This year’s rankings of the 50 best student cities, put together by higher education data specialists QS, included just four UK entries this year: London, Edinburgh, Manchester – and Coventry.
While you could have guessed the first three, the latter may seem surprising. But students living in Coventry were all too happy too explain why they thought the city deserves its place on the list.
“Coventry isn’t glamorous, but it has a unique charm”
Hayley Simon, fourth-year Chemistry student at the University of Warwick
”I didn’t make a conscious decision to study in Coventry, a city famous for car manufacturing, Lady Godiva and being bombed in the Blitz. When I applied to university, I chose Warwick based on the course and reputation, not its geographical location.
“Besides, as a campus based university, would it really matter that the accommodation comes with a CV4 postcode?
“Four years later I can safely say that yes, it does matter. And luckily, it turns out that Coventry is a great place to spend your university years.
“The city boasts the legendary student nightclub Kasbah, an array of shops with a good range of choice, and some great restaurants. A personal favourite is the pan-Asian buffet Wing Wah in Tile Hill.
“There’s also a fun rivalry between Warwick and nearby Coventry University. Once a year, sports teams from Coventry and Warwick battle it out to see who will win the annual varsity series, an exciting tradition that includes ice hockey, football and rugby league. Outside the sporting arena, the universities tend to keep to themselves, but having such a large student population makes Coventry very accessible to students.
“One of my favourite things about Coventry is how well connected it is to the rest of the country. Situated in the middle of Britain, there are fast train links to both London and Birmingham, very convenient when planning weekend trips away. But be warned if you plan on driving around – the ring road system circling the city can be a real headache for newcomers.
“Coming from London, Coventry feels smaller and less touristy. It isn’t glamorous, but it has a unique charm. Give Coventry a chance and you’ll quickly find yourself falling for it too.”
“It’s a mish-mash of identities – but you have to work at it”
Paulina Drėgvaitė and Andrew Russell, the University of Warwick
“Some of you may be familiar with the idiom ‘sent to Coventry’ – meaning to be isolated from exciting events.
“Being a University of Warwick student means being literally sent to Coventry; however, the majority of students choose to live in the nearby Royal Leamington Spa. The place where, apparently, exciting things do happen.
“Leamington is a place that’s easy to appreciate; it’s picturesque, cosy and has a huge number of cultural events, from Sunday markets to riotous club nights. Coventry, on the other hand, is an ex-industrial town in a transitional period, having lost its sense of secure identity through de-industrialization and immigration.
“This is where Coventry really shines.
“It is not a place ready-made for an easy night out or a serene day trip; you have to work at it, to find those little vistas that bring to light the beauty of the post-war architecture, to find a second-hand bookshop with a grumpy owner and a pub selling pints for £2, with free pool on weekdays.
“It’s a mish-mash of identities, showcasing a mix of quickly constructed modern architecture, nostalgia for the days when Jaguar manufactured their cars there, and hundreds of student houses in the suburbs – all in various states of shabbiness.
“However, once you do start to appreciate Coventry, it becomes a place you can fall for. It’s a city that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not – and that allows it to surprise you.
‘Universities often try to sell us a specific student experience, treating us as an easy marketable target, a homogenous group. In reality, we all experience this town differently, because there’s no simple narrative to sell Coventry – and it’s exactly this that gives each student the opportunity to craft their own version of the city.”
“A medieval town famous for its green spaces, young population, nightlife and multiculturalism”
Henry Crosby, PhD student at Warwick Institute for the Science of Cities
“Coventry, the medieval town famous for its green spaces, young population, nightlife and multiculturalism. What more can a student ask for? The pubs and restaurants of the Cathedral Quarter, the clubs and bars along Spon Street and the masses of parks to walk off the inevitable hangovers offer students some of the best nights out and morning-afters a city could offer.
“For sports fans, Coventry has an ice rink supporting youth, wreck and semi-professional ice hockey teams. It also has a basketball court to watch or play matches, an Olympic sized swimming pool, a league one football club and some of the country’s best rugby. On top of this there are university sports clubs including football, rugby, cricket, Quidditch and dodgeball.
“The city centre Odeon complex, the Warwick Arts Centre and the Belgrade Theatre offers all that comedy fans, music lovers and theatre geeks could wish for. Art lovers can spend their days inside the Mead Gallery, who are always looking for passionate fans of modern art to volunteer.
“If you are looking for artistic sole traders and Victorian buildings, then look no further as Kenilworth, just a 10 minute drive from the city centre, and Leamington another 15 minutes on that. If you are an English student desperate to get up close and personal to Shakespeare, then Coventry lays only 30 minutes from his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon.
“Big-city lovers should note that Coventry is 30 minutes away from Birmingham by train, and you can be in London in just over an hour.
“As a student in the city, it is nice to be in a city that has a rich history. The Coventry Transport Museum holds the largest collection of British transport in the world, and exhibitions about Coventry’s links and involvement to WWII are also commonplace.
“The beauty of Coventry is that there is so much to explore and discover. It won’t take you long to find the spots that become the setting for some of the best years of your life.”
- Do you agree that Coventry is one of the best UK cities to be a student in? If not, where would be on your list? Let us know in the comment section below.
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