Liverpool is known for The Beatles, Football, and the Scousers themselves (for those who don’t know “Scousers” are the people of Liverpool), so no wonder it is one of the most student-populated cities in the UK. It is also known for its cheap and cheerful nightlife, which of course is a must for students. For anyone thinking of going to Liverpool for university or just generally intrigued on the life of a student in Liverpool, here are a few insights on what it’s really like to be a student in Liverpool:
Anyone who has ever visited Liverpool for a night out will know their experience was a night to remember, whether you are a student or not. But for students, every night is student night, from Mad Mondays to Level Wednesdays, take your pick or try them all, if you are feeling up to it. By the end of Fresher’s, you will probably have tried them all, and if not there is always time to tick all the places in Concert Square off your bucket list by the time you graduate.
Concert Square is student central with a variety of cheap and cheerful bars to choose from. One of the most popular destinations is Level nightclub, which is perfect for everyone with its three floors playing a variety of music. The downsides are the heat and the dreaded queues. The queues for the bar are bad enough but the queue to get in is ten times worse, so by the time you get to bar the queues become a natural feature of the club. Many students find themselves having Concert Square flashbacks, which always seem to come back to you when walking through Concert Square in broad daylight. Coming to the realisation that the last time you were there you fell over in the middle of the street after one too many vodkas, explaining the bruises covering your body.
Once you have moved out of student halls, everybody has the same idea, as they move out of the city centre and relocate to Smithdown Road. This is the place where Second and Third year students step away from their Concert Square roots and explore what Liverpool has to offer. It is a great place for students to live, as it is still close to the city centre, and also has some great bars in the area including the Brookhouse Pub – where every student starts their Thursday, and some students even venture to the affluent Allerton Road bars nearby. Smithdown Road is close to Sefton Park, which is a great place to visit all year round. It is also close to Tavern, which is actually the place which serves the best breakfast in the UK. Which means the greatest hangover cure is only a short walk away for students living in the area. This is definitely one of the perks of being a student in Liverpool.
Liverpool actually has four universities, two in the city centre – University of Liverpool and John Moores’ University, one in the Suburbs – Hope University, and Edge Hill – which is technically Lancashire, not Liverpool, but some students beg to differ. Although four universities may not seem like a lot, but it does in such a small city. That is where the rivalries start.
The University of Liverpool and John Moores University have a fierce rivalry, with plenty of rhymes and songs abusing each other (in a playful way of course). They have strong competitive teams such as their Football and Dance teams, and when they compete the rivalry gets stronger and the songs get louder. But these two universities occasionally put their differences aside and come together against their suburban rival Hope University, forgetting Edge Hill University out in the sticks. Students love the rivalry, because who doesn’t love some friendly competition.
Speaking of rivalries, two of the biggest rivals in the city are the Football Clubs, Liverpool and Everton. These teams divided the city as reds or blues. Some students might not get involved, but a lot actually feel the need to choose a team, especially on Merseyside Derby day, when the two teams play against each other, making it one of the biggest days of the year. So even if you are not the least bit interested in football, on the night of the Derby if you are in the midst of Concert Square wearing something blue, then everyone will assume you are an Everton fan. My advice is keep it neutral or pick a side. It’s just something that comes with the territory of being a student in Liverpool.
If you are not from Liverpool, mastering the scouse accent will be harder than your degree. As a scouser and a student in Liverpool, the amount of times I have been asked by my student friends’ “does this sound scouse?” followed by a rendition of scouse vernacular in a completely unrecognisable accent. Every student will have tried the accent at least once, usually on a night out to a random Liverpool local. It actually isn’t even really a proper night out unless you have tried the accent out on an unsuspecting scouse stranger. There is something about the accent, and the people that everybody loves, which makes Liverpool a great place, not just for a night out, but generally just a great place to live, experience and explore.
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