30,823 discussions, 145 guides
Newcastle University
30,823 discussions, 145 guides
Newcastle University
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
6 Kensington Terrace
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
Tel:+44 (0)191 2226138
1834
NSR
Newcastle Student Radio usually gains two FM licences per year, each lasting 1 month, and broadcasts on 107.5 FM. It is shared with Northumbria University and the basic theme is that of student involvement. The station is non-political and provides a great opportunity to get involved in the radio industry for those considering media as a career option.
The Courier
This is Newcastle's weekly student newspaper and is available for 25p. Much like the radio station it is largely non-political and concerns itself with news and goings on at the university along with arts listings and reviews. There is usually room for local area issues as well. The paper makes enough money through advertising and unit sales to keep itself going and provides an excellent platform for those wishing to get into writing or journalism.
More and better sports facilities are on the wish list but there are as yet no fixed plans for improvements.
Rowan Atkinson - Writer/Comedian
Kate Adie - BBC Correspondant
Here's where Newcastle uni gets quite tasty. Along with the fact that the city has a pub and club scene to rival any of the UK's big cities, the Union Society provides some excellent facilities for the students. Where many city unis will sit back and complain that it's just too hard to compete with a buzzing local area, Newcastle's union works very hard to ensure that it remains one of the students' preferred venues. There are several independent venues in the main union building which is located, as is pretty much everything, on one site in the centre of the city. The Bassment is probably the most important. During the day it acts as a meeting spot for students where they can get together for café style fayre, in the evening it plays host to a range of different functions. With a capacity of around 1200 it can handle major events and live acts, including the famous Real Ale Festival.
On the first floor there are two bars. The Cochrane Lounge is a non-smoking bar and on the same floor is the Mens bar. As I'm sure Newcastle union staff get tired of stressing, it's not just for men, the name comes from the university motto. This is really the focal point of the union and students will often meet here before a heading on to functions in The Bassment or a night in town.
On the very top floor there is The Global Café, a smaller venue but still popular. There are also tables on the roof in a sort of pseudo-beer garden effort.
Thgere are a range of functions at Newcastle and here's the pick of the bunch.
Wed - Traditional sports night for clubs Fri - Classic cheese Fri - (In a seperate part of the Union) Drum and Bass Sat - Eclectic, a mixture of different types of music as its name suggests
Newcastle also runs Global Warming every Friday afternoon where aspiring DJ's have access to equipment to show what they are made of. Although other unis do provide a good platform for DJ talent, few seem as organised as Newcastle. This is an excellent idea and worthy of a big gold star from us.
Licences during the week run to typical pub hours with 2AM on Fridays. The local council are pretty compliant so extensions are common.
The Union plays host to several major social events. Arcane is an all-nighter run once a term and always sells out. Universal is a straight friendly Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual night on every month and Turbulence is a club night, mostly playing dance.
The Daddy of all functions however is the Graduation Ball. It is normally held in nearby St James Park with pre-drinks in the union. Where Newcastle differs from other unis is that this includes a sit down dinner. It is much smaller than most grad or summer balls but a fair amount classier. The down side is that with a capacity of just 1000 many of the graduating students will miss out.
There is talk of putting on a larger function but there are very few venues big and convenient enough to take the numbers.
Whispers across the Tyne/Tees area have suggested that an ultra-function involving students from the 5 big North East unis might come to fruition but this is likely to be some time away and, let's face it, a total bastard to organise.
Traditional sports such as tennis, hockey, football and rugby all do well and The Boat Club punches well above its weight. Durham provides the derby opposition and, although a very traditional uni with a strong and established boat club, Newcastle have taken the odd and extremely satisfying victory from them in recent competition. The uni also boasts a couple of top skiers and a creditable ski club.
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Newcastle University has a range of accommodation including catered corridor based halls and flats sharing lounge and kitchen facilities. Food in Castle Leazes and Henderson is described as dire so self-catering is preferred. There are a number of Georgian houses in Leazes Terrace which always prove popular. You are guaranteed a place in halls for the first year if you want it. The city as a whole has several good student areas, Fenham, Jesmond and Heaton are popular, try to avoid Scotswood.
The regenerated Newcastle of today provides students with some of the most vibrant city living in the UK. It has the same problems of any big city and you need to expect it to be very cold and wet for a large proportion of the year but other than that you could do a great deal worse. The Bigg Market is superb for going out during the week but tends to be more for locals. Most students head for The Quayside. Although a bit more pricey, the atmosphere seems to be the key factor with bars and pubs a-plenty.
The students have a good relationship with the city's residents on the whole but, as one source put it, 'if you act like a wanker then you will get treated like one.' Plenty of people make snooty comments about Newcastle but these now seem out of date and out of place. A large and diverse student population intergrates well with the local community and Newcastle certainly suffers less than other city universities when it comes to trouble.
Parking in halls is permit based and you will usually get a refund at the end of the year. There are a reasonable amount of spaces but Newcastle has an public transport system the envy of most UK cities so you really shouldn't need a car. Parking at the university campus is there for those who really need it but not for those who don't.
All the major banks have branches nearby except Royal Bank of Scotland which neccessitates a ten minute walk. There is a Lloyds cash machine at the back of the Union.
Older buildings have been well adapted to cater for disabled students, there are a few problems still to be ironed out but otherwise it's fine.
A shop in the union sells all the usual memorabilia nand groceries. It's prices are just about competitive and it also has a Post Office which is very useful.
A branch of Blackwells sits conveniently outside the union and there are other brands in the city. Most departments will circulate reading lists so getting what you are after should never be a problem. The union also runs a 2nd hand bookshop on campus that will sell your unwanted books for you and then forward you a cheque. Top notch service.
Pitches and facilities are mostly located at Henderson Hall which is close to a metro stop. A gym for staff and students is located on the main campus and there's also a country estate at Wylam in the Tyne Valley where there are facilities for most outdoor sports.
The campus is in the centre of the city so concrete is to be expected. There are a couple of random patches of grass such as the quad and outside the library. Expansive parkland can be found nearby as well.
The main Robinson Library houses most of the books and is pretty user friendly. There are also specialist libraries for the faculties of Law and Medicine.
Facilities are adequate and are upgraded quite regularly. It can never hurt to have your own machine though.
Good welfare provision across the board with university and union facilities.
