I spent three years of my life as a student in the city of Nottingham. I loved my time there and I fell in love with the city. Here are some of the reasons why I believe the city is great for students.
Easy access
You can walk to the city centre from most places which is really useful. When I lived in Nottingham, I walked to the centre from West Bridgford in 25 minutes.
Great public transport
If you don’t fancy walking, the public transport network is superb. There are buses to everywhere you could possibly want to go. The buses are also incredibly frequent. There are also trams and trains, providing plenty of choice to get around.
Easy to navigate
It’s easy to find your way around. The city is small enough to get around easily in one day, yet it still has absolutely everything it needs.
Variety
There is a lot of variety in terms of what you can do for fun. There are hundreds of activities in the city centre to explore. From playing adventure golf to attempting an escape room, from visiting the caves to attending theatre shows.
Great bars
There are so many quirky and cool bars. My personal favourite has to be Pit and Pendulum, but there are many other bars that you cannot find anywhere outside Nottingham.
Brilliant restaurants
The restaurants, pubs and clubs are really not too far from the campuses, if you attend one that is within the city centre. Meaning that for lunch, after lectures, or in the evening, you can get to one very quickly.
Diversity
There is so much diversity within Nottingham. Not only because of the international students at NTU and UON. Nottingham’s restaurants also offer incredibly varied international cuisine.
History
Nottingham is full of heritage. The city itself is bursting with interesting history and has many museums which provide unique and historic information. Nottingham showcases city and national history. Nottingham is also full of historic buildings which you can marvel at as you walk down the streets.
Central events
Market Square is always holding some sort of event that you can visit and get involved with. whether it’s the Halloween pumpkin and events, Christmas market, summer beach or any of the other interesting events. It is easy to find out information about what is happening within market square.
League ranking
Nottingham ranks high on the UK’s universities league tables as a city. Nottingham is the 9th best city in the UK for students and 23rd in the world. This information is from QS best student cities 2022.
Open spaces
There is lots of green space in Nottingham. Within the City centre , there’s the Forest Recreation Ground where the historic Goose fair takes place every year. There is also the Arboretum within the city, which has over 800 trees and its own aviary. Further afield there is Wollaton Hall with its 500-acre deer park or you can hire a rowing boat at Highfields Park and Boating Lake, which is within the University of Nottingham’s main campus.
Great atmosphere
Nottingham is such a welcoming city. The residents of are always happy to welcome new students to their city. I certainly felt at home within Nottingham and fell in love with the city and I bet that you would to if you gave it a chance.