Student Life in London - unparalleled experience
Being a student in a cosmopolitan city is exciting but first, its daunting! So for that reason to ensure you get the best out of your experience as a student in London, I've created this lens. It will enable you to find out the hotspots for dining, clubbing, discounts, smart guides to grocery shopping, accommodations and a whole heap of other things. Speaking from personal experience here! Don't forget to enjoy London for all its greatness and then some more with the small stuff taken care of right here! (Pic credit goes to www.capturedsight.co.uk - pls visit for some amazing london photography)
Introduction
Doesn't get better than London
Welcome to your first day as a student in London. It's going to seem daunting but more often that not, you will grow to love this city and call it home. Most students don't really get to know the handy tricks of being a student in London till their 2nd or final years and by then its too late. In first year, you tend to have less coursework so you have more time to make the most of the city!With this guide I hope to help you on that way.
To get started, you can be from any university in London or one of the colleges of University of London - you are going to be a part of the Student Union. If this Student Union is accredited with NUS (National Union of Students), get your NUS card ASAP.
This card is your 'free' pass for most things in London.
Once that's sorted let's go on our journey! This lens is divided into various topics incl: travel around London, travel out of London, accommodation, internet cafes, shopping, theaters, cinemas, great bargains, etc.
If you have a specific query that hasn't been answered by the details already on the Lens, drop me a line on the guestbook and I will get back to you!
Enjoy!
How can I travel for cheap?
Because if you can't leave your house then aint no point in this lens!
What I found repeatedly in London was that without a fiver, you couldn't step out of the house. This all changed with the advent of the Oyster card!If you got the NUS card that I requested you to get in the introduction, all you've got do is get the Oyster form signed by your Student Union admin, stamped with your college seal (this can be done at the SU building) and post it to the Oyster office with two passport sized pictures. Pls refer to the TFL website for exact instructions or speak to your resident SU rep.
After a few days/weeks (depending on the usefulness of the tfl people), you should be the proud owner of your very own Student Oyster card. This is LEAPS and BOUNDS ahead of the time where you bought a weekly travel pass with your saved up cash only to have the pass in your pocket when you put your trousers to wash, thus never been able to utilise the thing!
With Oyster, you don't have that excuse. Plus there's serious ease of use. Register your Oyster card online, and you can set up an autotopup function allowing you to never fall below that yellow line! Less hassle. Ease of use. Plus you have daily price capping! Even without a daily travel card you won't be charged more than you would have paid with one.
So as a student, your next step? Get an Oyster card!
I'm hungry, I can't afford anything fancy!
Well, the cheat sheet is right here..
Well, from the outset you would think all London would offer to people on a budget is just the usual fast food, but that is not the case! Sure, you can goto the usual Burger King's or McDonalds but the students dream?Nando's! Again, healthier burgers for around the same price! Its available everywhere and usually around September they have offers! So go there and take up a loyalty card and start eating that chicken!
Chicken Cottage - again, great burgers for even cheaper! Especially good because they are open till around 1am at most locations.
Borough Market - must see! Great deals and if you stock up enough food, you will have sufficient food till the next market occurs on Saturday.
Borough High Street - lots of tiny eateries if you are a KCL student. With great lunch time deals. Italian delis offer fabulous lunch time meals (inclusive of drink and chips). Also, great for fry ups on a weekend morning after a binge drinking session the night before (NOT that I condone binge drinking :p)
Benjy's - To be honest, I discovered this whilst working and if they are still around the place, great meals! Jacket potato with LOTS of cheese for just 3 quid + drink + chips. 4pm-5pm happy hour with half price on most meals.
TinselTown (Farringdon) - Great location for students, got the most amazing milkshakes made from everything (Oreos, Mars Bars, Snickers, Mints, Crunch chocolates) and the foods fab too! American style diner experience.
Chinatown - most restaurants offer meals (rice, meat) for a fiver. Well worth it.
Pizza - every borough have their own pizza delivery services which are value for money! Pitch in with your friends and buy a large, get a bottle of coke and you have a great meal. Oh and if you're alone, try the Domino's personal pizza. Its tiny, filling and tasty!
Hopefully this is enough to get you started for now? Enjoy!
That's all good, but I wanna make my own food
Well that's where the array of supermarkets come in!
I found that if you budget around 20 quid a week, you would be able to buy enough raw ingredients from Tesco/Sainsbury's to last a week. Tesco tends to be cheaper than Sainsbury's if you can find an area nearby that has a large Tesco, if not even the local Sainsbury's would do!You should buy all your vegetables loose (not packed) as this tends to be cheaper. Don't go for pre-cut veggies unless you're real lazy. You can save a few quid here and there just by learning how to chop veggies/onions. It might be worth it to invest it in Sainsbury's ground garlic and ginger bottles however as these last a LONG time.
Go for the supermarket brand products in most cases - pasta, sauces, toilet papers,cleaning liquids, etc as these are value for money and VERY similar to branded products. Rice - buy it in 1kg/500g bags as these also last a while since you're cooking for just one person. I would also suggest investing in a tiny rice cooker - can be found at Argos/any Asian utensil shop.
Juices - go for supermarket branded ones but if you really can't stand it then splash out a bit, Tropicana does make the best Orange juice. Soda/water - buy big bottles in one go so you save a great deal. Or go for six-four pack cans. Again saves you money as well as hassle of trekking to supermarket again.
Cereals buy the big boxes, add value for money. Usually the bigger the cheaper and in your case, this is good! Sign up for loyalty points and remember to give your card each time you goto the cashier. You can use these points to pay for purchases later on.
You can buy value priced entire chickens or pay a little extra for chicken breasts. Spices - goto Asian shops if you can trek to North, East or South London.
Also a great stopover is Chinatown. The supermarkets here have a HOST of noodle packets for 35p each and these are fantastic! Delicious different flavours and much more worth it than the stuff you will get at traditional supermarkets. Again, Chinatown has beancurd, lemongrass and an array of delicious sauces for cheap which can be used to make fantastic stir fries.
If you need to buy cutlery, head to Tesco or ASDA large stores and you got a whole range.
I would strongly suggest making a list, and even though it may seem terribly inconvenient, make sure you buy everything you need for the week in one go. Several visits to the supermarket each week means increased expenses!
Go on then, unleash that inner cook inside you!
Nuff with the food, whats there for entertainment?
Ah.. what your student pass can get you!
London's the most vibrant city you can ever be in! Okay apparently New York comes close but London has this amazing history behind it! Entertainment runs from anything: clubbing, theatre, movies, concerts, premieres... the city is your Oyster (really works well with the Oyster Card thing).Again use your NUS card/Student card to get the best discounts. Use it to get a £3/4 discount at the cinema. Goto the half price ticket booths at Leicester Square to obtain great deals on West End plays! Don't forget your student card when you go out at night! A normal club night would cost you £15/20 for entry but with a student card you can goto student nights where entry costs sometime as low £3. Not to mention the subsidised booze available. Keep an eye out for flyers at your student union/halls of residence.
As for the best places? check out the list below!
Best places for London entertainment!
Cinemas, pubs, bars, clubs
- Cinemas
Leicester Square: Cinema Heaven
- Cheapest options are Haymarket and Trocadero. Trocadero being the cheapest for students however movie times and selection isn't as good as the others.
- Big screen Odeon at Leicester Square is a treat however, consider it as just that - a treat. You will find similar big cinemas for cheaper at Swiss Cottage, O2 Centre and other Zone 2 areas.
Greenwich - Huge multiplex with good prices
Surrey Quays- student cinema mecca. Bowling alley and lots of restaurants for an American cinema experience.
Angel - Odeon - great eateries, shopping around, and if you catch a night show, you could pop over to any of the bars that dot the High Street. - Bars/Pubs
Revolutions - Off Wardour St, St. Anne's Court - Great Vodka bar with fabulous cocktails
Moon under Water- Leicester Square Weatherspoons - Always packed, great atmosphere, Weatherspoons prices in a prime location! Weatherspoons is your key pub when you're a student
Oxygen - another hideout bar in Leicester Square
Student union bars - nowhere in London gives better prices - Clubs
Rainforest - Off Shaftesbury Avenue, right next to Trocadero, fantastic club - a must go for students
Ministry of Sound - Elephant & Castle, a little ghetto but best music and best cheap booze/student nights
LSE Crush - Every Friday night at LSE Student Union
Cafe de Paris - Next to KFC at Leicester Square
Check Out These Fancy Going-ons in London
Via Youtube!
Beyonce 100 Single Ladies Flash-Dance Piccadilly Circus, London for Trident Unwrapped
Runtime: 204
315728 views
231 Comments:
curated content from YouTube
I'm a student, aren't I meant to be doing some sorta work?
Yes! its called part time work!
You can't enjoy life in London without money, even with the great discounts you receive with the student card, you still need some dough in your purse. Best way to do that? Get a job! That's the benefit of working in a cosmopolitan, bustling city, there's always work to be done!Here are some ideas:
* Shop assistant - one of the most popular part time jobs, however very difficult to get. If you have friends who work in a shop already, ask them to hand in your CV to the manager. OR go hand it over directly yourself to the manager. This does however involve minimum pay and hard work.
* Fundraiser - Door to door/street fundraising is HUGE in London. With hundreds of charities present in the city and most without funds, they hire some companies to provide fundraisers to do the work for them. The pay is around $12/hour + commissions based on the number of people you get to sign up. Training is provided. Make sure to be safe whilst doing this however! Always have a team mate on the street if you are door to door fundraising and never enter a house.
* Tutoring - Use whatever subjects you learnt at school that got you to Uni to earn you some money! Advertise yourself on online education websites or sign up to a tutoring agency. This is the best option as they send you the clients and all you have to do is give them a pre determined portion of your earnings. With A level students being charged close to £25-30/hr, you can make a good buck with this source!
* Bouncer - If you have the physique for this job and the ability to stay up at night and growl at people, then you have hit the jackpot! Paying close to $30/hr, most bouncers are able to earn around £2500 a month!
* Student Union jobs - these also pay close to minimum wage but you have the bonus of working with friends, bartending at the local union is also a great way to meet people!
For more job opportunities check out online student job advertising sites.
Partied too hard, worked too hard, now am ill
What do I do?
See the beauty of studying in England is that the NHS covers all your costs. Yes, its a tricky system and waiting time is LONG but if you're ill, you can rest assured you can easily see your physician and get medication (regardless of whether you have money or not!)Well the first thing you should do prior to all that partying, shopping, studying (even!) is locate your nearest GP (General Physician) Clinic.
This can be done through the NHS website once you know the postcode of where you're staying.
If you are staying in student Halls of Residence, inquire at the reception for a list of the nearest GP's clinics.
Chances are there's going to be quite a few, so choose well. You may have seen that fancy clinic whilst walking to lectures but if you're ill chances are you don't want to be walking for 20 minutes to get to your doctor. Proximity is key. Make sure to note down the working hours of the clinic. You don't want to walk to the clinic when its closed and stand in the freezing cold till they open.
Visit the GP once you have decided and register (usually with the reception). You will need your student I.D. (issued by your university at registration) to ensure you get your free health coverage. Once you have registered, around a week or so later, you will receive your NHS registration card by post.
Make sure to keep this safe as well as take it along with you to each hospital/GP visit you make. Consider it your free pass.
If you are ill at a time when clinics are closed but need to see a physician, call the NHS DIrect - 0845 4647 to speak to a member of the nursing staff or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk. And if you are still feeling ill, please visit the A&E at your nearest hospital.
Show the world you're a student
Via Cafepress!
Pretentious English Major $10 Shirt
Price: 10.00 
![[reasonably prudent person] Baseball Jersey](http://images0.cafepress.com/product/95734120v3_150x150_Front.jpg)
[reasonably prudent person] Baseball Jersey
Price: 22.99
Student Midwife (bright) Maternity T-Shirt
Price: 27.59
I is a college student. Ringer T
Price: 19.99
Check out these guides
and get a better taste of London
Streetwise London Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of London, England
Because you need a map!
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/26/2009)
London (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
Because you can find undiscovered parts of London using this valuable tool
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/26/2009)
Time Out London (Time Out Guides)
Time Out is the holy book of London
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/26/2009)
Frommer's Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes by Train, Bus or Car
Because sometimes its nice to get out of London and the bustling city life!
Amazon Price: $11.04 (as of 12/26/2009)
Top 10 London (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)
The Top 10 must sees in London as per Eyewitness - give it a go on a boring weekend!
Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 12/26/2009)
How to get there?
Let Orbitz help!
Lets discuss!
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byUseful Books on London
Fodor's London 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides) by Fodor's
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The Penguin London Mapguid (Penguin Handbooks) by Michael Middleditch
Newly revised and updated, this convenient guide i more...0 points
Time Out London (Time Out Guides) by Editors of Time Out
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Streetwise London Underground Map - The Tube - Laminated London Metro Map - Folding pocket & wallet size metro map for travel by Streetwise Maps
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Frommer's Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes by Train, Bus or Car by Stephen Brewer, Donald Olson
You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you more...0 points
The Little Black Book of London (Travel Guide) (Little Black Book Series) by Vesna Neskow
London calling! With insider recommendations and f more...0 points
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- rajiv rajiv Aug 26, 2009 @ 6:10 am
- grt dude feels like i am enjoying london now ..
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- CatJB CatJB Jun 3, 2009 @ 7:09 am
- This is a really great lens. Makes me wish I was a student again! 5*, very well written.
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- mbgphoto mbgphoto May 28, 2009 @ 8:12 am
- Well done lens. 5*
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- AndrewShim AndrewShim May 27, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
- Excellent! 5 *s. I feel like I'm in London already!
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- Snozzle Snozzle May 22, 2009 @ 11:03 am
- Great 5* information, well done.
Good luck with Squidoo,
Mike.
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by rane84
I love travel, and I love food and I love sharing my experiences with everyone else which makes Squidoo the ideal community for me! (more)
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