8 REASONS TO STUDY IN THE UK’S COUNTRYSIDE

⊙ By Ziyi Zhou

翻译：Wendy

8 REASONS TO STUDY IN THE UK’S COUNTRYSIDE

到英国乡下上学去

⊙ By Ziyi Zhou

翻译：Wendy

如果有机会到英国留学，你会选伦敦，还是利物浦，或者是爱丁堡呢？有想过到英国乡村去深造吗？这可不是开玩笑，位于英国乡村的大学并不比在大城市的大学逊色，而且还有着其他你意想不到的好处。看看过来人是怎么说的吧。

Choosing a university is never an easy thing to do. Many international students regard large cities like London or Edinburgh as their dream places to go. And they are great—the diverse culture, smart transport systems, and reputations of exciting nightlife. But from what I’ve experienced over the past two years at Lancaster University (on acampus[校园]in the countryside of Lancashire, north England), studying in the countryside has its own uniquewonders[奇妙]that large cities cannotmatch[比得上].

Here are eight reasons why I love living and studying in the UK’s countryside…

1. Low Cost of Living

Living in the countryside will save you a lot of money, especially on the cost of accommodation. For example, some of my friends in London pay £150 per week foren suite[套间]student accommodation, but in Lancaster it’s only £90. And you will save the money on transport as well. If you live on campus, transport will be free—it’s only a 10-minute walk from your room to your classes!

2. Safety

The UK has a relatively high safetyindex[指数]anyway, but the countryside is particularly safe. My personal experiences can prove this perfectly—once, I forgot my phone in a public ladies’ room for a whole Saturday afternoon. All my friends and I thought it must have been stolen. But when I went back to look for it, without hope, it was lying right there on the sink where I left it. It hadn’t moved at all!

3. Peace and Quiet

The UK’s countryside is not only safe,but also quiet. Here you will be away from traffic noise and enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep every night. And I should warn you, this silence will be extremely helpful when there are deadlines approaching.

4. Friendly Atmosphere

Local people here are also friendly and helpful. They will smile at you, talk to you, and make you feel welcome. Last year, I joined the annual town festival named Light Up Lancaster. In the festival, the whole town made me feel like I was part of a huge family! Because I went there on my own, many local people came to talk to me and asked me to join them.

5. Large-Scale Facilities

Unlike some universities that arelocated[位于]in city centres, most universities in the countryside have a lot of land, which provides the space for a variety of sports grounds and function rooms. My university is an example—it has 360 acres ofparkland[公用场地], with not just an indoor gym but also outdoor sports grounds for basketball, football, tennis andcricket[板球].

6. A Lot of Festivals

With all this land, many universities in the countryside take the opportunity to hold frequent school festivals. We have two large festivals andnumerous[多个的]smaller activities each year, including the annual Lancaster Carnival and an annual sports competition called The Roses. Activities like these give you a more energetic, more colourful student life, as well as a strong sense ofbelonging[归属].

7. Relaxing in the Countryside

Nothing could be better to calm your nerves than walking in the countryside. Living on campus means you can take a long walk every day—you can breathe fresh air andgaze[盯]at the incredible view of endless greenmeadows[草地]. There is no point being stressed here, because every second feels like a fresh new start.

8. Fun, Convenient and Affordable Nightlife

Countryside nightlife might not be as exciting as in cities, but I think it’sdefinitely[明确地]more student-friendly. In Lancaster, bars in town usuallycooperate[合作]with student unions or societies, so students can enter for free. Best of all, in order to attract students, some bars hold different themes each day. So be prepared to have fun in the same bar two nightsin a row[连续]!

选择就读哪一所大学从来都不是一件容易的事情。很多到英国来的留学生视大城市为理想之地，比如伦敦或爱丁堡等。大城市确实很棒——那里有多元的文化、完善的交通系统，还以精彩的夜生活著称。但据我过去两年在兰卡斯特大学（校区位于英格兰北部兰开夏郡乡间）就读的经历，在乡村地区上学有着大城市无法比拟的独特优势。

以下是我喜欢在英国乡村地区生活及学习的八点理由：

1.生活成本低

在乡村生活可以让你省下很多钱，尤其是住宿费用。例如，我在伦敦的一些朋友住的是带独立卫浴的学生宿舍，每周的房租是150英镑（约合人民币1282元），而在兰卡斯特仅需90英镑（约合人民币770元）。同时，你还可以省下一笔交通费。因为如果你住在校园内，交通是免费的——从宿舍到教室只需步行10分钟！

2.安全

英国的安全系数本来就相对较高，在乡村地区尤为安全。我的个人经历可以充分证明这一点。有一次，我把手机遗落在一间公共女厕里，整整过了一个周六下午，我及所有朋友都认为它肯定被偷走了。但当我不抱任何希望回去寻找时，它还躺在洗涤槽上——我就是把它忘在那儿的，连位置都没挪过！

3.安宁与平静

英国的乡村不仅安全，还很平静。这里远离交通的喧闹，每晚都可以睡个安稳觉。我还要提醒你，当交作业的限期快到时，这种寂静特别有用。

4.友好的气氛

这里的居民也很友好，而且乐于助人。他们会对你微笑，与你交谈，让你感觉宾至如归。去年，我参加了一年一度城镇庆祝活动——“点亮兰卡斯特”。在活动中，整个城镇让我觉得自己就是这个大家庭中的一员！因为我是一个人去的，很多当地人都会过来与我交谈，邀请我参加他们的活动。

5.大型设施

与位于城市中心的大学不同，大多数在乡村地区的大学占地面积很大，为各种体育场所及功能活动室提供了空间。我就读的大学就是一个例子——学校的公共用地有360英亩（约1.46平方公里），不仅建有室内体育馆，还有篮球场、足球场、网球场，以及板球场等户外运动场所。

6.众多的节庆活动

拥有如此开阔的空间，很多乡村地区的大学借此优势经常举办各种校园活动。每年我们有两个大型节庆活动及许多小型活动，包括一年一度的“兰卡斯特嘉年华”及名为“玫瑰”的年度体育竞赛。这些活动让你精力更加充沛，学生生活更加丰富多彩，还会产生强烈的归属感。

7.在乡间放松身心

没有什么比在乡间散步更能缓解你的紧张情绪。住在校园里就意味着你每天都可以长时间散步——你能呼吸到新鲜的空气，看到一望无际的绿色草坪美景。人在这里不会感到有压力，因为每秒钟都像是一个全新的开始。

8.有趣、方便并且价格实惠的夜生活

乡村的夜生活或许不像城市的那么令人兴奋，但我认为这里肯定更加适合学生。在兰卡斯特，镇上的酒吧通常与学生会或社团进行合作，因此学生可以免费入场。最好的一点是：为了吸引学生，一些酒吧每天都会推出不同的主题活动。因此准备好了，你可以连续两晚在同一家酒吧玩个尽兴！