Cardiff Student Guide
Cardiff is the student capital of Wales and is the 10th largest city in the UK. The city is home to over 43,000 students, which accounts for the vibrant nightlife on offer.
Nightlife
The city has more pubs per square foot than anywhere else in Britain and is also home to late night bars, clubs and restaurants. St Mary Street and Greyfriars Road in the city centre are the destinations of choice for most students and provide many opportunities to dance the night away.
Evolution is one of Cardiff’s largest nightclubs and plays mainstream house, dance and party anthems. There is often a strict dress code on the door so it is advisable to avoid jeans and trainers and dress to impress! Club Metropolitan is Cardiff’s best alternative night out and attracts rock chicks and indie kids for its cheap drinks and party atmosphere.
Top Things to Do
There is no shortage of sights to see and places to visit in Cardiff. The Millennium Stadium is perhaps the most famous and hosts a variety of sporting and performance events. The stadium is often a venue for world-renowned bands and singers on world tours, so be sure to check out their events calendar. The National History Museum at St Fagans is a large open-air museum of buildings throughout Welsh history.
The vibrant Cardiff Bay provides is home to many restaurants, bars and cafes and is a great place to spend an afternoon people watching, particularly on a sunny afternoon. Thrill seekers can experience a 70 mph speedboat ride around the bay, a unique way to see the city from a different perspective. Brecon Beacons is a mountain range and national park only 40 minutes from the city centre and provides an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of city living and enjoy the stunning landscapes and nature trails.
Where Can I Study?
There are three universities in Cardiff: Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Glamorgan.
Cardiff University is a leading research university and has a student population of over 30,000. The university can be found in the area of Cathays Park and received a Royal Charter in 1883. Cardiff University is a member of the Russell Group and has a strong reputation for providing a high quality of research based educational programmes. The Complete University Guide positioned Cardiff as 41st in the 2011 university league tables. Cardiff shows its strengths in the fields of humanities, social sciences, engineering and technology.
Cardiff Metropolitan University (also known as UWIC) offers places of study to over 12,000 students and is spread over three campuses: Llandaff, Cyncoed and Howard Gardens. The university offers a variety of different courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The university is made up of five academic schools: The School of Art and Design, Education, Health Science, Management and Sport. The Complete University Guide ranks Cardiff Metropolitan University as 59th in the 2011 university league tables.
The University of Glamorgan is based in Pontypridd but has a campus in Cardiff called Atrium. The campus forms the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries (or CCI) and offers a range of design and media related facilities including a TV and radio studio, 180 seat theatre and computer labs. The University of Glamorgan formed an alliance with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2006. The college is located in Cardiff and provides education and training to nearly 700 students in the performing arts.
Should I Study in Cardiff
A student’s honest opinion:
“Okay, so I love Cardiff. For a capital it’s quite small and compact but I like that. There are lots of arcades where you can get your “one offs” and more vintage shops. In particular “the Hayes” holds lots of these individual shops. We also have the mainstream chains. There are many coffee shops hidden in the arcades that are lush and provide plenty opportunity for afternoon tea and scones. My favourite is called “The Plan.”
The city itself is clean and the university buildings of Cardiff are very grand, with a white wash finish, all matching the town hall. There are loads of theatres and music halls too because the Welsh School of Music are based by Bute Park- which is stunning. We also have Roath Park where you can hire a rowing boat for £3.
Cardiff Bay at sunset.
As for the night, I like all the cocktail bars. The Arts Institute is a familiar night time visit and doubles up as a coffee shop through the day. I love two cocktail places called Ten Feet Tall and Buffalo Bar. They also house up and coming bands/artists so most evenings there is live music. If we want to go out clubbing Clwb Bach or Welsh Club is one of my favourites. A little more hidden that Tiger Tiger or Walkabout. Soda Bar is another place to go on a Friday and there is always the union called Solus. Boombox is probably the best night on a friday.
Cardiff Bay is a train journey away and is really pretty and full of restaurants and bars. It’s quite nice to see open water sometimes. There is of course the Millennium Stadium home to the rugby. The city is rammed on matched days. Annually Swansea Uni 1st rugby team vs Cardiff Uni 1st team play a match in what is called Varsity. We all buy the t shirts, foam fingers, face paint and cheer for the boys and watch the complimentary streaker (standard.)” Fran, 20