What is studying in London really like?

[Tamar86]

DD is very keen on applying to university in London - UCL is her top choice (modern languages), and she also likes the look of Kings (European studies).

I’m concerned about:

The cost, especially in second and final year. Worried we might really struggle to afford accommodation. I know you get a slightly bigger loan in London, but worried it won’t be enough. We live several hours away, so commuting not an option.

The student experience - I’ve heard stories about most students commuting/living really spread out etc etc so it is hard to get to know people.

I actually did a 1 year masters at UCL myself. But I was older, already living with friends and able to commute in from a cheaper location, so slightly different. I didn’t need the social side of the uni, and I didn’t really get to know what it was like. Anyway, I expect things have changed in 20 years.

Not sure whether I should be fully supportive and enthusiastic, or the wet-blanket voice of reality.
It’s an expensive mistake if the experience turns out not to be so great in reality.

Dd also likes the look of Cardiff and Nottingham, which are much more affordable, and maybe offer a more standard tight-knit student experience. But of course UCL has more international prestige than either of them.

Planning a road trip in the summer to look at them all. London as a city is more exciting than Cardiff or Nottingham, let’s face it.
So it would be useful to have some up-to-date facts and personal experiences to discuss and weigh up.

[LSEMum]

DS loved it. Year 1 in halls. Year 2&3 at home. Most people stay to work in London after uni so he can still see them very often

[Octavia64]

My DC went to kings. Just graduated last year.

Loan is nowhere near enough,

We gave him a budget and he chose whether to have expensive halls and no money or vice versa. He went for a room with en suite but the cheapest one that did.
He got good at batch cooking and ate mostly chilli.

Second and third year he was in a shared house. He spent a lot of time on campus and at societies very little in the house.

A plus point of London is it is easy to get part time jobs.

He worked waiting on tables between his second and third year. (Covid lockdowns in the summer between his first and second year.).

Your child will almost certainly need a job unless you can afford to massively subsidise them or they can live at home,

[Stillnotagardener]

Have 2 in London, no regrets, lots of socialising. Expensive accommodation but part time jobs well paid. Dc2 gets paid up to £24-25/hour.

[clary]

Not got any London intel but be aware that ALL halls on Nottingham campus are catered so it’s either £££ on your first year (like, £9k in hall fees) or live off campus, which in my view defeats the object of a first year at a campus uni.

This is not standard btw - most campus unis offer SC accom that’s cheaper as well on campus eg Brum, lboro, Warwick.

[GogAndMagog]

@Stillnotagardener lord, what's he doing for that pay?? 😆

London is expensive. It's also amazing. But people do live spread out, there isn't that campus vibe or particular student area like in other big cities. I kind of missed that.

I'd say look at a few and get a feel.

[dizzydizzydizzy]

I've got two DCs at London unis. DC1 is in 4th year and Imperial and DC2 in 1st year at Royal Veterinary College (quite near to UCL).

Financially speaking, DC1 has had a WAY better experience. Imperial owns their own halls and charges a reasonable amount. Imperial also gives out grants and DC1 has receive £2k from them each year. DC1 got a flatshare in y2 and the landlord has hardly put the rent up so it is very reasonable compared with the market rate.

DC2's halls are ridiculously expensive. They are owned by Unite Students, not the Uni, AND they charge all through the summer holidays - there is no option to end the contract at the end of the summer term. DC2 does not get any money from the Uni. DC2 and current flatmates are looking for a flatshare for September - but rents are sky high.

[dizzydizzydizzy]

I meant to add both DCs love living in London.

[Octavia64]

These are the halls that Kings students use:

www.kcl.ac.uk/accommodation/residences

226 per week for an en-suite.

I think it's a 40 week contract so halls alone are about 9k a year.

[Stillnotagardener]

GogAndMagog.
One works as sports coach at a private school. She did do a one week course for which she had to pay.
Other DC worked as a carer, no special training. Also well paid but not easy, he did some night shifts. But if the person was desperate the offered payment went up...

[Stillnotagardener]

GogAndMagog.
One works as sports coach at a private school. She did do a one week course for which she had to pay.
Other DC worked as a carer, no special training. Also well paid but not easy, he did some night shifts. But if the person was desperate the offered payment went up...

[Tamar86]

I didn’t realise that about Nottingham 1st year, oh my goodness . But at least subsequent years would be cheaper, I suppose.

Cardiff is looking even more attractive now.

I think I need to make a spreadsheet of accommodation costs and bursaries.

[Stillnotagardener]

Neither of my two paid more than 40 weeks in first year.
Other possible advantage that you can get accommodation late in the year. You have to be quick but dc2 got her 2nd year flat around July.

[senua]

Cardiff is looking even more attractive now.
Don't forget that Cardiff is also a capital city. It's quite buzzy.

One of the great things about Uni can be making life-long friends. Lots of people stay in / near their Uni town and their student friends become their social circle. That doesn't happen so much if a large part of the cohort are international students who then go back to their home country. Check the ratio of home / international students at the London Universities.

[crazycrofter]

The self catered halls at Nottingham (Broadgate Park) are right next to the campus, just over the road, so I 'm not sure it makes much difference. My dd was in one of the catered halls, and she did feel in the centre of things (and it's a lovely campus) but the food was rubbish! The Broadgate Park site is huge so plenty of opportunities to make friends there too.

[crazycrofter]

None of dd's friends (she's second year) are planning to stay in Nottingham after graduating though, I don't think it's that sort of place? I'm not sure why? She wants to go to London!

[Maybeicanhelpyou]

I have a dd in Cardiff, she loves the city and the uni. Everywhere is a walkable distance, good night life in town and lovely parkland space. 15 minutes by train to lovely beaches too apparently!
Cheap rent in Cathays for years 2,3 and 4

[Waythroughwoods]

DD in 1st year at UCL and is living her best life! I was also worried about the social side and the cost.
She has made a lot of lovely friends - some are from Halls: being catered helped meeting people in the early days. Her Halls also have lots of events. She joined a few societies and has met friends from each. Her Humanities course is also sociable & well designed to help interaction - small seminar groups and group projects. UCL also arranged an online meet before they joined and she met 2 of her good friends from that. DD didn’t know anyone before she went but she is friendly & outgoing.
Cost has been fine this year. Halls were expensive but all bills and food included. She has a job paying £19ph a day a week and will do some work over the summer holidays. It’s really easy to find part time work and UCL also has well paid uni-based jobs. Lots of cheap ways of navigating London that they enjoy finding out about. But Clubbing costs (outside of sports night) are eye watering and I think this is what her hard-earned money goes on 😂!
I am nervous about next year. She has a budget for accommodation and we shall see what she finds.
Have to say, being in London seems fantastic for grad jobs - UCL is highly regarded and so close. She’s already attended range of events with future employers through uni societies and secured Spring vac schemes. Other DC at Cambridge and it’s been a much trickier experience!

[Stillnotagardener]

Maybe not a reason to chose London, but as there is often a "negative" feeling of having lots of international students; DC has made friends with international students which had made it easier to stay for free when abroad. And because she lives in London she can also have friends from abroad stay with her....

[TizerorFizz]

@Tamar86 For MFLs London unis don’t have any particular prestige. DD went to Bristol which is just as good. Durham is good too. Neither are cheap but are not London prices. Which MFLs is she looking at?

My sibling went to UCL back in the dark ages and even then students were spread all over in 2nd year onwards. It’s just how it is. You make friends to live with in first year and hope you agree where to live in second year but it can be quite a way out. So be prepared to dig deep. It doesn’t diminish the student experience and students can easily get work. They also have the advantages of London but it’s not cheap. Ignore people who mention living at home! DD2 was at uni in London and I know it’s very expensive.

I would check how many UK students are on the courses. DD1 looked at ESPS at UCL and most students were already bilingual and a huge number were from EU countries. I know you aren’t looking at this course but it’s quite a big factor in London. I don’t know much about Cardiff but Bristol I would suggest is a better bet for MFLs.

[clary]

@Tamar86

I didn’t realise that about Nottingham 1st year, oh my goodness . But at least subsequent years would be cheaper, I suppose.

Cardiff is looking even more attractive now.

I think I need to make a spreadsheet of accommodation costs and bursaries.

Yes lots of cheap accom for later years. I have been called out in this on MN before - there are SC halls at Nottingham but they are 10-15 min walk off campus - fine for sure but as it’s a campus four miles from the city, surely the point is to be on campus for the first year?

What about Brum, great big city feel? Or Leeds?

[clary]

@crazycrofter

The self catered halls at Nottingham (Broadgate Park) are right next to the campus, just over the road, so I 'm not sure it makes much difference. My dd was in one of the catered halls, and she did feel in the centre of things (and it's a lovely campus) but the food was rubbish! The Broadgate Park site is huge so plenty of opportunities to make friends there too.

Fair enough, maybe 10-minute walk is pushing it! It’s something to bear in mind tho imo. Such a lovely campus, I’d want to live on it.

[PhuckyNell]

My ds is doing his masters at ucl - he has lived in student accommodation for 3 years in Bethnal Green. He loves it - but like pp have said it's not cheap I give £100 a week and a few k a year for rent top ups. It's really given him life skills and I'm very glad he has done it even though I have had to sacrifice things for it. I can let you know the name of the accommodation if you like - my dd stayed there also for a few years. You get students from all the London unis at differing stages. It's not for first years though. Good luck!

[rubyslipperss]

DD loves being in London- can't work as course full on and has disability which means extra work would be too difficult. But v expensive halls 10k over 9 months first year and the same over a year 2 nd year in rented house with 12 month contract. We saved for about 3 years before she went to help afford.
Loves it though and will work there afterwards so worth it.

[rubyslipperss]

Meant to say also need to budget 2k a year in travel costs but she walks less so might be cheaper for someone else

[questiona]

Is it too late to change her choices? Like you, I did my Masters at UCL, but I went to Edinburgh for undergrad. As much as I loved UCL, I was in a similar situation to you (had friends, flat, and was a bit older) and I am SO glad I didn't go there for undergrad as I think I would've been swallowed up by the city. That said, I also don't think I would've liked living somewhere too campus-based.

Edinburgh was a perfect combination of the two for me: great for campus life and being a student in general, but also a buzzy city that is very fun in its own right. Expensive for Scotland but you can't compare it to London. Could this be an option? It's very charming - maybe it'll appeal more than Cardiff/Nottingham when you go on your trip?

Finally, if she's doing modern languages/European studies: being from the continent myself, I don't think Cardiff and Nottingham have much cachet outside of the UK sadly. Not commenting on the quality of the universities, but maybe something to be aware of if the ultimate goal is to live abroad.