Guide to London
Considering studying in the UK’s capital next year? We have put together a comprehensive guide to London Universities and included a guide to this great student city.
The Imperial College London
The Imperial College occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| 21 | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| 8 | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| N/A | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| 35 | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 8 | QS World University Rankings |
| 13 | The National Student Survey (students’ overall satisfaction) |
Zoom in:
What the league tables say in more details:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
The Imperial College is considered to be the 23rd university in the world with a total score of 41.5/100 and the 4th university in the UK. In terms of subjects, it ranks best in life Physics and Computer Science, while in terms of broad subject fields, it is currently the 6th in English Studies.
The ARWU ranks universities based on 4 major criteria, further split by categories:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | |
| Quality of education | Number of alumni who have won a Nobel Prize | 10% | 14.5 |
| Quality of Faculty | Number of staff who have won a Nobel Prize | 20% | 35.8 |
| Number of highly cited researchers | 20% | 44.2 | |
| Research Output | Number of Papers published in Nature and Science | 20% | 34.5 |
| Number of Papers cited in Science Citation Indexes | 20% | 62.0 | |
| Academic Perf. | Per capita academic performance | 10% | 38.0 |
| Overall | 100% | 41.5 | |
The ARWU offers scores for each of the criteria above, but one disadvantage is that it does not rank the universities based on individual criterion as well, so students do not get full insight into university rankings based on their personal preferences.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings places Imperial College on the 8th place in the world and the 3rd in the UK
The league table considers the following criteria (each with an equal weight):
| Criterion | Score (of 100) |
| Teaching quality | 93.3 |
| International Outlook | 96.0 |
| Industry Income | 53.7 |
| Research capabilities | 88.5 |
| Citations | 96.7 |
| Total | 89.1 |
The Imperial College is:
The main statistics on the Imperial College consist of:
Centre for World University Rankings
Based on this ranking, the Imperial College is the 35th academic institution in the world, with an overall score of 59.61/100, and the 4th in the UK.
CWUR uses eight objective and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities:
| Criterion | Measurement | Weight | Ranking by criteria |
| Quality of Education | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size | 25% | 90 |
| Alumni Employment | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size | 25% | 82 |
| Quality of Faculty | Measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals | 25% | 30 |
| Publications | Measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals | 5% | 19 |
| Influence | measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals | 5% | 26 |
| Citations | Measured by the number of highly-cited research papers | 5% | 23 |
| Broad Impact | Measured by the university’s h-index | 5% | 19 |
| Patents | Measured by the number of international patent filings | 5% | 47 |
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria, the Imperial College ranks the 8th university worldwide.
In terms of subjects and fields of study, the Imperial College ranks best in:
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | 99.9 |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | 100 |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | 99.9 |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | 79.6 |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 100 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 100 |
| Overall | 100% | 96.10 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
Student overall satisfaction at the Imperial College is at 88%. A further analysis of the responses shows that students have answered mostly with 4 or 5 (satisfied or very satisfied) to most of the questions evenly, with very few students expressing dissatisfaction with the various factors included within the criteria. Students were not very satisfied with the assessment criteria and feedback offered on their work but on the other hand, more than 60%, sometimes 70%, of the students have answered with 5 (very satisfied) to questions related to academic support and the learning resources provided.
London School of Economics and Political Science
LSE occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| 101-150 | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| 23 | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| N/A | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| 279 | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 35 | QS World University Rankings |
| 20 | The National Student Survey (students’ overall satisfaction) |
Zoom in:
What the league tables say in more details:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
LSE is considered to be amongst the 101 -150 universities in the world and amongst the 10-17 universities in the UK. As suggested by its name, it ranks best in Social Sciences (Economics and Politics): number 12 worldwide.
The ARWU ranks universities based on 4 major criteria, further split by categories:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | |
| Quality of education | Number of alumni who have won a Nobel Prize | 10% | 19.9 |
| Quality of Faculty | Number of staff who have won a Nobel Prize | 20% | 16.3 |
| Number of highly cited researchers | 20% | 15.2 | |
| Research Output | Number of Papers published in Nature and Science | 20% | – |
| Number of Papers cited in Science Citation Indexes | 20% | 31.2 | |
| Academic Perf. | Per capita academic performance | 10% | 28.7 |
| Overall | 100% | 17.3 | |
The ARWU offers scores for each of the criteria above, but one disadvantage is that it does not rank the universities based on individual criterion as well, so students do not get full insight into university rankings based on their personal preferences.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings places LSE on the 23rd place in the world and the 5th in the UK.
The league table considers the following criteria (each with an equal weight):
| Criterion | Score (of 100) |
| Teaching quality | 69.8 |
| International Outlook | 93.6 |
| Industry Income | 32.2 |
| Research capabilities | 80.6 |
| Citations | 94.3 |
| Total | 81.3 |
LSE is:
The main statistics on LSE consist of:
The Professional Ranking of World Universities (PRWU)
This league table ranks university by a simple criterion, undeclared but verifiable: the number of alumni holding a post of chief executive officer or equivalent in one of the 500 leading international companies, at a particular time and with the data, (companies and company leaders) of the Fortune Global 500 classification. The last such survey was conducted in 2009 based on the companies included in Fortune Global 500 at the end of 2008.
LSE does not appear to be listed in this ranking, meaning that at the time of the study, no alumni of the university was in the position of CEO amongst the companies considered in the study.
Centre for World University Rankings
Based on this ranking, LSE is the 279th academic institution in the world, with an overall score of 46.22/100, and the 25th in the UK.
CWUR uses eight objective and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities:
| Criterion | Measurement | Weight | Ranking by criteria |
| Quality of Education | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size | 25% | 78 |
| Alumni Employment | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size | 25% | 65 |
| Quality of Faculty | Measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals | 25% | 91 |
| Publications | Measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals | 5% | 503 |
| Influence | measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals | 5% | 739 |
| Citations | Measured by the number of highly-cited research papers | 5% | 264 |
| Broad Impact | Measured by the university’s h-index | 5% | 590 |
| Patents | Measured by the number of international patent filings | 5% | 871+ |
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria LSE ranks the 35th university worldwide.
In terms of subjects and fields of study, LSE ranks best in:
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | 93.8 |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | 100 |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | 65 |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | 77.6 |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 100 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 100 |
| Overall | 100% | 86.20 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
Student overall satisfaction at LSE is at 81%. A further analysis of the responses shows that students have answered mostly with 4 (satisfied) to most of the questions. Students were not satisfied with the assessment criteria and feedback offered on their work but on the other hand, LSE scored well in questions related to academic support and learning resources.
University College of London (UCL)
University College of London occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| 18 | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| 14 | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| NA | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| 27 | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 7 | QS World University Rankings |
| 18 | The National Student Survey |
Zoom in:
What the league tables say in more details:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
UCL is considered to be the 18th university in the world with a total score of 44.5/100 and the 3rd university in the UK. In terms of fields and subjects, it ranks best in life sciences and medicine, but also in computer science.
The ARWU ranks universities based on 4 major criteria, further split by categories:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | |
| Quality of education | Number of alumni who have won a Nobel Prize | 10% | 28.1 |
| Quality of Faculty | Number of staff who have won a Nobel Prize | 20% | 39.9 |
| Number of highly cited researchers | 20% | 38.5 | |
| Research Output | Number of Papers published in Nature and Science | 20% | 40.6 |
| Number of Papers cited in Science Citation Indexes | 20% | 71.7 | |
| Academic Perf. | Per capita academic performance | 10% | 32.7 |
| Overall | 100% | 44.5 | |
The ARWU offers scores for each of the criteria above, but one disadvantage is that it does not rank the universities based on individual criterion as well, so students do not get full insight into university rankings based on their personal preferences.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings places UCL on the 14th place in the world.
The league table considers the following criteria (each with an equal weight):
| Criterion | Score (of 100) |
| Teaching quality | 78.1 |
| International Outlook | 94.4 |
| Industry Income | 40.5 |
| Research capabilities | 91.0 |
| Citations | 94.2 |
| Total | 87.1 |
UCL is:
The main statistics on UCL consist of:
The Professional Ranking of World Universities (PRWU)
This league table ranks university by a simple criterion, undeclared but verifiable: the number of alumni holding a post of chief executive officer or equivalent in one of the 500 leading international companies, at a particular time and with the data, (companies and company leaders) of the Fortune Global 500 classification. The last such survey was conducted in 2009 based on the companies included in Fortune Global 500 at the end of 2008.
UCL does not appear to be listed in this ranking, meaning that at the time of the study, no alumni of the university was in the position of CEO amongst the companies considered in the study.
Centre for World University Rankings
Based on this ranking, UCL is the 27th university in the world, with an overall score of 62.27/100, and the 3rd in the UK.
CWUR uses eight objective and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities:
| Criterion | Measurement | Weight | Ranking by criteria |
| Quality of Education | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size | 25% | 21 |
| Alumni Employment | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size | 25% | 447 |
| Quality of Faculty | Measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals | 25% | 27 |
| Publications | Measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals | 5% | 12 |
| Influence | measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals | 5% | 22 |
| Citations | Measured by the number of highly-cited research papers | 5% | 15 |
| Broad Impact | Measured by the university’s h-index | 5% | 18 |
| Patents | Measured by the number of international patent filings | 5% | 67 |
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria, UCL ranks the 7th university worldwide.
In terms of subjects and fields of study, UCL ranks best in:
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | 99.9 |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | 99.8 |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | 98.6 |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | 88 |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 95.5 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 99.9 |
| Overall | 100% | 97.20 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
In the case of UCL, student overall satisfaction is at 83%. A further analysis of the responses shows that students have answered mostly with 4 or 5 (satisfied or very satisfied) to most of the questions evenly, with very few students expressing dissatisfaction with the various factors included within the criteria. However, questions related to how students perceive the assessment criteria and feedback offered as well as the support in getting an NHS practice placement have scored quite low, with less than 30% of the students feeling very satisfied with respect to these. The strength of UCL based on students’ answers lies in the quality of the teaching and provided learning resources.
SOAS University of London
SOAS University of London occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| N/A | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| N/A | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| N/A | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| N/A | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 275 | QS World University Rankings |
| 14 | The National Student Survey (students’ overall satisfaction) |
Zoom in:
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria SOAS University of London ranks the 275th university worldwide.
In terms of subjects and fields of study, SOAS University of London ranks best in:
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | 42.2 |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | – |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | 48.7 |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | – |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 100 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 100 |
| Overall | 100% | 44.80 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks UK universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
Student overall satisfaction at SOAS University of London is at 87% with 124 universities and colleges ahead. A further analysis of the responses shows that the question which registered the highest percentage of students overall satisfied (90%) with one aspect of the university is: “How good are staff at explaining things”. In fact, the section on quality of teaching received the highest grading on average (4 and 5 out of 5), while the sections on academic support, assessment and feedback and the Students’ Union had on just above 70% of the students overall satisfied.
Brunel University
Brunel University occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| 401-500 | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| 401-500 | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| N/A | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| 472 | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 331 | QS World University Rankings |
| 16 | The National Student Survey |
Zoom in:
What the league tables say in more details:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
The Brunel University is considered to be amongst the 401-500 universities in the world and amongst the 34-37 universities in the UK.
The ARWU ranks universities based on 4 major criteria, further split by categories:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | |
| Quality of education | Number of alumni who have won a Nobel Prize | 10% | 0.0 |
| Quality of Faculty | Number of staff who have won a Nobel Prize | 20% | 0.0 |
| Number of highly cited researchers | 20% | 12.2 | |
| Research Output | Number of Papers published in Nature and Science | 20% | 3.6 |
| Number of Papers cited in Science Citation Indexes | 20% | 23.7 | |
| Academic Perf. | Per capita academic performance | 10% | 15.5 |
| Overall | 100% | 9.45 | |
The ARWU offers scores for each of the criteria above, but one disadvantage is that it does not rank the universities based on individual criterion as well, so students do not get full insight into university rankings based on their personal preferences.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings places Brunel University amongst the 401-500 universities in the world.
Brunel University is:
The league table considers:
| Criterion | Score (of 100) |
| Teaching quality | 24.8 |
| International Outlook | 91.8 |
| Industry Income | 34.7 |
| Research capabilities | 23.3 |
| Citations | 78.8 |
| Total | 39.5 |
The main statistics on Brunel University consist of:
The Professional Ranking of World Universities (PRWU)
This league table ranks university by a simple criterion, undeclared but verifiable: the number of alumni holding a post of chief executive officer or equivalent in one of the 500 leading international companies, at a particular time and with the data, (companies and company leaders) of the Fortune Global 500 classification. The last such survey was conducted in 2009 based on the companies included in Fortune Global 500 at the end of 2008.
Brunel University is not mentioned in this ranking, meaning that at the time of the research none of its alumni occupied any top management position in the companies included in the analysis.
Centre for World University Rankings
Based on this ranking, Brunel University is the 472nd university in the world and the 37th in the UK.
CWUR uses eight objective and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities:
| Criterion | Measurement | Weight | World ranking |
| Quality of Education | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size | 25% | 367+ |
| Alumni Employment | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size | 25% | 236 |
| Quality of Faculty | Measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals | 25% | 218+ |
| Publications | Measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals | 5% | 497 |
| Influence | measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals | 5% | 676 |
| Citations | Measured by the number of highly-cited research papers | 5% | 511 |
| Broad Impact | Measured by the university’s h-index | 5% | 437 |
| Patents | Measured by the number of international patent filings | 5% | 667 |
| Overall | 100% | 44.86 | |
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria, Brunel University ranks the 331st university worldwide.
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | N/A |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | 40.6 |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | N/A |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | 56.2 |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 95.5 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 98.9 |
| Overall | 100% | 39.70 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
In the case of Brunel University, student overall satisfaction is at 85%, with 164 other universities and higher education institutions ahead. Out of the sections considered, the university scores high grades (above 85% of the responded answering 4 or 5 out of 5) in the NHS and Library Resources sections. On the other side, they are less satisfied with the assessment and feedback aspect, meaning that they would require these to add more value to their personal development.
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London occupies the following positions in the world ranking proposed by the various league tables:
| World ranking | Type of league table |
| 151 – 200 | The Academic Ranking of World Universities |
| 98 | The Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| N/A | The Professional Ranking of World Universities |
| 209 | Centre for World University Rankings |
| 109 | QS World University Rankings |
| 13 | The National Student Survey (students’ overall satisfaction) |
Zoom in:
What the league tables say in more details:
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
Queen Mary University of London is considered to be amongst the 151 – 200 universities in the world and amongst the 18 – 21 universities in the UK. It ranks best in medicine, being in top 100 worldwide in these field.
The ARWU ranks universities based on 4 major criteria, further split by categories:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | |
| Quality of education | Number of alumni who have won a Nobel Prize | 10% | 17.8 |
| Quality of Faculty | Number of staff who have won a Nobel Prize | 20% | 0.0 |
| Number of highly cited researchers | 20% | 18.1 | |
| Research Output | Number of Papers published in Nature and Science | 20% | 13.7 |
| Number of Papers cited in Science Citation Indexes | 20% | 32.1 | |
| Academic Perf. | Per capita academic performance | 10% | 20.7 |
| Overall | 100% | 16.63 | |
The ARWU offers scores for each of the criteria above, but one disadvantage is that it does not rank the universities based on individual criterion as well, so students do not get full insight into university rankings based on their personal preferences.
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings places Queen Mary University of London on the 98th place in the world.
The league table considers the following criteria (each with an equal weight):
| Criterion | Score (of 100) |
| Teaching quality | 34.1 |
| International Outlook | 93.5 |
| Industry Income | 36.8 |
| Research capabilities | 41.3 |
| Citations | 93.3 |
| Total | 58.5 |
Queen Mary University of London is:
The main statistics on Queen Mary University of London consist of:
The Professional Ranking of World Universities (PRWU)
This league table ranks university by a simple criterion, undeclared but verifiable: the number of alumni holding a post of chief executive officer or equivalent in one of the 500 leading international companies, at a particular time and with the data, (companies and company leaders) of the Fortune Global 500 classification. The last such survey was conducted in 2009 based on the companies included in Fortune Global 500 at the end of 2008.
Queen Mary University of London is not mentioned in this ranking meaning that at the time of the research none of its alumni occupied top management positions in any of the companies considered.
Centre for World University Rankings
Based on this ranking, Queen Mary University of London is the 209th academic institution in the world, with an overall score of 47.25/100, and the 17th in the UK.
CWUR uses eight objective and robust indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities:
| Criterion | Measurement | Weight | Ranking by criteria |
| Quality of Education | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals relative to the university’s size | 25% | 147 |
| Alumni Employment | Measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size | 25% | 319 |
| Quality of Faculty | Measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals | 25% | 218+ |
| Publications | Measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable journals | 5% | 226 |
| Influence | measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals | 5% | 175 |
| Citations | Measured by the number of highly-cited research papers | 5% | 212 |
| Broad Impact | Measured by the university’s h-index | 5% | 138 |
| Patents | Measured by the number of international patent filings | 5% | 255 |
QS World University Rankings
Based on these criteria Queen Mary University of London ranks the 109th university worldwide.
In terms of subjects and fields of study, Queen Mary University of London ranks best in:
This league table looks at 6 main criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Score |
| Academic reputation (based on a global survey) | 40% | 63.4 |
| Employer reputation (based on a global survey) | 10% | 57.4 |
| Student to faculty ratio | 20% | 72.4 |
| Citations per faculty | 20% | 57.5 |
| International faculty ratio | 5% | 96.6 |
| International student ratio | 5% | 99.3 |
| Overall | 100% | 67 |
The National Student Survey
The National Student Survey ranks UK universities based on students’ responses to a survey which assesses the following:
Student overall satisfaction at Queen Mary University of London is at 88%. A further analysis of the responses shows that students have answered mostly with 4 (satisfied) and 5 (very satisfied) to most of the questions, but none of these two answers represent a majority (i.e. over 50% of the respondents chose one or the other). The most dispersed answers offered by students from “dissatisfied” to “very satisfied” are those to the questions concerning assessment and feedback and the support provided to students taking NHS placements. In fact, between 20% and 30% of the students answered with “2 out of 5 to the questions: “How satisfied are you with the preparatory information offered prior to your placement?”, “How satisfied are you with the given opportunities to meet your required practice learning outcomes?” and “Do you believe that your contribution during your placement as part of the clinical team was valued?”.
London
Of these new developments, however, the most exciting is the Night Tube. Meant to open September 2015, but delayed due to industrial disputes, a date for its launch has not been given. But by the end of the academic year, it seems inevitable that on Fridays or Saturdays your trip home will not have to involve two night buses and getting a crying girl’s mascara on you. The Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines will be first to go 24 hours on the weekends, with the other lines to follow.
All of which means ‘I have to get the last tube’ can no longer be an excuse not to visit any or all of the following.
Exploring the City
Let’s make something clear straight away. ‘Exploring the city’ does not mean Big Ben, Oxford Street and a shopping bag full of stuff only slightly related to hard-coated chocolate from M&Ms World. Instead, it means feeding deer, climbing up the inside of stone pillars, seeing Da Vincis and Van Goghs, discovering rainforests in the heart of the city, and a thousand other weird and unique experiences that make London the best city in which to be young and free in the UK, and possibly the world.
(I am not going to tell you where you can find any of the above things. Consider it your first challenge to find them all.)
The best way to begin exploring the city is by bicycle. Cheap to rent from any of the many Santander-sponsored bike dispensers, cycling through the city is not as difficult as you might think (just avoid the terror-inducing Hyde Park roundabout). Still, if it intimidates you, first visit one of the capital’s beautiful parks. Regents and Victoria are my personal favourites, but all of them are vital escapes from the city.
Apart from this tip, and my advice to find a high point like The Shard or The Eye at night to see how beautiful your new home city is, the rest is up to you. The joy of London is discovering it for yourself, and finding places that are off the beaten track. Some of my favourites include Wilton’s Music Hall, the Theatre and Performance section of the V&A, and the Close Up cinema off Brick Lane….now go and make your own list!
Nightlife
London has more than 300 clubs and 2000 bars. So, where to start?
Well, that very much depends what sort of night you want to have, and what sort of people you want do have it with. Gone are the days when you just had to make do with Wetherspoons and the one OK nightclub in your city or town (though if you are looking for a Spoons, there are 150 in London).
However, Shoreditch is a good place to start. East London has a (sometimes deserved) reputation for hipster nonsense, but for its sheer number of weird and interesting bars, it beats everywhere else. Hoxton Square combines great bars with live music, such as the Hoxton Square Bar, Electric Showroom and Ziegfried von Underbelly. There are also some nice little food places, and it is mostly chain-restaurant free. Your night can then continue in clubs like XOYO, Cargo and Village Underground
Your views on this Shoreditch experience inform where might be the best place for you to explore next. If you loved the quirky weird concept places like The Shoreditch, heading further east is your next step, to clubs like the Dalston Superstore, and club nights like those at Oval Space.
If the whole thing left you craving a normal pint, first visit Shoreditch’s Barley Mow, which is the perfect antidote to its surrounding area. Then, explore more of the central area around Camden, Euston and Bloomsbury. As well as being real student hubs (with prices to match), pubs like The Roebuck and clubs like Koko offer great drinking (the former) and dancing (the latter). They also offer one or two goth bars if you want the polar opposite of the East London experience.
Eating
Walking down many streets, one might be led to believe that London dining exists solely of combinations of Pret, Starbucks and Pizza Express. Conversely, other areas seem designed to make you think that only oligarchs and their immediate families can afford to eat out. However, it is possible to find good, affordable food without relying on faceless chains.
The first eating destinations you have to visit are London institutions. Make the most of that first student loan payment with a culinary tour of the city. Start with a Brick Lane curry. Choosing between them is difficult (most display ‘best curry in London’ banners), but by and large they are all excellent, with Sheba a good place to start. Next, Borough. Its market is as much about the experience of wandering around as it is about any particular truck, so have a good browse before choosing your lunch. Make some time at some point, however, for the raclette stall and its deliciously oozy cheese over potatoes. Next, pie and mash, a Cockney staple that was all but dead a few years ago. Luckily, there are still restaurants hanging on, such as Manzes and Cockneys Pie and Mash.
When you have tried London’s culinary past, try its present. Nothing if not a city of trends, London’s most defining current fad is upmarket fast food. Now, you are not a true Londoner until you have a favourite burger joint. To help find yours, some of the best can be found at the many locations of DirtyBurger, Soho’s Burger and Lobster, or at MeatMarket in Covent Garden. Once you are done with burgers, try the chicken at Chicken Shop (Kentish Town), hot dogs at Kensington’s Dirty Bones or even cereal at Shoreditch’s notorious Cereal Killer.
For those times when you want a little fine dining (i.e. when your parents take you out), London offers some of the world’s best restaurants, with more than Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. You might dismiss these as being well out of your price range, but you’d be surprised. All you have to do is be aware of the times and days when restaurants are least visited. Most are desperate to boost their numbers on these days and offer huge discounts or deals. Mondays, Tuesdays and lunchtimes can see major discounts at even the fanciest restaurants.
Events
One of the absolute best things about London life is that events you go to are often national news. “Oh yeah, you know those fireworks you saw coming off of the London Eye at midnight on New Year’s Eve” you say to your group of home friends who are silently judging you, “I was there. Well, not there, as I refused to pay for tickets. But I saw them from a really high hill”. Those fireworks, the Notting Hill Carnival, Wimbledon…all of these and more are merely a tube ride away. Or two tubes and a bus if you didn’t choose your accommodation particularly well.
Music first. Festival season always marks the point in your student calendar where exams are over and all you have to occupy your days is a vague sense of guilt over not having a summer internship. Although other festival locations like Reading, Leeds and of course Glastonbury are better known, London has its fair share of great festival. Hackney’s beautiful Victoria Park is home to two of the best, with Field Day (indie and alternative) and Lovebox (dance, grime and hip hop), both costing about a third of the cost of a trip to Worthy Farm.
Then there is British Summertime at Hyde Park. Although technically a series of all-day gigs rather than a festival, this means there is more variety. Recent years have seen acts as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Arcade Fire, Take That and McBusted headline a day. Plus, for the last two years, there has been an ‘accidental release’ of £1 tickets near the festival date, so fingers crossed someone is feeling equally clumsy this year.
Although I mocked people who go see the New Year’s Eve fireworks in the previous paragraph, they are really worth seeing live at least once. Free for years, you now have to pay for tickets to stand close to the display. However, there are plenty of places in London where you can see them without paying and without a security guard confiscating the cans you have stuffed into your bag. Primrose Hill is the universally-agreed place to steal a view of the fireworks, and the atmosphere is much better than on the crowded South Bank.
But that’s only a brief guide to the most essential things, without even touching on Chinese New Year, London Pride, the London Marathon and a hundred other great things that are happening every day in the city.