No place for a Southerner! (University of Northumbria at Newcastle in general)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	University of Northumbria at Newcastle in general
Date:	23/08/01 (874 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, lively nightlife

Disadvantages: violent, very cold!, high crime rate

I must have been one of the few people who didn't enjoy my time at The University of Northumbria at Newcastle. Just the name alone should be a warning - you try writing that out in capitals every time you fill out a form!

I think the reason I had such a bad experience, was that I chose Newcastle purely on the relevance of the course to my skills and ambitions rather than what the town and social scene had to offer.

Think very carefully before sending your children there or choosing it for yourself - it could be the make or break of your education and student life.

This is what you can expect from the town:

A massive choice of clubs and bars.
Friendly and chatty locals.
Gateshead's famous Metro Centre (enormous shopping mall), just over the water.
Whitley Bay for seaside entertainment.
Really cheap drink.
A raging football supporter scene.
Plenty of accommodation (allbeit scummy student digs)
Breakfast stotties - (fry-up in a bun the size of your head.)
Efficient underground service and bus and rail stations.

Sounds great doesn't it. And it is for most young free and single folk.

The reasons I did not see it as so are the following:

Fights, broken glass, pools of blood, and peeing in the street are commonplace (especially after the football). I often cycled into college dodging the glass and wondering about the history behind the blood.

Sometimes while out in town we were advised not to leave until police had dealt with the street fight going on outside. Glassing each other with broken bottles was favourite.

A southern accent is like a red rag to a bull after 10.00pm - and occassionally in the day too.

I'm sorry, but it really isn't the place for someone with a stable boyfriend elsewhere. Sleeping around is the norm and the locals (and some students) don't waste any time in getting to the point. I was frequently asked fo
r sex within minutes of stepping foot in a bar - and occasionally threatened if I took offence. ( and before you say anything - I'm a trousers and t-shirt girl)

Having a couple of drinks is never an option - as the general concensus is - 'it's not a good night till you throw up'.

Theft and break ins are more inevitable than a rarity. My place was done over within a week of moving in. Despite blood smeared all over the walls and in a pool under the window - the police said the thieves would not be tracked as several underage gangs were operating the burglaries in that area and could not be prosecuted (at the time).

Similarly gangs could often follow and sometimes mug students. One friend had to have a steel pin through his jaw after being beaten, simply for being a student - he was a very quiet and sweet-natured boy. Many others were simply intimidated.

Sadly, on top of all this my specialised subject (photography) was discontinued at the uni - leaving me to face the decision to leave after a year and a half or continue on the course but be self-taught using facilities from an HND course. I elected to stay and ended up with a bizarre portfolio of amazing pictures but no technical knowledge. With hindsight, I should have cut my losses and run.

I left with a rather sour feeling to the whole three years and can't say I gained much from it, except perhaps an ability to change my accent depending on my situation and a few good friends.

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