The Student Room Group

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bete noire
Guess you've got to live with it then, I love living on the cheap. Nice cheap as hell bottle of wine from the offy, nice deal on a six pack and I'm set. And i rarely go to club nights that cost more than a fiver.


I'm going to budget properly next term though. I came to uni with no budget tbh and thats what i've done so hopefully when this next loan comes thru i dont need to dig deep into my savings
cons: I would say that it would be hard to find accom near to your uni, especially after second year? :dontknow:
bete noire
Its just full of loads of :santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2: common clubs, with barely any character and girls who wear fake tan and in general i dont really like it. i hang like out in the south east/east. but im more in to house parties than "bangin club nites"


Yh...I know what you mean...but if you avoid the, as you say, :santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2::santa2: common clubs then there are a couple of nice ones.
I love London but I think it's a city best enjoyed when you have a job and money.

Finding accommodation there is the biggest pain in the world. And it stems from not having enough money no matter how far you stretch it. You end up having to live in a grotty house miles away and that impacts on the cost of transportation and time it takes to get into lectures. And that may well eat into whatever you have left to have fun in a very expensive city. And the crowds really wear you out - on the street, in the tube, the buses. The tourists are dreadfully slow and I cycle in personally.

On the plus side, you do have amazing resources at your fingertips including the libraries, museums, visiting lecturers. And you're at the centre of everything - there isn't a weekend when there isn't a protest march outside Parliament or a festival in Traf Sq.

Having lived there for 3 years I don't think it's any less safe than other places. Certainly in the West End there are so many people it's not a problem. You just have to be streetsmart, more careful outside zone 1 at night when you're on you're own, but that goes for anywhere in the world. I wouldn't make it too much of a factor in your decision.

I'd personally pick St Andrews - there's plenty of time to enjoy London later.
Reply 64
Ooooo get this, I was thinking that the money thing would be the biggest con, but my parents have just told me that because they really want me to go where I want (ie. SOAS), they're willing to pay the difference between what my brother's paying for accommodation (at York St. John uni, so about £60-£70 a week), and however much mine costs. How amazing is that :biggrin:
Reply 65
JoeJBB
Ooooo get this, I was thinking that the money thing would be the biggest con, but my parents have just told me that because they really want me to go where I want (ie. SOAS), they're willing to pay the difference between what my brother's paying for accommodation (at York St. John uni, so about £60-£70 a week), and however much mine costs. How amazing is that :biggrin:


That's awesome. :smile:


Besides, judging by 2008-2009 maintenance loans/grants, you can get almost £2,000 extra if you study in London. (I know that depends on what your parents earn, but surely the vast majority of people will get some, if not all, of that?)
Reply 66
Vykeera
That's awesome. :smile:


Besides, judging by 2008-2009 maintenance loans/grants, you can get almost £2,000 extra if you study in London. (I know that depends on what your parents earn, but surely the vast majority of people will get some, if not all, of that?)


Although that is a loan - ie a thing that gathers interest and you have to pay back :s-smilie:
Reply 67
JoeJBB
Although that is a loan - ie a thing that gathers interest and you have to pay back :s-smilie:


Only some of it is a loan which gains interest at the rate of inflation alone, and that the payments are taken back only when you're earning enough to afford it.
Reply 68
Vykeera
Only some of it is a loan which gains interest at the rate of inflation alone, and that the payments are taken back only when you're earning enough to afford it.


Ok, with the payments are taken back only when you're earning a certain amount, that's true, but it's still a debt that you have to pay back. Also, this can make it hard to get a mortgage.

However, I don't like the fact that the SLC advertise that the loan only gains interest at the rate of inflation, so you'll be effectively paying back exactly the same. This is incredibly misleading; lots of jobs (I'm thinking specifically about most jobs in the public sector here) have pay rises each year which are below the rate of inflation. So, if a graduate goes into one of these jobs, they will effectively be having a bigger proportion of their income deducted.

Having said that, I am glad about being able to get a bigger loan :biggrin:
Reply 69
JoeJBB
This is incredibly misleading; lots of jobs (I'm thinking specifically about most jobs in the public sector here) have pay rises each year which are below the rate of inflation. So, if a graduate goes into one of these jobs, they will effectively be having a bigger proportion of their income deducted.


Fair point; I didn't think of that!

However, like you, I'm still willing to take the risk. :biggrin:
Zamolxes
You're kidding right? Compared to those other two universities not only does UCL rank higher. But on an international scale, UCL is about 6th in the world. WHICH IS HUGE!! Most people would give an arm and a leg to go to an university ranked in the top 10.

Anyway.

Pros - The uni is AMAIZING!. The uni is ranked super high. It's london, we have a higher percentage of hot girls compared to other areas in the UK. Theres LOTS to do. It's the biggest city after all.

Cons- It's expensive. REALLY expensive. But dude...it's worth it.



I hate London uni's loads.....but now Im not so sure.
Damn you Zamolxes.
beautiful sunrise
I love London but I think it's a city best enjoyed when you have a job and money.

Finding accommodation there is the biggest pain in the world. And it stems from not having enough money no matter how far you stretch it. You end up having to live in a grotty house miles away and that impacts on the cost of transportation and time it takes to get into lectures. And that may well eat into whatever you have left to have fun in a very expensive city. And the crowds really wear you out - on the street, in the tube, the buses. The tourists are dreadfully slow and I cycle in personally.

On the plus side, you do have amazing resources at your fingertips including the libraries, museums, visiting lecturers. And you're at the centre of everything - there isn't a weekend when there isn't a protest march outside Parliament or a festival in Traf Sq.

Having lived there for 3 years I don't think it's any less safe than other places. Certainly in the West End there are so many people it's not a problem. You just have to be streetsmart, more careful outside zone 1 at night when you're on you're own, but that goes for anywhere in the world. I wouldn't make it too much of a factor in your decision.

I'd personally pick St Andrews - there's plenty of time to enjoy London later.


Aah now Im glad I applied to 5 non-London uni's
:biggrin:
miss_world
Pros:

UCL is a wonderful institution. An excellent reputation, with consistently highly rated departments and good facilities.

There is always something to do. You'd have to be a pretty boring person to get bored of London.

It's easy to escape student life. You will never find it claustrophobic. One of the problems I had with universities like Durham or Warwick, for example, was that everything was student orientated and that you always tended to socialise in the university and do university related things. I think I'd find themed disco's every Friday and Sports night every Wednesday tiring after a while.

Cons:

It's expensive. But, you do get a bigger loan and UCL is good at giving out grants and bursaries of its own. I have found it expensive but I've been able to live quite comfortable, still managing to go out and do fun things every week by budgeting carefully and saving up during the summer holidays.

The union's a bit crappy. But King's SU is much better, as is ULU's, which is just around the corner so it doesn't really matter. Besides who wants to hang out at the SU when you can head east to Shorditch, or north up to Camden, or go down the road to the Roxy...

In terms of crime and stuff it's not something that's personally affected me but that's not to say it doesn't happen. As with any major city you need to be careful especially after dark, look after your belongings etc... I've always felt safe in London, but I've never taken any risks. I always make sure I go home with friends after a night out.



oh! russian at ucl...I've found someone! Is it good? :smile:

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