[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Polytechnic of East London, North East London [PARA]Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about London: [EBOLD]see [ULNE]University of London[EULNE].[BOLD] [EBOLD][PARA]The University of East London (UEL) isn't just in east London. In [PARA]fact, it's in 7 places, grouped into UEL's 2 main sites, 4 miles [PARA]from each other: the Stratford Campus (nothing to do with Avon [PARA]or Shakespeare) and the Barking Campus in the huge area of [ITAL][PARA]sprawling suburbia, [EITAL]east of London that is Ilford and Barking. [ITAL]The[PARA]buildings themselves at all sites could be considerably uglier (but [PARA]they're not winning any [EITAL][PUSH]push[EPUSH][ITAL] prettiness awards).[EITAL] 51/2 miles [PARA]north-east of Trafalgar Square at Stratford, the Main Building is [ITAL]a [PARA]fine example[EITAL] of Victorian municipal architecture (a listed building),[PARA]surrounded by London's East End, which, [ITAL]with toned down [PARA]stereotypes, is pretty well represented by a certain well-known [PARA]soap[EITAL]. The Barking site is bigger and [ITAL]more attractive, despite the [PARA]surrounding area. This is partly because[EITAL] it is set in Goodmayes [PARA]Park, [ITAL]an oasis in the suburban desert of Essex.[EITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Probably the best part of UEL is that students can get on with [PARA]their own lives without being bothered with the delights and [PARA]distractions of student culture. A real disappointment for those in[PARA]quest of the cliche lifestyle of baked beans, bars and books, but [PARA]a definite bonus for some, particularly the 70% of students who [PARA]qualify as mature, which means they're returners to education, [PARA]not that they say 'why don't you just grow up?' all the time. In [PARA]fact, although facilities may be wanting, the social mix is an [PARA]interesting cocktail - 1/2 the students come from ethnic minority [PARA]backgrounds and many come from the local area. There's a [PARA]positive atmosphere of vibrant tolerance, but most people see this[PARA]as a friendly environment in which to study, rather than as a [PARA]political statement.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]THE SITES:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]There's a fair amount of travelling between sites (by London's [PARA]public transport, see below). It is however, important for students[PARA]to check out which site their courses are based at and what's [PARA]there: Barking (engineering, business, social sciences and [PARA]design); Maryland (new technology); West Ham Main Building [PARA](science and paramedical studies); Duncan House [PARA](management); Holbrook and Greengate (art and architecture).[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][PARA]Stratford and the surrounding areas of London's East End are, [PARA]traditionally, the home of London's dispossessed: first, Jews; [PARA]nowadays, Asians and yuppies. [ITAL] They have a lively community [PARA]atmosphere which is hard to find elsewhere in inner city London.[EITAL] [PARA]The market in Petticoat Lane [ITAL]may be a bit more gimmicky than [PARA]once upon a time,[EITAL] but Brick Lane is a [ITAL]massive overdose for the [PARA]shopaholic[EITAL], even late into the night ([ITAL]with the best 24-hour bagel [PARA]bakery this side of the Atlantic[EITAL]). Local attractions [ITAL]worth noting[EITAL] [PARA]include the labyrinthine Barbican Centre, one of the country's [PARA]largest arts centres.[ITAL][PARA]Barking and Ilford are the stomping grounds of the Essex Girl, [PARA]and where Essex Man parks his Capri. The towns contain all the[PARA]ingredients for a simple life (Ilford actually has some quite nice [PARA]shops) that's all.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][EITAL][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][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] For West Ham the nearest BR stations are Maryland [PARA](10mins from London Liverpool St) and Stratford BR station, [PARA]which is lucky enough to have been selected as the site of the [PARA]forthcoming Channel Tunnel link. Stratford tube is also on [PARA]Network SouthEast's North London Line. Barking Station is 13 [PARA]minutes from London Fenchurch St Station.[PARA][BOLD]Buses:[EBOLD] The only buses that run between the 2 sites are the 238 [PARA]and the 25 (more or less), which runs from the Aldwych (in the [PARA]West End), past the Stratford site's Main Building to Ilford. Other [PARA]buses for Stratford include 69, 173, 241, 262 and a number of [PARA]Night Buses. And for Barking: 5, 87, 162, 287 and N95.[PARA][BOLD]Docklands Light Railway:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The extremely unreliable DLR runs [PARA]services into the City and Docklands, when it runs.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Underground:[EBOLD] Stratford is on the Central Line. Barking on the [PARA]District Line (and, at peak hours, the Hammersmith and City) [PARA]and Plaistow (on the same lines) are useful for some of the other[PARA]buildings.[PARA][BOLD]Hiking: [EBOLD][ITAL]Impossible from inside London - hitchers have to get to the[PARA]outskirts, but Essex is a no go area for the thumb traveller, even [PARA]the freight terminal near the University.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]For those students who can stand the filth and traffic, [PARA]biking it is a great deal cheaper than public transport, until they [PARA]have to replace their stolen bike.[EITAL][ITAL][BOLD][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EITAL][EBOLD][PARA][ITAL][BOLD][STAT][BULL] Books: 247,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1,452 [BULL] Study places: 861 [PARA]Computer workstations: 644[ESTAT][EITAL][EBOLD][PARA]There is main library and 5 others on separate sites with books [PARA]relating to the subjects studied there.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1992): 12%[ESTAT][PARA]Many of the courses are vocationally based which doesn't [PARA]necessarily mean students get jobs, but does increase their [PARA]chances of going into certain areas.[HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]UEL offers some unusual courses, often with 'Independent [PARA]Study' teaching, [ITAL]a sort of flexi-time degree where students [PARA]establish their own programmes of study. [EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Toni Arthur (Playaway presenter); Garry Bushell ([ITAL]objectionable [EITAL][PARA]right-wing 'Sun' TV critic who was a Socialist Worker as a [PARA]student); Eileen Carey (Archbishop of Canterbury's wife); Mark [PARA]Frith (music journalist, Smash Hits); Christopher Wenner (Blue [PARA]Peter presenter).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads.
