‘I just googled Best City In England and it came up with Manchester.’
‘I just googled Best City In England and it came up with Manchester.’
We meet Manchester’s new freshers
By Mollie Simpson
A few evenings this week, I’ve been revisiting bars and clubs in Fallowfield, Deansgate and the Northern Quarter. Some places I spent formative years as a fresher in: the roof terrace of YES, cold enough to see my own breath; a metallic pink dancefloor in the indie nightclub 42nd Street (AKA 42s); a sticky Fallowfield pub, the Friendship Inn, complete with 1970s carpets and campus socialites leaning against the bar.
In the space of this one week, the population of Greater Manchester swells by about 3%. The city region has one of the biggest student populations in Europe. There are 96,000 across five universities in the region — if you venture a one hour drive outside of Greater Manchester, there are 20 more universities within reach. By my estimate, students’ arrival in the city also drags down the average age — 38.4 — by several years. All week I’ve been meeting freshers in their new home city, outside bars and in the dark corners of nightclubs, to understand how they feel and why they chose Manchester.
They are: Mitch, impeccably dressed, his clothes more formal than those of his bandmates, more suited to a day’s office work than a gig at Night and Day; Alex, funny and deadpan, with a leader-of-the-pack aura and messy auburn hair; Kyra, Millie and Grace, new best friends, leaning on each other’s shoulders with the understanding that they’re inseparable now. Some are more introverted than others, playing along in the choose-your-own adventure game of living in a new city, others take things at their own pace.
What did you think of them? I asked my mate as we walked away from the club, downing the last of our beers. “The kids are alright,” he replied. Today, we’re telling their stories.
Alex, 19, is from Bedford and studies Music Performance at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in Manchester. He lives in Manchester Student Village, a hulking student development that houses over 1,000 students near Hulme, and we met while he was drinking vodka and Ribena in the queue for the indie nightclub 42nd Street.
What’s your accommodation like?
My kitchen’s not got windows so it feels like I’m in some sort of torture room. I have a window in my room but it looks out onto a brick wall.
What’s been the funniest moment so far?
Probably going to A&E. It’s been my first time out in a week because I’ve been ill. I thought I had meningitis so I rang 111 saying “I’ve got loads of bruises and I feel really ill, what do I do?” They were like “Can you come in and talk please? We think you’re really ill.” And then they couldn’t take my blood, so, that was a bit scary. They were like “You’ve got no blood in your arms mate”. I had to drink 16 bottles of Highland Spring to hydrate. They said they don’t know what’s infected, which body part. “We think the whole body is. Your white blood cell count is a little bit low and you’re inflamed but we can’t really do anything.” I waited seven hours for that.
Has Manchester been different to your expectations?
No, I expected this.
What are your future plans?
I want to go swimming with sharks in Guadeloupe. That’s what I want to do. Go in a cage with sharks. Have you not seen that? It looks cool, you get to see sharks. Oh, in Manchester? I don’t know really. I obviously wanna do something in music.
Kyra, Millie and Grace, friends, flatmates and students at Manchester Metropolitan University. Millie and Kyra both come from Somerset, Grace is from North London. We met in Deansgate while they were deciding where to go next.
Why did you choose Manchester?
Kyra: I just googled “Best City In England” and it came up with Manchester. I wanted the city to be my own because I know Bristol really well, and Manchester is meant to be really fun. I do love northerners so I thought I’d move up North. I was just trying to get out of my hometown basically.
Millie: Up North, everyone is so nice. I’ve been to Manchester five times this year and people up North are so nice compared to the South, I don’t know what it is.
How is freshers’ week going?
Millie: Until tonight, I thought it was a bit shit. It was really awkward at the beginning. The day I got here, no one came out of their room. Only me and Grace were talking. When we got really drunk we started to talk more. When you move in, you really do need to make the effort. I’d rather be chatty then just sit there like [crosses arms and sulks].
Kyra: But it’s so chaotic — everyone you meet is a stranger. You literally have to move in with eight people you’ve never met before. I’m 22, Millie is closest to me [in age]. If I were 18 moving into a flat, I would be awkward.
Catherine is from California and studies BSc Psychology at the University of Manchester. “I’m 19, I think,” she tells me — explaining the Korean way of age counting is different: the year spent in the womb is counted towards one year.
Scariest moment?
I came alone because my mum and dad couldn’t come because of their work and looking after my siblings, so I came here by myself and I was carrying three big suitcases by myself so it was quite stressful. I just went to my room and just like laid down in my bed and slept for three hours. And then I woke up to unpack things.
Has freshers’ week lived up to your expectations?
Well, there’s confusion over wristbands and tickets. Sometimes [the clubs] don’t have any tickets left or you have the wrong wristbands. The only viable ID I have is my passport. There should be some warning for international students because I got turned away and had to go back home.
Where’s your favourite place in Manchester so far?
We went to an ABBA night yesterday at Ark and Revolution in Deansgate and one of our flatmates was really drunk and he was trying to find us. He was sending texts in the group chat which were full of typos which was so funny because we’d never seen him that drunk.
Mitch, 18, is studying Songwriting at BIMM. He hails from Cumbria and we met at a jamming session at Night and Day, along with his new bandmates. He was wearing a badge with the Romanian flag affixed to the left side of his chest.
Why did you choose Manchester?
I’ve seen comments that Manchester lives too much in its musical past, but for an up-and-coming musician, that’s a real draw. As Manchester is the unofficial capital of the North, everything is incredibly centralised. It’s the sort of place that acts as a gateway, and musically, that’s a really important option to have.
When I was living in the Lake District and writing songs, the work I did felt very naturalistic, very woody, very immersed in nature. I imagine now it will get very busy, very loud.
What’s your favourite place in Manchester so far?
Night and Day in the Northern Quarter. It’s always good in a big city to find locations you can wind down in, and I think Night and Day is that recovery space. Every day I have a sense of wanting a voluntary solace.
Has freshers’ week lived up to expectations?
The energy and enthusiasm everyone has to go and do things is very enriching. I went to the club Venue the other night, who were playing these deep cuts from the British rock and pop contemporary canon. It was a very sensible mix. The vibes were friendly but it had that very slight hint of chaos that I think everyone needs. No one goes clubbing because it’s relaxing. I needed to take a few days off after to get my health back, so to speak.
George studies Business Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. He’s out celebrating his 19th birthday with his flatmates at 42nd Street just off Deansgate.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you. It’s been pretty good, I’ve had a nice little birthday, a cheeky time.
How has your week been?
I’m having a really good time. I love my flatmates. This is the sixth night going. Second night was pretty heavy, first night we went to Gay Village, we had a great time in Gay Village.
Why did you choose Manchester?
I chose Manchester because Preston’s like an hour train away. I love my mum. If you say in this interview that I love my mum, I will be the favourite child forever.
Most awkward moment?
I did walk in on my flatmate the other night. I went into the kitchen, I won’t name names, but he was full on getting with this bird on the kitchen table. So I walked in and they were kissing, they both stopped kissing, turned to me, I was like “I should not be here”. Walked away.
Jay, 18, is studying Mathematics at the University of Manchester and aspires to work in finance or engineering. He comes from Wolverhampton, and lives in the beige luxury student block, Unsworth Park.
What are your flatmates like?
My flatmates are amazing, superb, I couldn't wish for any better. We all have respect for each other, and clean up after ourselves. The diversity is amazing.
Scariest moment?
The scariest is watching someone get really drunk to the point of no return. You just see them sometimes on the side of the street passed out, just random people. But it's freshers’ events so it’s to be expected, everyone’s drinking loads. I came from an area which was a bit more rough than here, so it feels a bit normal.
How do you feel about the future?
I feel positive about the future. According to my grandma, when I was two or three years old, I used to take the TV remote and repeat numbers to her. I always used to be a mathsy kid, a bit nerdy. Coming to Manchester made me feel better about the future. There’s just a more positive feeling I’m getting from being here.
Luke, Julia and Grace study at the University of Manchester and live in Oak House, the biggest student halls in Fallowfield. We met at the indie nightclub Venue — it was almost empty and they were waiting on the sofas for the dancefloor to get more lively.
What’s your accommodation like?
Grace: Everything is broken, but we love it. Our kettle, our oven, we haven’t got a toaster, we haven’t got a hoover, and our fridge isn’t cold enough. I managed to make bacon and eggs this morning though.
What’s been the best moment so far?
Luke: Good nights out with these.
Grace: My flatmates are so nice and we’ve been going out all the time. A bit more freedom, going out a lot, we’ve just loved it. We’ve been here, we’ve been to Ark, Cargo. Another indie bar. That’s about it.
Julia: Someone broke a light in our kitchen, so we’re going to be paying for that. My flatmate was trying to catch a moth and smashed the light. I really thought I would be homesick, but I’ve literally been fine. I feel like it’s going to hit me at one point, but I’ve been fine so far.
Any bad moments?
Grace: Not really. Everyone’s been really nice.
What are your plans for the future?
Grace: No idea. But I love psychology, so I thought I’d do that.
Hiro, 18, is studying a joint Architecture degree at Manchester Metropolitan and the University of Manchester. He moved to Manchester from London, which he sees as a “cluttered city” lacking beauty, and is enjoying Manchester’s beautiful buildings, like the Royal Exchange. We met in Fallowfield while he was walking to get pizza.
Where are you living?
I’m based in Unsworth Park in Fallowfield. The flat is called “the Bumble flat”. It has nothing to do with the dating app Bumble. I find the name really stupid. Every time I mention it someone starts giggling. I refuse to say it now.
Funniest moment?
We met a guy from Hong Kong and he had a bit too much to drink and he was going crazy. We couldn’t stop him dancing. And as soon as we went out he was like “Do you like Ed Sheeran?” and started singing it. We all took care of him and looked out for him.
Has freshers’ week lived up to your expectations?
I’m usually quite awkward, but it’s exceeded my expectations, because everyone’s been so nice. I’d heard that freshers’ week was something only outgoing people would do. That if you didn’t drink you wouldn’t be able to socialise with people, which made me a bit nervous. But the people I’ve met mostly don’t drink and we have other stuff in common like music taste and sports. Normally I dread large crowds and big environments. But every freshers’ event, I’ve loved it.
The kids are alright. I loved reading Mollie’s interrogation of freshers behaving (not very) badly. Loved it because we’ve all woken to a bright yellow morning in late September & I’m transported back across half a century to my first days at (Hull) university, & (lucky me) life has little better to offer than those days of social discovery & untainted optimism. My God, Manchester is lucky in its annual transfusion of students. Stay lucky you all.
Loved the article. It took me back a good few years.🙂