[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] The College is part of University of London and students are [PARA]entitled to use its facilities.[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about London: [EBOLD]See [ULNE]University of London[EULNE]. [PARA]University College London, or 'UCL' is the largest college ([ITAL]big [PARA]enough to be a whopper university on its own[EITAL]) in London [PARA]University. Faculties and accommodation are concentrated in [PARA]Bloomsbury, [ITAL]so, in effect, this is the nearest thing London [PARA]University has to a campus.[EITAL] It was founded by a group of [PARA]worthies influenced by the ideas of Jeremy Bentham, the famous[PARA]Utilitarian philosopher ([ITAL]but, of course, you knew that already[EITAL]), to [PARA]promote equality and the crossing of class barriers. It had no [PARA]religious leanings - which was unique in those days - and was [PARA]also the 1st university college to admit women. The main building [PARA]is [ITAL]very beautiful [EITAL]with steps leading to an [ITAL]impressive [EITAL]portico at the [PARA]main entrance. The library dome can be seen behind it. 3 stone [PARA]cloisters edge a big grass lawn. It's all a bit like an inner city [PARA]stately home. [ITAL]Unfortunately, the other buildings, humdrum brick, [PARA]are as impressive as a rust brown Skoda next to a little red [PARA]Corvette.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]Because UCL is so vast and is situated among the big business [PARA]of central London, during the day there is little or no sense of a [PARA]student community in the College itself. However, after dark the [PARA]businesses shut up shop and a David Attenborough-type foray [PARA]will reveal the lesser-spotted UCL student spirit alive and well in [PARA]the halls of residence and College bars. Even there though, there[PARA]is none of the no-business-is-private-business nosiness that [PARA]exists in smaller or more compact institutions. Knowing that not [PARA]everyone else knows that they have a nasty rash on their inner [PARA]thigh, makes students laid back and lots of bars means there's [PARA]no single focal point.[EITAL][PARA]UCL is packed into Bloomsbury,[ITAL] a very respectable area of [PARA]London[EITAL]. Gower Street is just off Tottenham Court Road, and is [PARA]within a quick trot of Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Soho. [PARA]The British Museum is also close. Gower St itself is 3 lanes of [PARA]fast, never ending traffic. UCL's buildings are surrounded by [PARA]Georgian houses, shops and many other bits of the London [PARA]University. There are a fair few small green squares which are [PARA]fenced in, but accessible nevertheless, and [ITAL]it beats a kick in the [PARA]teeth. [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]NOS and REQUIREMENTS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Arts[EBOLD] 3,000 22pts[BOLD][PARA]Life Sci[EBOLD] 1,844 23pts[BOLD][PARA]Built Env[EBOLD] 236 22pts[BOLD][PARA]Chem Sci[EBOLD] 628 20pts[BOLD][PARA]Engineering[EBOLD] 657 22pts[BOLD][PARA]Law[EBOLD] 400 23pts[BOLD][PARA]Maths/Sci[EBOLD] 958[BOLD][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EBOLD][PARA][BOLD][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,300,000 [BULL] Study places: 1,471 [BULL] Computer [PARA]workstations: 200[ESTAT][EBOLD][PARA]There is 1 main library, but with 8 arms - like a spider, except [PARA]those are legs. There's the Bloomsbury Science, main and [PARA]Boldero libraries and other collections for Clinical Sciences, [PARA]Environmental Sciences, the Institutes of Archaeology, of [PARA]Laryngology and Otology and finally, the Institute of Orthopaedics[PARA]Library. All in all, the book stock expands at a rate of 1 kilometre [PARA]per annum. UCL computing services (open 9.30am-5pm) cater [PARA]for 6 of London University's colleges.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 4full/2part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 9.9%[ESTAT][PARA]UCL's careers service is separate from the University's.[HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]UCL was the first college with no religion. It was known as [PARA]'the Godless place on Gower Street'.[PARA][BULL]UCL still has 'Beadles' (a sort of college caretaker) who wear [PARA]maroon uniforms, [ITAL]a bit like England football team's 2nd strip.[EITAL][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Brett Anderson (Suede frontman); Fiona Armstrong [PARA](broadcaster); Rabbi Lionel Blue (writer, broadcaster); Raymond [PARA]Briggs (writer/illustrator, 'The Snowman', etc); Jonathan Dimbleby[PARA](broadcaster); Claire Francis (yachts-woman); David Gower ([ITAL][PARA]sublime[EITAL] cricketer); Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (artist/ sculptor); [PARA]Magnus Pike (late mad scientist); Stanley Spencer (artist); Carol [PARA]Thatcher (broadcaster and Maggie's sprog); John Whittingdale [PARA]MP (Con). Lloyd Cole (singer) dropped out.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads. Alternative [PARA]prospectus available from Union.
