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University College London, University of London
University College London
London

Current UCL students' chat thread!

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Original post by Ade9000
Chemical Engineering. Going to 3rd year September. :smile:

You?


Oh wow! :smile: I'm starting Medicine next month first year. :s-smilie:
University College London, University of London
University College London
London
Original post by AspiringGenius
Oh wow! :smile: I'm starting Medicine next month first year. :s-smilie:


Great heavens! Good on you, lad. :biggrin:
Original post by Ade9000
Great heavens! Good on you, lad. :biggrin:


I'm very nervous about starting/general worries about fitting in etc. I also haven't had any info about freshers week- do we find out when we move in or before at all?
Original post by AspiringGenius
I'm very nervous about starting/general worries about fitting in etc. I also haven't had any info about freshers week- do we find out when we move in or before at all?


You should get the info before you move in. I commuted from home, so I'm not entirely sure myself :s-smilie:
Original post by AspiringGenius
I'm very nervous about starting/general worries about fitting in etc. I also haven't had any info about freshers week- do we find out when we move in or before at all?


You should get some info before.
Oh good grief you have look cool
Original post by Ade9000
You should get the info before you move in. I commuted from home, so I'm not entirely sure myself :s-smilie:


Hey I will be commuting to UCL aswell but this makes me super nervous since people will be settled in halls and making friends earlier. Did you find it easy to make friends at UCL and how did you find freshers week living at home?

Thanks in advance :biggrin:
Making friends won't be the same as campus places.

To me this has a really city feel to it, menaing that it will be a mix of all sorts, some resident campus others commuters and others part time.

So it's kind of like work for a lot of people, you go in do your work and whatever else, get out back to your other life.
Reply 2708
Avatar for Ivanka
Ivanka
16
Don't worry about Freshers' Week - it's one of the most overestimated times at university. You are only going to get introduced to everyone and everything and it's very likely you won't make friends with these people at all. That doesn't mean you should avoid them, but you shouldn't get your hopes up either. After all, it's just one week. You'll be exposed to the whole university for at least three years (if you are an undergrad), so five or seven days of your life won't be a big deal, really.
Reply 2709
Avatar for Ivanka
Ivanka
16
Original post by JoannaMilano
That wasn't really the case in my experience. The people who commuted still had the same kind of life as everyone else at uni, they just had to travel further in the morning and couldn't always go on nights out.

I definitely didn't get the impression they "came in, did their work and went back to their other life". From their facebooks and just general knowing them, they spent most of their time with uni people doing the same things those of us non-commuters did. Their "main" life was at uni, they just had a bit more difficulty initiating their uni life and friendships, and spent more time getting into central.

I don't think I know anyone who just came into uni for lectures and didn't socialise regularly with people in their classes.


I agree with the second paragraph - there have been loads of commuters at UCL, but this aspect didn't deter them from taking part in various activities on campus. Besides, some societies organise their events outside the campus, so even those living close enough to Bloomsbury Campus have to commute to odd places to participate.

For the last part, I haven't socialised that much with people in my classes. We usually didn't have much in common and I found societies a better platform for developing personal relationships.
Original post by JoannaMilano
That wasn't really the case in my experience. The people who commuted still had the same kind of life as everyone else at uni, they just had to travel further in the morning and couldn't always go on nights out.

I definitely didn't get the impression they "came in, did their work and went back to their other life". From their facebooks and just general knowing them, they spent most of their time with uni people doing the same things those of us non-commuters did. Their "main" life was at uni, they just had a bit more difficulty initiating their uni life and friendships, and spent more time getting into central.



Exactly, both have somewhat different lifestyles. You make it sound as if something's wrong with it.
Original post by iloveconverse
Hey I will be commuting to UCL aswell but this makes me super nervous since people will be settled in halls and making friends earlier. Did you find it easy to make friends at UCL and how did you find freshers week living at home?

Thanks in advance :biggrin:


Making friends with people is pretty much making the effort and putting yourself out there. I don't struggle to make friends because we all more or less have something in common. I think one of the best ways to make friends is by joining societies. That way you can easily meet people from outside your course and expand.

Freshers week from home? Pretty standard. Just had to make sure I was sober when I got home, for my parents' sake. :biggrin:
Reply 2712
Avatar for Ivanka
Ivanka
16
One more thing related to Year Abroad before I pester someone in the office: I initially read we have to sign up for 45-60 ECTS if we stay at a given university for the whole year, but then I read elsewhere on SELCS website we should complete 23-30 ECTS each semester. I was contemplating to complete 30 ECTS in the first semester and then another 18, but I don't know if I'll be able to do this. Can anyone clarify this to me?

The website seems outdated anyway, because it deals with YA oral presentations rather than dissertations we'll have to write.
just made a new facebook page for new students at UCL/2013. please join :biggrin::biggrin:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/UCL-Freshers-2013/1411114675776215
Reply 2714
Avatar for Ivanka
Ivanka
16
Original post by JoannaMilano
Have they changed it a-bloody-gain, then? Because YA Oral presentations are what people who are entirely within SELCS had to do for assessments in my year. Obviously people who aren't 100% within SELCS (ie people doing Language+something, Language+Culture, or SELCS Language+SSEES Language) have different criteria, but I thought YA projects had been kept for this year as well for people doing single/joint honours SELCS languages.

As for ECTS credits- no one cares as long as you have 45. I did 18 (2 classes) in first semester and 27 (4 classes) in second semester and I've never been called out on it.


Well, they actually changed it. If you go to the SELCS website and then search for information on YA for second years, you'll find it. We are the first year to write dissertations. Those that spend the whole year in one country will have to write a 6,000-word piece, those that will visit two destinations will have to write two 3,000-word pieces. I prefer speaking in Spanish to writing in the language, but at least we'll have it done by the summer (the deadline is in June), because in the case of the current oral presentations, I'd freak about it all the summer long. On the other hand, it'll take a considerable amount of time over the year.

Thanks a lot for the information, now I'm calm :smile:
Reply 2715
Avatar for sundogs
sundogs
2
Anyone else graduating next week? I feel like I'm just throwing money at UCL...
Original post by sundogs
Anyone else graduating next week? I feel like I'm just throwing money at UCL...


I graduated yesterday (27th).

It's quite a nice thing as a final send off for everyone you've been with for the last 3/4 years. It is a bit of money where you don't actually get your degree, on the other hand.
Original post by iloveconverse
Hey I will be commuting to UCL aswell but this makes me super nervous since people will be settled in halls and making friends earlier. Did you find it easy to make friends at UCL and how did you find freshers week living at home?

Thanks in advance :biggrin:


Living at home is the ****.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by sundogs
Anyone else graduating next week? I feel like I'm just throwing money at UCL...


Lol, why do you feel that way?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 2719
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sundogs
2
Original post by JoannaMilano
Maybe it's the £30 to attend your own graduation, which no other uni charges?
Maybe it's the £30 a ticket for guests, when many unis get a couple of guest tickets for free?
Maybe it's the £45 to rent robes for a couple of hours, when you could buy them online for the same price?

Or maybe it's the fact that despite all the above costs (£135 for a graduate and their parents, before any travel/food/photo expenses), you don't even get your certificate, you just shake someone's hand?

Seriously, you can debate whether attending the graduation is worth all the money, but you can't really debate that UCL are squeezing every last penny out of you while they still can.


Absolutely. GAH.

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