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Leicester city, a city for students

Hiya!

We understand that choosing where to study for university is a big decision with many factors to consider. While earning your degree is the ultimate goal, it’s just as important to find a place that feels like a second home. Maybe for you, that’s somewhere close to home, far away for a fresh start, surrounded by green spaces, or somewhere with a busy nightlife scene. For me, one of the reasons I chose De Montfort University was its fantastic location and here’s why.

Leicester is a vibrant and diverse city located in the East Midlands. Thanks to its central location, the city offers excellent public transport options, making it easy to get around locally and travel across the country. When I travel home to the West Midlands, I often use either the bus or the train because they’re both affordable and efficient. De Montfort, in particular is within a few minutes walk of the city centre so whilst there’s a free bus service operating throughout the city, I find it easier—and healthier—to walk into town and to the various supermarkets situated around its outskirts.

Leicester is rich for its diversity, and is in fact one of the most diverse cities within the UK. We love our diversity and inclusion, and we proudly show this through our culture, festivals, events and food. An excellent example being our Diwali celebration it is one of the largest outsides of India.

Leicester is also well known for its heritage and history. The city was originally a Roman settlement, and later a Medieval market town. One of our recent, and well-known claims is the discovery of King Richard III’s remains in a city car park in 2012 and if you find that interesting, we also have our King Richard III Visitor Centre within the city.

Leicester is home to a variety of cultural attractions, making it a great place to explore on weekends. Notable spots include the National Space Centre and the Curve Theatre, where DMU students have their graduation ceremonies. I’ve personally enjoyed several performances there, such as Ghost, Mamma Mia, Pretty Woman, and Les Misérables, and I’m looking forward to seeing Kinky Boots this month. The city also boasts numerous free-entry museums and galleries, as well as plenty of green spaces like Abbey Park.

We also love our sports here! There is the Leicester City Football Club (which you can see from Campus at our balcony in the Vjay Patel building), this club won the Premier League in 2016. We also, have our Leicester Tigers Rugby Club which is one of the most successful clubs in England and we also have the Leicestershire Country Cricket Club and the Leicester Riders Basketball

Some of my favourite hotspots include the local cafés, Showcase Cinema, Sixes Social Cricket, Roxy Ball Room, Treetop Golf, Caddyshackers, Curve Theatre, and Escape Leicester (Escape Rooms).

Leicester is also well-known for its affordability, making it an ideal city for students. In addition to the fantastic attractions mentioned above, the city has been ranked in the UK’s top 10 for affordability. Many independent shops, as well as mainstream retailers, offer student discounts, making it an even more budget-friendly place to live.

The link below is an incredibly helpful website and this is what I use to find out what is going on in Leicester.

https://www.visitleicester.info/see-and-do

Also, be sure to check out our Ambassador Platform, where you can chat with ambassadors like myself and see our posts about what we get up to as students!
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/chat-with-a-student/index.aspx

Hope this helps
-Maddie, :heart: