August 22, 2022, by Lucy Cooper

Adapting to Nottingham city life

Moving to uni was definitely a time filled with excitement and fear for me. Coming from the countryside, I knew that adapting to life in a city was going to add to the challenge. However, I survived and I now appreciate the different lifestyles I have at home vs at Nottingham. Here are my top tips to help you to adapt:

 

1. Do not worry about being thrown in at the deep end

Whilst moving away from home for the first time is daunting, and moving directly to a city may add to your anxiety, do not worry. Students that choose to live on campus, at Broadgate or other halls surrounding  campus in their first year will actually find themselves quite far from the city centre. Not to say that the city centre is far (it’s very easily accessible via the bus or the tram), but you will find yourselves spending a lot of time on our leafy green campus – with a lot of space! Living on or near campus in your first year can be a nice stepping stone between rural and city life. Often students choose to live between campus and the city centre after first year, providing a more city-like experience. But do not worry, in your first year there will be plenty of opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

 

2. Focus on the positives of living in a busier environment

Living in a city has its fair share of benefits. You will not need a car (Nottingham has an excellent public transport network) and often you will be in walking distance from your friends! It’s also very easy to run into people you know in the street. Being in such close proximity to others, you may start to enjoy your new freedom to have impromptu meet-ups with your friends, instead of having to plan a week in advance due to transport issues. Nottingham also has a wealth of things to do in your downtime, so take advantage of this and start exploring the city!

3.  Learn how to use the public transport system

I moved to Nottingham from a village that had two buses visit a day, so regular and reliable public transport was an alien concept to me. Campus and its surrounding areas are serviced by the tram and the bus, as well as a hopper bus service that goes between campuses. Often during welcome week, there are excursions to the city centre that use this transport – which is an excellent opportunity to use it with someone there to help you (the welcome mentors will be happy to explain!). Google Maps is also incredibly useful and will provide you with a choice of bus/tram routes to get you from A to B.

 

I hope these tips have put some of your worries at rest. Good luck exploring your new home!

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