What’s it like being a student in London do you have to be mega rich?

[EachandEveryone]

Can just and ordinary student survive?. I mean there’s no spare money Except the odd £50 on pay day and of course I will do food shopping for her but realistically what is it like for uni? UAL she never thought she would get in but has so now it’s a dilemma. Camberwell.

I went to uni years ago in London at UCL and then Kings. We hardly ever went out at weekends as it was too expensive. Most bars and the student union would do cheaper student nights during the week. Accommodation was the main expense I'd say. Unfortunately even the student halls weren't always very close to the university. I did have to get a part time job in the end to cover the costs of living. It felt very different from my friends at campus unis and in retrospect for me a campus uni with everything on site would have worked better. But I was 18 and hadn't lived in the UK for 4 years. I hadn't done much research about unis and went to UCL because a friend from school applied.
The teaching was brilliant and I met a lot of interesting people. Good luck to your DD

My DSD is in her third year at London Uni. She has a beautiful house share with friends and friends of friends (7), and pays £450 a month in south London. She finds the loan enough to live on although she’s not a massive drinker. The other house mates are a mix of working and students so maybe a different feel to it.

Watching with interest. DS2 off to Kingston, hopefully into Middle Mill.

Am terrified for him as he struggles to make friends 😢

Yes and I’m worried coming from a small Northern Town that she might feel out of her depth meeting people from all over the world, UAL does have a massive overseas intake as it’s so well known especially for fashion. Obviously that’s one of the benefits but she is quite shy it’s hard to imagine what it will be like. I’ve tried to tell her imagine coming from India on your own with no family here. She seems fine tbf it’s the rest of us worrying about money and her lack of common sense. I know she’s incredibly lucky to have the opportunity and will quickly have to grow up.

My DD left London after a year because she saw all her friends in Northern university towns having much more fun. We gave her a more generous weekly allowance than any of her friends and she still had a very reduced social life. She later studied in NYC, Milan and London but truly appreciates her undergrad experience in a cheaper town.

Congrats to your dd, Camberwell is a fab choice!
UAL accommodation is very expensive compared to places outside of London.
Also she will have to pay for art materials which can be super expensive depending on what course she is on.
There are loads of trips to galleries so a tube pass can be worthwhile - students get a discounted rate.
Depending on the degree, some require you to be in studio 9-5 each day which makes having a job more difficult, and jobs are likely to be in shorter supply in coronatimes.
There are A LOT of very rich students at UAL, far more than at an average uni in my experience, and also a very high percent of international students although this might change due to Covid 19.

Fine art. It will be like Pulp Common People😀

dd was at UAL, on maximum loan.
she also had further bank loans.
she was uncomfortable with so many well off students as well as international non communicative students.

she got through it!
it is a prestigious uni.

however the availability of art galleries is fantastic, she loves london

@CrowdedHouseinQuarantine is your dd working in the creative industries now?

no @Snog
she is floundering i must admit

she work as waitress full time but never had time to pursue her art, nor the money
and so has come home to re-evaluate

@CrowdedHouseinQuarantine I think it's often a difficult time after graduation and the struggle of being an artist is real!

Exactly

Well that’s the other thing jobs afterwards.

Does she have a plan op?

Medical illustrator I didn’t know there was such a thing, she got an A is psychology so Art Therapy is another one, the thing is she’s not your typical arty type. When you see the flamboyant type that are going to say Martins she’s not like that. She’s quietly determined and obsessed with detail, we’ve seen a student village in Tooting that houses medical students etc it’s cheap but unfortunately 50 mins on the bus. She would be better living with a mixed bag of students though at first. I think Elephant and Castle is also set out like that,

Great to hear she has a plan

Have you spoken to the university about financial help? Will she get full loan? Sit down and do the sums.
For art students London is an amazing place to be, and honestly you do just figure it out. Camberwell is very prestigious and she’ll get brilliant teaching.

Thank you it’s reassuring do you think we should look at halls that take students from different unis?

I would try and get halls with other UAL students if you can, especially if you’re worried about your DD making friends and being shy. It’s one thing making all new friends, but if you can’t even go to the same Union/Uni nights out as those you live with that’ll make things even harder. Arts students together at least have some common ground too.

@BuffaloCauliflower

I would try and get halls with other UAL students if you can, especially if you’re worried about your DD making friends and being shy. It’s one thing making all new friends, but if you can’t even go to the same Union/Uni nights out as those you live with that’ll make things even harder. Arts students together at least have some common ground too.

Absolutely agree with this. Some of DD's friends at Newcastle were in halls with students at Northumbria, and they didn't gel at all. There is a bit of rivalry between the universities anyway, and not always friendly rivalry.

There doesn’t seem to be a uni bar that one thing that puts us off

DD never went to the student union when she was in halls, and her halls didn't have a bar. They just went into town.

Can’t book any accommodation yet until she gets her confirmation ID😟