[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] The College is part of University of London and students are entitled to use its facilities.[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about London:[EBOLD] see [ULNE]University of London[EULNE]. Heythrop, London University's smallest college, moved in 1993 to an [ITAL]attractive[EITAL] Victorian campus-style site, sharing facilities with 3 other institutions, in Kensington, 3 miles west of Trafalgar Square. [ITAL]The college buildings, and the surrounding area, are posher than many of the University's other constituent colleges[EITAL], within easy reach of Kensington Gardens and the Kings Road, [ITAL]but don't be thinking the students are vacuous Sloanes.[EITAL] Heythrop is an independent college which specialises in Theology, Biblical Studies and Philosophy, originally founded in Louvain, moving through Liege, Stonyhurst, North Wales and Oxfordshire, finally rolling into London in 1970. Although it accepts students of any religion,[ITAL] if it were a doughnut the dough would be Roman Catholics, with Jesuit icing and the hole would be the rest.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]Heythrop is not the first place to start looking for Shi'ite Muslim fundamentalists, devil worshippers or Ian Paisley. It's a very cosy, informal, largely Catholic community, with a significant number of mature students and postgrads [EITAL](and even more after the move)[ITAL]. [EITAL]1/3 of students are professionally involved in their churches or preparing to be so.[ITAL] Being so few in number and having so much in common means everyone is very friendly, familiar and homely. Ex-students even drop in to say hi. The flipside, of course, is that claustrophobia can set in.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]LOCAL AREA:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Kensington is very posh. It's also very expensive. Buy a bottle of Evian from the corner shop and whoosh, there goes the best part of a fiver. A few years ago, someone bought a converted coat cupboard there for ú35,000. Okay, so we're exaggerating... about the Evian, the coat cupboard was for real. [ITAL]The area is one of London's innermost havens of serenity. [EITAL]Georgian squares, parking meters everywhere and homeless people moved on by the police. Applicants should not expect to live round the corner from the College. Earl's Court ([ITAL]Australians[EITAL]), Notting Hill ([ITAL]rastas and rich kids slumming it[EITAL]) and Battersea ([ITAL]yuppies, dogs[EITAL]), are nearby and considerably cheaper. The University buildings in Bloomsbury are about 20 minutes by tube (nearly 4 miles) or not much slower by bus.[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][PARA][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Nearest mainline BR stations are Victoria and Paddington.[PARA][BOLD]Buses:[EBOLD] To Kensington: 9; 10; 27; 31; 49; C1; etc...[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] Getting a clamp every day works out about ú100 a time and[ITAL] in Central London clamps prowl the streets like pigeons.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Underground:[EBOLD] High Street Kensington (District and Circle Lines) and Gloucester Rd (District, Circle and Piccadilly).[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] There's a cycle rack at Kensington.[HDNG]NOS and REQUIREMENTS:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Theology[EBOLD] 54 18pts[BOLD][PARA]Arts[EBOLD] 58 20pts[BOLD][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EBOLD][PARA][BOLD][STAT][BULL] Books: 250,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 375 [BULL] Study places: 120[ESTAT][EBOLD][PARA]Heythrop has the largest Theological Library in the country, and a recently-refitted computer room.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]For a life in the clergy or teaching religion, a Heythrop degree goes a long way[EITAL]. The College doesn't need its own careers service, there's the University's. See [ULNE]University of London[EULNE].[HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]There are 2 12-week terms and 1 of 6 weeks.[PARA][BULL]Tutorials are almost always on a 1 to 1 basis.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Nick Stuart (TV religious programmes presenter).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]General prospectus and hand outs for postgrads.[PARA][PARA]
