[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]The capital is a big place. A very big place. Just under 10 million [PARA]people live within the boundary of the M25 (150 miles of 8-lane car[PARA]park). If you've got the idea that London is basically Big Ben, [PARA]Buckingham Palace and a few big shops, think again. It is mile [PARA]after mile of urban flood and there is so much diversity, it is [PARA]pointless to even attempt to describe the place briefly. [PUSH]push[EPUSH] may [PARA]be good value for money, but there are limits. Students who don't[PARA]know London, but are serious about wanting to study there [PARA]should get hold of one of the less touristy guides. Every year, [PARA]'Time Out' - the [ITAL]essential [EITAL]magazine to what's on in the capital [PARA](and they haven't paid me to say that) - produce a London [PARA]Students' Guide (priced about ú3).[PARA]Suffice it to say, that since the days of the little Roman village of [PARA]Londinium on the banks of the Thames, London has come a long[PARA]way, becoming the country's centre of politics, finance, arts, [PARA]heritage, tourism, media and so on...[PARA]Appropriately, London University is also big. One in 10 of the [PARA]country's entire higher education population is at one of London [PARA]University's 42 colleges and associated institutions. [ITAL]However, [PARA]students rarely get a sense of the University as a whole [PARA]especially since some of the larger constituent colleges, such as [PARA]King's, Imperial and UCL, are big enough to be fairly sizeable [PARA]universities on their own. [EITAL][PARA]The University's headquarters are in the [ITAL]magnificent[EITAL] art deco [PARA]Senate House in Bloomsbury about 1 mile from Trafalgar Square[ITAL][PARA]. [EITAL] [PUSH]push[EPUSH] features entries for all the colleges, medical schools and [PARA]some of the associated institutions, so read this and read the [PARA]separate colleges' entries too because [ITAL]they vary as much as if [PARA]they were different universities[EITAL]. For the record, here are those [PARA]London colleges in full:[PARA][PARA][BOLD]Featured in PUSH:[EBOLD][PARA]Birkbeck College Royal Holloway College[PARA]Charing Cross and Westminster Royal Veterinary College[PARA]Medical School St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical[PARA]Courtauld Institute of Art School[PARA]Goldsmiths' College St George's Hospital Medical School[PARA]Heythrop College SOAS (School of Oriental and African[PARA]Imperial College Studies)[PARA]Institute of Education School of Pharmacy[PARA]Jews' College SSEES (School of Slavonic and East[PARA]King's College London European Studies)[PARA]London Hospital Medical College United Medical and Dental [PARA]Schools of[PARA]London School of Economics Guy's and St Thomas's[PARA]Queen Mary and Westfield College University College London[PARA]Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine Wye College[PARA][PARA][BOLD]Other associated institutions:[EBOLD][PARA]British Institute in Paris Institute of Romance Studies[PARA]British Postgraduate Medical Federation Institute of United [PARA]States Studies[PARA]Centre for Defence Studies London Business School[PARA]Institute of Advanced Legal Studies London School of Hygiene [PARA]and Tropical[PARA]Institute of Classical Studies Medicine[PARA]Institute of Commonwealth Studies Royal Academy of Music[PARA]Institute of Germanic Studies Royal College of Music[PARA]Institute of Zoology Royal Postgraduate Medical School[PARA]Institute of Latin American Studies Trinity College of Music[PARA]Institute of Historical Research Warburg Institute[HDNG]THE CITY :[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 6,377,000 [BULL] Birmingham: 106miles [BULL] [PARA]Manchester: 172miles [BULL] Edinburgh: 423miles[ESTAT][PARA]The following general info isn't repeated under the entries for [PARA]other London colleges, whether they are constituent parts of the [PARA]University or not. Places plugged, such as restaurants, are far [PARA]from the only ones or even the best, they are just some of those [PARA]who offered [PUSH]push[EPUSH] massive bribes and sexual favours. [ITAL]They're [PARA]also some of the most popular student haunts.[EITAL][HDNG]LIFE IN LONDON:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Samuel Johnson wrote 'When a man is tired of London, he is [PARA]tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.' [PARA]Obviously, he wasn't living on a student grant at the time; for there[PARA]is only a certain amount in London that a student can afford. SJ [PARA]was right in that London is second to none in its diversity, but you [PARA]can't do it all. It's easy to feel that you're not making the most of [PARA]London if you're not spending every waking minute at the theatre,[PARA]ballet, opera or cinema, in clubs or fashionable markets, and in [PARA]museums and galleries, sports grounds and parks. However, if [PARA]the truth be known, even taking advantage of the many freebies [PARA]you can dig up if you try, you'd be broke within a week if you tried[PARA]to keep up with the tearaway pace. When it comes to [PARA]opportunity, choice and life in the fast lane, London is the [PARA]turbo-boosted Porsche. London is supposed to be the city that [PARA]never sleeps, leaving the bright lights burning all night long. In fact,[PARA]as international metropolises go, this one tends to shut down [PARA]when the pubs close. Getting more than a cheeseburger after [PARA]midnight can be as difficult in London as it is in a Turkish jail. Not [PARA]everyone likes the pace or the impersonal atmosphere that many[PARA]find in London. Whilst it's hard to be alone, it's easy to be lonely, [PARA]and most students in London find this at some time. London can [PARA]be oppressive and if you're not streetwise, or at least street [PARA]sensible, it can be a dangerous place. Bomb scares are usually [PARA]just that, but violent crime is on the up. [EITAL][PARA][ITAL] There are a number of responses to the high cost of living in [PARA]London: (1) burst into tears; (2) mug someone; (3) live on credit; (4)[PARA]ask daddy for lashings of cash. Alternatively, if these don't [PARA]appeal, you can always use the following methods: (1) Limit your [PARA]spending by only going out when and where you can afford it [PARA](ULU fits the bill, offering cheap events for students). (2) Buy [PARA]second hand - for books, there's ULU, Charing Cross Road and [PARA]Waterloo and, for clothes, try Camden Market, Greenwich, Brick[PARA]Lane and Portobello Road. (Many a London student falls prey to [PARA]fashion, but not always at vast expense.) (3) Get a job - [EITAL]more [PARA]London students have part time jobs than anywhere else.[ITAL] [EITAL][PARA][ITAL] London also has more overseas students than almost [PARA]anywhere else, which, in Britain's most international city, is an [PARA]appropriate addition to the already spicy variety of life. The extent[PARA]of London's cosmopolitanism is unique. Nowhere else are there [PARA]as many students of every different shape, colour, vintage, creed[PARA]and flavour.[EITAL][PARA][ITAL] To be young in London and have flexible demands on your [PARA]time is an ideal recipe. The daily downers such as the time spent[PARA]travelling have a minimal effect, whereas the opportunities are all [PARA]there. If you happen to live in London, it's good to be a student, [PARA]but if you're a student, London isn't necessarily a good place to [PARA]happen to live.[EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]London is the centre of the network: Bristol (1:40hrs, 1/hr); [PARA]Birmingham (1:40hrs, 3/hr); Manchester (2:30hrs, 1/hr); Glasgow [PARA](5:20hrs, 12/day); Edinburgh ( 4:20hrs, 1/hr); Newcastle (2:45hrs, [PARA]2/hr); Leeds (2:30hrs, 1/hr); Norwich (1:49hrs, 1/hr). Trains come [PARA]into the 8 mainline termini and if passing through London (for [PARA]example from Canterbury (Kent) to Manchester), it is often [PARA]necessary to travel by tube (at extra expense) between mainline stations.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] London is also the centre of the National Express [PARA]system and a whole variety of other national bus services (Green[PARA]Line, Blue Line and so on). Some example National Express [PARA]journeys: Birmingham (ú9.50, 2:30hrs, 1/hr); Bristol (ú12.50, [PARA]2:15hrs, 1/hr); Edinburgh (ú25, 7:50hrs, 3/day); Glasgow (ú25, [PARA]7hrs, 7/day); Manchester (ú16, 3:30hrs, 7/day); Newcastle [PARA](ú17.50, 5:10hrs, 7/day).[PARA][BOLD]Local Trains: [EBOLD]Network SouthEast operates local overground [PARA]trains [ITAL]which are a speedy and sometimes pleasant way to travel [PARA]and are moderately efficient. The main problems are the ease of[PARA]use (a fair level of understanding is necessary), the high fares [PARA]and the early closing[EITAL] (last trains between 11pm and 1am).[PARA][BOLD]Underground:[EBOLD] The 'tube' is the largest underground train system [PARA]in the world and generally,[ITAL] it is fast, easy to use, efficient (well, [PARA]maybe not the Northern Line) and takes you just about anywhere [PARA]you want to go, although South-East London is a bit hard done by.[PARA]However, it is often crowded,[EITAL] shuts down at midnight,[ITAL] it's often [PARA]disrupted by bomb scares[EITAL] and the minimum fare is 90p. [ITAL]Talking [PARA]to other tube passengers is tantamount to threatening their [PARA]mother - the only people who do it are tourists and people who [PARA]want to talk to you about Jesus.[EITAL] Nearest tube to Senate [PARA]House/ULU Building: Goodge St (Northern Line).[PARA][BOLD]Local Buses: [EBOLD][ITAL]In the tube you can't see the real sights, so why not [PARA]take the buses which are just as efficient,[EITAL] offer even more [PARA]destinations and are slightly cheaper (50p minimum). [ITAL]But buses [PARA]are slow and, until you know your way around, it's difficult to [PARA]know which ones take you where.[EITAL] After midnight, buses come [PARA]into their own - Night Buses are London's only form of all-night [PARA]public transport and[ITAL] if you don't mind how long it takes,[EITAL] you can [PARA]go almost anywhere within 10 miles of the centre.[PARA][BOLD]Travelcards:[EBOLD] For a legal way of dodging the expense of tubes, [PARA]buses and trains, Travelcards are available at ú2.60 for a daily [PARA]pass for the central 2 zones of the network.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis: [EBOLD]There are 2 types:[ITAL] the classic black cabs which are well [PARA]regulated and enormously expensive, and dodgy merchants in [PARA]Ford Escorts which are almost as expensive. There are now [PARA]also some run by and for women. Basically though, forget all [PARA]taxis, except late at night when all else fails and/or you're in a [PARA]party of 4 or more.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Parking in Central London is impossible, and, although there[PARA]is only one rush hour every day it lasts from 6 in the morning to [PARA]midnight. Driving in London is excellent training for being a [PARA]volcano.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Air: [EBOLD]Served by 4 airports, including Heathrow, the world's [PARA]busiest. Regular flights to anywhere and back.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[ITAL] [EBOLD]Not possible from Central London, but get out a little [PARA]way on to the city's escape routes or beyond the M25 and a [PARA]thumb's a first class ticket.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles: [EBOLD][ITAL] A popular form of student travel given the pros: it's [PARA]cheap and you can get through traffic. But there are the cons: [PARA]London is big, full of exhaust fumes, lacking in cycle lanes and a [PARA]Houdini-proof lock is advisable. It's also an easy way to die.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,500,000[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]There is a central library at Senate House and a limited computer[PARA]service for student use at Guilford St in Bloomsbury.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 35full/20part [BULL] [PARA]Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 11.1%[ESTAT][PARA]The University careers service organises spectacular recruitment[PARA]fairs attended by students from all over the country.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]'Guide to the University of London'. Also accommodation [PARA]pamphlet, and a Student Guide from ULU.
