Erasmus stay in Chester

Why did you choose Chester, UK?

It was one of the destinations that my home university offered and it lasted 9 months (important detail! ). I fell in love with the city after seeing photos of it on the internet, and my co-ordinator said it was the best university city in the UK. I was not disappointed at all.

How long did the placement last? How much grant did you receive?

9 months. I got about 433€ a month.

What is the student life like in Chester?

It is a university city, because the university has a lot of students. The campus is great and the student accommodation is either on campus or very close by.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Chester to other students?

Yes! It is a very small city but it is gorgeous and so welcoming... you will love it.

What is the food like there?

English food isn't very good. Lots of sauces, chips and of course, fish and chips.

As for supermarkets, the cheapest are Aldi and Tesco.

Did you struggle to find accommodation in Chester?

No, I requested a place in the university student accommodation. They allocate your accommodation depending on what food board you want, i. e. you can either have full-board, half-board or self-catering and you are housed with students who have chosen the same option as you. They serve the food in the Whites canteen. The food they offer is not good, and there isn't much choice, but it's useful if you don't want to cook and if you don't know many people.

How much does it cost to live in Chester?

The student residencies cost around 400/500€ a month, and food isn't very cheap. I would say altogether around 700 euros a month.

What is the language like? Did you take a language class at the university?

I went with quite a good level of English, so I didn't struggle adapting to the new language. I went to a free language course that the university offered for a few days but I stopped shortly after as I didn't find it very useful.

What is the cheapest way to get from your hometown to Chester?

The best is to fly to Liverpool. Lots of Spanish cities have connections with this city, Malaga, Madrid, Alicante... And then you can take a taxi (around 30 pounds, which is okay if you can share the price with other people). Or you can take a combination of buses and trains (a little confusing). Anyway, there is a bus from the airport to the city of Liverpool.

What places would you recommend to go out in Chester?

There are two clubs in Chester (I told you it was small! ), Cruise and Rosies. Every day one of these is open. The best days to go out are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and all the students go to the same one on the same night. On Fridays, the university bar is transformed into a club: SU Fridays. The opening times are very different to Spain, they normally open at 12 and by 3:30 you are kicked out, but hey, you get used to it, and you start drinking at around 9/10. By the way, you have to try Lambrini/Cassini...

What is there to do there culture wise?

You can walk around the city walls, the canals, the cathedral is very pretty too. Manchester and Liverpool are around 1 hour 30 away, which are also good places to go and visit.

Any advice to future students going to Chester?

Make the most of your time there, because it goes very quickly! Go out lots and travel as much as you can around the area. By the way, try to make friends with English people so you can learn some English, and get used to all the different British accents!