Life in Nottinghamshire, UK

I'm considering my options for next year. Either I can kick around here for another year, or I can move to one of three or four other places to study there. One of the possibilities is Newark, Nottinghamshire, in England. What can people tell me about life there? What are the people like, how's the cost of living (in comparison with Germany), is there anything to do there, or is it a really small town with nothing to do and nowhere to go, etc.

What are the other places?

If it was Nottingham itself, I#d say go, it#s a great city for students and nightlife.
But Newark?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark-on-Trent

Bit DIFFERENT to Munich to say the least.
I wouldn't touch it ith a barge pole.

ummm... the other possiblilities are... somewhere in backwoods saxony, chicago, salt lake city, Morden (Surrey, London?) or West Dean (Chichester, West Sussex)
I don't really want to go to the states, and I'm not up for learning another language, again, to go to the school in Belgium and I don't want to go back to Italy. leaving really saxony, surrey, west sussex and notinghamshire the other choices.
edit: Glasgow's also a possibility, I believe, but that goes back to learning another language...

More expensive than Newark but I'd go to Morden, on the southern edge of London.
Not a huge bunch going on in Chichester either.

you know they speak english is Glasgow dont you?

Glasgow's finest, Rab C Nesbit gets home from the pub:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z08kiQ-5hI

I've been to most of those UK places mentioned, Glasgow would definetely be the most lively out of them. What are you studying?

Also a plus point for scruffs like you, most establishments in Glasgow allow you in with trainers on and few have formal dress codes. You would no doubt find an excuse to wind up the bouncer then play the race card again though

Oh I see Glasgow is another option now. I'td certainly win hands down for me over Chichester and Newark.

London is dearer than Glasgow, like for like, so if money is limited I'd head for Glasgow.

I don't think you can really compare London with anywhere else in the UK.
Living in one of the big cities outside of London is an view of Britain that most visitors don't ever get to see.

so given the choice of a better school in a not-so-great location, or a mediocre school in a good location, which would you choose, MT? glasgow or nottinghamshire?

Used to live about 15 miles from Newark. It is very quiet and sleepy. We used to drive through Newark to Nottingham if we wanted a more interesting night out. Nottingham isn't 'quiet' though these days particularly at night. A very different prospect to living in Germany. If you're not street wise when you go out there you will be after a week or two.

I'm from Nottingham &, altho I love Newark as a place to visit now I've reached my dotage, I think I would have found it deadly boring when I was a student, altho the people are very friendly etc. Nottingham itself was (& I think, still is) one of the most popular places for students, but that popularity has declined somewhat in recent years due to the violence there. It is, of course, quite difficult for me to judge as I now live in a small, sleepy German town. But, when I went back for my father's funeral 2 or 3 years ago, I met up with 3 friends I hadn't seen in years & all 3 sets of their parents (who all lived in different, but "good" areas of the city) had been attacked in their own homes. In addition to that, 3 friends of my parents have been attacked (one 80 year old man had his car hijacked & was thrown out of it in the middle of nowhere) All these attacks involved knives (the ones affecting my friends'parents & my parents' friends)& my parents also knew the jeweller who was shot in the case that has been widely reported. A friend's 23 year old daughter was leaving a city centre pub alone at 8:30 in the evening...the next thing she remembers is literally crawling thro her parents' door at 3am. Her face had been beaten & her money & cards stolen (no sexual assault) She couldn't remember how she'd got there. Assume someone had spiked her drinks.

I'm sure all this would have bothered me a lot less when I was in my teens/twenties & I suspect Liverpool/Manchester/Birmingham are about as bad/probably slightly worse, but that is the direction Nottm has taken. Having said that, if you're streetwise, it does offer a great deal for students

It isn't Glasgow or Nottinghamshire, it's Glasgow or Newark.

Glasgow.

PM me if you like about Glasgow. It is a really good city for students, there are 4 universities, with very good reputations, tonnes of student nightlife and activities. You could probably afford to stay somewhere central as it's cheaper than down south.

Yeah the accent takes some getting used to, but the people are very friendly so you'd get there in the end. Plus there are tonnes of foreign students. I'm from Glasgow so I'm probably biased, but I went to Strathclyde uni and it never did me any harm!

I've lived in Nottingham on and off for the past 21 years, it's a boring dump, fortunately I have never experienced the violence that Imogen mentions but that is a regular feature in the local paper. Being in my 40's, I quite like Newark, however it is rather quiet. There is one really nice pub (Fox & Crown) and a very good Chinese restaurant, otherwise the place is full of Antique Shops & the sort of crap pubs that most small market towns have.

Other plusses for Newark are; it has a Waitrose, it is close to Lincoln which is very nice (you could live there and commute) and it's easy to get to London

However, I'd also plump for Glasgow. Morden may be OK if you lived closer to the centre of London and commuted.

No, there is only ONE university in Glasgow. Cheers.

Glasgow is also a violent city.. highest crime rate in Scotland I believe (though someone pls correct me if they know as I'm too lazy to check the facts). Certainly more lively than the other suggestions though. I'd personally go to the better university course if that were my priority.

Thats actually verging on the offensive!

Violence in Glasgow is quite a myth and I find that people still say that as absolutely ludicrous. Ive never encountered any trouble nor have any of my friends. Unlike the first time I was in Nottingham when I saw someone openly snorting cocaine off a dashboard and give me the stares. Even if Glasgow was, its not really saying much given the population of Scotland as a whole is less than greater London...

And compared to Nottinghamshire!??!?! WTF?!?! gun capital of the UK? at least we stick to knives and chibs up north.

I certainly wouldnt let safety be a factor given the choices.

Have to agree with Schotte here it was violent in the 60s and 70s yes, but it's a totally changed city. They have spent tonnes of money on the city center. As a student in Glasgow you would never have to venture into the "dodgy areas". There is some gang crime, but they only go after each other and it's kept on the whole outside the center. In my experience the city center is as safe as any UK city. If you are even remotely sensible and stick to city center areas if you are unsure then you'll be fine and dandy. I certainly felt safer in Glasgow than I did when I lived in London. I even lived in the Gorbals after regeneration and as a single women walking about never had any problems at all.

I can hardly believe there could be any debate at all if the choices are Glasgow or Newark. Glasgow is wonderful, fantastic architecture, friendly people, really lively and interesting. Wasnt it a European City of Culture some years back?

I don't think anyone who knows Britain at all could deny the differences between Glasgow and Newark-on-Trent.
If the course is the same and the money situtation is OK, then my PERSONAL recomendation between the two would be Glasgow, NO discussion.

Glasgow Smile's Better - and Scotland's largest city was at the forefront of urban regeneraton in the UK.
However much we rave about the fabulousness of it , the trend you see in Glasgow or other cities: Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle; has it's downside.
A little bit of trendiness in a gentrified inner city, sure.
But I still know people living in scabby unrenovated public housing schemes that are a world away from the trendy student bars of Hillhead.

European City of Culture? So what - so was Liverpool - need I say more? Besides, Newark is the only town in the UK whose name is an anagram of wanker. My sister lives down the road. It's alright, bit dull but there's countryside and Nottingham's not far away. Been a few years since I went out on the lash in Nottingham, but it was a fantastic city and it's got the oldest pub in Britain.

I know Chichester... it's nice but dull - unless you're an old age pensioner.

This post has made my day