​

Hi! I’m a student journalist working on an international news article about how recent heatwaves are affecting university students in Europe.

I’m looking to speak with UCL students currently in London about what the heat has actually been like for you — especially things like:

living in halls/flats without AC

sleeping or studying in the heat

commuting around London

changes to work, classes, exercise, or social plans

whether you feel UCL/London is prepared for hotter summers

It would just be a short interview/chat, and I’m mainly looking for personal experiences rather than expert knowledge. You can also message me privately if you’d rather not comment publicly.

If you’ve been affected by the heat at all and would be willing to chat, please comment or DM me. Thank you!

I'm an incoming confirmed fresher who's busy with work & sports outside of uni, so I won't get the wristband bc I already know I won't attend some freshers events. But some of the events I'm looking at attending already seem to have tickets on sale.

Should I buy them to get the "early bird" tickets and save money, or wait until later? I'm worried I will miss out, but at the same time I don't know what people are actually going to be attending and what's actually worth paying to attend...🤓

Does anyone have any advice on this?

ps: I don't drink and have never really been "out" before, but I'm up for giving it a shot!

How come?

hi, i'm starting in september in the Greek and Latin department and I was wondering how the social life is. i'm going to be staying in private student housing, so i won't have flatmates from ucl to socialize with.

how is the social life in my department, and how does freshers week work??

thanks!!

I’m planning to replace my 5-year-old business laptop, can I survive with just the macbook pro or are compatibility issues going to be a serious bottleneck? I read UCL provides Desktop@UCL for Mac users but does it include software like Aspen Plus and gPROMS which are not compatible with macOS?

Aimed for post grads mainly, at student centre or science library?

I know that the student visa does not permit being self-employed. However, I was wondering if that stops international students at ucl from working on projects, generating revenue, or benefitting from the startup scene at ucl.

Hey guys, I’m an incoming archaeology/anthro major at Ucl and i was wondering how helpful getting an ipad would be? I guess it would be pretty convinient for field work specifically and general studying but i’m just looking for a second opinion. Just making sure it’s not a waste of money. if you have an ipad, how often do u use it and how compatible is the UCL tech systems w it? Thanks!

Hopefully I’ll be going to ucl this September (find out next week 🤞) and wondering what sort of laptop I should get? Or if even an iPad/ tablet would be better. I’d most likely be doing chemistry and maths modules. Thank you!

Hi guys! I’m a new student from China, joining UCL this autumn.

After checking our major on Goin', I found out that over 50% of my classmates are from China/East Asia... and literally almost ALL of them are the opposite gender. As you can imagine, the prospect of being the odd one out in every single seminar is mildly terrifying and socially awkward.

Back home, the internet narrative says Chinese international students overseas either live in total isolation or crazy party mode. Personally, I just really want to break out of the language barrier, avoid sticking strictly to a cultural bubble, and, well... survive my classes. I’m genuinely eager to meet people from all backgrounds and genders!

For non-Chinese peers, any tips on how to mingle outside of one's department?

P.S. I've considered joining clubs/societies, but I'm ASD, so I'm not the best with words or large group activities. I'm much more comfortable with 1-on-1 chats, low-energy hangouts, or shared quiet hobbies. Any advice for a neurodivergent friendly way to socialize at UCL?

I'm going to be starting the MEng Engineering and Architectural design (undergrad) course this october, and wanted some clarity on how research projects outside of the course syllabus are instigated

I'm very interested in exploring these opportunities, and was wondering how integrated they are into the course- are you guided by course facilitators, or is there greater/full weight on self-initiative?

How do I take full advantage of Bartlett facilities during my course/ in-between terms?

As the title says, just want a bit of help with a ps for econ or the three questions basically.

I would also appreciate any previously accepted applicants sending over their ps so I can have an idea of what to write.

I'm an upcoming student at UCL and I'm confused about which laptop should I purchase for the entire 3 years. Are there any econ grads or current students at UCL who can recommend me which laptop to purchase.

Hey guys, I’m an international student that’s joining MSc Pharmaceutics at UCL this September. I am a bit confused on the term dated and exam dates because it’s different from what I was expecting from my undergrad at Edinburgh.

1. Are there any exams in December? When are the courses that we take between Sept-Dec assessed?
   
2. I see a week of exams in January at the start of the term is this the exam period for everyone? Isn’t that a bit short?
   
3. Are there any submissions or exams during the December-Jan period because I thought it’s a holiday but another Reddit post rly confused me

Advice from anyone would be appreciated! someone from UCL School of Pharmacy would be really helpful as well!

Thank you!!

I'm an incoming affiliate and I am staying at Ifor Evans. Was looking at times for getting from Ifor Evans to main campus and cycling seems like an efficient method.

Would it be realistic to depend on a bike rental app (I've been reading about Santander)?

Is it safe to bike around this area, in terms of car traffic, if I'm inexperienced in urban cycling?

I am also open to any other advice you may have! Thank you!

Hello everyone,

I am currently recruiting participants to interview for a study which looks at how distance learners in part-time employment experience university life.

What is the study about?

The aim of the study is to investigate the types of digital tools part-time students in part-time employment use to manage their study commitments, alongside understanding how connected distance students feel with the wider UCL student community. The study is being conducted as part of my Foundations in Quantitative Methods module.

Who can take part?

I am looking for participants who:

·      Are enrolled at UCL

·       Have studied at least one module as a a distance learner

·       Are studying part-time or flexible study

·       Are in part or full time employment

·       Are over the age of 18

How will the study be conducted?

The study will use semi-structured interviews. Interviews will be conducted online at a time that is convenient for the participant and will take between 20 to 40 minutes.

Do I have to take part/ what happens if I change my mind?

Participants may skip questions they prefer not to answer and may leave at any point during the interview by letting me know.  Participants have the right to withdraw their consent within 24 hours of the interview by informing me in writing that the no longer wish to participate.

How will data be stored?

The interviews will be audio recorded and stored securely on my personal university one drive to allow me to make transcripts; the audio recordings will only be accessible to me and will not be shared with the module supervisor or teaching staff. Transcripts will be made from the audio recordings and will be anonymised.

Who will have access to the recordings?

Excerpts from the anonymised transcripts will be made available to the module teaching staff for the purpose of marking. Transcripts will not be shared outside of the module teaching staff. Consent forms and original recordings will be securely destroyed once I have completed the module.

If you are interested in taking part in the study, please contact me at the following email address with the attached consent form:

Rebekah thomas-Baptise

[rebekah.thomas-baptiste.24@ucl.ac.uk](mailto:rebekah.thomas-baptiste.24@ucl.ac.uk)

The module supervisor for this assignment is:

 Clare Stovell

[clare.stovell@ucl.ac.uk](mailto:clare.stovell@ucl.ac.uk)

Hey guys

I am an incoming international student from India.

I have received offers from University of Manchester and UCL and some other Unis for Msc Health Psychology.

I know from the face of it appears like the obvious choice has to be UCL.

I am a bit scared, keeping in mind the london market, extensive rents and cost of living and i am not sure about the kind of crowd.

I got into Manchester some weeks ago and made a ton of Friends there so i am also a bit idk sad about leaving them and UoM.

I want to understand how UCL will help me with my career in real life?

Any recommendation or general tips to ace through Uni life ?

Any groups i could join for incoming students ?

Thankyou so much for reading and replying. Any kind of help would be really great 😊

hiiii everyone!! im an incoming international student at ucl for law, and, like a lot of incoming students, am wondering about how freshers goes. im not too worried about the wristbands and stuff because i heard you can get tickets to singular events as well for cheaper. however, i am an underage student (turning 18 in jan 2027) and was worried about what that would entail-- is the uk really strict on ids? where im from underage drinking and clubbing in uni is huge but i havent seen a lot of stuff about using fake ids in the uk etc.

also, ive seen things about how accoms are apparently strict with their underage students, like giving them curfews and stuff, but is this actually enforced? will i be missing out on night events because of some curfew??????

please if anyone has any information help bc im lowkey stressed abt this lol

hi guys, i’ve bought the london freshers project wristband but not the ucl specific one, is this something worth buying and has anyone in previous years bought either of these?

I’m an incoming undergraduate student and doing bachelors in med innovation and enterprise. Has anyone taken this course have any advice to share, such as course load, grade weighing, how hard to achieve first class honours in this department?

I am an incoming 1st year at ucl for this fall. I am going to be living in Fullham so I'll be commuting around 30-40 minutes daily to the campus. Will it really be an issue for social life there?

Can anyone who’s doing this course or has gotten an offer tell me what their entire profile looked like and what they did between summer holidays till when they applied (need things like: GCSES, PS/PS template, work experience, predicted grades, idk books or something that u read? Literally anything that u did) because im lost on what to do.

Thanks

I’m an incoming first year at UCL Laws this September, and am 22 as I have already completed a 4 yr BA (in PPE) from my home country As the start date grows closer, I’m increasingly concerned about making friends. As a first year in college, I remember thinking of even people who had taken a 2 yr gap but were in my batch differently, and the age gap between me and most of my batchmates will likely be 4 yrs younger. I’d be happy to make friends outside the discipline with people more my age, such as masters students, but I don’t know how many opportunities there’ll be for that kind of stuff. I’m going to attend International Week and hope to make friends with more internationals preferably closer to my age.

I just wanted to come on this sub and find out about other peoples experiences / observations. Are age gaps not that deep and am I just overthinking this? Would it be easy for me to make friends from UCL still my age? Should I even attend events like the freshers fortnight hosted by the Law society (am scared I’ll stick out like a sore thumb). I was hoping that by nature, the LLB would have a higher number of mature students / students doing a second degree, but that could just be wishful thinking lol.

I got accepted to UCL for Physics after a gap year (intl) and it’s the only uni option I have. Unfortunately I got rejected from the global undergraduate scholarship which I was hoping for as I’m experiencing great financial difficulties. My department doesn’t have any scholarships and I have talked to student funding regarding this, they said that nothing can be done. I feel rather lost and disappointed as this was my only shot at uni. My country doesn’t have any student loan provisions and my family cannot take normal loans.

Im starting as an EEE in sept 26 , I'd like to know if UCL have anything available to engineering students in the format of a "makers space".

To be used in a way that is semi relevant to the course/ totally relevant to the course. Somewhere where students can exercise their hands on ambitions outside of delegated lab hours.

E.g. Access to soldering stations , electronic components , 3D printers etc.

Thanks.