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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

London Uni if you are from London - tips

13 replies

loofah2 · 04/07/2021 09:46

DD is heading to a london uni in Autumn and we are from London. She is going to UCL. Wondering if anybody has any tips of how to get the most out of this situation, if you already have or have had a DC go to a London uni and live in London. DD is planning to live out the first year and then see after that for other years.

OP posts:
Hirewiredays · 04/07/2021 09:50

I wish I'd done this. I am from London but went to uni in The Midlands. All my friend's went to London after uni.

Hirewiredays · 04/07/2021 09:50

My sister did this and lived at home for the third and four year of her studies. By then she over the partying and living with others.

Hirewiredays · 04/07/2021 09:51

*She was

Oldowl · 04/07/2021 09:54

Find out where your nearest Lidl is!!

Walk as much as possible you see so much more.

Do lots of the free stuff that the city offers... watching the sunset from Primrose Hill with friends, walking through Neal's Yard etc.

I will ask DD for other tips.

DelurkingAJ · 04/07/2021 09:58

Many years ago I did a PhD at Imperial so had a tutorial group of 4. They were all Londoners and moved back home after first year. They were a lot less independent (in my eyes) than those who lived out but from an expenses point of view anything else would have been madness.

Oldowl · 04/07/2021 13:43

@loofah2

DD is heading to a london uni in Autumn and we are from London. She is going to UCL. Wondering if anybody has any tips of how to get the most out of this situation, if you already have or have had a DC go to a London uni and live in London. DD is planning to live out the first year and then see after that for other years.
Sorry, I may have got the wrong end of the stick. Is she living at home or living out in halls?

If she is at home, my advice is to go to campus as much as possible as it will be very lonely if online lectures continue. She may want to work in the library or in UCL study areas in order to make friends. Anyone living in halls were not allowed visitors and could only mix with their corridor in halls. All communal areas such as the common room, games room, bar etc were taped off.

loofah2 · 04/07/2021 17:18

She is planning on living in Halls in the first year

OP posts:
flipflo · 05/07/2021 11:26

Has your DD definitely got into Halls, OP? A friend's DD thinks students from outside London get prioritised in terms of Halls, so that's putting her off UCL and Kings - I think she's worried she'll end up a long way from the centre. She's applying for 2022.

Needmoresleep · 05/07/2021 15:01

flipflo's DD's friend is wrong. Some London Universities guarantee accommodation to ALL first year. These used to include UCL, LSE and Imperial, but not KCL, though up to date information will be on websites.

DS tested LSEs policy as we live within easy walking distance, yet he was still offered a place, actually at one of the closest halls, though admittedly he heard quite late. I assume they knew there would be some drop outs so did not confirm his room till after results day.

It was fine. He lived in hall first year, and then a room came up within an established flat. We probably saw him for no more time than we would have, had he been further away, though more frequently and for shorter periods. I sometimes took him for coffee or lunch when I was passing, or he would have things delivered home and then collect them, having checked first what was for dinner.

Many of his friends came home for their second or third years, and DS lived at home during his Masters year. Again this was fine. He was in a routine, so worked effectively office hours in the library and then either caught up with friends or came home.

My impression based on his experience and DDs experience in both Bristol and London, is that because London students are scattered more happens on campus, and the library/campus are busier later and for longer (vacations, evenings etc.) The tip therefore is to join societies and if it suits, use the library to work.

loofah2 · 05/07/2021 21:54

Thank you for all these tips. It's true DD hasn't got a confirmed accommodation yet as UCL doesn't start allocating these until results day but we did check if there was anything about living in London making you a lower priority. There was no such thing.

It's good to know that a lot more goes on campus and thank you @Needmoresleep for sharing your experience. It helps to imagine how it could possibly be. I too can see more frequent shorter visits.

OP posts:
flipflo · 06/07/2021 13:44

Thanks, Needmoresleep and loofah2, I will pass that info on. Really helpful!

Needmoresleep · 06/07/2021 14:34

loofah, I assume your DD might be in a position that many Londoners find themselves in. UCL, LSE, Imperial, KCL etc offer some very good, internationally recognised, courses, which can be the best academic option, especially for those rejected by Oxbridge. So the obvious choice even if you don't want to stay in your home town.

It worked out well for DS, who stayed on at LSE for his Masters even though he had an offer from Oxford, and indeed for some of his friends who thrived at UCL and Imperial, and who gained great starts to their future careers.

London Universities are different from Oxbridge, which is again different from campus universities or from places like Bristol. It is hard to generalise but I think engagement is the key. Engage with your fellow students, wherever they come from and whatever background they have, and it will be an enriching experience. Engage with the academic side, including joining the subject society and attending office hours. Just about everyone passes through London so there is huge scope for enrichment activities such as talks by visiting lecturers. A personal view, though I may get flamed, is that some students stick within narrow social groups and spend time in the library rather than showing an interest in broader aspects of their subject. (The LSE cliché is the student determined to get their first and their job with Goldman Sachs, with the degree just a means to an end.) DS found that most academics were therefore really supportive to undergraduates who showed active interest in what they were being taught.

Then be proactive with a social life. Join things. It is not quite as easy as Universities where you can normally count on making friends in your flat or in your hall. People are scattered, but there are plenty of societies, sports and so on, and a chance to make friends with people who share your interests.

The transition can be easier. In his first term DS saw old school friends who were at UCL and Imperial, as well as one who was taking a gap year. And those at Oxbridge initially seemed to be returning every other weekend. (DD found plenty in Bristol who went home most weekends in their first term.) Slowly the balance shifted as he and others got caught up in University life. Studying in London is quite different from either being a child in London or working there, and it often requires a level of self-motivation. But if you have that, it can be really rewarding.

aibutohavethisusername · 09/07/2021 03:29

We live about 25 minutes by train from London. DD has just finished first year at UCL. She was in private halls and didn’t really meet anyone.

She has decided to stay at home for the second year and commute to London. She has a job here again and her friends. I think staying in halls effected her mental health a lot. Mainly due to COVID.

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