There are endless ways to fill your spare time as a student in London. Every week I discover new things and new places that are off the beaten track. I study and live in East London, so I admit that I’m partial to this side of the city – but there are great things to explore all across the tube network. Here’s a list of my favourite things to do when I get a spare moment between assignments in London.
 

Have a drink and a wander in Shoreditch

I spend a lot of time in Shoreditch. It’s in East London, but it’s accessible enough that my friends across the city aren’t too bothered to travel over. The streets are historic and quirky, there are lots of nice shops if you’re around during the day, and there is no shortage of fun places to get a drink or a bite to eat at any time. The bars are offbeat and generally more affordable than places in central London.
 

Stroll down the South Bank

The South Bank is one of my favourite places in London. If you’re up for a long walk, you can wander all the way down the Thames from Westminster to Tower Bridge, catching iconic London sights on the way (including Big Ben, the National Theatre, St. Paul’s cathedral, Millennium Bridge, and the Tower of London). The south bank also offers its own activities, so check out what they have on.

Museum and Gallery Lates

At the end of the month, many museums and galleries in London pick a night to stay open and host a museum “lates”. During lates, museums won’t close until around 10pm and they’ll serve drinks that you can sip while you peruse the exhibits. It’s such a great way to experience some of the most well-known centres of art and history in the world, including the Tate Modern, Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert. And as a bonus, entrance is free! It’s one of my favourite ways to spend a Friday night in London. Look on the museum’s individual website to find their dates for the month.
 

Greenwich

There is so much to do in Greenwich; the parks are beautiful, the pubs are cute, and it’s home to such activities as the Royal Observatory and the Maritime Museum. It takes you a little out of the hustle and bustle of central London, but it’s still very accessible by DLR. It’s a great place to venture when the city gets a little overwhelming, especially on a sunny day.
 

Catch a movie at the Genesis theatre

The Genesis is well-known among locals as a cool place to be in the East End. You can catch everything from big blockbuster movies to indie films and special showing nights. The theatre also has a café, a bar, and a restaurant inside of it – you actually don’t even need a movie ticket to hang out there. They even have live music some nights. The theatres are tiny and cozy, and they offer discounts for students. Compared to the big IMAX cinemas, it’s very affordable.
 

Spend a casual afternoon in Victoria Park

Hyde Park and St. James Park get a lot of attention, but Victoria Park is my personal favourite. There aren’t really any tourists, and on a sunny Sunday afternoon its filled with families walking their dogs and kids learning to ride bikes. It’s a great place to sit with a coffee or kick a football around. There’s also a great bakery and café in the park called ‘The Pavilion’ that makes a mean eggs benedict. While you’re in this area:

• Wander down the canal in either direction, it’s beautiful!
• Stop in the local shops on nearby Roman Road; there is even a market several days of the week.
   

Visit Columbia Road Flower Market

To round off my list, here is a last East London treasure. Every Sunday, no matter the season or the weather, flower vendors bring their stock to Columbia Road. Even if you’re not shopping, it’s lovely and colourful to just browse. Go first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds and take home the best flowers or go late in the day for the last-minute discounts as vendors try to sell off their stock. Visit a nearby Hackney café for brunch while you’re there.

If you would like to find out more about studying in the UK, please contact one of our Advisors.
 

Making the move to study in England is a big decision, you’re leaving your friends, family, bed, and the comforts of your own home. As exciting and life-changing this experience is, it can also be a big adjustment, one such adjustment is grocery shopping. Coming from Canada we are used to everything being big, maybe not as big compared to our southern neighbors, but for the most part things are quite over-sized. Everything from our coffees, to our highways, and especially our grocery stores. Not only are our grocery stores huge, each offering every possible thing you could imagine, they are also everywhere, located at every possible interval within a city. In England this is just not the case.

The size of the grocery stores here was the first thing to strike me. You’ll find that the stores in the UK are smaller, maybe 5 or 6 aisles holding the necessities such as bread, milk, some vegetables, and a selection of frozen foods. The bigger, better stocked grocery stores are often not centrally located but are easy enough to get to on public transport.

The main chains are Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s. Morrisons stores tend to be the biggest centrally located and you can find a wide variety of local and international foods. You’ll find an abundance of small Tesco express stores scattered throughout cities, as well as Sainsbury’s local stores where you can pick up the essentials.

A major bonus for a vegetarian like me is the availability of farmers markets and produce stands. These shops offer a range of fresh and local fruits and vegetables at cheaper prices and with less waste than the chain stores. Also, as a bit of a health nut I was pleasantly surprised at the presence of health food stores where you can pick up bulk items such as nuts, seeds, and meat alternatives. International grocery stores can also be found scattered throughout cities, including Asian and African supermarkets. This comes in handy for students who are worried about missing comforts of home! 

Despite the ranging options of supermarkets there a few things that are missing from the British food selection. First of all, the selection of breakfast cereals is majorly lacking. Do not expect and entire aisle dedicated to your favorite breakfast staple. Secondly, for peanut butter lovers such as myself, the natural variety does not taste the same as in Canada, however almond butter has since become a staple in my diet.

Although, not everything is the same, it is always an adventure going food shopping and discovering new brands and products you have never heard of before. If you too want to explore a new culinary atmosphere than contact one of the Across the Pond Advisors to find out more about studying in England.  

The housing situation in London was one of my main hesitations when I considered moving to the city. It’s intimidating to face as a young student, especially if you’re on a budget (like me). The good news is that tens of thousands of students navigate this process in London every year, and it shouldn’t be a deterrent for living in one of the best cities in the world. To help prepare you, I’ve rounded up some of your options and the most helpful information for conquering the London housing market.
 

Student accommodation through your University

Most universities will have some kind of housing available for their first-year students. If you apply early, it can be the easiest way to make sure you have a place to live on your first day of class. University supported residence is safe, reputable, and up to a good standard. If you’re a mature student (older than 21) it’s also possible that your university will place you with other older students; this can be a wonderful thing during the orientation week parties that you may have outgrown. I attend one of the few universities in London to have their residences on campus. It’s truly a great thing to live in a great, big city, but be able to walk to class in two minutes. However, not every university has this benefit, and it can be a pain to live in uni housing 45 minutes away from campus. This is an important thing to look up before choosing your accommodation. The tricky thing is that many London universities will only allow you to live in housing during your first year – after that you’re on your own.
 

Private student accommodation

There are a number of private student accommodation companies in London. Reputable companies like IQ and Liberty provide very high-quality housing in the student dorm style across the city. The downside is that these places are usually far more expensive, and their leases generally last for the entire year – so you must commit to paying rent all summer. The bonus is that the rooms are usually far nicer than university accommodation, and you still get the safe, social environment of living with students. This option will also be available over the course of your entire degree.
 

Flat sharing

Many of my friends found a place to live through websites like spareroom, where people advertise a room in their home to rent. This can be the most affordable route, and you might end up living with a cool group of people. The downside is that you lose a lot of the comforts that come with student organised accommodation; you need to keep an eye out for shady landlords, and you may encounter problems with your flatmates that can’t be fixed by a designated person in charge. But it’s a great option if you’re looking for both accommodation and some roommates. 
 

Finding a place with a group

It’s also possible to bring a group of people together and find a house or flat to live. Many people do this in the later years of their degree. You may also be able to find flatmates in networks you are a part of already. You can post in Facebook groups for alumni of your school and find likeminded people that also need a place to live in London. You have many options, and places can come furnished or unfurnished.

Be conscious that with the competitive market, you might need a guarantor that resides in the UK, reference checks, or to pay additional agency fees. These things might make it more difficult or more expensive, so ask lots of questions and do your research beforehand.
 

Helpful tips

• Look for your accommodation in August – things open-up later when other students move out.
• Take advantage of any help your university provides. They might have a specific database for off-campus housing, or provide resources about your rights as a tenant and best practices for navigating the system.
• Thoroughly evaluate a place the first time you see it. Once you see a place you like, you have to take it immediately.
• Check out the travel zone that the accommodation is in – it will affect the cost of travelling into university (you are charged for passing through a zone, even if you don’t stop in it).

London is so big and there are so many people, there will always be a place to live and flatmates to find. You shouldn’t let the challenge of finding a place scare you from living in this incredible city!

Living abroad inspires you to travel. It educates you on new places and cultures through the places you visit and the people you meet. Since moving to Scotland, I’ve gained a heightened respect for other cultures, as I’ve spoken to many different people from around the world. The people you meet abroad are reason alone to travel – I now have connections throughout Europe, the United States, Mexico, and even Dubai. These are people I’ve met while studying and working in Aberdeen, but also through travelling. Luckily, travelling while abroad is incredibly easy, even on a student budget.

Below are some of my top reasons to travel while abroad:
 

Affordability

Most Canadians will understand how expensive it is to travel outside Canada. Flights to Europe, Asia, Australia, etc. are long and expensive journeys. It’s also not cheap to travel within Canada. I’m often embarrassed to admit that I’ve only seen Toronto and Montreal. But living in the UK is another story. Affordable airlines, trains, and busses make it cheap and easy to travel to nearby countries and within the UK.
 

Learning about new cultures

I believe it’s extremely important to have an understanding of different cultures while living abroad. Travelling offers an opportunity to step outside your individual experience and learn about other people and lifestyles. Just yesterday, I bought a “Polish for Dummies” book. One of my close friends is from Poland and we’re planning to visit Warsaw together this summer.
 

Bond with friends – or yourself 

Travelling with friends can be a great bonding experience. You’ll create memories together that you can share long into the future. It also gives you something fun to anticipate and plan as a team.

Travelling alone can also be an enriching experience. If you’ve never travelled by yourself, I recommend doing it at least once. I travelled to Barcelona for five days in December before heading home to Toronto for the holidays. This was my first experience vacationing alone. It felt lonely at first, but this trip quickly became one of my favourite vacations. Travelling alone pushes you WAY out of your comfort zone. I rented a room in an Airbnb apartment and filled my days and evenings with activities around the city. I spoke to so many new people, and even made a couple new friends, simply by pushing myself to venture into the city and interact with others. This is an independence you can only gain on your own.
 

Conversation pieces

I love when people compliment my sweater and I get to respond with: “Thanks, I bought it in Barcelona!” In all seriousness, travelling gives you new perspectives and ideas that you can bring to conversations with your friends and family – just try not to make them too jealous!
 

Travel Hacks/Tips

Travelling has taught me several useful hacks for navigating an enjoyable (and affordable) student vacation:

1. Airbnb:

We’ve all used Airbnb for affordable rooms, apartments, and houses. But did you know the website also offers “experiences?” I discovered this section by accident while booking my room for Barcelona. The concept is the same as booking an accommodation, except it’s used for events and excursions instead. Airbnb experiences are posted by locals who offer unique activities at affordable prices. You can sign up for tours, hikes, bike rides, dance lessons, live music, wine tastings – the list goes on. I signed up for both a hike and coffee tasting in Barcelona, which helped me learn more about the city and meet new friends.

2. Budget flights:

Cheap airlines are great because, well, they’re cheap. But these airlines are cheap for a reason. Always pack your own snacks, as they do not provide free on-flight food. Also, bring an empty water bottle to fill for the flight once you’ve passed through security.

3. Travel in the off-season:

I travelled to Barcelona during the city’s off-season for tourism, which I believe made all the difference in my experience. My hike and coffee tasting only included one other person in each event; this is the reason I connected with people so quickly. Off-seasons attract fewer crowds, making it easier to travel to popular locations. Also, you avoid being lumped in with hordes of tourists.

I believe it’s beneficial to immerse yourself in new cultures while studying abroad. Take every opportunity to travel while you’re here, as there’s no greater moment to experience the world than right now.

 To begin your global adventure, please get in touch with one of our Across the Pond advisors.