Why Location is Important When Choosing a University

Hi everyone,

When it comes to deciding on what university to go to location can be a big factor for a number of reasons. I thought I would share what factors I would consider important in terms of location now I have been living and studying in Kingston for over a year. I hope this helps you take into consideration things that you may not have already thought of or just provides you with some help on making a decision.

Distance from home

Firstly, you may want to consider the distance from where you currently live, especially in terms of how you are going to logistically move your stuff each year. Luckily, I have a car and so I have been able to move my stuff quite easily, although it has meant moving a little at as my car is quite small and living a 4-hour drive away I have to plan this carefully. For others I know they have used storage units over the summer break so it may be worth looking into the costs of those. This is also important to consider in terms of how often you may want to visit home, research how much it will cost to visit home to see how frequently you can do so.

City or campus

This is one of the main factor’s students use to help narrow down their decision. The main difference between a city and campus uni is that the city ones are usually spread across a city so different buildings and university owned accommodation can be found in different locations of a city whereas a campus it is all I one place. This is down to personal preference; I would recommend visiting both to see what you prefer. Kingston is considered to be a city campus as it has four campus, other buildings and accommodation spread all across Kingston. Personally, I prefer being integrated into the city/town as I feel more involved in the local surroundings and life. I have a previous post I will link that gives you some insight on the four campuses across Kingston. An Overview of Kingston's Four Campuses

Cost of living

How much it costs to live in different locations across the UK can be quite significant differences. Many universities will have website pages to help you estimate how much you may be spending, like this one The cost of living in London - Kingston University

The UCAS website also has lots of great resources to help you figure out how much your time at university will cost you.

You also may want to consider the job opportunities an area has that can support you and your studies. Here at Kingston I have managed to get involved in many job opportunities through the university Student Ambassador scheme as well as the Residence Life programme. There is also a careers centre team that will help you job search and complete applications.

Social and night life

It’s good to have an idea before you go to university as to what type of social life you may like to have, whether that is going on lots of nights, more sporting activities or just cheap fun activities. If you are not sure what kind of social life you would like it is perhaps a good to go to somewhere that offers a range of options. At Kingston I have been able to participate in the societies I hoped to join, explore galleries, exhibitions, nightclubs and places to eat in the centre of London and attend lots of fun student run events.

Here are a link to previous posts I have done about the social and night life at Kingston: Social Life and Night Life at Kingston

Housing

Most universities prioritise the university owned halls for first year students. This means you may be finding your own private accommodation in the following years of university in and around the local city/town. Have a look into how much hosing is available and at what cost.

Here at Kingston we have an accommodation team to help you. Plus the public transport makes it easy to commute from surrounding areas.

Weather

This may seem silly but this is something I definitely took into consideration and I am glad I did. Personally I don’t love the cold, with already finding it cold living at home in between Manchester and Liverpool I decided I wasn’t willing to go any further north for university. I am glad I did as I find it much warmer here than where I live at home, of course this is all relative :smile:

. I visited my friends in Scotland, it is beautiful there however the cold id not for me. In terms of heating bills this is also something to consider, however the UK is cold in general.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions feel free to ask :smile:

-Grace (Kingston Rep)