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Queen Mary has been formally established since year 1887 on completion of the Queens Hall and Peoples Palace. It was admitted to the University of London in year 1907, and was made permanent in year 1915 due to increasing courses, although it had UoL teachers from 1900. The university first started with engineering and chemistry as its two main faculties, and expanded into Arts prior to the UOL admission. The East End of London was very much a working mans area, and vocational courses were also taught. The university today has a strong emphasis on research being one of the most funded universities in Great Britain and is now part of the 1994 group; a group devised especially for research led institutions. The university is now split into 3 main faculties with 21 academic departments teaching all traditional subjects.

University's History

Queen Mary, University of London is situated approximately 2 miles from the City Of London to the west and 2 miles form Canary Wharf to the south. Rooted deep with the traditional cockney East End, and approximately 2-to-3 miles from the Bow Bells, the universities main frontage comprising of the Queens Hall and the Peoples Palace were given to the people of the East End for educational purposes. Queen Victoria in 1887, one year after the opening of the Peoples Palace, first opened the main entrance to the university, which was then called the Queens Hall. After a fire destroyed the hall completely in 1931, it was rebuilt and renamed in 1956 by the late HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother to the now named Queens Building.. East London was the centre of attack during WWII and was subsequently vacated by all students whom moved to Girton College, Cambridge and Clare College, Cambridge, University of Cambridge for years 1939-1945. Within that period, the university was occupied by army troops, intent on keeping the world’s busiest docks (The Docklands) British owned from the invading Nazis. Much of the university grounds today, i.e. the Humanities and Physics departments, were acquisitions made by the university after these areas were heavily attacked and bombed. It was only after WWII did the college expand rapidly, creating new departments, with computer science being one of the very first in the country to offer degrees. As further departments were added, it was also suggested in 1968 that the St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College (SBHMC) and The London Hospital Medical College (LHMC), be associated with the university. In 1989 the university started teaching medicine off site, and then fully merged with the SBHMC and the LHMC in 1995 to form Barts and the London, School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Accommodation

Queen Mary is the only institute in central London that offers an on-site campus, which enables a more interactive social life and easier access to facilities. The university has recently been involved in a multi-million pound project to expand the number of dwellings to cater for the increase in student population year on year. The last building to be erected will be the final phase of the award winning Westfield Student Village development due for completion in August 2006 ready for intakes in September 06. The university also offers residences based upon budget, and you will not necessarily be able to choose a particular dwelling to reside in. However, the budget range requested will ensure you have an increased chance of acquiring a student room within your favoured block. Not only does QM offer residences inside the university grounds, but also darted around Mile End Road close to the university. If being too close to the university inconveniences your 15 minute tube ride into the west end of London, then QM also offers students the chance to accept accommodation in the intercollegiate halls for all University of London students based mainly in the West End. The on-site campus however, is probably one of the nicest student developments in the UK, and as such, applications far outnumber the amount of quarters available, thus the reason for no second year accommodation. It is possible to gain student accommodation in the second year if one has gained direct access to that year, but otherwise accommodation is offered predominantly to first year students and postgraduates. Third year students are also accepted, but not in the same quantity as others. If accommodation has not been offered, intercollegiate halls are another option for slightly more money, but more independence and further away from the university grounds. If you have managed to fail in all aspects, then there are many private lettings to be gained around the QMUL through placards on shop windows or through the local estate agents. Many students year on year have to ply this route, and most always find suitable accommodation, which isn’t too expensive. If unsure on how to proceed, further assistance can be provided by the university with this regard.

	General Information
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	Established:	1785 (London Hospital Medical College), 1843 (Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital), 1882 (Westfield College), 1885 (Queen Mary College), 1989 (merger of Queen Mary & Westfield), 1995 (medical schools merge with QMW)
	Location:	London, UK
	Address:	Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS
	Telephone:	020 7882 5555
	Website:	www.qmul.ac.uk
	SU/Guild website:	www.qmsu.org
	UCAS Code:	Q50
	Type:	City Campus
	Statistics
	Total students:	11,625
	Undergrad:	8,570
	Postgrad:	3,055
	Part-time:	526
	International:	23%
	Mature:	22%
	Male:female	51:49
	Staff:
	Typical offers:	180-340
	Applicants per place:

Westfield Student Development

The contemporary student village is the most attractive of all student residences on the Mile End site, boasting en-suite facilities and modern furnishings. The development comprises of 7 differently named buildings each having segregated year groups. The 7 dwellings include:

Sir Christopher France House

The most lavish student accommodation on the university's books, which is banked alongside the Regents canal. Flats in this building are en-suite, with a bath. There is normally 5 sharing a flat.

Maurice Court

Positioned at the rear of Creed and Beaumont Courts in a closed mews which also is backed onto The Royal London Hospital (Mile End).

Creed Court

Positioned opposite Sir France House and adjacent to Beaumont Court.

Pooley House

The largest dwelling on the universities books, which is catered for first year students. It is 7 storeys in height and has a lift for students who are spending too much time in Drapers. Situated at the far end of the campus and the last dwelling on the Westfield Way development bar Lynden House.

Beaumont Court

Located opposite Sir France House and adjacent to Creed Court. A convenience store is located on the ground floor. It is known for the generous storage space it provides, and the international flavour. Many of the associate students from America are located in Beaumont.

Lynden House

Situated to the left hand side of Pooley House

Richard Feilden House

Newest recruit to QM and will be active of September 2006 for first year students. The new dwelling is 6 storeys in height and will have a restaurant and launderette situated on the ground floors. It is situated opposite the New Chemistry Building.

All apartments within this development are situated at the north end of Westfield Way, which resides closest to Mile End tube station and adjacent to the university. Whilst the development holds many residences, it also holds a modern and stylish cafeteria, convenience store, security office and communal area situated adjacent to the Regents canal. A restaurant and further launderette will be operating from September 2006. Due to the popularity of the development, prices are of the highest range within the university starting from £93.00 (Creed Court) per week to £108.00 (Sir Christopher France) per week. The extra costs incurred will allow better furnishings with better en-suite facilities, increase in size and telephone access. Prices may fluctuate year on year, and it best to view the actual fees listed for confirmation on QM webpage 1.

Manyard & Varey Houses

Both residences are situated in Westfield Way just short of the Westfield Student Village. You are certainly in an area, which offers no less of a prime location, compared to other residences. Communal rooms are offered within each flat, but shared bathrooms are what fundamentally separate these properties from the new village development. Prices are at the cheap end of the spectrum for general university accommodation currently priced at £86.00 pw.

Lindop House

Lindop House is located opposite the bookstore and the Queens building on Mile End Road. It is 6-storeys in height and can offer the most splendid views of Canary Wharf. It has a lift to all floors, and is tenanted by first year students, most of which are medics. It has shared bathroom facilities and its own launderette.

Postgraduate Halls

Much of the dwellings chosen for postgraduates reside on the banks of Regents Canal in Westfield Way, with the exception of Stocks Court, which is located next to Stepney Green tube station, a 5-minute walk to the university.

Hatton House

Like Sir France House, this block has better furnishings and is located next to the East Gate and adjacent to the canal and Arts building.

Chapman, Chesney & Selincourt

Internal laundry facilities can be found with these blocks with a communal seating area. Situated on the banks of Regents canal and next to a funky arts-looking building.

Other Residences

Accommodation is also provided for students of the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Floyer House on the Whitechapel campus and at Dawson Hall on the Charterhouse Square campus.

Student Life

Student Union

The student union was first established in 1908 and has since dedicated its time to the students of the university with which it offers an independent and arbitrary service. It is located more to the west of the campus near the Sciences. It is currently closed, awaiting the development of a gym and a new, re-designed, Drapersbar. The opening was scheduled to be in January, but this has been delayed to an unspecified date.

There is a temporary SU bar set up in the Westfield Student Village, called Global Village, which serves food and drink and has some pool tables. It isn't open very late though. QMSU Entertainments regularly offer events held at locations around London to help during this period without our own bar. These have been held a places like Turnmills, Fabric and the O2.

There is two student union stores on campus. One near the student village, and the other near the Computer Science department. Both sell practically the same stuff, but the store in the student village sells more food items - it can be quite expensive compared to like Sainbury's but can save the walk if it is just a couple of items.

In 1995 following the merger of the LHMC and the SBHMC with QMUL to form Bart's and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry the students unions of the LHMC and the SBHMC merged to form Bart's and The London Student's Association (BLSA) which is part of QMSU although retains it's pseudo-independence and it's own sites at the Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square sites. BLSA provides two bars - the Griffin at Whitechapel and Bart's Bar at Charterhouse, a bookshop, a cafe (E.R.), a computer room, two meeting rooms and parents over 40 clubs and societies.

Religious Facilities

Queen Mary is very diverse in culture, and on campus is its very own Church called St Benet’s chaplaincy situated at the main entrance, and also has a Muslim prayer room located adjacent to the Student Union, which is very much used. There are many active religious societies and different faith groups at QM such as Catholicism, Judaism, Hindu, Sikh and many more, which makes Queen Mary proud in areas of sociability.

Social Activity

Eateries, bars, clubs and coffee houses, which there are plenty of in and around the university grounds.

University Facilities

Bank

There is one main bank situated on campus, Barclays. It has a couple of cash points, and anyone can take money out providing you have the funds without cost regardless of membership with an alternative Bank. Further banks are located at Mile End and Whitechapel. Please note, however, that the queues for these cash machines can be very long. Many students talk the walk to Budgens and get cashback. The cash machine within Budgens will charge you £1.75, yet you only need to spend £1 to get cashback.

Shops on Campus

As of September 2006 a new bookshop opened on campus to replace the previous Waterstones, whilst offering identical books, but with the addition of more chocolate goodies and drinks. There is also a medicine and dentistry bookshop in the BLSA building at Whitechapel for the medics and dentistry students.

There is a well staffed branch of STA Travel, offering services to students planning the trip of a lifetime, a quick weekend break or flights home.

There are plenty of cafeterias around campus, with Café Amici being a very laid back therapeutic place to enjoy a sandwich and hot chocolate. We also have a main diner, which serves hot meals until 4pm above the bank, and I have to say, is one of my favorite places for a good meal. If you are feeling an alcoholic beverage or side meal without going to Drapers at the student union, there is a Bar Med, which is quite comfortable and is situated in the main square opposite the library.

Library

The library will most likely have all books required for your modules although more advanced research may be needed for specialized areas of your dissertation or essay, hence the reason why Queen Mary is affiliated with the University of London. Senate House is an almost frightening and flamboyant building with imposing architecture. It is exceptionally good for Humanities subjects and you can also work there without so much as hearing a pin drop. It is situated next to UCL and Birkbeck, University of London. If you fancy a more lavish and comfortable environment, may I enlighten you to the British library situated between Euston and Kings Cross. Membership is required, but filling out forms and getting the relevant paperwork is worthwhile to gaining access to their reading rooms. Books are pristine and you can find some near obsolete material. However, the universities library is open term time up until midnight 6 days a week, and onwards after the university closes for the summer period at reduced time periods for the benefit of postgraduates and medics. Medics also have their own architecturally pleasant looking libraries at Charterhouse Square and the Royal London, lucky devils.

IT & Learning Environments

Most departments have their own common rooms, which contain IT facilities, in particular, the Computer Science and Electronic Engineering laboratories, which are open until midnight. Otherwise there is computers in the library or in other rooms dispersed throughout campus.

Transport

London Underground, The Tube

Queen Mary and its accompanying medical faculty are all easily reachable by most conventional methods of transport. The main campus situated in Mile End is close to both Stepney Green and Mile End tube stations. It is actually easier to get off the tube train at Stepney Green for the Science faculty and Mile End for the humanities and Social Science departments. Mile End and Stepney Green tube stations are served by the Hammersmith & City and District Lines with the former also offering the Central line. The central line runs through the City of London and onto the west end of London to the west, and North East London to the east. District Line runs all the way to Earls Court and beyond in the west with it also running to Upminster in the East. The Hammersmith & City runs from Paddington in the West to Barking in the east, although eastbound is restricted to peak hours only.

The main Medical and Dental School campus is situated in Whitechapel, at the rear of the Royal London and is reachable via Whitechapel tube station, which is a 5-minute walk. The East London line serves the station from New Cross in the south to Whitechapel terminal in the North (although this is East London). The tube line will be extended fromWest Croydon southwards to Dalston northwards in time for the [[2012 Olympic Games. 2. The District and Hammersmith lines also serve Whitechapel. The Medical and Dental School is also based at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Charterhouse Square campus which are both within five minutes walk from Barbican tube station on the Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines.

The Dockland Light Railway (DLR) also comes close to QM, with a 5-minute bus journey from Bow station.

Over-ground Trains

No over-ground trains come close enough to walking distance from QMUL; however, Bethnal Green and Limehouse are bus journeys away and are reasonably within close proximity. However, this is London, and the time it takes ot get to one of the two stations is most likely closer than most other main towns distance to their own railway station. London is a lot more compact than other cities, and a 5-minute walk down the road is considered too far for some students; coughing again.

London has several main terminal stations, and the closest to Queen Mary is Liverpool Street (2no stations away by Central Line from Mile End) and Fenchurch Street (4no stops away by Distrct to Tower Hill) stations based on the Eastern side of The City. Liverpool Street station will take you to suburban Essex and Anglia. Fenchurch Street will take you to Thurrock and towards southern Essex. For northen cities and towns, Kings Cross & St Pancras and Euston are slightly further on adjoining the Hammersmith & City Line which routes direct to Mile End. All main terminal stations are direct from Mile End except Waterloo, which will incur a line change.

London offers a travelcard for passengers, and it is advisable to purchase a ticket if you live within Zones 1-6. Beyond the designated zones, prices dramatically increase, but still may work out chaper if you intend travelling to and from the university. You can use an Oyster card on only a few London overground stations, most of which are within zones 1-2. The train operator normally notifies passengers within the station by way of a poster.

Buses

Many buses come close to QM with about a 1-minute walk to the university, with only 3 buses actually stopping directly outside. The number 25 bus is frequent serving day and night. Don’t look at timetables; just wait a couple of minutes and 3 will come along at once. The 25 bus is popular and serves the west end of London all the way to Ilford in North East London. The 205 which goes to Liverpool Street, Kings Cross and beyond, but Mile End is the last stop. Both the 25 and 205 run 24 hours a day. The only other bus to stop outside, which is rather infrequent, is the 339, which serves from Old Ford to Shadwell next to the Thames.

There too many buses to mention, but you can also expect destinations such as Canary Wharf, The City of London, Canning Town, Stratford, Hackney and Highbury to also be reachable. A 10-minute walk down the road either way will provide you with further unlimited destinations. All destinations are within the typical 1-6 London Zones and can be used in conjunction with a daily, weekly, monthly or annual travelcard. However, I suggest you look into the Oyster Card system and read whether or not it can benefit you. Its complex at first, but once you have worked the system out, you can save a packet from your standard travelcard, which costs £6.30 for a 1-6 after 09:30 and £12.30 before 09:30. The price slightly decreases if you use fewer zones. Zone 6 is quite far out and is generally on the buffer zone of London just prior to the M25 Motorway.

Cabs

Although not inner city, you can still expect to flag down a black cab on the way into the City or West End. Do expect to pay approx £5.00 to the City and about £10-15 to the West End. Black cabs are not cheap.

Vehicles

As a beloved car owner myself, I have tried everything to ascertain a permit by bribing the lecturers and even asking the local residents, all to no avail. So don’t try it. There is not even enough parking places for the lecturers, so students will be bottom of the hierarchy if there does ever become a car park. However, if you're mega rich, which some students are, then you can park in Bancroft Way opposite the Student Union for £3.00 per hour outside a pay and display meter. However, these are very limited and as such, even if you are prepared to pay, you may end up finding yourself neglected of a space. Evening parking is easier and free of charge outside the university and along Bancroft way. You can find the university from central London by following signs for Whitechapel (A11) just off the CC ring road (A1202); QM being impossible to miss as the Maths department will be prominent with fully illuminated logo and signage 30 meters in the air about 2 miles along the A11. Driving from the east would incur the A13 from the North Circular (A406) until you have just passed the India Dock. You should see a sign for the A1205 and Mile End. Follow this road until the next main traffic light and turn a left at the green painted environmental bridge. QM is 200 years on your right hand side.

Attractions

As you would expect from any urban London university, QMUL is close to all attractions with it being 15 minutes from the West End (Leicester Square), 5-to-10 minutes from the City (Monument and St Pauls Cathedral), 10-minutes from Canary Wharf and 10-minutes from Tower Bridge. London is not as big as some people think when you have an enormous transport infrastructure, which serves every single place in London, with a multitude of transport linkages.

Rankings

Apart from the ‘how not to use league tables’ guide offered by the Guardian, inevitably they will remain for some duration and focus on the administrative side of a university. Most points and columns are subjective from each papers methodology, and are subject to much opinion and debate. Where one paper may hold a university in high regard, another will find completely the opposite. In benefit of Queen Mary University, it has produced some very satisfying positions in league tables as of late; most notably, the Guardian ranked QM 12th and 29th overall in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The 2006 table also shows 7 departments in the top 10, with another 8 departments in the top 20 with Physics being considered the best in the country, Law in 5th place and Dentistry in 3rd 3. Again, what you may find in the Guardian, you may not in the Times. The only agreement between the 2 tables appears to be with the Law and Linguistics departments, which are both considered internationally excellent. However, the Times also produce further tables in the Sunday Times and the Times Higher (THES). Queen Mary is considered very reputable internationally, and was ranked 100th in the world in 04-05, 112th in 05-06 and 99th in 2006>. It was otherwise 44th in Europe 2005-06 and ranked 35th 2004-05. The humanities department in particular came in for some strong praise with it appearing 21st worldwide in 2005-06 and joint 4th in the UK along with UCL 4.

Other terms of recognition without using rankings as a guide, can be found in the RAE 2001 findings whereby Queen Mary produced 4, 5 & 5* departments virtually all round. The forthcoming RAE in 2008, Queen Mary is expected to do even better due to its continuing strong emphasis on research.

Reputation

The university has been established for over 100 years, with a strong and known presence internationally and commercially, as concurred by the THES guide. It is thought that 20% of students come form abroad, with a particular strong presence in Engineering and Material departments. It has one of the highest numbers of International students in the UK and although many universities featured a decline in applications for 2006 entry, Queen Mary had an increase. Employers also regard graduates from Queen Mary in high regard, having the 5th best starting salary in the UK as of 2006 (was 2nd in 2004), and QM graduates are also in the top 10 whom find jobs quicker than any other institution upon graduation.

Mile End Area

The university campus is approximately half a mile in size from east to west and covers most of the distance from Mile End tube to Stepney Green tube station. The east side of QMUL is banked alongside the Regents Canal, which flows all the way to the Limehouse basin in Canary Wharf and to Regents Park and beyond westbound. Regents canal is a tributary of the River Thames. Within close vicinity to the university are two public parks that the canal runs through, Mile End Park and Victoria Park. Students occupy most of the universities surroundings at term time.

Safety & Crime

There is an enormous misconception about the university's surroundings and safety of the area. As an existing student myself and one whom has managed plenty of buildings within the area for over 5 years, I can categorically deny any suggestion of crime being rife in comparison to any other London Borough or town. As the university is located in an urban area and approx 2 miles from the City Of London, the population is dense and crime figures are generally higher than suburban boroughs. We can always expect boroughs such as Westminster] Camden, Lambeth, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Islington to be the worse for crime. Such is the case, QMUL happens to be in an area safer than most inner London universities, and one of the safest London universities overall 5. As the university hosts 11000 students, much of Mile End Road is awash full of students, as well as the heavily congested traffic into the City. Mile End is a vibrant area, and any street crime is non-existent due to the areas effervescence.

Useful Links

Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary Student Union
Barts and The London School of Medicine
Barts and The London Student Association
University of London
University of London Student Union
British Library

References

1. QM Accommodation Fees
2. East London Line Extension
3. The Guardian League Tables
4. THES World League Tables
5. Metropolitan Police crime statistics for London
All webpages were extracted from week commencing 5th August 2006 - 12th August 2006

Applying to Queen Mary

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

Other Queen Mary Articles

Why not read these other Queen Mary Articles?

Links

• Our Queen Marys Discussion Forum
• Queen Marys Homepage
• A-Z of Universities