Why I Chose Lancaster

By Mia Moran, February 2024

Choosing the right university is a big decision and not one you want to take lightly. For many people, starting university is starting a new stage of their life. A newfound independence; the chance to learn more about yourself than ever before. Meeting new people and discovering new things, it’s a new start for many so you want to make sure you’re doing it in the right place. For me, I knew Lancaster was my new home the minute I stepped foot on campus. Figuring it out isn’t always that easy, but hopefully after reading this blog on why I chose Lancaster, the decision may become that much clearer.

Course rankings and reputation

When deciding where it was I wanted to study, there were a few things I had in mind. Some preferences that were going to give me my desired university experience. Firstly, I needed to find a university that had a good reputation for my degree and offered a course that I felt would challenge me academically. As an English Literature with Creative Writing student, it can be hard to find a university that looks after the creative minds as much as their focus on the literature side. As it’s my passion, I wanted to make sure I found somewhere that was reputable and offered a course where I knew I could further my creative writing skills. Lancaster University was flagged up as one of the best in the country for creative writing and had a highly respectable reputation in literature too (Lancaster University is ranked 6th in the UK for both English and Creative Writing, The Guardian University Guide 2024) . The reputation of the course instantly caught my eye and after looking into the course outline and module options further, I knew that this box had been ticked!

Lancaster's location

Another thing that was important for me, was the distance from my home. I knew I wanted to move away for that freedom and independence but, I wanted to be close enough that I knew I could visit whenever I wanted. The idea that I was away from home, making my memories but could always lean on my family if I needed to was very important to me. So at 50 minutes away on the M6 and my car at hand, I knew Lancaster was the perfect location.

A welcoming campus university

Although I was undecided on what type of university I wanted to go to, from open days and tours, I started to realise that a campus university had the homely, enclosed feeling I was looking for. I wanted to feel part of a community, full of like-minded people sharing a similar experience to mine. After deciding that I’d prefer a campus university, Lancaster beat out its competitors with the warm, welcoming feeling I felt as soon as I arrived. 

Clubs, societies and opportunities

Another crucial thing for me was that there were things to do. As an active and outgoing person, I wanted to be exposed to as many new hobbies as possible. I wanted to make sure I had opportunities to keep active, have fun and engage in hobbies and have the chance to meet a wider group of people with similar interests. That’s why I was so excited about Lancaster. After learning about their society programmes and seeing the amount of sports teams and groups I could join, I knew that at Lancaster I’d never be bored. I made sure I checked out all of the opportunities and after three years of being a member of the Lancaster University Cheerleading Society, I could not have been happier with my choice of university.

The best of both worlds: city and countryside

My absolute favourite thing about studying at Lancaster is that it’s got the perfect temperament. Coming from a big city I wanted a combination of city and country life. I wanted to escape the noise and chaos of Manchester without sacrificing leisure activities and things to experience. It's the perfect combination of the two and offers the best of both worlds. The smaller size of the area offers a certain closeness you’d struggle to find elsewhere. The homely community made me feel safe and comfortable, adjusting to my new life seamlessly without losing the fun and excitement of a big city.