[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]The capital is a big place. A very big place. Just under 10 million people live within the boundary of the M25 (150 miles of 8-lane car park). If you've got the idea that London is basically Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and a few big shops, think again. It is mile after mile of urban flood and there is so much diversity, it is pointless to even attempt to describe the place briefly. [PUSH]push[EPUSH] may be good value for money, but there are limits. Students who don't know London, but are serious about wanting to study there should get hold of one of the less touristy guides. Every year, 'Time Out' - the [ITAL]essential [EITAL]magazine to what's on in the capital (and they haven't paid me to say that) - produce a London Students' Guide (priced about ú3).[PARA]Suffice it to say, that since the days of the little Roman village of Londinium on the banks of the Thames, London has come a long way, becoming the country's centre of politics, finance, arts, heritage, tourism, media and so on...[PARA]Appropriately, London University is also big. One in 10 of the country's entire higher education population is at one of London University's 42 colleges and associated institutions. [ITAL]However, students rarely get a sense of the University as a whole especially since some of the larger constituent colleges, such as King's, Imperial and UCL, are big enough to be fairly sizeable universities on their own. [EITAL][PARA]The University's headquarters are in the [ITAL]magnificent[EITAL] art deco Senate House in Bloomsbury about 1 mile from Trafalgar Square[ITAL]. [EITAL] [PUSH]push[EPUSH] features entries for all the colleges, medical schools and some of the associated institutions, so read this and read the separate colleges' entries too because [ITAL]they vary as much as if they were different universities[EITAL]. For the record, here are those 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 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 States Studies[PARA]Centre for Defence Studies London Business School[PARA]Institute of Advanced Legal Studies London School of Hygiene 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] Manchester: 172miles [BULL] Edinburgh: 423miles[ESTAT][PARA]The following general info isn't repeated under the entries for other London colleges, whether they are constituent parts of the University or not. Places plugged, such as restaurants, are far from the only ones or even the best, they are just some of those who offered [PUSH]push[EPUSH] massive bribes and sexual favours. [ITAL]They're 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 tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.' Obviously, he wasn't living on a student grant at the time; for there is only a certain amount in London that a student can afford. SJ was right in that London is second to none in its diversity, but you can't do it all. It's easy to feel that you're not making the most of London if you're not spending every waking minute at the theatre, ballet, opera or cinema, in clubs or fashionable markets, and in museums and galleries, sports grounds and parks. However, if the truth be known, even taking advantage of the many freebies you can dig up if you try, you'd be broke within a week if you tried to keep up with the tearaway pace. When it comes to opportunity, choice and life in the fast lane, London is the turbo-boosted Porsche. London is supposed to be the city that never sleeps, leaving the bright lights burning all night long. In fact, as international metropolises go, this one tends to shut down when the pubs close. Getting more than a cheeseburger after midnight can be as difficult in London as it is in a Turkish jail. Not everyone likes the pace or the impersonal atmosphere that many find in London. Whilst it's hard to be alone, it's easy to be lonely, and most students in London find this at some time. London can be oppressive and if you're not streetwise, or at least street sensible, it can be a dangerous place. Bomb scares are usually 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 London: (1) burst into tears; (2) mug someone; (3) live on credit; (4) ask daddy for lashings of cash. Alternatively, if these don't appeal, you can always use the following methods: (1) Limit your spending by only going out when and where you can afford it (ULU fits the bill, offering cheap events for students). (2) Buy second hand - for books, there's ULU, Charing Cross Road and Waterloo and, for clothes, try Camden Market, Greenwich, Brick Lane and Portobello Road. (Many a London student falls prey to fashion, but not always at vast expense.) (3) Get a job - [EITAL]more London students have part time jobs than anywhere else.[ITAL] [EITAL][PARA][ITAL] London also has more overseas students than almost anywhere else, which, in Britain's most international city, is an appropriate addition to the already spicy variety of life. The extent of London's cosmopolitanism is unique. Nowhere else are there as many students of every different shape, colour, vintage, creed and flavour.[EITAL][PARA][ITAL] To be young in London and have flexible demands on your time is an ideal recipe. The daily downers such as the time spent travelling have a minimal effect, whereas the opportunities are all there. If you happen to live in London, it's good to be a student, but if you're a student, London isn't necessarily a good place to happen to live.[EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]London is the centre of the network: Bristol (1:40hrs, 1/hr); Birmingham (1:40hrs, 3/hr); Manchester (2:30hrs, 1/hr); Glasgow (5:20hrs, 12/day); Edinburgh ( 4:20hrs, 1/hr); Newcastle (2:45hrs, 2/hr); Leeds (2:30hrs, 1/hr); Norwich (1:49hrs, 1/hr). Trains come into the 8 mainline termini and if passing through London (for example from Canterbury (Kent) to Manchester), it is often necessary to travel by tube (at extra expense) between mainline stations.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] London is also the centre of the National Express system and a whole variety of other national bus services (Green Line, Blue Line and so on). Some example National Express journeys: Birmingham (ú9.50, 2:30hrs, 1/hr); Bristol (ú12.50, 2:15hrs, 1/hr); Edinburgh (ú25, 7:50hrs, 3/day); Glasgow (ú25, 7hrs, 7/day); Manchester (ú16, 3:30hrs, 7/day); Newcastle (ú17.50, 5:10hrs, 7/day).[PARA][BOLD]Local Trains: [EBOLD]Network SouthEast operates local overground trains [ITAL]which are a speedy and sometimes pleasant way to travel and are moderately efficient. The main problems are the ease of use (a fair level of understanding is necessary), the high fares and the early closing[EITAL] (last trains between 11pm and 1am).[PARA][BOLD]Underground:[EBOLD] The 'tube' is the largest underground train system in the world and generally,[ITAL] it is fast, easy to use, efficient (well, maybe not the Northern Line) and takes you just about anywhere you want to go, although South-East London is a bit hard done by. However, it is often crowded,[EITAL] shuts down at midnight,[ITAL] it's often disrupted by bomb scares[EITAL] and the minimum fare is 90p. [ITAL]Talking to other tube passengers is tantamount to threatening their mother - the only people who do it are tourists and people who want to talk to you about Jesus.[EITAL] Nearest tube to Senate 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 take the buses which are just as efficient,[EITAL] offer even more destinations and are slightly cheaper (50p minimum). [ITAL]But buses are slow and, until you know your way around, it's difficult to know which ones take you where.[EITAL] After midnight, buses come into their own - Night Buses are London's only form of all-night public transport and[ITAL] if you don't mind how long it takes,[EITAL] you can go almost anywhere within 10 miles of the centre.[PARA][BOLD]Travelcards:[EBOLD] For a legal way of dodging the expense of tubes, buses and trains, Travelcards are available at ú2.60 for a daily 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 regulated and enormously expensive, and dodgy merchants in Ford Escorts which are almost as expensive. There are now also some run by and for women. Basically though, forget all taxis, except late at night when all else fails and/or you're in a party of 4 or more.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Parking in Central London is impossible, and, although there is only one rush hour every day it lasts from 6 in the morning to midnight. Driving in London is excellent training for being a volcano.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Air: [EBOLD]Served by 4 airports, including Heathrow, the world's busiest. Regular flights to anywhere and back.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[ITAL] [EBOLD]Not possible from Central London, but get out a little way on to the city's escape routes or beyond the M25 and a thumb's a first class ticket.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles: [EBOLD][ITAL] A popular form of student travel given the pros: it's cheap and you can get through traffic. But there are the cons: London is big, full of exhaust fumes, lacking in cycle lanes and a 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 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] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 11.1%[ESTAT][PARA]The University careers service organises spectacular recruitment fairs attended by students from all over the country.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]'Guide to the University of London'. Also accommodation pamphlet, and a Student Guide from ULU.
