[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Polytechnic of North London[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about London: [EBOLD]see [ULNE]University of London[EULNE]. [PARA]Spread around a number of small sites in central north and [PARA]north-west London, the University consists of an [ITAL]unattractive and [PARA]shabby[EITAL] grey tower block and victorian redbrick buildings (as at [PARA]Kentish Town). We're talking Camden and Islington, [ITAL]trendy [EITAL][PARA]residential inner city suburbs. The University has a policy to [PARA]double as a community resource as well as an educational [PARA]institution. As a result, many students are from North London, [PARA]with a high proportion of mature students, many on part time [PARA]courses.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]There's little interaction between sites. With so many students [PARA]living out and so many mature students with home lives outside [PARA]the University, rather than each site developing a unique identity, [PARA]the communal spirit is as strong as over-diluted orange squash. [PARA]Instead, students stick to small groups in the way most people do[PARA]in London. Kentish Town (where many of the students live) does [PARA]form something of a ghetto. [EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE SITES:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]The University's 7 sites [ITAL]don't really amount to more than separate[PARA]department buildings which just happen to have some town in [PARA]between[EITAL]. The farthest flung - Kentish Town (humanities) and the [PARA]newly renovated Ladbroke House (environmental and social [PARA]studies) - are 4 miles apart. All but 3 are however, within 3/4 mile[PARA]of each other.[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]CAMDEN AND ISLINGTON:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Camden has its smart parts, but basically it doesn't mind being a [PARA]bit scruffy so long as it remains ultimately trendy. Outside the [PARA]West End, this is as happening as London gets - and cities don't [PARA]get much more happening than London. [EITAL] The weekend street [PARA]market is the [ITAL]perfect [EITAL]supplier to student trends, [ITAL]not too expensive[PARA]and always too cool[EITAL]. Local entertainments too, like pubs and [PARA]cafes are [ITAL]a real alternative to the same old drab mainstream [PARA]dross[EITAL]. [ITAL]Islington is a bit posher, a bit more residential and a bit [PARA]less cool[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 [PARA]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][PARA][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] The nearest mainline station is King's Cross. Local [PARA]stations near the sites include Highbury and Islington, Kentish [PARA]Town, Drayton Park and Camden Road.[PARA][BOLD]Buses:[EBOLD] Many bus routes to all sites and between them.[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Cars are unparkable and really not necessary - clamps will [PARA]work out just as expensive as London public transport.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Underground:[EBOLD] Nearest stations - Holloway Road (Piccadilly Line), [PARA]Camden Town (Northern), Caledonian Road (Piccadilly), Tufnell [PARA]Park (Northern), Kentish Town (Northern and Thameslink) and [PARA]Highbury and Islington (Victoria).[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD][ITAL] Cool to be seen on one around Camden and Islington.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Business[EBOLD] 2,520[BOLD][PARA]Env/Soc Studs[EBOLD] 2,419[BOLD][PARA]Humanities[EBOLD] 2,822[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 2,218[BOLD][PARA]Interfaculty[EBOLD] 101[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 316,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1,763 [BULL] Study places: 1,004 [PARA]Computer workstations: 1,000[ESTAT][PARA]There are libraries on 4 sites and all have Vax cluster computer [PARA]access.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 8full/1part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 19%[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]Facilities are being centralised around the Holloway Rd site. [PARA]To this end new sites close by have been built including Spring [PARA]House and a Learning Resources Centre. Others (including [PARA]Kentish Town) are due to close eventually.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Patrick Bergin (actor); Garth Crooks (footballer with Spurs); [PARA]Charlie Jordan (Capital radio DJ); Neil Tennant ( of the Pet Shop [PARA]Boys); Claire Rayner (agony aunt and propagator of winged [PARA]sanitary towels).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part-timers and postgrads.[PARA][PARA]
