Tom Dennison has just graduated from the University of Liverpool with combined honours in politics and Egyptology

"LIVERPOOL IS an attractive city and as far as night-life is concerned, it's on the rise, big time. It's a poor city, which means that property is cheap and new bars and clubs are opening almost overnight.

"Manchester won't admit it, but Liverpool is catching up really fast and it's a much more manageable city for entertainment, anyway.

"The students' union had been damaged by fire in my first year so it didn't offer much, but in the second two years it improved enormously. The beer is really cheap. It can be 50p a pint sometimes, and is usually only pounds 1. There are some half-decent indie bands and it is very good for comedy.

"On top of that, the city itself is brilliant. For my money, it's better than Manchester. The Scousers are the friendliest people in England. It's very cosmopolitan, with a huge Irish culture, and at two in the morning it's like being in a holiday resort. And if you want cultural things, they are there too.

"You can't really recommend pubs and clubs because the scene changes so fast. But you can guarantee there'll be something good opening up tomorrow."