**The views expressed in this article the author’s and not necessarily those of UniversityAdvice.com. **

Looking for the low-down on the best pubs in town? Here are a few pointers from your fellow brew master students for choosing the best pub for you and your friends.

Location, Location, Location…
For your daily pint, location is the most important factor to consider. For friends, both old and new, the inconvenience of straying too far from campus simply isn’t worth the effort. If you pick one of the local pubs within walking distance or a short bus ride from campus, just about everyone can afford the time and money to join you for a drink. Try to make a daily trip to a more distant bar just isn’t worth the effort for many a university student. By keeping things close to the university, you ensure that no one needs to go too far out of their way for their favorite beer.

Local bars are normally familiar to the majority of university students, so asking new people to join you is more likely to elicit a ‘yes’ from your new invitees. Try to ask that new girl from psychology to go an hour out of her way to go to some strange bar might not go over too well (if it does, you’ve done better than me!), but if you invite her to come along to the local hangout, you’re chances of her agreeing are likely to improve. Additionally, should you or one of your friends happen to drink a little too much, the quick trip back to residence or your home will be a godsend. Take my word on it.

Student friendly
Let’s face it, we students tend to get a bit rowdy at times. Be it winning the big game, finishing three lab reports the hour before they were due, or passing that final exam, students just seem to have so many reasons to be excited. Sometimes, this can lead us to drink a little more than we should, talk a little louder than your average Joe, and in general, not be the favorite customers of many an establishment.

However, some bars have grown to known and love the energy university students seem to radiate, and make the extra effort to be friendly to the fun loving people that we are. These bars are usually those that have sprouted up close to your university. Knowing which bars are student friendly is therefore another important factor you should consider when planning your pub nights. Why spoil the night by getting kicked out of one pub, when another one would have been happy to let you chug your beers and have your fun.

Keeping things kosher
While on the topic of student friendly bars, it is also worth pointing out that you as a student do represent all university students to some extent when you pay a trip to your favorite watering hole. There’s a lot you can do to make the barkeeper want to kick you out, and a few things you can do to make him want you to come back.

The way some bartenders treat university students they’re almost asking for trouble, but for the most part, when you’re tossed out and told not to come back, you probably did something to deserve it. Don’t spoil a good bar for the rest of us. Try not to aggravate other bar patrons, and avoid conflict when possible. Maybe you’re in the right, but it’s just not worth being kicked out or having the cops come round. Even student friendly bar owners have their limits. If you see that you’re getting on their nerves, it might be worth keeping on their good side by leaving early that night. Yes, many bars may depend on business from students, but those students don’t need to be you.

Barkeeper friends can also be great assets to have when you need a cab, to put one more beer on the tab, or get the much sought after “here's a beer on the house”. Given this fact, there are also a few ways to make up for the occasional wrongdoings that may arise during times of inebriation. Make up for what you did, and accept the consequences of your actions. If you make a mess or break something, apologize and offer to pay to have it replaced rather than making a dash for the door. If you respect the bar, the bar will respect you. And what’s a man (or woman) without respect?

The price is right
It’s almost as if our bodies were designed to process alcohol, the way some students drink. Drinking can therefore get to be quite expensive, especially when you drink frequently. If you’re paying three to four dollars a shot and you’re drinking more than three beers a night, that’s ten bucks out of your pocket. Repeat this process three or four times a night, eight months a year and you’re spending $1280 on booze. This is before the price of transportation and food.

Choosing a pub that best fits the budget should therefore be a factor you consider when choosing your watering hole. I’m not suggesting you go to the cheapest, most run down pub in town to save an extra 25 cents a pint, but if two pubs are relatively equal in terms of location and student friendliness, why pay any more than you have to? If you’re not planning to need a menu with a ton of variety, or don’t care about what kind of art adorns the pub’s walls, why pay for it?

The beer store, the most frequented pub of all
So true, so true… Where would we be without our local beer store, for that wake-me-up beer, or for when the pub has closed for the night? I know, the thought of a night out at the pub can seem more appealing than staying at home drinking, but part of the reason pub night is special is because it is a change from the ordinary. For some of you, this may not be the case, but hear me out. If all you want is a daily drink, it might not be worth it to always trundle down to the pub, when you could easily store enough liquor to meet your needs in your fridge, for a fraction of the cost.

A bottle of beer from the beer store can be bought for as low as one dollar nowadays, if you buy it on special. So to help pay the ridiculous tuition costs we all face, it might be worth skipping the pub every now and then so that you can be lazy, grab a brewskie from the fridge, call a few friends from the couch, and have a little fun from the comforts of home. Corny? Perhaps just a little. But when done occasionally with the right people, you can save money and have just as much fun.

The UniversityAdvice.com bottom line:
How you pick your pub has been investigated by so many university students that it has practically become a science of its own. By considering the location, whether the bar is student friendly, and the cost of different pubs, you can make the most of your chillin’. Additionally, it may be worth the odd trip to the beer store to add a little variety to your nights, save yourself a little effort, and put a little extra money in your pocket.

Cheers!

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