Where is everything in Worcester?

Of course you’re familiar with where all the shops are where you moved from, but where is everything in Worcester? If you’re like me and you’ve lived in the same house your entire life, you’re probably not familiar with the experience of learning where everything is in a new city.  Added to this is the fact that for many this is the first time living without your parents. It can be very daunting. So i'm going to share with you some experiences and some tips about getting to grips with everyday life outside of the uni campus.

Supermarkets in Worcester.

There are 3 main places students normally do their weekly shop, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Coop. Sorry to all the fans of Tesco and Morrison’s, they aren’t in walking distance! If you’re on the St. Johns campus, coop is the closest with about a 15-20 minute walk. However it is the smallest of the 3 and would just about get you the essentials, it’s also worth noting you get 10% of everything in coop with a NUS card, and yes that included alcohol! Sainsbury’s is the next one with about a 20-25 minute walk. Sainsbury’s use the nectar card and I recommend you getting one. They have good rewards with this card and you can redeem the points at a range of different stores. Asda is the third supermarket and if you live on the city campus, this is closest to you. It’s roughly a 10-15 minute walk to the city campus. It takes about 30-35 mins from St. Johns campus which will seem like days if you’re carrying a lot of shopping.

Travelling in Worcester. 

Worcester uses FirstGroup as its bus service so it is worth familiarising yourself with the routes. The map can be found here: http://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/routes-and-maps/network-maps. I was lucky in my first year as I had a university managed house with a driveway which meant I could bring my car and I didn't have to get a permit to park on campus, the permits are £300 a year if you want to park on campus. Although there are several side streets by the Malvern entrance to St. Johns campus that you can freely park on. Having a car at uni for me was a great help as it gave me a greater flexibility when picking up part time work, it also made shopping infinitely easier. That said, the bus service is good in Worcester. I would like to point out, if you do bring your car to Worcester, there are several speed cameras in the 1 way system by St, Johns, so don’t get caught out! One of the cheapest car parks in Worcester is the croft road car park. It has limited spaces so is usually full although it is £3.50 for 12 hours. There is also a parking app called RingGo. You can use it to pay for parking on your phone, its also good for finding nearby car parks. Worcester also has a train station, this is in town and is great for going home over the weekend etc.

Where’s my corner shop? 

St. Johns has a small shop in the student union for small things, for when you run out of milk etc. there is also a small Coop 5-8 mins from the campus. If you’re on the city campus, there is a small Tesco in town, again about 10 mins away.

Remember, Google is your friend, Google maps is brilliant when you’re trying to familiarise yourself with a new place. When you look for a shop or a place look on street view or the satellite view to familiarise yourself with where you’re going. Almost all shops in Worcester will have a postcode you can search. The best way to familiarise yourself with Worcester is to go exploring. Get through fresher’s week then after that you will likely have a bit of free time to explore. Worcester is a small city so it’s hard to get lost, there are also a bunch of signposts for both uni campuses. Its best to go during daylight as everything looks different at night. If you haven’t got a great sense of direction, go out with your flat mates, they’ll be in the same position. If you still get lost to them take it as a memory to take away with you when you graduate uni.

Commuting

Commuting to university can often be seen as too much effort by students who are considering going to university. This is because they are under false pretences that taking the option to live in halls is easier than living at home and having to commute. I myself commute to the University of Worcester from Birmingham which is around 40 minutes depending on traffic as the University of Worcester City Campus is located close to the town centre and there is also a school close by which means that it can quite busy during the mornings and also towards the late afternoon, so if you have a lecture that is early in the morning than it is best to take this into account and leave accordingly. In my experience travelling to university is beneficial towards me as it means I don’t have any extra worries such as problems within the student halls and also paying for any living expenses due to the fact that I live at home. Living at home also benefits me greatly as I am in a comfortable environment allowing me to fully focus on my studying. Another advantage of this is that more time can be spent on revision for exams and writing assignments instead of having to cook, clean and going shopping. Commuting to university can be seen as a negative as it can be costly in terms of either catching the train or driving. I myself drive to the City Campus for three days a week which results in petrol not costing me a fortune as this only consumes around half a tank throughout the week.

Living at home can also be good preparation for working life where you will be less likely to live in your place of work. The average cost of university halls can vary between £53 and £216 on a weekly basis and due to only attending three days a week living in halls would be much more expensive. An important part of living at home when going to university is the support you receive. When you have to start revision for either exams or start working on drafts for assignments ready to meet the deadlines university can result in becoming a stressful experience. Living at home enables you to have the support from parents, siblings and friends and this in turn may help you balance the work load.

Commuting to university can sometimes be difficult especially when working on group assignments which is the case for particular modules. The reason for this is the fact that some of your class mates may be living in halls and in order to receive the best grade you may be required to have regular meetings outside of lectures. In my experience this can be quite a task as trying to find a time which suits everyone can be a nuisance, but there are always ways round this as in my first year of studying I successfully completed a module which required this.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so, please e-mail

                                                                Worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com