Erasmus Experience in Newcastle Upon Tyne, the United Kingdom by Juan

Why did you choose to go to Newcastle Upon Tyne, the United Kingdom?

I wanted to go to a part of the United Kingdom, preferably a big city. I also thought that'd I'd be able to improve my English here more than at any other destination, but they have an English dialect here (Geordie), so you can practice and they use a more standard English at the university, but it's very difficult to understand people there and so you can't really learn much from them.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

When I applied, it was for either 6 or 9 months, you get €600 a month if you're not already on a grant, €900 a month if you are.

What is the student lifestyle like in Newcastle Upon Tyne?

There are a lot of students, as many from the rest of the world as from other parts of the country, two universities and lots of things related to student life, whatever you might want. Aside from there pretty much only seeing students in the streets, there's also a lot of partying.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Newcastle Upon Tyne to other students?

The city isn't very big, but it has a bit of everything, and nothing is excessively far away in general. There are two universities, I went to Northumbria University, the staff weren't especially nice, the professors were good but I didn't learn too much.

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What is the food like there?

Fish and chips aren't as common as you might think, I didn't try much of the country's food, just meat pies (which I didn't like) and little else.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Newcastle Upon Tyne?

Northumbria University can find you accommodation in its apartment residences. They can send you a catalogue, you put down your choices and they'll assign you a place; it's more difficult to get accommodation if you're there for a short time (I had problems because of this), I didn't try to find a flat in any other way.

How much does it cost to live in Newcastle Upon Tyne?

It's expensive in general, rent costs between €300 - €500 a month, leisure activities aren't cheap, clothes cost as much as they do here, food is a bit expensive, so is the transport.

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Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the university?

The Geordie dialect is difficult to understand, due to its pronunciation and its own words, you have to get used to it and even then...

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Newcastle Upon Tyne from your home city?

I went to Malaga from Jaén, there are direct flights from there. Otherwise, this year the only direct flights were from Alicante and Barcelona if I remember correctly.

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Newcastle Upon Tyne?

The entire city centre is full of pubs, they're all worth going to, they close early for us, but there are a lot of clubs and lots of people all year round, even when it snows.

And to eat in Newcastle Upon Tyne? What are some of your favourite places to go?

Don't worry, there's Burger King and things like that.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There aren't many monuments to visit, but the city centre has lovely architecture and the area around the bridges and the river is very nice. You can go to a lot of the beautiful towns nearby and there are a lot of train and bus transports and they're really worth visiting. What's more, you can go to the beaches, which are practically deserted and nearby, too, and you can go to Scotland.

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Do you have any advice for students coming to Newcastle Upon Tyne in the future?

Enjoy it and explore the city, even though the English aren't the warmest people in the world, it's a very good place for students.