Location factors to consider 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. It would be great if others who are now at university could share more tips for each factor or even add other factors to consider when it comes to location.

Distance from home

This is a key factor in terms of:

•

- Moving your stuff to university and to and from during the summer.

•

- You may have to price up the storage units as an option.

•

- How much it costs to get home so you can see how frequently you are able to do so.

City or campus

This is one of the main factor’s students decide on early on to help narrow down their decision.

City: The university owned building such as halls, libraries and lecture theatres are spread across a town or city.

Campus: All the buildings are in one place, enclosed from the nearby town or city.

•

- Visit both to see what you prefer.

•

- I personally enjoy being more involved in the local surroundings and life.

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.

•

- The job opportunities that are available in the area are also important to consider to help support your studies.

•

- Kingston has many jobs through the university like student ambassador role. Plus, there is a careers centre to help.

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 societies, explore galleries, exhibitions, nightclubs and places to eat in the centre of London and attend lots of fun student run events.

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.

•

- Kingston has an accommodation team to help you and 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.

•

- May affect heating bills, although the UK is generally cold across the country.

•

- Your mood. I don’t particularly like the cold so day to day this might have affected me if I was somewhere colder.

Would love to hear any more advice to help those making decisions right now. Feel free to share how you took these factors into consideration when choosing the university you are now at. :smile: