Making friends at UCL

[Spaceandtimeoutside]

My DD has been offered a place at UCL for September doing a course she is very keen on but she is in two minds about it because she is worried about how hard it might be to make friends at a London uni. Does anyone have any recent experience on UCL that might help her decide?
Her other option is Durham where her sister currently is and we do like the college system and all the societies offered at college level as well as uni level, but the course is better at UCL.

My son is in his second year at UCL and has loads of very good friends.

i really don't think she needs to worry.

Why would it be harder to make friends? My nephew is at his first year and is in private halls with people from different universities. Some UCL, some not. But they are all still first year students who he has made friends with. He’s having a blast.

It's no different from any other university although it does have more overseas students due to its international high ranking. Although we are in London, my son went in to UCL halls for first year because I was concerned that he would not make friends at home (it was 2020, so all online learning). He made loads of friends and is now back there doing a Masters and meeting a whole new group of people. London rents are higher, but I think a UCL student gets a much broader experience than a Durham one. DH did his Masters at Durham and I think he would agree. Also, there are more job opportunities in London for once they graduate and they already have friends in the city so they are not starting from scratch.

Two great options. DS went to Durham and I am certain the college system eased the first year. But by year 2 his friends at other universities seemed equally settled.
London and Durham are very different environments. Does she not feel a pull to one in particular? Obviously course content is important but will she get the most out of it if she is struggling socially? Conversely would she regret taking the second choice course because it is the start of a specific career path?

DS is now in his 3rd or 4 years there. He’s actually doing a year abroad and loving it. UCL is fantastic according to him. He’s made loads of friends through halls and his course and has friends at the other London unis. He’s had quite a few fly out to see him recently. It’s also a great location for attending other cultural events if that’s her thing. He got a decent job and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

@Spaceandtimeoutside
My DC graduated last summer. He now has many dozens of friends all over London and, as it's very international, all over the world.

He was in an inter-collegiate hall in first year, a house share in second year, and lived at home in third year (we live in Greater London).

Most of his friends were made in halls and from the sports club he was a member of. He made fewer friends on his course.

Now he's graduated, but many of his friends are doing another year, or have started working in London, so he still has a very active post-uni social life, as well as a social life through his new job. Plus, he has lots of invitations to visit friends abroad.

They’re both two good unis . Has she visited ? How did she feel when she visited regarding the course , lecturers etc which modules does she prefer? Where can she see herself living ? Making friends at uni is all about luck with who you get out in halls with and putting yourself out there . There are children that thrive and struggle at any uni . it’s one of my worries with our youngest because m sure she will enjoy her course and keep up with the demands of it , I’m just worried that she will make friends or find the right society for her because of how reserved she is. I think it’s normal to worry about this as a parent.

My children went to London unis that weren't UCL. You can easily make friends. Main way is in halls. Then there are societies and you'll me m naturally make friends at university.

My DS had no trouble making friends at UCL.

It would be the same at any uni.

I went to UCL... I don’t agree it’s all the same, I think (although I never went to one so maybe I’m wrong, that’s my perception from growing up in a city with a campus uni) that there can be a difference between a campus and non campus university. Even in halls my friends from my course were in the halls an hour away from me, let alone when we moved out in 2nd year.

I went to UCL and made friends in halls much the same as my DD has in Durham. However, they are completely different experiences. Would she prefer the big city life with all the culture etc on the doorstep but having to travel for pretty much everything or the attractive town that is quite small and university dominated but everyone and everything is within walking distance and the collegiate system provides a much bigger range of clubs etc.? Also, Durham is expensive but nothing compared to London. I went to UCL for the course (only place in the country that did it) and loved it but I would have preferred the Durham environment. On balance, no regrets, so it depends on how keen she is on the course.

My DH went to UCL and would agree - I went to a campus uni and it was so easy to make close friends. That said we are both still in touch with our university friends and we are mid 40s!

My DC all went to London unis (as we went to London) and it's so good to make friends. There's a UCL campus (duh) and so much going on at the university. Put yourself out there and meet people.

Thank you everyone. Lots of different perspectives for her to think about.

DC1 graduated from another big London uni in 2024. They made loads of good friends and are still in regular contact with them.

City experiences are different to campus experiences ( where the campus is connected to a small town or in the outskirts of a small town or city).
However you can still make friends wherever you go just that you met have to put more effort in . I know students who purposely avoid London because of the cost and size ( and even cities like Birmingham and Manchester ) preferring campus stile countryside unis or cities that are more walkable compact. At the end of the day, the person applying should see themselves living there as f they are moving away.
my daughter scrapped two courses she loved in two unis she loved because she couldn’t imagine herself living in those cities after visiting.

My DD is also trying to decide between Durham and UCL for the classics course. She wants to do a law conversion after the degree but also wants to explore her options while at uni. She loved the atmosphere and collegiate system at Durham but preferred the course flexibility of UCL and thinks that it will be easier to network and get work experience etc there. But she's still uncertain over which uni to pick. Any advice?

My mind leans towards UCL. London is a great place to be a student.

One of DS Durham flatmates studied classics. Just now finishing her masters at Cambridge.
If your DD is at all sporty I would highlight that Durham has the highest participation rate in sports; the collegiate system offers lots of opportunities at all levels.

She isn’t terribly sporty but swims and dances casually, and is interested in music and theatre and film making as other hobbies? She mentioned wanting to dabble in film making etc while at uni. She’s mostly worried about making friends at UCL compared to Durham where colleges kind of forces the community from day 1?

It still takes a while to make friends but I think you find those with common interests much more quickly.
Don't know anything about theatre / film other than lots of plays are put on. Most of the colleges have music rooms. Can say that my goddaughter persuaded her college to fund a trip for the college jazz band to go on a tour in Germany.

The only difference is they don't really have a campus per se at UCL as it's so central. So she'll be part of central London life a bit more rather than being in a campus type bubble.
I can't see why she wouldn't make friends there. There are lots of international students there but also from across the UK.
Obviously rent is gonna be more I'd imagine but she could commute in from somewhere a bit cheaper.

If she lives in UCL halls she'll make friends there.