Napier University - Student View

A triangle of 3 main sites in south west Edinburgh, plus other sites for nurses and midwives. Main campuses easily accessible; good bus service between them and from the centre of town. The Jack Kilby Centre at Merchiston offers 24/7 computing facilities and there's a brand new state of the art business school recently opened at Craiglockhart.

University sees itself as providing 'really useful' degrees; a lot of teaching involves collaborative student projects and group presentations (the format of modern business). Most students come from state schools; some 25% are mature on entry and a small but fast-growing number of international students.

Around a third of students live within commuting distance; rest in flats (mainly in student enclaves in south of the city).

Students' Association runs bars at homely 12 Merchiston Place and at Craiglockhart (brand new Craiglockhart Bar). Shops also at Merchiston and Craiglockhart; student advice service at 3 main campuses promotes safe sex (one of Lothian's biggest distributor of free condoms). Also an independent student newspaper, Veritas.

City awash with excellent bars, mutliplex and art-house cinema, theatres and night clubs. Edinburgh is a fantastic place to live (loads of residents moved there as students and never left). Visually stunning - bordered by sea to the east and north, hills to the south - and contrasting architecture of old and new towns is awesome.

It's big enough to avoid the people you don't want to see, but wee enough to know what the people you don't want to see are up to. Compact and tenemented in the centre, it's very walkable/ skateboardable/ cyclable (good cycle lanes).

If you're not so sporty, good buses and reasonably priced (cut-rate passes for students). Plenty of green spaces to languish on those rare sunny days. But deepest winter can be pretty cold and dark, so bring your woollies and your s.a.d lamp for extra rays.