Thrills and spills of studying in London

[stoneysongs]

A thread for supporters of DC heading to London unis - was originally going to be UCL which seems very popular this year, but expanded at @Needmoresleep's excellent suggestion.

For chats about moving in, what to take, living in London, whether an Oyster card is worth bothering with, how to do a big shop, where to park at drop off, the dreaded search for 2nd year accommodation etc etc etc

Tagging people I've spotted from the ex Oxbridge thread but all welcome including those with DC currently in London who can share their wisdom and anyone thinking of it for 2025 or beyond

@catmomof3
@lifeturnsonadime
@PotentialUCLmum
@CoffeeMugShot
@space99
@FebruarySmith
@mynameisnotmichaelcaine
@Summertimer

By way of intro I have a DD going to UCL to study BASc Arts and Sciences.

Wheely not weekly suitcases ! Sorry for all the messages!

One of our DC was at International Hall (UoL) last year and indeed, UCL students had different term dates to other constituent colleges/universities of UoL. Lots will be going on from move-in day onwards but at International Hall students were not randomly allocated across floors but grouped according to their own institution. So potentially a UCL student who arrived on move in day might be surrounded by empty rooms.

@daisydaisydaisy, you posted on another thread about your dc doing a degree at Imperial (similar to the one my ds will be studying). Do you know if there is time in the week to get a part time job (up to 8 hours a week)?

Thanks @mrssquidink for the info on how the loan and accommodation payments work. Hoping to hear where ds has been allocated this week.

Enrolment forms received in a link by DD today for UCL. Apparently her friend spent 6 hours filling in the Glasgow ones so allow enough time!

Went ikea and they didn't have the uni starter box, in fact they had no idea what they were which was annoying.

Just found this thread.
Dd is going to KCL .
Living in hayloft point.

Have you tried the Greenwich one? Thought I saw some in there.

@@Lightsabre We went to the one near the o2 they was clueless. I don't drive so it's hard to get to another one.

If need be there is now a small Ikea in Hammersmith accessible by public transport.

I would hold off buying too much till you know what storage there is. There are small supermarkets everywhere, a fruit and veg market in Berwick St Soho, and so no need for a big shop. One problem with buying from IKEA is that others might have the same. Charity shops will often have unique everyday kitchen essentials or things can be ordered from Amazon. (A good mattress topper is one example of something that might well be needed.)

@Needmoresleep We didn't buy too much luckily from ikea.

Just found this London thread 🤗, Dd is going to IC to study Med.

Welcome @Unicornbabe06, ds also starting at IC. Hopefully we'll hear about accommodation allocation this week. Is your dc living out?

@Lightsabre Yes, she will be living out, we are waiting to hear about accommodation allocation too, from school website it says early Sept.

For UCL can they have a clothes drying rack if it's not heated?

DS1 is starting at Imperial.

Getting impatient to hear which hall he has been given... hopefully the email will come next week.

I bought a small one. £6 in Sainsbury the other day!

They have a list of what's not allowed - I'm sure a non heated airer is ok.

List is here under what not to bring

www.ucl.ac.uk/accommodation/current-residents/new-residents

Does anyone know when we might expect to hear about Imperial accommodation allocation? I'm getting a bit twitchy.

I looked on the website yesterday @Partridgewell and it said beginning of September so hopefully on Monday. Which block is your dc hoping for? Ds would like Beit or Wilson but we also liked the North Acton accommodation which is a good price considering they're mostly en suite.

Another UCL halls question, does the laundry room come with fabric washer etc or does my DD need to bring her own?

That I don't know, but DD has been invited to a webinar before she goes where she will meet the student reps at her accommodation, so that would maybe be a good time to ask.

@stoneysongs I don't think DD has one for her accommodation yet. She's not mentioned it.

DD got an email last week inviting her to one webinar that same day (which she missed) and another one to meet the reps, I think it's on 11 September.

Still no planning or shopping happening here, I think she's applied for a bank account but that's it 😬