Salford University

What’s it like as a place to live? It’s great; you’re close enough to Manchester without being on the doorstep of a busy city. It’s only a fifteen minute walk away, but just not as busy! There are also good transport links; there are two train stations within short walking distance of the University, and there’s a campus bus to take you to and from lectures from your accommodation!

How’s the student accommodation? It’s ok; it’s quite expensive for what it is, but compared to other university accommodation you’re not paying over the odds. The accommodation itself is fairly basic; but as they say, it’s not where you live, it’s who you live with that counts!>

What’s the student population like? It’s one of the most diverse universities you’ll ever come to. A large percentage of Salford students are international students, which is fantastic; you meet the most amazing people with incredibly interesting backgrounds. During my time as editor of Salford’s student paper, I’ve worked with students of many different nationalities, which makes for a far more interesting paper for everyone to read! I’ve also had the chance to go to events hosted by the International society, learn about different cultures and try foods from all over the world, which is great!

How do students and locals get on? Salford’s sabbatical officers work very closely with local community groups to ensure that relations between the two are good; everyone shares the same local pubs, shops and parks. There’s certainly no animosity between locals and students; both sides help each other out. I was chatting to a Salford councillor a while ago who mentioned that some students and locals would get together for a kick-about on a Sunday afternoon near Castle Irwell, which is one of Salford’s student accommodation residences., which is great; I don’t think you’d find that in a lot of areas.

What’s it like as a place to study? It’s a pretty exciting time to be a student here in Salford; we’ve got the huge Media City project on our doorstep, and students will get the chance to study inside some of the media city buildings. No other university in the country has an opportunity like this, and if you’re interested in doing a media-based course, it’s probably the best place in the country to come and study it! Obviously, Salford is never going to be the next Oxbridge, but the courses they offer are definitely top quality. Graduates such as Peter Kay and Jason Manford have clearly flourished as a result of studying at Salford; if it’s a practical or media-related course you’re after, there are loads on offer here; but there are still the more traditional, ‘academic’ subjects on offer, such as English, History and Politics. You can study most of them on a part-time or full time basis, and most courses are fairly flexible.

What are the teaching staff like? In my experience, the teaching staff at Salford are top-notch. I did an MA in Journalism, and all my tutors had extensive reporting experience − a couple of them still freelanced for national papers on a regular basis. On practically a weekly basis, another member of staff has conducted some amazing, world-renowned research project, which is a great confidence boost to students, knowing they are being taught by the best in their field. 

What are student societies like? There are nearly 80 clubs and societies at Salford, which is a pretty great achievement! Some societies have hundreds of students signed up to them, and there’s literally everything from snowsports to rock climbing to debating. Just last week, another society was set up, ‘belly dancing’, which is proving to be really popular already. USSU also provide a scheme called ‘give it a go’ where they put on one-off activities for students to try out on a weekly basis. Last semester there was yoga, mountaineering, visits to a safari park and trips to the races. It’s great for students who don’t want to commit to a club or society, but want to get involved and try something different. USSU also held a Christmas ball, which was attended by around 200 students, and their annual REC night, which was for members of all activity groups in the Union. Our RAG society also persuaded 13 societies to bare all for charity for the fourth year running, as they compiled a naked calendar; the proceeds of which went to five different charities.

 What’s a typical night out? We have Yours Bar on campus in University House, so maybe start off there with a few drinks, then head to The Pav, our nightclub situated on Castle Irwell, which is one of the accommodation sites for students. As well as hosting club nights, the Pav also has a big screen TV for sports matches and hosts a weekly quiz. If you fancied, you could then go to a club in Manchester; it’s only about a ten minute taxi ride. On some nights, the Pav offer ‘queue jump’ tickets to some of the big venues in Manchester if you go there first!

And how much does it cost? An average night isn’t too bad, obviously it depends how much you drink! You could definitely have a good night for £20 though.

How can you get home safely? If you live on Castle Irwell, easy! Your flat will literally be next door as it’s all on the one complex, but if you’re in other Salford accommodation, just get a taxi back; it will only be a few quid between a few of you!

Is it an expensive place to live? It’s not too expensive, especially when you compare it to some of the London suburbs, but you just have to watch what you spend your money on! Transport won’t cost much, as Manchester city centre and the Uni campus is all within walking distance of all the accommodation sites. The bar’s not that cheap, but it’s not extortionate, either. As it’s not right in the centre of town, you’re less tempted to go into the pub for a few, and then a few more…you can see how your money would vanish fairly quickly if you’re not careful!

Average price of a pint? £2.50.

And the price of a takeaway?  hmm I’d say a pizza was about a fiver, same for a kebab or burger − fairly standard takeaway prices!

What’s the part-time work situation? A lot of students seem to have part-time work; I did whilst I was studying, and it didn’t harm my work. The Union offers part-time work to students in the bars, and during busy times like Welcome Week, and the University has its own cafes and bars which they recruit for. However, I wouldn’t say they go out of their way to employ students, it’s mostly external employees rather than the people who study here. 

Peter Kay (comedian); Wes Butters (broadcaster); Emma Atkins, Sarah Lancashire, Nigel Pivaro (actors).  

Enquiries to communications officer, tel 0161 736 7811, email communications-ussu@salford.ac.uk or the SU website www.salfordstudents.com.