Once again I’m back with another entry in my series on Newcastle University. This time I wish to talk a bit more about what sort of city Newcastle is as everyone knows a university degree and the choice of where to study is not just about the university itself, but also about what sort of city you will be living in throughout your academic studies. Newcastle itself is situated in the north of England and is well connected to other cities in the UK, as well as having a reasonable big airport which serves many destinations, including flights to Amsterdam and I’ve found this very useful for those times I wanted to visit my home in India. Newcastle, while a small city in comparison to London or even Glasgow, is probably the most student friendly city I’ve lived in throughout my university career. With its compact size its easy to walk to the university from pretty much anywhere and the public transportation is easy to use, ensuring no matter where you live you will be able to reach the university in 30mins or less. With the city so walkable one of the most fun things to do is simply exploring the city and there is always something new to do, from art galleries to nightlife, this city has a bit of everything to suit all tastes. Leading on from this the nightlife in this city is in one word… insane. There are a ton of bars and clubs, from the complex called the Gate, to the area around the river Tyne this city never seems to sleep and there is no shortage of places to go to on a night out for either dancing in the middle of hundreds of people in a club to enjoying a quiet drink in a back lane. Newcastle also has a very healthy shopping district and there are a shopping opportunity for all tastes and budgets. One of my favourites is Grainger Market in the city centre which has several small shops, butchers and vegetable shops selling all sorts of fresh produce at a reasonable price and at a quality you simply cannot get in a supermarket, ensuring my stomach is well fed during those heavy study sessions. PhD work isn’t always fun and games you can imagine! Right outside Newcastle, and a short train ride away, is one of the biggest shopping malls, Metro Centre and this place is simply outstanding. I’ve yet to avoid getting lost in this mall with both a cinema, hundreds of shops and even a large collection of restaurants it’s hard not to see why. Leading on from this, Newcastle isn’t just a city that never stops moving, it is also a place of immense beauty. The river Tyne snakes its way through the inner city and leads into the Atlantic and you can take the metro all the way out to the coastal town of Tynemouth and walk on the beach, see castle ruins and even take a stroll out to a lighthouse, just be prepared for a strong wind that will rip hats away, not to say I ever lost a hat there… The city also has a beautiful park called Leazes Park that even has a cute duck pond with swans and ducks. On another note, if you feel so inclined, near one of the residences there is a town moor that has grazing cows and to this date this is still one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in this city. The city of Newcastle is a lively city that caters to everyone both young and old and with so many students choosing to come to the university it is not hard to see why this city is so popular (!)