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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Imperial College London

Imperial College is a public research university based in West London. The main buildings are located in Kensington, near to the Natural History and Science Museums, though it has another campus at Ascot in Berkshire. The university was established in 1907 as part of the University of London. It remained part of the Uni of London until 2007 when it became an independent institution. It is member of the Russel Group, a group of 20 large research-intensive universities. It has also been described as forming part of a "Golden Triangle" of UK universities, a term coined by Times Higher Education, which includes six world-leading research universities based in the UK.

The college is a specialist institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine courses, and also Business courses at postgraduate level. It ranks highly in both domestic and international league tables every year, having recently been ranked 5th in the World by The Times Higher Education Supplement (2009); and 3rd in the UK.

Facilities

Libraries

There is the Central Library on the South Kensington campus as well as smaller libraries at the medical campuses and Silwood Park. The Central Library also offers access to Science Museum Library. The Library has a wealth of services, general and specialist book collections, electronic journals and databases, e-books, subject support, disability support, room bookings and PC availability. It opens 24 hours a day with the exception of Fridays (until 11pm) and certain holidays.

IT and computing

Computers in the main library, and each department has a computer cluster. The majority of machines are Pentium 2.7 Ghz, 1Gig Ram, and 17"tft monitors. The computing department DoC has the largest cluster of computers on the campus, all very high spec. DoC students can remotely log into the departmental computers via SSH and use all the software development packages as if they were actually there. Printing for DoC students is almost free (3p per black&white page, but you get credit from the college)- academic staff usually top up students' print credits automatically at the start of a module so that they can print out notes by themselves. Printing on campus is centralised by the ICT service and charges using online payment system, enabling printing from any computer and printer on campus, including from any personal laptop/computer, providing the right settings are implemented.

Healthcare

Imperial College Health Centre The college has welcomed the opening of its very own health centre in December 2007, which is located on the ground-floor of the Southside halls at 40, Prince's Gardens, right next to the Dental Centre/Clinic and the Southside registration office. The Centre offers various services ranging from GP appointments to minor surgeries and cryotherapy.

Shops

The South Kensington campus has several shops. This includes a newsagents, the Union Shop (which sells mostly stationary, college wears and goods), an opticians, Blackwells and Endsleigh Insurance. There is also a Uni run 'co-op' underneath Eastside Halls - just over the road from the main building, stocked by the same company as Costcutter (Nisa). There are also many shops by the South Kensington tube station (approx. 7-10min walk from the Campus) including Subway, Ben's Cookies and Wafflemeister. The South Kensington campus is also conveniently located within short walks from High Street Kensington, Knightsbridge and Queensway (across Hyde Park) with even more shops, banks, restaurants and etc. In addition, there's a huge Sainsbury's and Tesco's within walking distances of 15min and 25min respectively.

Campus Food

It is used to be the case that food is only served on Weekdays and at lunchtime, but not anymore. Most cafe and food places on campus serve breakfasts, lunch and dinners from 7am to 6pm on weekdays, and to a lesser amount during the weekends.

• "Senior Common Room" - Normally available to staff and PhD students only. Good quality food which costs around a fiver for two courses. A coffee shop service is also available.

In the mornings however, the SCR serves a buffet fry-up breakfast to ALL Imperial College members until 10:30am. This is extremely good value as you can get a full fry up for under £3, and there are plenty of healthy options available too.

• "Junior Common Room" - has a fast food outlet(fried chicken, burgers and chips etc) which is very greasy and sticky, worse than KFC but okay if you are hungry. There is also a sandwich shop, selling prepackaged sandwiches, baguettes and crisps/snacks. A coffee shop in the far corner serves cakes, pastries and coffee.
• "Main Dining Hall" - It has been dramatically scaled down, from the English-International-Noodle Bar model of last year to the one area model currently that serves some European and International food. Cost is £3.30 with student id. The serving is one main and one vegetable, instead of the three-course meal as was available last year. Frequent complaint is that the servings are getting smaller.
• "Union" - they do sandwiches and jacket potatoes in dBs and hot cooked meals in da Vincis at lunchtimes. In the evening table service is available from 5pm, where one can select from a standard pub menu or the infamous 'Union Chilli'. Average cost £3 lunchtime, £4.50 evenings
• "Sandwich Shop" - frequented by Imperial students, the Sandwich Shop is an off-campus shop located near Gloucester Road, a short walk away from the Huxley building. Serves sandwiches and also cooked, very oily, pasta.
• "Library Cafe Area" - It's located at library G Level. Serves food from morning till around 8 pm. Generally expensive.
• "Tesco and Sainsbury" - Located near Gloucester Road, Tesco and Sainsbury is another option to buy sandwiches.
• "Royal College of Art Canteen" - Located just next to the Physics building, it serves hot English food daily with affordable prices.
• "Eastside" - popular University run bar/restaurant. More classy than the Union, but nearly just as cheap. Serves proper food, including a £5 Sunday Roast. Yum.

Banks

There is an HSBC, Natwest and Barclays banks on Gloucester Road. There are also branches of all the major banks along Kensington High Street, Knightsbridge (NatWest, Barclays), and a few around South Kensington station. There are free withdrawal ATMs in Sherfield building and the Union building.

Transport

Bus routes serve in a lot of places, see the Transport for London website. There are night buses to central London. South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations are a short 5-10 minute walk. Frequent buses used by Imperial College students include 14, 414, C1, 74 and 430.

Careers service

There is a Careers Centre located on the 5th floor of Sherfield Building, which houses a variety of careers-related material, including up-to-date informative publications such as Prospects magazines, finding work experience, and more. Careers Advisors are available in 20-minute or 40-minute sessions, which are booked online via a system called Jobslive. The Careers Centre holds a number of workshops for skills to help with writing CVs, interviews, assessment centres. They also help to organize talks by company representatives, including IBM, Allen & Overy, Deloitte. There are several Careers Fairs held throughout the year.

Part-time jobs

Work at the Union. There are a range of jobs available ranging from working behind the bar, stewarding to manning the Union Reception.

Work for the College. Work is sometimes available in the Catering department or the Conferences department. Both offer higher rates of pay than the Union jobs, and often for less work.
Local jobs. As Imperial is based in the heart of central London, there is no shortage of part time jobs available. Some examples include: bar/waitering work, events and hospitality work (great for celeb spotting), data input, nightclub promotion, etc.

Religious facilities

Chaplaincy inside the union building. Muslim Prayer Room can be found on the north side of Prince's Gardens a few doors down from Ethos Gym, next to Garden Hall of Residence. Various societies cater for the religious and non-religious e.g. Muslim 'Jummah' prayer in Union Common Room in Beit Quad every Friday.

Welfare

Each faculty has a slightly different welfare system. In general, students will be assigned a personal tutor (sometimes an extra academic tuor) within the department, and many student-run departmental societies also run 'buddy' systems for incoming students. All departments will have student academic representatives who sit on staff-student meetings.

The Student Union has a full time Welfare Advisor who can advise on a range of issues, and there is a full time Education and Welfare Sabbatical Officer as well.

Sports

Imperial College has as a large number of sports clubs, and compete in a number of BUSA leagues. Imperial actively supports and encourages students to play sports - at least according to what is written on their website, because students have no lectures during Wednesday afternoon just because Imperial wants them to spend some time sporting. Also worth noting is that the medical school (ICSM) runs its own sports teams, competing against the other london medical schools and in BUSA leagues, and also against Imperial itself, hammering them in the annual varsity rugby game

Sports available

All the major sports are played at Imperial from Football (7 teams!) to Tennis. The most successful Imperial club from a BUSA perspective is IC Boat Club - who consistently win head of the river and other events, and have won at Henley Royal Regatta.

The Men's 1st XI Hockey team now play in the second tier of BUSA national competition, after achieving promotion in the 2008-2009 season.

Other smaller sports are played as well - such as Lacrosse, Handball, Archery, Sailing, Gaelic Athletic Association, Tenpin Bowling, Ultimate Frisbee, Riding and Polo and American Football etc. Imperial has a Cheerleading squad (IC Titans) which started in October 2010.

Imperial has a growing Dodgeball Club which now competes with other British universities in UKDBA (UK Dodgeball Association) organised tournaments. They are manned by a qualified coach and have good ties with other London based Dodgeball Clubs. They regularly host Charity Dodgeball tournaments.

Imperial has over fifteen martial arts clubs, including (but not limited to) Wushu, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Shotokan Karate, Shorinji Kempo, Capoeira, Jujitsu and Kendo.

Sports Facilities

Ethos sports centre opened in February 2006, and boasts many top facilities including:

• 75 station gym with built-in LCD screens in machines receiving terrestrial television capable of logging all stats for use online on fitlinxx.com website,
• 25 meter pool, sauna and steam room,
• Multipurpose sports hall with 5 badminton courts, indoor cricket nets and climbing wall
• Squash courts
  

Imperial College currently offers free 'gym and swim' to all students (after a one off £20 registration fee) - arguably the only university in the UK to do so.

On top of Ethos at South Kensington, sports teams and clubs can make use of facilities at other 'satellite' locations - such as Harlington near Heathrow (where the rugby, football, hockey teams train), St Mary's sports hall/gym in Paddington (located in the hospital alongside a swimming pool and in the Wilson House hall of residence), Charing Cross gym in Hammersmith and the Boathouse in Putney

Music

Standards of music at Imperial are extremely high despite not having a dedicated music course offered or music department. Some joint degrees are offered in conjunction with the Royal College of Music (which is next door). This is evidenced by Imperial College Symphony Orchestra recently winning 'UK University of the Year' in March 2008, and an active weekly lunchtime concert series regularly featuring artists such as the Belcea Quartet, Natalie Clein and Charles Owen.

There are music rehearsals taking place every evening and most weekends by various musical societies, and many of the student clubs go on tour both within the UK and internationally.

The Blyth Music Centre has a mixture of solo and ensemble practice rooms all fitted with upright or grand pianos. There is an organ in the Great Hall where the two main college orchestras and the college choir rehearse each week.

Imperial Discussions

Latest relevant discussions	Last post/replies
Imperial College Offer Holders 2013! by chignesh10	Funtry 5 Minutes Ago Replies: 263
Imperial MSc Finance 2013-2014 Entry by Jarver	Mj.1989 9 Hours Ago Replies: 24
Maths, Computing, JMC and general questions! by tommyth94	Hypnotized 17 Hours Ago Replies: 31
Imperial College Accommodation by xalcro	Zottula 21 Hours Ago Replies: 336
Imperial's MASSIVE drop out rate by FuLLuPMepOrtION	b_white 1 Day Ago Replies: 14
Physics w/ Theoretical to Physics w/ Year in Europe? by Serpentine111	Serpentine111 1 Day Ago Replies: 0
Go to Imperial College forum Post new thread

Social

Halls often organise events, but obviously this varies by hall. For the most part not many people go to the union for a night out except at the end of term, but with London at your doorstep, who cares? After first year, the Union is a good meeting place before a night out -- mostly for the cheap drinks!

Bars, pubs and clubs

The Union has a couple of bars on campus. The Queen's Arms and the Gloucester Arms are 2-3 minutes walk away from the campus. The rest of London has hundreds of bars of every kind!

There is also the medics bar, the Reynolds, at Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith.

Events

The Student Union runs a large number of events throughout the academic year which are published at the start of each term. Regular nights include Tuesday Quiz Nights, Wednesday Sports Nights and fortnightly Gig Nights on Thursdays.
In addition, many clubs and societies run events of their own throughout the year; these range from full scale variety shows to charity runs, debates or concerts.

Latest relevant discussions	Last post/replies
Imperial College Offer Holders 2013! by chignesh10	Funtry 5 Minutes Ago Replies: 263
Imperial MSc Finance 2013-2014 Entry by Jarver	Mj.1989 9 Hours Ago Replies: 24
Maths, Computing, JMC and general questions! by tommyth94	Hypnotized 17 Hours Ago Replies: 31
Imperial College Accommodation by xalcro	Zottula 21 Hours Ago Replies: 336
Imperial's MASSIVE drop out rate by FuLLuPMepOrtION	b_white 1 Day Ago Replies: 14
Physics w/ Theoretical to Physics w/ Year in Europe? by Serpentine111	Serpentine111 1 Day Ago Replies: 0
Go to Imperial College forum Post new thread

Accommodation

Accommodation policy

Accommodation is guaranteed to all first year undergraduates, providing Imperial is made their firm choice. If Imperial was your Insurance choice or you are entering a later year, accommodation in halls of residence is still possible but not guaranteed. Most people prefer to leave the halls of residence after their first year, with only a small number of places available for second years, primarily given to 'hall seniors' and those with medical conditions. Any remaining rooms are assigned by a ballot, which starts soon after all of the offers are given out in early September.

Facilities

All room have internet and telephone access with very fast internet speeds, but there is a 5GB bandwidth (including both downloads and uploads) cap per rolling 24 hours enforced with penalties for breaking it; 1st, 2nd and 3rd occasions result in a 48 hour ban; 4th occasion 14 days; 5th occasion permanent ban.

Depending on the hall of residence bathrooms are shared on average between 1 person to 8 people with kitchens shared from between 4 people to 24, though obviously the sizes of the kitchens differ. Halls may also contain some or all of the following facilities: access to a coin operated laundry room, games facilities (pool, table tennis, etc), a tv and a lounge.

Residences

There are around 15 different halls of residence at Imperial, all varying in size, distance from the campus, quality and most importantly price.

Beit Hall is one of the closest to the Kensington campus (it is just across the road from Physics and Maths) and is quite often considered one of the nicest, however at around £150 a week it is very costly and cheaper places can still be nice. Southside Halls, newly built and also pretty close, enjoys a better reputation than its previous version.

The 'Boathouse' accommodation is located on the Thames in Putney, and is for extreme rowers. Students are chosen to live in this hall of residence based on rowing ability however, so there is only a small chance for first year undergraduates.

Private sector

The 'Student Accommodation Centre' is available for help with finding accommodation in the private sector. They claim to offer the following services:

Approximate private sector rents vary hugely depending on exact area and size but in zones 1 and 2 Bedsits gnerally start from £110 per week and studio flats from around £160 per week. Your cheapest (and most sociable) bet is to share a larger flat with multiple people, with four bedroom flats from around £410 per week in total.

In addition, they also provide further housing information on the "Imperial Home Solutions" website where any approved and trusted landlords can post their properties online and where the students can also discuss, find potential housemates on.

Student union

Clubs and societies

Imperial has over 300 clubs and societies so you'll find something to interest you. Clubs and societies generally fall under one of the following categories:

• Sports clubs - e.g. football, rugby, badminton, tennis, hockey, dodgeball, yacht, squash etc
• Recreational clubs - e.g. climbing, caving, SCUBA diving, chess, dance, urban dance, gliding, poker, etc
• "Arts clubs" - e.g. orchestras, big band, chamber music, choir, jazz and rock, musical theatre, drama etc
• "Social clubs" - e.g. Debate, Model UN, Tea, Fairtrade, Cheese, Conservative, Sci Fi etc
• "Overseas clubs" - e.g. French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Indian, Afro-Carribean etc
• "Media clubs" - e.g. TV, Radio, Photographic, Newspaper etc
  

It's also easy to start a new society, and you can join societies all through the year.

As well as the main College Union, there are also Faculty Unions. "The Royal College of Science Union", for Scientists; City & Guilds Union for Engineers and the School of Medicine Union for medics.

Other Services

The Union also provides advice on Welfare and Representation issues - please see section above.

Bars

The Student Union runs two different sites; Beit Quad, South Kensington and Reynold's, Hammersmith. On top of this the college runs an additional site; the Holland Club, South Kensington. This article will focus upon the former two sites.

Beit Quad (ICU) The Beit Quad site is situated within the same building that the student union is within. There are three permenent bars at Beit. The first is the Union Bar. This is by far the smallest of the three and is also the oldest. The decor currently can be described best as a wooden bar. It is also covered with the history of the union, with the coat of arms of each of the Imperial College faculties. There are also the 'pots' stored behind the bar counter on the rear bar. These are pewter tankards each affliated to a position within the union (many of which are presidents of Clubs and Socs - NB not all C/S have presidential 'pots'). As each 'pot' is past from person to person each year, the side of the pot is engraved with the name of the previous holder of the position. There are also many a tradition related to pots, such as 'potting'. There is also a dart board in this bar The second is Da Vinci's Bar. This is a much larger bar to the Union. The decor here is much more like a canteen, in fact there during lunch hours and during certain nights part of the bar opens up to form 'cattering' which sells food to students. There is also large LCD screens above the bar area and a very large screen projector that projects upon the far end of the room (from where you enter). These screens are usually used during large sporting events, which the union can tune into on the sky box (due to the fact the setup relies solely upon the sky box for its reception, all screens show exactly the same channel). A new addition to this bar is the dukebox in the corner, which may or may not work... The final bar is dB's. This is the club/venue area of the union, which normally opens on a Wednesday and a Friday. The area has a dance area and a stage next to it. Opposite the stage is a DJ booth, which this term has seen talent such as Colin Murrey from the BBC. There is also a more limited bar in dB's as compared to the other two bars, which suprisingly sells at the exact same price as the other two bars.

Reynold's Bar (ICSMU)

This the Medics bar, situated in the Reynolds building of Charing Cross Hospital. The Reynolds plays host to regular themed "bops" usually on a Friday night, which are hosted by an ICSM sports club. Outrageous fancy dress is encouraged. Despite being situated in such close proximity to a hospital, the bar stays open until 12pm on most main nights, the building itself until 1am. The Reynolds has recently undergone difficulties in retaining it's late license due to complaints from security staff and local residents, but after a brief period of shutting at 10.30pm the bar has resumed nearly normal service.

Every Wednesday sees the gathering of ICSMs sports clubs under one roof for a night of drinking, chanting, singing and socialising amongst your sports team. ICSM Sports Night, throughout it's rich history and to the present day, has a highly deserved reputation for volumous alcohol consumption. Some clubs choose to wear their ones (club tie, blue shirt, cream chinos, black shoes socks and boxers), whilst others only on special occasions. Hockey are instantly recognisable over their red trousers.

But the Reynold's is not all about shooting-the-boot or sticky floors. When one is not sitting at a drinking circle or being blinded by the lights at a bop, one can observe the ceiling enscribed with signatures of newly qualified doctors - each with their own fond memories of the student days in the Reynolds. The decor is owes much to some of the other Medical Schools of London - as signs obtained from rival medical schools adorn the walls alongside road signs and plaques bearing a relation to ICSM.

During the day, a small shop is open at the back of the Reynolds to vend coffee and edible items to students.

Public Access

Due to the license that the union opperates under, only members of Imperial College, students and members of the NUS may use the bar. To circumvent this law, the Union offer £1.00 yearly membership to the bar facilities.

Prices

Prices are exclusively for Beit Quad Bars only

Draught Drinks/568ml

• Avalible in half pint at half the price of a pint rounded up to the nearest 5p.

Spirits/25ml

• add 35p for Pepsi/Diet Pepsi/Lemonade/Tonic Postmix Mixer
• add 50p for Orange/Cranberry/Apple/Pineapple mixer

Non-alcoholic

• Prices correct at 24th Jan 2008.
• Many drinks are not included due to keep this guide concise. Including a large selection of single malt scotch whiskeys.
• Lots of guest ales - quite rare for union pubs

Environment

Architecture

The architecture of Imperial College London can be described at best as being "eclectic."

Some buildings are older and look like your typical London terrace: Specifically, the North and West sides of Prince's Gardens and the RSM building. The Queen's tower is also quite old but is one of the most loved structures at Imperial. People are often found around the Queen's tower in summer revising for their exams. The Queen's Tower is found on the Queen's Lawn - the only green space within the campus, which yes, is the size of a postage stamp.

Some buildings were built in the 1950s/60s such as the ACEX, Bone and Roderic Hill buildings (Chem and Aero Eng) and it must be said...are pretty ugly...these buildings are however, slowly being replaced.

That said, there are many new buildings, the college main entrance is known as the Tanaka building and the architecture there is modern. The Imperial College Business School contained within the Tanaka building is an interesting structure, one that you will either love or hate...the best way to describe it is...a giant baked bean can...

Past the Tanaka building is an area of decking with buildings at the edges, these buildings are modern and are made mostly of glass. Each building is a different colour and as a result the entire area looks quite cool.

Of course considering that this campus is in the middle of London, the space is very compact with very few open areas. There are however green spaces not far away, Prince's Gardens for one and Hyde Park is less than a five minute walk away.

Things are continually improving due to constant ongoing refurbishment of the older buildings.

Local area

The Museums (Science, Natural History and Victoria and Albert) are worth a visit, as is the Royal Albert Hall. This is one of the most expensive areas of London, so you'd usually go elsewhere for a night out (but it's really easy on a bus, and only 90p).
Oxford Street, Kensington High Street and Knightsbridge are a short walk or bus ride away.
Several supermarkets are within walking distance. Hyde Park is a great place in the summer! Also, I'd recommend getting a Student Oyster Card - lets you go on the Tube, Bus etc for a cheaper price and it's quicker and convienient! London Eye, West End, Piccadilly Circus... it's all here! Great place for social life and shopping!

Local Restaurants

South Kensington area

• Kulu Kulu sushi opposite South Ken tube station is pricey but has great sushi and serves free green tea
• Little Japan next to the station has good dumplings and cheaper and alright sushi.
• Oriental Canteen makes great chinese meals about £4.50 a meal.
• Paper tiger has all you can eat buffet for £4.50 but the meat/veg ratio is not very good.
• There is also a Thai restaurant (Thai Square) and a kebab shop (Bosphorus) in the vicinity.
• Subway next to South Ken tube station.

Gloucester Road area

• Nando's on Gloucester Road has amazing chicken and atmosphere, and is about £5 a meal.
• KFC and Burger King on Gloucester Road also opposite the station.
• The Sandwich shop near College is very cheap and has a lot of sandwiches made to order and has free fruit.
• Cafe Deco near the Sandwich Shop reduces all baguettes and sandwiches to £1 after 6pm each day.
• Partridges is an expensive grocers but has some amazing food.
• House of Coffee (aka Café Forum) has great cheap food from salads to pizzas or preprepared dishes. It also sells a wide selection of desserts and fresh juices, and has chess and backgammon boards available to use. Average meal ~£4

Other areas

• Harrods is a 5 minute walk from campus and gives away free krispy creme doughnuts sometimes.
• Queensway across the park has a large number of Chinese restaurants including Royal China, Four Seasons and Fortune Cookie

Teaching quality

Pros and Cons of Imperial

1. Situated in London - a world-class capital
2. Living is more expensive
3. Imperial only guarantees student housing to first year students
4. Orientated to the sciences, engineering and medicine
5. Top five in the world!
6. Lots of things to do in London
7. Great career and job opportunities
8. Some of the greatest attractions are on your doorstep: Hyde Park, the Science Museum, V&A
9. Opportunities to study abroad
10. Known for its Asian majority student body and low female:male ratio, owing to scientific and predominantly male subjects - the exception being Medicine and Biology.

Applying to Imperial College

Thinking of applying to Imperial College? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Other Imperial College Articles

Why not read these other Imperial College Articles?

• Personal Statements

Links

• Our Imperial College Discussion Forum
• Imperial College University Homepage
• A-Z of Universities
• For prospective students
• Imperial College's website
• Imperial College League Table Statistics
• Imperial College Students' Union
• Live! - The student news website
• Student Television of Imperial College
• IC Radio
• Felix - The student newspaper.
• ICU Choir