Are You Studying in the Right Scottish City?
Each of Scotland's three main student cities is great, but which is the appropriate kind of great for you? We've weighed up the pros and cons of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee to help you find out whether or not you're in the right place
EDINBURGH
In incredible news, something has changed in Edinburgh since last year. Yes, the trams are finished, so now the locals are back to solely complaining about students and Fringe theatre types.
Other than that, ‘The Capital’ is much the same as it always has been - lovely architecture, oodles of history, and thousands of students spread across four universities (Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Napier and Queen Margaret) and the art college.
You’ve got your slightly posh students, your vaguely grungey students, your beardy Mediterranean students and a whole host of others - the best and worst of studentdom are here, so be ready to make friends, excuses, and/or a quick exit.
The vast student numbers mean that ‘the kids’ spread right across the city from Morningside to Leith, but the whole place is so white and middle-class that only the most daring Edinburgh students are confronted by anything remotely urban.
Nice pubs, big hills, and the world’s biggest arts festival - what more could you want?
GLASGOW
Glasgow is cool. Cooler than Edinburgh at any rate, with dozens of gig venues, nightclubs and bars each of which the people of The Capital would gladly swap a panda for.
Still basking in the afterglow of the Commonwealth Games, Scotland’s biggest city exists in a state of constant flux, which the students from Glasgow, Caledonian, Strathclyde, the GSA and the city’s various colleges all add to.
The West End is the heart of studentland, with its cool bars and nice houses, while the South Side is a good alternative for people who don’t want to spend ALL THE MONEY on a flatshare with seven other people.
The City Centre has nice shops, but be sure to be out of there by nightfall, and the East End… hosted the Commonwealth Games! It’s big, it’s interesting and it’s exciting - we like Glasgow.
DUNDEE
Students like Dundee, as they are big fish in a small pond. In fact, with Abertay, Dundee and Duncan of Jordanstone all in attendance, the pond is fit to burst.
The main student area to the west of the city centre is nice and compact, and there’s an air of change about the place which is pretty refreshing.
Some of the city’s more egregious architectural crimes have been taken care of, an outpost of the V&A is on the way (eventually), and until then there’s plenty of art and history to take in and student bars to fall out of.
It's got everything you need, and it isn't even Edinburgh or Glasgow.