r/Glasgow Tools

Title	Has anybody here also lived in London? What would you say are the major differences in living in Glasgow if you are used to living in London?
Author	cornbreadtikka
Body	I’m an American PhD student who is nearing an offer to study at the University of Glasgow. While I currently live in the United States, I have lived in the United Kingdom before. I lived in London for a year for my Masters degree and I really enjoyed it. That said, I am fully aware that London is unlike most places in England, let alone a Scottish city. If you’ve lived in both London and Glasgow, what would you say are the major differences? For reference, I did visit Glasgow briefly in route to Loch Lomond so I’m not totally unfamiliar with the city. However, visiting and living somewhere are two different beasts. I am particularly interested in responses that can touch on the following topics… 1) Making friends as an international/non-local. London has lots of internationals so even though I found it difficult to make friends with locals in London, I felt like there were lotta internationals in similar positions to me. Would you say that it is easier or harder to make friends as a non-local in Glasgow? 2) The weather. I know the weather is grey and cold in Scotland, but is the difference that notable when compared to London? I’m not exactly expecting or wanting Florida weather here. 3) Diversity in the food. I had a classmate at my masters program who came from Edinburgh. I remember him saying that the food in Glasgow was depressing and fairly uniform (but then again he could just be a “c*** from Edinburgh” as Kevin Bridges would say). I know that London is a bigger city but I would love to be able to get a wide range of food as I particularly have an obsession with various types of Indian and Turkish cuisines. 4) Safety. I hate to bring this up because I know it’s something that gets discussed decently frequently in relation to Glasgow. I was never a victim of crime in London but I found it strange how people portray Glasgow as rough or violent when London seemed to have a serious problem of their own. Does Glasgow really feel less safe than London? I assume that it must be like the United States where certain areas drive the crime numbers. I know that it seems like I might be a bit negative, but I didn’t feel the need to list all of the great things about Glasgow here. I could tell from just two nights in the city that it was cheaper and a bit more relaxed than London so please do not think that I’m only comparing Glasgow in a negative fashion. I’m just genuinely curious to hear from people with experiences in both of the cities. I’m not trying to decide between London or Glasgow. I’m just trying to contextualize Glasgow with a place I know better.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/pg05wh/has_anybody_here_also_lived_in_london_what_would/
Created	Wed 1st Sep 2021 7:40pm
Status	normal (Removed by [])

I’m an American PhD student who is nearing an offer to study at the University of Glasgow. While I currently live in the United States, I have lived in the United Kingdom before. I lived in London for a year for my Masters degree and I really enjoyed it. That said, I am fully aware that London is unlike most places in England, let alone a Scottish city. If you’ve lived in both London and Glasgow, what would you say are the major differences?

For reference, I did visit Glasgow briefly in route to Loch Lomond so I’m not totally unfamiliar with the city. However, visiting and living somewhere are two different beasts.

I am particularly interested in responses that can touch on the following topics…

1) Making friends as an international/non-local. London has lots of internationals so even though I found it difficult to make friends with locals in London, I felt like there were lotta internationals in similar positions to me. Would you say that it is easier or harder to make friends as a non-local in Glasgow?

2) The weather. I know the weather is grey and cold in Scotland, but is the difference that notable when compared to London? I’m not exactly expecting or wanting Florida weather here.

3) Diversity in the food. I had a classmate at my masters program who came from Edinburgh. I remember him saying that the food in Glasgow was depressing and fairly uniform (but then again he could just be a “c*** from Edinburgh” as Kevin Bridges would say). I know that London is a bigger city but I would love to be able to get a wide range of food as I particularly have an obsession with various types of Indian and Turkish cuisines.

4) Safety. I hate to bring this up because I know it’s something that gets discussed decently frequently in relation to Glasgow. I was never a victim of crime in London but I found it strange how people portray Glasgow as rough or violent when London seemed to have a serious problem of their own. Does Glasgow really feel less safe than London? I assume that it must be like the United States where certain areas drive the crime numbers.

I know that it seems like I might be a bit negative, but I didn’t feel the need to list all of the great things about Glasgow here. I could tell from just two nights in the city that it was cheaper and a bit more relaxed than London so please do not think that I’m only comparing Glasgow in a negative fashion. I’m just genuinely curious to hear from people with experiences in both of the cities. I’m not trying to decide between London or Glasgow. I’m just trying to contextualize Glasgow with a place I know better.