Hear from one of our Student Creators about life in London

Every uni student relates to incoming deadlines and endless assignments. But living in London is so much more than that. I wanted to share my favourite ways to become involved in the local London community and ways to explore the highlights of the city.

Societies

When I started university, I was entranced by the societies welcome fair. There were rows and rows of stalls, all promoting individual societies. I instantly gravitated to all the journalist societies and magazines; any opportunity to engage in my love of writing. Ever since, I’ve been involved in two of UCL’s student-led magazines, Analogue Magazine and UCL Science Magazine. Analogue Magazine to me has been more than just a publishing platform for my work. I’ve met other students involved in the creative industry sharing their photography, films, artwork and writing. Writing evolved from being just a hobby to increasing my social sphere of creative-minded people. Beyond helping to plan magazine releases and submitting my own work to Analogue I’ve met people interested in creative journalism. If I were to recommend anything to incoming first years, it’s to join as many societies as possible in first term (and many do trial periods). If it’s to meet new people, engage in a current hobby or to try something new I promise you’ll find your place at a University of London society.

Volunteering

Outside of taking part in societies, university is the perfect time to get involved in volunteering. With uni timetables often having many empty periods, I found that balancing between one and three hours of volunteering a week is completely manageable, and is a rewarding experience. I’ve been mentoring with ‘Debate Mate’ a charity involved in reducing the education gap in primary and secondary state schools. This entails learning a curriculum that encourages students to engage in constructive discussion and critical thinking. Throughout the year my group of students has taken part in three debating competitions; it’s fulfilling to see them become more confident in public speaking and enhance their teamwork skills in a relatively short period of time.

Another way I’ve became more involved in London outside of uni, is with a youth climate organisation ‘Teach the Future’. ‘Teach the Future’ promotes climate education to be implemented in the UK’s school curriculum by holding youth-led events and contacting MPs to increase awareness of our goals. I’ve been helping with making social media content to promote events and attended a London-based event where we invited climate speakers to talk to local Sixth Form students. Overall, volunteering for these organisations has increased my involvement with the local community. It’s great to be able to improve the experience of state school education for future generations by increasing their opportunities whilst also campaigning to improve climate awareness (especially in schools).

Based on my experience with volunteering I would recommend every student to find an issue that they’re passionate about, research an organisation involved, and find a way to support it. There’s no better time than when you’re surrounded by London’s city-life. It’s an amazing way to improve public speaking, content making and teamwork skills all whilst socialising and working towards a united goal.

The sights

My last London recommendation is the sights; what I love most about London is the blend of nature with city skyscraper landscape. If I were to recommend places to visit for beautiful nature scenery I’d go to Primrose Hill (bonus points for the floral inspired name), Regents Park (especially during cherry blossom season), Kew Gardens or Richmond Park. These are especially great for a change of scenery during exam season or simply taking a mental health break. Alternatively, if you’d rather immerse yourself in the city, my favourite areas in London are Camden Market if you enjoy the shopping experience or Chinatown for the food. Making most of my time at uni for me is a blend of exploring the city, meeting like-minded people and contributing to our local community.