Sasha McCrory 24 MA Politics and International Relations graduate, since I’ve studied in Liverpool for the last four years I thought it was only fair that I shared my guide to being a Northern Irish student in Liverpool you can read this below.

A guide to being a Northern Irish student in Liverpool

Travel

One of the most commonly asked questions from Northern Irish students is: how accessible it is to travel to and from Liverpool? The answer to that is, extremely.

I was a student at Liverpool Hope for four years and now work full-time at the University, so I frequently travel home. There are flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to either Belfast International Airport or Belfast City Airport. The flight is listed as taking 50 minutes, but it does feel a lot less. Travelling via plane is a quick option, and if you book them far enough in advance, flights can be fairly inexpensive.

Another great option is the ferry, which runs from Liverpool to Belfast and is approximately 7-8 hours, with two crossings per day. It is particularly useful when moving into halls or a new student house because you can fill the car and take it over.

Dealing with homesickness 

It is not unusual for students to feel homesick at the beginning of the academic year. This can be caused by missing family and friends, feeling isolated in an unfamiliar environment, or struggling to adjust to your academic workload. One of the key things I tried to remember was that you aren’t alone during this time. Even if the people in your flat aren’t from Northern Ireland, most will have moved away from home for the first time.

Moving into student accommodation can seem daunting with the stark white walls, but this is your opportunity to make your room your own. I would recommend bringing photos of your family, friends or pets, as well as any other items to make your room feel more homely and like it is your own space. 

Another way I dealt with bouts of homesickness was to keep in regular contact with my friends and family to keep them up to date with how I was settling in. 

If you are someone who likes to keep busy, there are a multitude of clubs and societies that you can join. At the beginning of your first year, there will be a Freshers’ Fair where all the clubs and societies come together to display what they have on offer.

Embrace your identity 

Liverpool’s Irish connections date back centuries, with 75% of people from Liverpool stating that they have family from Northern Ireland/Ireland.

The Liverpool Irish festival takes place each year with 10 days of celebrations and there are that many Irish bars you would forget that you are not back home.

Also, if you want some home comfort food the Liverpool Irish Centre has you covered with everything from Tayto crisps to Club Orange and, when it comes to sport, there are a wide range of sports teams within the University to suit everyone’s preferences as well as a whole host of independent local teams.

Nightlife 

The nightlife in Liverpool is very different from the nightlife in Northern Ireland, with most places staying open until the early hours of the morning.

There is also a huge difference in the variety of venues. Concert Square is very popular amongst students and there are also loads of places where you can watch live music and DJ events such as the Cavern Club and Zanzibar.

You can also travel further afield to get your music fix. Manchester is just over an hour away from Liverpool on the train and you can get reduced priced tickets with a student railcard, which some banks offer for free when you open a student bank account with them. This means it is accessible to get to concert venues such as the AO Arena and the Albert Hall and to popular festivals such as Parklife.

Finances

Moving away can feel like added pressure in terms of the financial side of things. However, this is also a really good experience for learning many life skills such as budgeting and cooking. For me, these two go hand in hand as takeaways can be costly and these costs quickly add up. 

Budgeting when it comes to your finances is extremely important because it can feel so exciting when your student loan drops to go out and treat yourself but you need to remember that generally with that maintenance loan/grant you will need to pay for essential things such as your rent and food. 

Cooking will become part of your everyday life and I found cost-effective recipes that I could batch cook for dinners and lunches throughout the week quickly became incorporated into my cooking routine. Meals like pasta bakes, jacket potatoes, stir-fries, chilli con carne or fajitas generally do not take long to prepare and by swapping out some of the ingredients you can have a different dinner for very little extra cost.