Sandyford:
You just can't beat Sandyford. It's cheaper. Jesmond and closer to Uni than Heaton, so you can have a longer lie-in than some of your friends and have more money to spend on trebles (or books) than the others. Take a stroll down the main street – Starbeck Avenue – and you’re surrounded by sandwich shops, takeaways, and the Italian Café Sapori. A quaint Victorian terraced house on a street lined with cherry trees awaits your arrival, along with a parking spot for that inevitable housemate who brought their car: invaluable for an emergency trip to nearby Asda.
"Sinners is easily walkable for when you need a weekday vodka fix"
Newcastle’s home of wacky cocktails, Mr Lynch, is only a five minute walk away. For some time to relax or when you fancy a weekend run, there’s the soothing Jesmond Dene. Alternatively, turn up to Heaton Park on a Saturday and you can have a go at tightroping. Getting into toon isn’t a problem, either. A taxi takes less than five minutes, but Sinners is easily walkable for when you need a weekday vodka fix. Overall, you can’t go wrong with Sandyford: it’s accessible, affordable, and accommodating.
Jesmond:
Jesmond seems to get a lot of stick, with students complaining they’re already poor and don’t want to pay the extra cost (which isn’t even much more than Sandyford), but living in Newcastle’s most popular student suberb is definitely worth the price. With countless bars lining Ozzy road, as well as a plethora of restaurants serving anything you could ask for – at a budget price in the case of Francesca’s or Avanti – what else would you want as a student?
But it gets better. Unlike your counterparts in Sandyford and therefore have to walk for at least 15 minutes to get to pre-drinks, chances are you’ll only have to walk to the next street.
"Sandyford and therefore have to walk for at least 15 minutes to get to pre-drinks, chances are you’ll only have to walk to the next street"
You also get those Sandyford-ites complaining it’s too far from uni - not really, 30 minute walk at the most, and it’s quite nice to get some fresh air on the way to your Thursday morning 9am lecture. If you’re one of those that’s feeling a bit lazy though and would prefer to metro it, the station is right on your doorstep. And people can hardly complain about the extra cost of getting the metro, £26 a month for a student is an absolute steal. If you’re sociable and like having fun, there are 0 reasons why you wouldn’t live in Jesmond.