Student Life in the East Midlands
Encompassing Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and most of Lincolnshire, the East Midlands is home to some of the UK’s most popular and respected universities including the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham. Other universities in the area include Loughborough University, The University of Lincoln and the University of Derby. With so many universities in the area, there is a growing student vibe in the region, with over 150,000 students each year choosing to study in the East Midlands.
As the largest cities in the East Midlands region, Leicester and Nottingham provide the main locations for student activity in the area, each offering their own wide range of bars, clubs, live music venues and sports facilities. Students studying at Derby and Lincoln will also be pleased to find that each city has its own individual student atmosphere, while students studying at campus-based Loughborough University are never more than an hour’s train ride away from a lively night out.
In addition to its vibrant social scene, the East Midlands has plenty of leisure and cultural opportunities for students. Nottingham based students with a love of shopping will be impressed with the city’s two huge shopping centres the Victoria Centre and Westfield Broadmarsh. Students looking to expand their cultural and historical horizons will no doubt want to take a trip to one of the region’s many tourist attractions, including the Peak District National Park, Sherwood forest, Lincoln Cathedral and Chatsworth house, not to mention the many theatres, museums and art galleries than can be found in the region's cities. Students with a summer weekend to spare may also want to take a trip to Skegness, a small seaside town on the Lincolnshire coast. In addition to beaches and fairgrounds, the town also offers a Natureland Seal Sanctuary, popular among adults and children alike because of its collection of seals, crocodiles, penguins, tarantulas, tropical birds and other exotic creatures.
Sport enthusiasts will be more than satisfied with the East Midlands; the region is home to a number of key international sporting venues such as Trent Bridge cricket ground, Silverstone motor racing circuit and the national ice arena, whilst Leicester offers football fans a chance to support the Leicester City boys, or the Tigers rugby team. Loughborough University has a strong sporting tradition and is famous for producing and supporting international athletes: students studying here can expect to find top of the range, professionally maintained sports equipment and facilities on campus.
The cost of living in the East Midlands is generally quite low, though there are some areas where prices are high. Nottingham, for example, is considered to be one of the more expensive areas to live, as is Loughborough. Generally speaking however, the cost of living in the region is slightly higher than in some northern cities, but much lower than in most southern ones.
With the crime rate in the area exceeding national averages, students living in the East Midlands are advised to be careful when living in the region, especially in the large university cities of Nottingham and Leicester. Nottingham in particular has a worrying crime rate, ranking second only to London for crimes in the whole of the UK. Students living in the Nottingham area need to be extra vigilant during their time at the university and, as most crimes in the city relate to burglary or assault, students should remember to be careful with both their property and, more importantly, their personal safety.
Transport options in the East Midlands region are extensive, with the M1 connecting all the University towns in the region except for Lincoln. However, because of its regional importance, the M1 can get overcrowded: many residents prefer to use conventional A road routes to get around. Alternatively, with each city offering its own train station, students can just as easily use the train service to get to where they need to go. Train services are also available to London and the North via the Midland Train Line and the East Coast Main line, which connect all the region’s major cities (Nottingham, Leicester and Derby) with other major cities throughout the country.
There is also an international airport operating in the region, the East Midlands Airport. This airport offers services to destinations throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The airport is located between Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, and offers students the chance of inexpensive travel with one of many low-cost airlines.
