[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Newcastle Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about Newcastle: [EBOLD]see [ULNE]University of [PARA]Newcastle[EULNE]. The name of Newcastle's newest university draws [PARA]attention to its newest site. The original 4 sites are in Newcastle [PARA]while the new campus is in Carlisle in Cumbria, 55 miles away. [PARA]Northumbria is the combined name for the counties [PARA]Northumberland and Cumbria, to the north of the county Tyne [PARA]and Wear. It is an area filled with moors and the [ITAL]magnificent [EITAL]hills[PARA]of the North Pennines. The main site is the City Campus near [ULNE][PARA]Newcastle University[EULNE] in the city centre.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The University has a great number of mature students (an even [PARA]larger proportion amongst part timers) and the older ones don't [PARA]tend to get involved in conventional student life. The lack of [PARA]University accommodation and the split sites, don't help much, [PARA]and they can even leave a few students suffering pangs of urban[PARA]loneliness (even though Newcastle is a generally friendly city). [PARA]But these students are the exceptions rather than the rule - most [PARA]make the most of the University and the city. There are many [PARA]trendy young things (the University has a good fashion school) [PARA]and alternative types. There are many shades of hair dye [PARA]reflecting the colourful set of backgrounds from which the [PARA]students emerge. The local relations are good, especially as [PARA]many students are local, although things can get a bit hairy on a [PARA]Friday or Saturday night. [EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE SITES:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]City Campus:[EBOLD] (main site) The main site is a mixture of 1880s [PARA]municipal buildings, such as the original redbrick Sutherland [PARA]Building, and 60s concrete architecture. Being just a continuation [PARA]of buildings and no greenery, it's fairly difficult to tell exactly [PARA]where the town stops and the campus starts. In Ellison Place, [PARA]the University has many [ITAL]attractive [EITAL]examples of early 19th century[PARA]buildings.[PARA][BOLD]Coach Lane:[EBOLD] (Educational Studies, Health, Behavioural Science, [PARA]Chemical and Life Sciences) 3 miles from the main site in Benton[PARA]([ITAL]quite a rough suburb[EITAL]), is the Coach Lane site, a modern [PARA]campus, [ITAL]clean and green[EITAL].[PARA][BOLD]Longhirst Hall: [EBOLD](Business School) Stately home 15 miles north of [PARA]Newcastle, in Morpeth, [ITAL]but not made of plasticene, and not [PARA]known to say 'obodoey' to Tony Hart.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Carlisle:[EBOLD] (Business Studies, Sports Studies) Opened in October [PARA]1992, this is a set of converted buildings many of which are listed,[PARA]in the town centre. For example, the library building used to be a [PARA]tea warehouse. [ITAL]Carlisle itself is an attractive city with a long [PARA]heritage[EITAL], not far from the Lake District, Eden Valley, the west [PARA]side of the North Pennines and the Solway Firth. In theory, it [PARA]provides business training opportunities for the people of [PARA]Cumbria, but business students from all over are able to opt to [PARA]study here rather than in Newcastle, [ITAL]although nobody's worried [PARA]about being crushed in the rush.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: [BULL] London: 255miles [BULL] Edinburgh: 94miles [BULL] [PARA]Manchester: 112miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]The River Tyne runs through Newcastle towards the North Sea, [PARA]just 8 miles away. The city itself is the [ITAL]fun hub[EITAL] of the Tyne and [PARA]Wear area and the shopping centre too. Among the [ITAL]monstrous [PARA]modern [EITAL]additions to the city centre are the Haymarket Metro [PARA]Station (the local station for the University) and the Eldon Square [PARA]Centre, a [ITAL]huge, ugly [EITAL]shopping mall. The trendiest areas for [PARA]shops are the markets: Green Market, Central Arcade and [PARA]Newgate Market. There are endless banks, late-night shops and [PARA]bookshops. Among the many museums and galleries, there's [PARA]the [ITAL]impressive [EITAL]Lang Art Gallery and the Side photographic [PARA]Gallery, [ITAL]where students can pick up arty posters a bit different [PARA]from James Dean or the tennis-player's bottom. [EITAL]A little bit south [PARA]is the town of Gateshead, where the vast Metro Centre is based.[PARA]It's more of a shopping town than a centre (the largest in Europe) [PARA]with expanses of shops, a 10-screen cinema, a bowling alley, [PARA]funfair, and 10 car parks, so enormous that the Centre employs [PARA]someone to help confused shoppers find their cars.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]The station's about 20mins from the city centre, or 2 by [PARA]Metro. Direct lines all over the country.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches: [EBOLD]Several coach companies, including Clipper, Blue Line [PARA]and National Express offer services to many other destinations, [PARA]for example London (ú17.50, 5:10hrs, 7/hr); Edinburgh (ú12.00, [PARA]2:45hrs, 3/hrs); Bristol (ú30.50, 6:45hrs, 1/day); Hull (ú13.00, [PARA]3:35hrs, 1/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car: [EBOLD]The A1 proper hooks round the edge of the city, but its ghost[PARA]follows a flyover that passes very close to the University. The [PARA]A69, A692, A696, A189 and A19 are all useful.[PARA][BOLD]Air: [EBOLD]Newcastle Airport, 6 miles from the centre, has many inland [PARA]and European flights.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching: [EBOLD]Good prospects from the routes out of the city, [PARA]especially on the A1.[PARA][BOLD]Local: [EBOLD]Bus routes through the city are regular, reliable and cheap.[PARA]There are 18 BR stations around the city and suburbs.[PARA][BOLD]Underground: [EBOLD][ITAL]The best underground system in the world is [PARA]Moscow's, but Newcastle's Metro comes a close second - clean,[PARA]cheap, reliable, and easy to use[EITAL]. [ITAL]It's noisy and not as extensive as[PARA]it could be, but it serves all the essential areas for students. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Taxis: [EBOLD]Cheaper than in most towns.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles: [EBOLD][ITAL]The city's hilly and full of traffic. There's nowhere to [PARA]leave bikes, and with the high theft rate, you need somewhere.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][BOLD]Carlisle:[EBOLD] Served by National Express coach services (London, [PARA]ú22.50, 3:05hrs, 4/day; Glasgow, ú9, 2hrs, 1/hr), and by many [PARA]trains on the mainline from Glasgow to London Euston (3:48hrs).[HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Arts and Design[EBOLD] 2,866[BOLD][PARA]Business[EBOLD] 3,700[BOLD][PARA]Soc Sci[EBOLD] 4,860[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 4,162[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 437,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 3,000 [BULL] Study places: 1,098[PARA][BULL] Computer workstations: 1,000[ESTAT][PARA]The main library is a brick and concrete structure with small [PARA]arrow-slit windows on the edge of a quadrangle in the City [PARA]Campus. There are smaller libraries at the other sites.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1992): 12.2%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The University has links with a number of other colleges: for [PARA]instance Hong Kong Poly and South Tyneside College.[PARA][BULL]Terms are semesterised.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Jeff Banks (fashion designer/Clothes Show presenter); Steve [PARA]Bell (Guardian cartoonist); Lionel Copely (designer for Kathryn [PARA]Hamnett); Steve Cram (athlete); Angela Pigford (athlete); Carole [PARA]Robb (chief designer for Monsoon).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, postgrads and part-timers, from [PARA]the Registry.
