensive because of the area. Both have small towns and Saltaire is a world heritage site! (see links below). Its also not far from Lister Park which is really pretty/scenic. Some of the rougher areas/not nice (like what people suggested) are close to the uni/near town so i would avoid those.

The town itself is average i guess. Its bigger than most but doesnt have a lot of 'good' shops. There are a few big shopping centres - one is nice the other, not so much lol but Bradford is definitely cheaper for students compared to most places.

Hope this helps, feel free to message me if you want :smile:

http://www.visitbradford.com/discover/Saltaire.aspx
http://www.saltaire.org.uk/history


Saltaire is nowhere near Lister Park I think you mean Frizinghall? Also there's a difference between being part of Bradford city and part of the borough (i.e. the constituency) - no one I know considers saltaire and bingley to be parts of Bradford lol (technically I think saltaire is a part of shipley).
And seeing as Bradford is the 4th largest city in the UK it definitely is bigger than most but is also cheap as you've said; probably because it's fairly poor (like most of Yorkshire is tbh).
Btw OP if you're mainly going to be based in the school of law and management then living in Frizinghall would put you within walking distance while living in a nicer place than the area around the city campus.
Reply 16
Thanks for the replies everyone, but I still haven't found any good apartment buildings, for example it looks like Saltaire comprises houses where you can rent an apartment. What I was looking for was a development made specifically for apartments (not a house) if that makes sense, where there would be a security/receptionist downstairs and you can only enter the building with a key code, some of them even have a gym, pool, car park for residents only. Something like the Great Northern tower in Manchester... does Bradford have anything like this? I'm not familiar with the idea of living in a house that's been converted
Original post by 3awargalb
Nothing, its just easier to fit in if you're part of the majority... common sense


it's multi ethnic there not just asians ffs
Original post by 3awargalb
Can anyone who lives in Bradford give me an honest review please? how much of a dump it is, what's the social and night life like, where are the safest areas to live in as a girl especially?
I'm an international student and I've never been to Bradford and don't know anyone there but apparently it's called Bradistan lol and, well, I'm worried I won't fit in or make many friends, even more because I'll be attending as a postgraduate not fresher.

I mainly need advice on good areas to live in please. I prefer private flat accommodation over halls/shared houses to rent, and price is not an issue, as long as it's not secluded (shops nearby etc) and near the university campus, since I won't be driving a car and rely on bus or tram.

Thanks!


Hi there, :wavey:
I don't live in Bradford myself, but as it is the nearest city to me and I have a lot of family there, I find myself there quite often, and I would say that whilst it definitely isn't the nicest city, a lot of the things you hear about it can be over exaggerated, especially by people who don't really know the city. In general, the people are usually quite friendly, but tend to keep to themselves. Yes, there are lots of chavs, and you will run into rude and obnoxious people, but that's just like any other city in the UK.
The majority of the population in Bradford are Asian and do identify as Muslim, but again, the VAST majority are good people, who keep to themselves. As a white girl myself, I can say truthfully I have had far more problems with the white population of Bradford than the Asian community, so I'm sure as a white girl you will be fine as well if you are worried about being a minority in the city.
The city has seen better days, but it does have some beautiful architecture, especially in the centre, but as it has been neglected by the council, the city does appear to be a dump. However, regeneration is underway, as mentioned above, and the city has a brand new shopping centre. The town centre isn't great, but that is due to most of the business relocating from the old shopping centre at Kirkgate to the new one.
I don't really know much about social or night life, but Bradford does have lots of bars and restaurants open in the city centre. I'm not really involved with that, so I wouldn't know I'm afraid.
In terms of where to live, I myself would avoid Manningham. That really is a dump in my opinion. You may be better off looking for flats or housing away from the city centre. Really, you may be better off in places such as Leeds or Bingley, as these are great for shopping, and may fit in better with the lifestyle you want. Additionally, living in these places would be better in terms of transport. Bradford does not have a tram system, so you would have to take the bus or a taxi. Driving through Bradford isn't great really, especially on match days, so if I were you, I'd consider living outside the city near a train station and walking to Uni, as was mentioned above. If you want to be near the city, in a nicer area with a station, Saltaire is quite nice, so you might want to look there.
Obviously this is my opinion, and many will disagree with me, but the only way you can get a feel of Bradford is if you come to visit and see for yourself. You might hate it, but you can always move elsewhere. I hope this was of help to you, and I definitely think you should give Bradford a go if you want to go the uni. Who knows, maybe you'll love the city.
Original post by 3awargalb
Can anyone who lives in Bradford give me an honest review please? how much of a dump it is, what's the social and night life like, where are the safest areas to live in as a girl especially?
I'm an international student and I've never been to Bradford and don't know anyone there but apparently it's called Bradistan lol and, well, I'm worried I won't fit in or make many friends, even more because I'll be attending as a postgraduate not fresher.

I mainly need advice on good areas to live in please. I prefer private flat accommodation over halls/shared houses to rent, and price is not an issue, as long as it's not secluded (shops nearby etc) and near the university campus, since I won't be driving a car and rely on bus or tram.

Thanks!

Nightlife is good but just don't go to Bradford ahhaha, Some people from Bradford aren't even proud to say they're from there lol .

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