Experience of living in Lancaster

Klaudia tells us about her experience of living in a new country and about life in Lancaster.

Life at Lancaster: living on campus and in the city

Written by Klaudia Slawinska

Moving to a new country comes with a lot of mixed feelings; the sadness of leaving your home country, family and friends but at the same time excitement about all the new experiences ahead. For me, the excitement definitely outweighed the sadness. And I have now lived in the United Kingdom for four years.

My first day in Lancaster was also my first day in the UK. Back in my home country, Poland, I graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma and straight after that I made the courageous decision to go alone to a foreign country and start my independent life. Now, after those four years of living in Lancaster, I can definitely say I never regretted it since I arrived.

As I have previously mentioned, my first day at Lancaster was also my first day in the UK, therefore I didn’t know what to expect. When it comes to general living in the UK, the first most distinctive feature was probably the pricing. As there is a different currency in Poland, I had a proper math class revision in my head trying to convert all the prices into my home country currency. My parents were financially supporting me over my first year of university, but from the start of my second year I managed to get a part-time job on campus which was very flexible so I could balance both my university responsibilities and work.

When it comes to living in Lancaster, one of the most distinctive qualities of Lancaster University is its unique campus. Located on the outskirts of Lancaster City and close to the picturesque Lake District, the campus operates as its own little ecosystem. It’s less than 15 minutes by bus from the city, yet distinct and separate offering a variety of facilities, shops, food outlets and amazing scenery. All of these make living on campus an unforgettable and unique experience.

However, the majority of students decide to experience aspects of living both on and off-campus, especially in their second year, and that is also what I did. As the priority of living on campus goes to first and final year students, I decided to live in the city in my second year together with my three other friends who I met in my first year.

The first and most important difference between living in town and on campus is definitely the accommodation. Living on campus provides you with a wide variety of choices, for all needs and budgets – starting from a ‘Standard’ room with a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities to a ‘Superior En Suite’ room with your own bathroom. In my first year I lived on campus in Bowland College right by Alexandra Square – the centre of Lancaster University Campus. I chose the Standard option as for me it was the best balance of comfort and value of money. My room had an amazing view of the ‘heart’ of campus and I could make sure I wasn’t missing out on any events happening.

Living in town was a very different experience from living on campus, which I greatly enjoyed. As much as I highly recommend living on campus (especially in the first year when you are about to meet everyone), for me living in town gave me the more distinctive feeling of actually ‘going home’ after classes. Considering the very frequent bus connections between the city and campus travelling doesn’t pose a problem. There are plenty of bus routes making their way to campus and running at very regular times, but you’ll have to leave slightly ahead of time for classes.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the facilities. While living on campus, you have constant easy access to all of the university’s educational facilities such as the library, which is open 24/7, or the Sports Centre offering a swimming pool and climbing wall. Living off-campus, you lose some of that easy access to facilities, but the buses mean it's never too hard to get to where you need to be. Losing the ability to walk to the library in a matter of minutes may be a bit of a loss though. However, you do gain easy access to all that Lancaster has to offer: from shops, pubs and clubs to cultural highlights like the castle, and transport hubs like the bus and train stations.

Like campus, Lancaster City itself is a very compact place. Living near the centre you will never be more than fifteen minutes from wherever you want to go. Both choices have their upsides and downsides, but for me, the campus was certainly the right place to start. Both city and campus are incredibly warm, friendly, vibrant, and safe places to live; and being around so many other students and facilities are good for finding your feet and getting settled in.

Discover more about life on our campus and in the city, and find out about our accommodation now.