Uni of York

Are they fun things to do in York??
Any activities for uni students?
Or is it dead?

Reply 1

Hi Jche,
As someone who grew up in york,
I wouldn't say its "dead" but it's more of a compact walking/picnic city. It isn’t a huge city with lots of nightlife entertainment like Leeds or Manchester, your social life will largely depend on what you’re into.

Most of your entertainment will be from the uni itself, e.g societies, sports clubs and events so you can always find activities and people to meet through those sessions.

Outside campus there’s lots of pubs, bars, live music spots and quizzes run by the Students’ Union or locally, and lots of low-cost sightseeing like museums (mainly railway), city walks or gardens that are quite nice on a sunny day. There are some well known student night-clubs which everyone will know about, e.g popworld, salvation, etc.

I Hope you enjoy York.

Reply 2

University of York

Official Rep

Original post

by jcheidu24

Are they fun things to do in York??
Any activities for uni students?
Or is it dead?

Hi jcheidu24,

We're so glad you asked. We can almost certainly confirm that there is SOOO much going on for students!

It really depends on what you enjoy doing, and how you like to socialise and mix with other students but we'll try our best to give you a flavour of what goes on for students:

Societies
We have over 200 societies on offer at York, so there's something for everyone. Social events will vary between societies, some might be more focused around drinking or going on a night out, but that isn't the case for them all. I was part of sewing society and our socials usually involved meeting at a cafe or at someone's house and getting our craft on! We also went to see films as a society, and did go for cocktails once in a while! Even if the society you join does go on nights out for its socials, you would be under no obligation to go, just going to the society meetings and non-drinking socials would be totally acceptable.

College life
Each of our colleges has its own history and character, but ultimately they all offer the same thing: a community within the University to help you get settled in, especially in your first few months of first year. Don't worry if you don't get a room in Vanbrugh, each college will offer a good experience and support as you settle in to your new home.Vanbrugh College has its own cafe, cafeteria and bar (Vanbrugh Arms). It's also really near to Market Square, which is where the Nisa supermarket is on Campus West, so you can pretty much be self-sufficient from just Vanbrugh College! You can find out more about the facilities at Vanbrugh college on our website. Each college will run events for Freshers' week and run events throughout the year too, and these are great chances to get involved in activities for uni students.

Straight from the student:
Here is how some students like to spend their days and nights! Mischa shows us some of her favourite things about the city of York while Molly takes us with her on a night out for students in York.

And not forgetting what our Official Rep YorkRepLurvish has to say about York:

Societies & Sports: With 200+ student societies (https://yorksu.org/societies) and over 70 student-run sports clubs, there’s genuinely something for everyone - from coding and gaming to music, drama, and even Hummus Appreciation! Joining a society has been one of the best ways I’ve made friends and tried new things during my time at York.

Fun & Lifestyle: The city of York itself is beautiful: a mix of historic cobbled streets and vibrant student life with cafés, pubs, festivals, and cultural events. It’s also very student-friendly and walkable, so you quickly feel part of a close-knit community. I really enjoy walking by the river discovering little bits of historic magic around every corner of York!

York strikes a nice balance between being safe and welcoming, while still offering loads socially and academically. If you’re looking for a place that combines good teaching, an inclusive community, and a fun student experience, it’s definitely worth considering.

We hope that helps! Let us know if you need any more info!

J 🙂