Is going to UCL really worth it?

Honest question because I've read awful articles about student life in London (not to mention the price). The accommodation for one seems so unaffordable, and I'm not entitled to maintenance. Any advice would be great!

What course and what would your alternative universities be?

Why not draw up a budget:

- income from maintenance loan (in London / outside of London)
- any other grants?
- possible income from part time jobs

Costs - cost of halls for first year and house shares for future years.

Hi, thanks for replying. My alternatives are Bristol and Exeter at the moment. I have applied to study European Social and Political Studies at UCL and have been invited to the Assessment Day. If I do get an offer for the course, the accommodation would be around 50% more expensive compared to the other two, and I've read articles about students in London having to save on everything and generally having a less fun time than at other universities. I'm basically weighing up whether the course itself is worth the expense in terms of employment prospects and UCL itself.

I think the course should be your main priority. ESPS is a very unique course with excellent grad prospects, if you that's what interests you then you should do it. UCL/London is expensive, but it's not 50% more. The cheapest accom at UCL is £100 a week, the cheapest accom at Bristol is £86. It's a bit more but not much.

Thank you! Although the £100 a week accommodation is rank at UCL. Somewhere decent is around £255 a week (catered)

Hi, thanks for replying. My alternatives are Bristol and Exeter at the moment. I have applied to study European Social and Political Studies at UCL and have been invited to the Assessment Day. If I do get an offer for the course, the accommodation would be around 50% more expensive compared to the other two, and I've read articles about students in London having to save on everything and generally having a less fun time than at other universities. I'm basically weighing up whether the course itself is worth the expense in terms of employment prospects and UCL itself.

Student accommodation is supposed to be basic, that's life. Catered halls are a great way to lose money. Course Vs luxury accommodation, what's more important?

I moved to London alone at the age of 16 as a student. It's impossible to say whether it is going to be "really expensive" or not because it entirely depends on you. I could easily make do on £50/70 a week. On the other hand, when I first arrived here I spent about £400 in a day or two (yes, really). London is huge and it all comes down to you and how you want to spend your money.
Realistically, though, you'd probably look at somewhere around £100 weekly for a comfortable lifestyle (after rent). Rent may be somewhere around £700 in central and cheaper further out. Part-time work is pretty easy to find, I found one within two weeks and a genuinely good one within 5.
London isn't for everybody though. It's massive and multicultural and busy and alive and frenetically energetic, and if you're from a small town, it may take you a while to get used to the general impersonal feeling inherent in the city and campus. I can't say much about the universities, but I felt more at ease and at home in Exeter than I ever have in London. London is impersonal, those other cities aren't.

UCL is a great university, but so is Exeter and Bristol. To a prospective employer, it probably wouldn't matter which one you went to, although it may be argued that UCL has the slight edge and the opportunities in London are hard to compete against.

In the end, it boils down to personal preference.